Staff Writers

Leading LCD monitor maker ViewSonic is likely to shake up the HDMI capable TV market later this month with the launch of a new range of flat screen display products for the CE channel.

The widescreen digital TVs will be available in sizes ranging from 17-inch to 40-inch and all support the HDMI interface.

ViewSonic is a leading computer monitor manufacturer with a track record of innovative design which includes what is currently the only 1millisecond-response-time monitor available on the market.

The official launch will take place on March 14th in Sydney.

Epson’s new Stylus Photo RX650 lets users back up their scanned images and other data to a media card or external CD-R or ZIP drive without going through a PC.

The new all-in-one photo centre is faster too delivering BorderFree 4×6 inch glossy photos in just 45 seconds. A 2.5 inch colour LCD screen which user Photo Fine technology to offer smoother, more lifelike previews at a high res 256 pixels per inch. 

Direct print is available from scans of negative or positive film, most popular memory cards, PictBridge/USB direct printing from digital cameras, selected USB Flash memory devices and (optional) BlueTooth devices.

The six colour prints to 5760dpi with a minimum droplet size of 1.5pl VSDT (Variable Sized Droplet Technologywill do justice to the MFP’s high res MatrixCCD scanner (up to 3200×6400 dpi).

The Stylus Photo RX650 also includes utilities such as CD/DVD direct copy and printing, so designs can be produced for professional and individual looking CDs and DVDs. This function automatically crops the scanned or memory card image to fit onto a CD label and prints directly onto a printable CD or DVD. Users can print up to 12 images on one disc and create CD jackets for an added personal touch.

Also new to the RX650 is the Specialty Print menu option, for various photo printing needs. The combination print option allows users to print photos, combined with handwritten letters for personalised greeting cards or photo albums.

The reprint/restore function is perfect for multiple printing and restoring faded photos in a simple process.
Retail pricing on the RX650 is $499.

www.epson.com.au

Intel has signed a multi-year OEM and technology agreement to sell EMC storage solutions through its resellers and distributors.

The deal should help EMC break into the notoriously difficult SMB storage sector by making its product available under partner branding that has a high level of trust.

Intel’s 160,000 distributors and resellers will be able to use own private brands and labels on the Clariion AX150 networked storage systems.

The new EMC systems run on Intel processors, which will help EMC get its pricing down to SMB levels. As part of the new relationship, EMC and Intel have agreed to future collaboration that will see Intel design its processors to suit the needs of networked storage systems.

The Intel storage system based on EMC Clariion AX150 technology will be blessed with the catchy name SSR212PP. It should become available to customers by May this year and will house up to 12 SATA II drives in a 2U rack mountable enclosure, supporting up to six TB in a single array.

“EMC and Intel are sharply focused on driving platform innovation and efficiencies that solve the IT challenges of small and medium businesses in today’s competitive business environment,” said Hans Geyer, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Storage Group. “By working with EMC to deliver standards-based storage platforms, we are bringing leading enterprise storage value and technology to Intel customers worldwide.”

Joel Schwartz, EMC senior vice president and general manager, EMC Clariion, added, “We expect that the reach of Intel’s channel will help give EMC an edge in serving a much broader set of SMBs in emerging markets around the globe. This collaboration also provides the foundation for future engineering collaboration between EMC and Intel for this growing market segment.”

The storage systems will be offered in single- or dual-controller configurations with redundant power and cooling. DAS or SAN connectivity is supported via iSCSI or Fibre Channel.

Pioneer Computers has signed on as a distributor for networking hardware company Level One.

The Germany brand is currently one of Europe’s leading brands and fit perfectly into according to Pioneer Computers product portfolio, complementing its current range of notebooks, security surveillance system and digital entertainment, says the company. Products include Flexible Wireless products, Broadband Routers using ADSL / Cable modems, Printer Servers, IP Network Camera and Network Adapters.

Level one is featured in Pioneer’s online Build to Order facility on http://www.pioneer.net.au.  Customers are offered the choice to add Level One networking products into their order when they select components for their custom build Pioneer PC or notebook.

The most popular products are 11g 54 Mbps Pocket AP Router, which converts any Ethernet device, such as desktop or laptop computer, game console, printer and set-top box into a wireless network device; and 11g Wireless USB Adapter and WiFi Finder, which detects whether the environment has available wireless network immediately.

Level One products are also distributed to Pioneer’s national reseller network.  Resellers are encouraged to bundle Level One products into their PC or notebook offer.  It offers practical solutions to users and adds value to the order at the same time.

http://www.pioneer.net.au

Industry research company IDC is predicting the share of SMB IT industry revenues will grow from 28per cent in 2004 to 31 per cent by 2008.

The SMB share of industry revenues in the Asia/Pacific region (excluding Japan) will reach US$9.1 billion on PCs and slightly over US$800 million on servers this year. But that figure is expected to grow by another US$2 billion by 2008.
But most of that growth is in developing countries like India and China says Lau Tong-Yen, Senior Analyst, SMB research, IDC Asia/Pacific.

While desktop sales are likely to remain unimpressive locally, the latest from IDC seems to show an increase in server sales (across all countries) and the rise and rise of the notebook.The ongoing research found that in 2003 14 per cent of respondents were using notebooks by the following year this had gone up one per cent.

“Although this growth rate might not look significant, approximately one-third of respondents disclosed their plans to increase this proportion during 2005, with the average increase pegged at 4 per cent,” reveals IDC.
This is leading to a big change in the notebook’s contribution to IT revenues. Worth 29 per cent in 2002 this figure is now 38 per cent and likely to continue growing. One reason for that is the desktop lifespans are longer than notebooks, with a mean difference tagged at eight months, says the researcher.