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Mike Wheeler

Apple To Open Second Sydney Store

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Apple is about to open a second retail store on Sydney’s North Shore, just seven weeks after opening their first Australian store in Sydney’s CBD. It will open this Saturday at 9am.


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Like its sister store in Sydney’s CDB, the new Apple store will have an abundance of products from Apple including the new iPhone 3G, iPods, iMacs and the new Macbook Pro. Customers can test-drive Apple’s entire product line including iPod touch, the best Wi-Fi mobile device in the world, and the MacBook Air, the world’s thinnest notebook.

Every Apple Retail Store offers personal training through Apple’s One-to-One program with in-depth sessions on a wide range of topics, from getting started with a Mac or iPod to advancing your moviemaking or digital photography skills. Visitors to Apple Retail Stores can also take advantage of free services from the most knowledgeable people around, including face-to-face support and creative help at the Genius Bar, plus workshops and special programs for kids.

Data Protection For Small/Medium Businesses

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D-Link’s 4-Bay Network Storage Enclosure (DNS-343) is designed to offer backup and recovery features for digital homes and small-to-medium-sized businesses.


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The 4-Bay Network Storage Enclosure (DNS-343) is claimed to be a secure and powerful solution for storing and accessing files and digital media across the network and over the Internet, offering tool-less drive installation, OLED display and Gigabit connectivity along with scalable features for expansion.

Users can file share, as well as secure important data, and it can operate in a variety of drive configurations including Standard, JBOD, RAID 0, 1 and 5 to offer customers flexibility when configuring their data safeguard strategy.

Using the DNS-343 with four internal SATA drives and RAID technology, users can mirror (duplicate data on multiple drives) and/or stripe (share data across multiple drives) between the four drives, ensuring maximum protection of valuable data. If one drive fails, the others function normally until the failed drive is replaced.

The 4-Bay Network Storage Enclosure rounds out the D-Link family of network storage devices that now include 1, 2, 4, 8 and 15-bay solutions.

 


With its tool-less installation, the DNS-343 is designed to accommodate up to four SATA drives offering up to 4000GB of storage, which can be inserted without any tools or attaching cables. In addition, the unit is a scalable solution, allowing users to start with one SATA hard disk drive (HDD) and add three more to accommodate growth.

Customers can configure the DNS-343 to create users and groups and assign them to folders with either read or read/write permissions. This is ideal for an office environment with employee-specific sensitive data, or for the home to ensure children can only access age appropriate material.

The DNS-343 provides a variety of data protection options to help avoid data loss due to hard drive failure. It offers simplified management software, allowing users to create schedules and rules including real-time full, or incremental backups, and storage quotas for specific user groups. Using included backup software, users can automatically safeguard data on to the system to create a failsafe protection solution from accidental data loss on the PC.

Other features include a built-in FTP server to access files over the Internet and a UPnP Media Server to stream digital content to compatible media players (such as those found in D-Link’s MediaLounge product line).The 4-Bay Network Storage Enclosure OLED displays important information including IP address, hard drive statistics, temperature, RAID status, and server status (FTP and UPnP).

The D-Link Network Storage Enclosure also features a USB port that can act as a print server port, allowing a USB printer to be added to the network without the need for a dedicated computer. The USB port can also support an Uninterruptible Universal Power Supply (UPS) monitor that supports smart signaling over a USB connection. In the event of a power outage, the UPS monitor would safely shut the unit down and then automatically power back up when power resumes.

RRP
$800

Telstra Increases Data Download Limits

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In a move sure to up the ante with its rivals, Telstra has released increased download limits on most data plans on its Next G network. Long the bane of tech aficionados, the increase in amount download is sure to get a reaction from Optus and Vodophone.


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Telstra Consumer Marketing and Channels Executive Director, Glenice Maclellan, said that with more than four million 3G customers, Telstra had increased its understanding of mobile data use, as well as enhanced network capacity and spectrum following the closure of the CDMA network in late April.

As well as access to faster internet and in more places, Telstra also offers a host of mobile BigPond content such as 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, BigPond TV, Mobile FOXTEL from Telstra, Yellow Mobile search, breaking news, weather forecasts, coverage of AFL and NRL including exclusive full match replays and more.

Changes include:

  • $10 mobile data packs will now include 150MB of data – up from 20MB.
  • $29 mobile data packs will now include 300MB of data – up from 80MB.
  • Excess data usage rates have been reduced on these two data packs.

Telstra customers already using a $10 or a $29 browsing pack will automatically have the additional data allowance added to their plans over the coming months.  Customers who don’t have a browsing pack can visit their local Telstra Shop or dealer to discuss their data needs.

Customers are sent a reminder SMS when they are getting close to their included data allocation (at 80 per cent) and again when the data pack is finished (100 per cent). They can also check their data use on the web.

It will be interesting to see how Optus and Vodophone react to the new pricing scheme and whether they will meet or better Telstra’s offering.

Fixed Price-Per-Page Printing Service

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PagePack is a new Managed Print Service (MPS) that Fuji Xerox has launched aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses.

PagePack provides customers with a fixed price per page cost model for printing in-house. Customers are only charged a fixed cost per page basis, irrespective of how much toner or other consumables are used. Fuji Xerox believes this makes the cost of printing predictable, visible to business owners and easier to manage.
Features of the package include:

  • Have the ability to customise and rebrand PagePack as their own MPS offering
  • Have the freedom to set terms and conditions for their customers
  • Have control over end user cost per page pricing

“With PagePack, Fuji Xerox Printers will provide the infrastructure for resellers to implement their own MPS program, allowing them to own and manage all aspects of their customer relationships and control their profit margins,” said Tom Lewis, Marketing Manager of Fuji Xerox Printers.

Hand Cleaner Has Massive Kill Rate

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InstantFOAM is claimed to be the first alcohol-based foam hand sanitiser to reach the Australian market, which requires no water and has a hospital-strength formula that kills 99.999 percent of germs instantly without any sticky residue.


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Statistics show that as winter temperatures drop Australian employers can expect 58 percent of their workforce to be absent from the workplace due to cold and flu-related illnesses costing businesses millions of dollars in lost time and productivity, claims instantFOAM local distributor Deb Australia.

Local and international scientific research has found hands to be the most insidious vehicles for the spread of germs in the workplace. Germs spread easily from person to person by shaking hands and touching common surfaces such as telephones, lift buttons, door handles, desk surfaces, keyboards and pens.

Custom designed for the industrial and commercial sector, InstantFOAM is a specialist, hospital-grade product only available by direct order. It comes available in dispensers and foaming pumps.

RRP
TBA

Blackberry Bold For Optus 3G Network

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Blackberry Bold will be the first Blackberry smartphoone to support tri-brand HSDPA high-speed networks when it becomes available on the Optus 3G network from August 20.


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Features of the BlackBerry Bold are similar to other smartphones including an LCD colour display, a precision keyboard surrounded by a lustrous black exterior with satin chrome finished frame, and stylish leatherette backplate.

It comes with an integrated Wi-Fi and built-in GPS, and it will be supported by a wide range of business and lifestyle applications that can enhance corporate productivity and personal entertainment.

Together with its next-generation mobile processor and fast network access, the unit offers users a high-speed web browsing experience with desktop-style depiction.

The BlackBerry Bold can be purchased from Optus for $10 per month over 24 months in conjunction with the BlackBerry $79 Cap plan. 

Surge Protector For Home Theatre

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A new surge protector provides sockets for up to eight appliances that can be used simultaneously, as well as dedicated sockets for cable TV, telephone and TV aerials.


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Most consumers don’t realise that power spikes and surges can destroy or seriously damage home theatre equipment plus computers, refrigerators, dishwashers – in fact any electrical appliance.

Called the Home Theatre 8 it comes in a silver housing, has a high-speed response time of less than two nanoseconds, will protect against a surge of up to a massive 1550 joules and has protection against EMI (Electromagnetic ‘noise’ Interference) and RFI (Radio Frequency Interference).

This unit also features a warning system whereby a series of three lights will show at a glance whether the system is working accurately, if it should be checked, and if the internal home wiring is properly earthed.

As with other metal oxide varistor (MOV) power surge protectors, the Home Theatre 8 will need replacing once it has been subjected to a major power surge or has been in service for some time and experienced numerous minor power fluctuations.  MOV surge protectors are known to provide the best protection against the biggest surges but do require replacing once ‘hit’.
Avico Home Theatre 8 power surge protector is available nationally from most electrical retailers, audio/visual outlets and department stores.

RRP
$99

Remembering Communication During Disasters

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The Adtec linked emergency response telephone system (ALERTS) is designed for large companies, so they can connect a connect a crisis team automatically if there is a disaster – whether man-made or natural.


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The system has been specially designed to provide fast, easy and reliable team communications and is tailored to suit the specific needs of any rescue operation. All first responders have to remember is a simple two digit PIN.

With just one phone call, ALERTS automatically contacts all the members of an interagency emergency team and puts it immediately into a conference call.

Within minutes, all the relevant players are online, making the decisions required to get the situation under control.

Once initiated, ALERTS dials the team phone numbers stored in the system. When answered correctly, it automatically puts individual team members into a conference call or sends them a voice message.

If no PIN is entered or the call is not answered, ALERTS will automatically dial the next number for that member of the team and extra participants can be brought into the conference as needed.

 


Once the initial rescue decisions have been made, a secondary voice message is relayed to all the members of a secondary team to inform them of the likely chain of events and to prepare appropriately.

During disasters, communication obstacles are all but inevitable. A successful disaster response plan should anticipate communication failures and account for inaccessible communication channels, such as downed phone lines. Obtaining multiple modes of contact from stakeholders, including home numbers, mobile numbers and e-mail addresses, in advance of disasters increases the odds that businesses will be able to reach everyone necessary.

RRP
TBC

Height Adjustable Work Stations From AME

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The Ultimate activConsole from AME can accommodate up to 10 small LCD monitors or a combination of small and large monitors, each of which is adjustable for optimum viewing angle.


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This world’s first dual console is based on ergonomic and health research that shows prolonged static sitting has cumulative health impacts on lower backs, upper body joints as well as leading to Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Sitting for long periods also impedes oxygenation, or blood flow to the brain. Standing promotes oxygenation and enhances concentration. An operator becomes more ‘active’ at work through having the flexibility to sit or stand while they work.

Richard Winnicki, founder of AME System in Clayton (Melbourne), is an international leader in ergonomic electric height adjustable workstations in the biotechnology, avionics, electronics, control room, trading, data processing, command, surveillance, engineering, design and entertainment environments.

“It is extremely beneficial for our bodies, for our concentration levels and productivity to have the flexibility to sit or stand at the push of a button,” says Winnicki. “The activConsole range (there are three) takes into account every body shape and adjusts when the operator feels the need to sit or stand. It’s ideal in 24 hour working environments with rotating operators with different physical requirements.”

The Ultimate (dual) activConsole has a light, but sturdy aluminium frame and a four leg system with a height range of between 700mm – 1200mm electrically adjusted at the push of a button.

The lifting capacity of each console surface is an impressive 140 kg. The dual console unit has an electrical duct with 20 outlets.

The work bench surface is 1210mm and 640mm deep. The LCD monitor surface is 1970mm wide and 450mm deep. The surfaces are available in 17 colours and grains.

RRP
From $5200

Canon Targets Small Business

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Canon imageCLASS range of multifunction laser printers has been updated with four new models hitting the shelves that are able to print and copy black-and-white A4 documents at speeds of 22 ppm/cpm.


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With compact low-profile designs and double-sided printing as standard, the new range presents a solution for small businesses that want more than just a basic printer.

The MF4340d and MF4350d models offer 4-in-1 functionality (print, copy, scan and fax) – the latter features an additional 35-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF).

At the upper end of the range are the MF4370dn and MF4380dn, which are network-ready 4-in-1 machines. Featuring a 50-sheet duplex ADF, the MF4380dn is capable of double-sided copying, scanning and faxing as well as printing.

In many offices, a printer is left idle for periods of time during a working day. Each printer in the MF4300 series is energy-efficient in sleep mode, consuming only 3 Watts of energy. As well as minimising the impact on the environment, this reduced power consumption contributes to the bottom line through smaller electricity bills.

 


On-Demand Fixing technology eliminates warm-up times – the thin fixing film is heated directly by a ceramic heater.

Improvements made to the Canon Advance Printing Technology (CAPT) controller allow it to leverage the processing power of the host computer – either PC or Mac – to deliver rapid print processing and enhanced usability. EF (Energy-saving Fine) toner ensures clear black-and-white text reproduction with superior developing and melting performance. Taken together, these three technologies help deliver Quick First-Print performance for greater business efficiency.

Both MF4370dn and MF4380dn offer Ethernet networking capabilities, allowing busy small workgroups to share printing, scanning (on Windows) and faxing (sending only) resources.

The All-In-One cartridge system provides maintenance-free operation. Users can easily replace the compact cartridge – containing toner, drum and cleaning units – without mess or hassle. Authentic Canon Laser Cartridges maintain continuous high-quality output and are fully recyclable via the Cartridges 4 Planet Ark recycling program.


RRP
MF4350d $499
MF4380dn $649
MF4340d $379
MF4370dn $599