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Asus Unveils USB Monitor

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Asus has released a monitor that is able to display video signals without using your computer’s D-sub or DVI port. The new VW223B uses an EzLink (Display Link) technology that uses the existing USB interface in order to spread the vision and screen space of multiple monitors.


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Created for multi-tasking applications, the VW223B can be easily linked to a desktop or notebook to expand viewing. Transferring digital video signals via a USB 2.0 interface, the VW223B can be linked to one or more EzLink monitors – daisy chaining up to six monitors.

Installation of the EzLink driver is only required once for expansion. Content can then be automatically moved back to the main screen or notebook display when the USB cable is disconnected. Monitors also return to previous configurations after reconnections, lowering the complexity of adding more monitors.

According to Asus, the VW223B is ideal for users who require a large amount of screen and desktop space. Additionally, with its slim and glossy frame, the VW223B can be used effectively as display devices in commercial and retail business.

 

The VW223B is also embedded with a 3 port USB hub which allows convenient connections to EzLink displays, as well as other USB devices. Furthermore, the VW223B includes Asus Smart Contract Ratio (ASCR) technology which automatically adjusts the luminance of the backlight and improves the contrast ratio to 3000:1. Asus has also included an Aspect Control feature that enables a user to select a preferred display mode between full and 4:3 modes without distorting the display image.

A Splendid Video Intelligence technology delivers optimised video performance with intelligent colour, brightness, contract and sharpness corrections, as well as five video preset modes and three skin tone selections.

The VW223B is a simple and cost-effective multi-viewing solution – little or no training is required and each monitor can be rolled out by entry-level staff, resulting in increased work efficiency, lower deployment costs and reduced overheads.

The VW223B will be available in Australia in July 2008 with a recommended retail price of $429.

World Cup Spam Increasing Says Symantec

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Symantec has reported that spam related to the FIFA 2010 World Cup has risen by around 27 per cent.The company has identified numerous scams, phishing and malicious attachment spam related to this sporting event. It found that certain obvious words such as “FIFA 2010”, “2010 FIFA”, “Football World Cup”, and “FIFA World Cup” were being used in various parts of the e-mail (headers, body or obfuscation text).

Online users can expect to receive many variations of spam types, with offers of fake game tickets, malware distribution via fake videos purportedly showing highlights of the games and fake FIFA product offers.

Symantec’s Samir Patil said, “We first observed Fifa-related scams way back in 2005 when South Africa was announced as the 2010 FIFA World Cup host country. However, the message volume during the last couple of months has shot up.”

“Not surprisingly, 419-scam messages stand out as major contributors and with kick-off literally around the corner, we expect all spam volumes related to the World Cup to grow,” added Patil.

Acer Unveils New Aspire Notebooks

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Acer has refreshed its Aspire line of notebooks, with the company revealing a multimedia notebook, a notebook that can last up to 8 hours, as well as an LED-backlit model.


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Acer Aspire 5741

Acer’s entry level Aspire, the 5741, features Intel Core I processors, has a high-resolution 15.6″ widescreen display, and sports a mesh-patterned exterior that protects against smudges and scratches. It also featured a full-size Acer FineTip keyboard with numeric keypad and large keys for comfortable typing, along with a multi-gesture touchpad that lets you easily scroll, pinch, rotate and flip through web pages, files and images.

Chris Osborne, Senior Product Manager, Acer Computer Australia believes the entry level Aspire provides a lot of options with great value: “The Aspire 5741 makes the latest technology affordable to the masses, while making no compromise on value.”

The second notebook revealed by the company is the Aspire 5745G, a 15.6-inch LED-backlit notebook that offers a full selection of Intel’s Core processor range and supports Intel Turbo Boost Technology on i5/i7 models.

The Aspire 5745G features a full-size keyboard with large keys for comfortable typing, while dedicated media keys give you total control over your entertainment. “Another special highlight is the multi-gesture touchpad that lets you easily scroll, pinch, rotate and flip through web pages, files and images,” said Osborne.

Osborne also said that the Aspire 5745G supports up to 16GB over 4 DIMM slots when paired with an Intel Core i7 Quad Core processor.

 

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Acer Aspire 8943

Acer has also unveiled the Timeline 5820T, a notebook that can last up to 8 hours. The 15.6-inch Timeline X 5820T is ideal for home- school- and office-based users on the move all day with demanding PC needs.

It is less than 1-inch thin, is easy to carry, manoeuvre and store while you’re on the go, but still features full-size notebook usability with an easy-to-read display, numeric keypad and an optical drive.

Finally, the company has announced two new multimedia centres that claim to deliver an ultimate high-definition personal-theatre experience.

The Aspire 5943G offers a HD 720p experience, while the 8943G boasts an impressive FULL HD 1080p. In accompaniment is an optimized Acer CineSurround sound system with a subwoofer and five speakers built in, along with Dolby Home Theatre v3 for studio-quality sound. Combined with a Blu-ray writer and a Digital TV tuner, both Aspires can record the latest HD content, giving you an all in one cinematic entertainment experience.

With an Intel Core i7 processor and up to 16GB DDR3 memory, you’ll have all the power you need to smoothly engage in multiple applications at the same time. On top of that, ATI’s flagship Radeon HD 5850 graphics controller supporting Microsoft DirectX 11 will immerse you in detailed gaming worlds and make your creative ideas spring to visual life. Additionally, expansive storage space with up to two 640 GB hard drives lets you keep everything you want, without worry.

Pricing are as follows:
The Aspire 5471: from $899
The Aspire 5745G: from $1399
The Timeline X 5820T: from $1,599
The Acer Aspire 5943G: from $2799
The Acer Aspire 8943G: from $2999

Optus Refreshes Broadband Plans

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Optus has launched its new range of Bundled Broadband (with home phone and/or mobile) and Naked plan range that claims to offer more data. The company will also continue to offer a 12-hour off-peak period to its users and remove excess usage fees on most of its plans.Optus Consumer’s Marketing Director, Austin R. Bryan said, “As Australia’s second largest ISP and the first to offer bundling options for the home, Optus knows that customers want flexibility, value and great service from their phone and broadband provider. They also want easy to understand plans to show them exactly what they get upfront.”

“We have listened to feedback from our customers and developed a range of broadband plans that combine extra data with greater value and more freedom. For instance our new $59.99 bundled broadband plan provides customers with a huge 150GB of data a month and no excess usage charges should they reach their limit,” added Bryan.

Optus says that unlike some providers, it has retained “off-peak period at a huge 12 hours between midnight and midday giving customers a greater opportunity to use their broadband when they want to”.

In addition, Optus’ new Naked DSL plans allow customers to bundle their broadband and mobile services and access great broadband value by receiving 170GB of data for just $69.99 a month, a saving of $10 a month on Optus’ current Naked DSL offer.

“As customers download more music, TV shows and movies or access more user generated content online, Optus is thinking bigger and giving customers the option to use the internet for what they want as much as they’d like to, without having to worry about download limits or excess charges.”

“We continue to bring value and freedom to our customers by developing great plans that are easy to understand and represent the best value. With these new broadband offers we are proving once again that when you think of competition and great value, you think Optus,” concluded Bryan.

HP Notebook A Multimedia Powerhouse

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The new HP Pavilion dv7 promises faster running programs, noteworthy graphics, quality audio, and even has enough hard drive space to store your music, videos, photos, and games. Just make sure you are prepared to lug a notebook that weighs 3.52kg.

Spending $2299 for a 17.3-inch notebook seems steep, but HP is promising good hardware specifications on the dv7. The system features a 2.66 Ghz Intel Core i7 processor, 4GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce GT 230M graphics card with 1GB memory, and 1TB of storage (two 500GB drives). Also included are Altec Lansing speakers with an integrated subwoofer.

This means that you can edit photos and videos, play games, or watch movies in HD without experiencing slowdowns. The 17.3-inch BrightView widescreen display has a native resolution of 1600×900, although it could have been better if HP used a Full HD panel. The Altec Lansing speakers were loud, but those who want to enjoy movies or music in peace can connect their favourite headphones in the jack located up front.

The shiny black finish looks good but is a fingerprint magnet. The touch pad is large, while the keyboard is well-spaced and responsive. Users can find touch-sensitive media controls above the keyboard that allows a user to adjust the volume, put audio on mute, and even play or pause an audio file or movie. It also comes with a Wi-Fi button that changes colour depending on status (connected = blue, disconnected = orange).

 

The dv7 garnered a score of 6961 in 3DMark06 and lasted for 158 minutes in our movie playback test.

Connectivity is not an issue with the dv7 as it has a lot of input/output ports. It comes with four USB ports (one shared with eSATA), D-Sub, HDMI, Firewire, Ethernet, Modem, two headphone out, microphone out, IR, expansion port, and Expresscard slot, and 5-in-1 digital media reader. A built-in web camera and microphone are also onboard that can be used for Skype or other video conferencing software.

Overall, the HP Pavilion dv7 is a powerful multimedia notebook that performs well under most circumstances. Whether it is playing games, working on spreadsheets, or watching movies, this notebook will not slow you down. It may be heavy and hard to bring around, but it won’t certainly be an issue for those who do not want to sacrifice productivity. 

Iomega Network Drive Shares Files

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The new Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive will allow users to back up their files as well as stream stored content to gaming consoles or PCs.


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According to Iomega, the 1TB Home Media Network Hard Drive claims to store more than 4 million photos, 18,500 hours of music, or 1500 hours of video.

President of Iomega and the Consumer and Small Business Products Division of EMC, Jonathan Huberman said, “Iomega’s new Home Media Network Hard Drive is a powerful network storage device that’s so straightforward, even a novice can be backing up multiple computers and streaming media around their home in less than five minutes. The Home Media Network Drive does the serious work of backing up and protecting digital files, but it also streams photos and videos to game consoles, digital picture frames and networked TVs, as well as automatically feeding music into iTunes for easy playback – all for little more than the cost of a USB direct-attached desktop hard drive with comparable storage capacity.”

The new Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive operates EMC’s LifeLine Home software, a custom Linux operating system and application suite that can be set up in three easy steps: simply plug the Home Network Hard Drive into a router, power on, and install the software CD.  A friendly user interface screen makes it easy to access files on all networked computers, as well as control which family members have access to certain folders.

 

The Home Media Network Hard Drive supports iTunes and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) and Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) certified devices, which can save, store and stream digital content to the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, as well as digital picture frames, networked TVs and any other compatible device on a home network.

The Home Media Network Hard Drive is a total network storage solution that provides data backup and protection with integrated award-winning EMC Retrospect Express backup software.  During the set-up process, users choose files and folders for scheduled automatic backups from all the PCs and Macs on the network.  After that, any changes or additions are updated and saved automatically.

Iomega will also offer users an online backup service to store important files. Called MozyHome, this online backup service provides 2GB of free online storage for backing up selected folders to world-class EMC data centres.

The Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive 1TB, will be available in Australia in early May 2009 for $429.

Fastest Wireless Modem Hits Telstra Stores

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Australian business users can now have access to the fastest wireless broadband in the country as Telstra begins to sell its Next G Turbo 21 Modem.


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Telstra claims that its Next G Turbo 21 Modem is up to four times faster than competitor mobile broadband devices in Australia with typical download speeds ranging from 550kbps to 8Mbps. See our review of the modem here.

Telstra Business Group Managing Director, Deena Shiff said, “The faster speeds now available on the Next G network with the new Turbo 21 Modem will mean businesses can continue to stay ahead of the game at this crucial time. The bottom line is that businesses can get more done, more quickly, when they need to on the move.”

The launch today of the Turbo 21 Modem in Telstra’s retail outlets follows the successful roll out of the device to several thousand Telstra business customers last month. One customer who trialled the new device is John Nayler who runs an online information business, ChannelWhitsunday.com from his yacht off the north Queensland coast.

“I was able to load a video onto the internet in minutes while driving north of Rockhampton,” Mr Nayler said. “The combination of coverage, speed and ability to process many things at once while on the move is invaluable to my business.”

Telstra will also this week be making available a new Telstra information service to help customers understand the various broadband technologies offered by Telstra, how they differ and the typical internet speeds customers will experience under various circumstances. The new service will be available under the ‘Internet’ tab on www.telstra.com.

Epson Printer For Photo Enthusiasts

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Epson has launched the Stylus Photo R2880 – an A3+ printer designed for semi professional and professional photographers who demand high quality colour and black and white photographic prints.


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The Stylus Photo R2880 features Epson’s UltraChrome K3 Ink with Vivid Magenta, an eight individual ink cartridge system including cyan, light cyan, vivid magenta, light vivid magenta, yellow, light light black, light black and an interchangeable matte black and photo black.

According to the company, the UltraChrome K3 Ink with Vivid Magenta builds upon the success of Epson UltraChrome K3 by expanding the colour gamut for highly accurate colour reproduction with more vivid blues and purples and smoother tonal gradation in photographs and fine art prints.

The three shades of black eliminate colour twists and casts and offer a richer range of tonal expression for black and white photographic reproduction and superior neutral grey tones, creating professional quality photographic prints. The inclusion of light light black and light black also allows for exceptionally smooth gradation and incredibly detailed shadows and highlights. And a high D-max insures blacker blacks are achieved, particularly on glossy media.

Like all of Epson’s resin coated pigments inks Epson UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta boasts exceptional lightfastness, water and smudge resistance. A new advanced Micro Piezo print head optimised for Epson UltraChrome K3 ink with Vivid Magenta gives a one inch wide coverage with each pass allowing the Epson Stylus Photo R2880 to print quickly while delivering superior image quality.

 

In addition, Epson printers have Variable Sized Droplet Technology which varies the size of the ink droplets while maintaining highly accurate placement. The largest ink droplets are used for areas of solid colour which helps increase print speeds while for print areas where there are subtle tonal gradations and fine detail the technology accurately delivers ink droplets as small as 3 picolitres.

The complex algorithms in Look Up Table (LUT) technology determine the best combination of inks to ensure superior inkjet colour reproduction and tonal gradation. Epson’s new LUT technology further optimises colour gradation, minimises grain and ensures image constancy so that prints look the same under various types of light (reduced metamerism).

The Epson Stylus Photo R2880 supports a wide selection of A3+ media up to 1.3mm thick including glossy, matte and fine art papers. In addition it offers roll paper support which provides photographers with the ability to produce stunning, border free panoramic prints.  The Epson Stylus Photo R2880 prints directly to CDs and DVDs for complete customisation of customer orders and backup and storage disks.

The Epson Stylus Photo R2880 has dual USB ports for connection to two PCs or Macs without the typical disconnect/reconnect hassle that is par for the course with a single USB port printer.

The Epson Stylus R2880 is now available with an RRP of $1,499.

See: www.epson.com.au

Optus BYO Mobile Broadband Plans For SMBs

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Optus has rolled out a new range of BYO mobile broadband plans aimed at small and medium business (SMB) customers.


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Businesses that sign up for the BYO plans will ‘benefit from network performance that offers customers accelerated Web Browsing capabilities and 24/7 access to dedicated IT-certified business technical support.’

According to Optus, the plans are designed to suit mini PCs, netbooks, notebooks, USB modems and mobile tablet devices.

In addition, customers are also eligible to receive a cashback rebate of up to $300 when they sign up to an eligible 12-month Business Mobile Broadband plan with an Optus-approved BYO device.

Optus SMB’s Marketing Director, Phil Offer, said, “The Business Class BYO plan range is designed to deliver flexible mobile broadband plans to the SMB market. Customers are also eligible to receive a cash back rebate when bringing their own Optus approved device.’

There are two rebate offers:
– Purchase an eligible Business Mobile Broadband BYO plan in the table below (Rebate 1)
– Bundle an eligible Business Mobile Broadband BYO plan with an eligible mobile phone plan (Rebate 2)

See chart for pricing and rebate offers.

Kensington Goes For Netbook Market

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Kensington has launched a new range of accessories for netbooks in an effort to strengthen and expand its portfolio. The new line includes a compact mouse, a security lock, and a reversible case.


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According to Kensington, the Netbook mice are fit to scale for the 30 – 90 minute netbook usage model and are available in two variations – wired ($19.95) or wireless ($39.95).

The Kensington Netbook security lock has been modified for netbooks to keep your computer safer than ever. The compressed coil lock is only 78mm long but expands to 1.8m so you can lock your netbook down and keep it safe from straying hands. This security lock has an RRP of $29.95.

Finally, the Kensington Netbook case is reversible and is cushioned to shield your computer from damage whilst on the move. It is available for $19.95.

 

 


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In addition to the new Netbook range, Kensington also has a couple of ‘smart made simple’ products to enhance productivity. The full portfolio is comprised of seven categories:

Control It: A high performance range of mice, presenters, trackballs, keyboards and keypads, which make computers easier to control. Highlights from the range include the SlimBlade Trackball laser mouse which has an RRP of $39.95.

Power It: Rechargeable battery packs power iPods, MP3 players and other mobile devices on the move, without the need for a power source.

Carry It:  Kensington’s Contour range of notebook cases reduces shoulder and back fatigue by up to 35 percent.

Play It: A range of accessories which allow consumers to enjoy and use iPods, iPhones, MP3 players or mobile phones in the car, home or out and about for hours on end without running out of power.

Secure It: Kensington offers a comprehensive range of mobile and desktop locks, which make it easy to keep your computer safe and secure, wherever you are.

Connect It: A range of home and office computing solutions, with one-touch simplicity, including multi-view monitor adaptors, notebook stands and a variety of connectivity devices.

Optimise It: Based on US army research into body measurements, this ergonomic range protects against poor posture, eyestrain and repetitive strain conditions.

See: au.kensington.com