I have struggled with the direction of TechStomp over the last while, technology and gadgets as an industry changes so rapidly that it is very difficult to follow, especially with the limited amount of time that I have to spend. Still wanting to stay within the technology space I have decided to focus on a specific topic, Linux and OpenSource.

Linux as a topic is something that I have been interested in for a long time. I have tried using Linux on older systems for a number of years and just never thought it was ready for prime time. There were always little frustrating issues that would prevent the average person from truly thriving on it. I no longer believe this to be the case, Linux is ready for everyone.

I am writing this article, on a computer running Ubuntu, I started the conversion of one PC from Windows Vista to Ubuntu Linux in preparation for the new direction of TechStomp. Over the last few weeks I have been transitioning to my applications to the Ubuntu system and am now running a number of Linux applications exclusively and find myself going back to my Windows PC less and less.

Starting sometime this summer I will introduce a new design to the TechStomp site and will start posting articles on making the transition to Linux. I hope to provide in-depth reviews of applications that I test as I try to replace the ones I use on Windows. As a professional web designer and project manager, I will try to show how you can use these applications, not just for surfing the web, but to really run your business and get things done.

If you have any comments or questions please feel free to send me a note

Today Microsoft Corp. announced the availability of Windows Internet Explorer 8, the new Web browser that offers the best solution for how people use the Web today. It can be downloaded in 25 languages starting at noon EDT on March 19. Internet Explorer 8 is easier to use, faster and offers leading-edge security features in direct response to people’s increasing concerns about online safety. A new study commissioned by Microsoft and the National Cyber Security Alliance and conducted by Harris Interactive Inc. shows that 91 percent of adults in the U.S. are concerned about online threats in the current economic climate, and 78 percent are more likely to choose a Web browser with built-in security than they were two years ago.

“Customers have made clear what they want in a Web browser — safety, speed and greater ease of use,” said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. “With Internet Explorer 8, we are delivering a browser that gets people to the information they need, fast, and provides protection that no other browser can match.”

In response to extensive customer research and input from tens of millions of customer sessions, Microsoft developed Internet Explorer 8 to focus on what matters most to people. The security enhancements offer protection against existing and emerging security threats online. It blocks two to four times more malware attacks than other browsers; cuts down on the time it takes to complete common tasks on the Web such as searching, mapping and sharing, including navigating 15 of the 20 top worldwide sites; and blurs the lines between the services they use daily and the browser used to access the Internet.

Helps Protect People From Online Threats

The new study released today reinforces the importance of safety in browsing, indicating that 78 percent of people are more likely than they were two years ago to choose a browser that includes built-in protection against security threats without them having to go online to download additional programs or browser add-ons. It also showed that 91 percent of adults in the U.S. are concerned about online fraud and identity theft in today’s economic climate, and 37 percent are less likely to shop online because they would have to give their personal information.

Internet Explorer 8 offers the best security protections among leading browsers: a study released today by NSS Labs indicates that Internet Explorer 8 blocks two to four times as many malicious sites as other browsers on the market today.

Makes Common Online Tasks Faster and Easier

In addition to offering improved security and privacy protections, Internet Explorer 8 is one of the fastest browsers on the market today, beating other top browsers in page load time on almost 50 percent of the 25 top comScore Inc. Web sites.* It also helps people save time while using the Web with easy-to-use new features, including the following:

• Accelerators. Accelerators make it faster and easier to perform common tasks online by making Web-based services such as ESPN.com, Live Search and Sina available for use directly from the page people are viewing. Users can simply right-click a word or phrase and instantly map, e-mail, or share it.
• Web Slices. Web Slices in Internet Explorer 8 makes favorite information from sites such as Digg, Yahoo! Mail, OneRiot, and eBay instantly available wherever someone goes on the Web.
• Visual search suggestions. The Instant Search Box in Internet Explorer 8 enables rich, real-time search from sites such as The New York Times, Amazon.com and Wikipedia, as well as sites from people’s own Favorites and History, complete with visuals and detailed information that saves time.

“We are excited about Internet Explorer 8 for several reasons, including its ability to provide our customers with updates to eBay products using Web Slices so they can keep track of their buying activity while surfing the web,” said Matt Ackley, vice president of Internet Marketing and Advertising at eBay.

“The new ESPN Web Slices on Internet Explorer 8 make it easy for sports fans to check on the latest news and sports videos in a new and exciting way,” said Jason Guenther, vice president of technology and product development at ESPN Digital Media. “We have a heritage of leveraging technology to deliver the best sports content to fans, and this is another example of our dedication to that.”

Available for Download

Internet Explorer 8 will be available for download at noon EDT in 25 languages, including Arabic, Chinese (Traditional, Simplified and Hong Kong), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), Polish, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish. More information and a download of Internet Explorer 8 (as of noon EDT on March 19).

Apple® today introduced the all-new iPod® shuffle, the world’s smallest music player at nearly half of the size of the previous model, and the first music player that talks to you. The revolutionary new VoiceOver feature enables iPod shuffle to speak your song titles, artists and playlist names. The third generation iPod shuffle is significantly smaller than a AA battery, holds up to 1,000 songs and is easier to use with all of the controls conveniently located on the earphone cord. With the press of a button, you can play, pause, adjust volume, switch playlists and hear the name of the song and artist. iPod shuffle features a gorgeous new aluminum design with a built-in stainless steel clip that makes it ultra-wearable.

“Imagine your music player talking to you, telling you your song titles, artists and playlist names,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of iPod and iPhone™ Product Marketing. “The amazingly small new iPod shuffle takes a revolutionary approach to how you listen to your music by talking to you, also making it the first iPod shuffle with playlists.”

iPod shuffle is based on Apple’s incredibly popular shuffle feature, which randomly selects songs from your music library. And now, when you can’t remember the name of a song or an artist playing, with the press of a button iPod shuffle tells you the name of the song and artist. iPod shuffle can even tell you status information, such as battery life. With the ability to hold up to 1,000 songs and the VoiceOver feature, you can now easily switch between multiple playlists on your iPod shuffle. iPod shuffle can speak 14 languages including English, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

The new iPod shuffle comes in silver or black and features a sleek and ultra-wearable design with a built-in stainless steel clip. iPod shuffle is the smallest music player in the world and is incredibly easy to clip to almost anything and take with you everywhere you go. iPod shuffle features up to 10 hours of battery life.

Pricing & Availability
The third generation 4GB iPod shuffle is now shipping and comes in silver or black for a suggested price of $79 (US) through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. iPod shuffle comes with the Apple Earphones with Remote and the iPod shuffle USB cable. iPod shuffle requires a Mac® with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS® X v10.4.11 or later and iTunes® 8.1 or later; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista, Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 3) or later and iTunes 8.1.

Dell has launched a new premier desktop PC, the Studio XPS 435, built around elite performance, expandability and a bold design. The Studio XPS 435 delivers great value for digital content creators looking for power potential and for tech enthusiasts who demand the latest and greatest at an outstanding price when compared to most other “prosumer” performance systems.

The Studio XPS 435 provides intense power and expandability, perfect for the most demanding entertainment and digital content creation needs while offering unmatched reliability and style. Dell’s emphasis on a “built with you in mind” design helps ensures investment protection through its expandability, enabling easy upgrades to future technology and user-specific improvements.

The Studio XPS 435 is available for purchase on www.dell.com with a starting price of $1,099. This system will be available first in the U.S, followed by Asia in early March and select European countries in June.

Features Include:

• Intel® CoreTM i7 processors with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology; up to 24GB DDR3 1066MHz Tri-Channel Memory; ATI RadeonTM HD4870 1GB1 GDDR5 graphics; and a 475W power supply.
• The full-sized ATX tower including six DIMMs for up to 24GB tri-channel memory, three hard drive bays capable of up to 4.5TB2 of storage and dual optical options.
• Bold, distinctive design blends style and function for any room of the house – pure white and translucent black bezel accented with brilliant crimson orange trim; recessed media tray with 3 angled USB ports; top-mounted integrated 15-in-1media card reader; built-in infrared receiver; and optional Blu-Ray DiscTM .

Available today in the U.S. on www.dell.com, with a starting price of $1,099.

Dell has launched the Inspiron Mini 10, a mini-notebook that adds keyboard comfort and even more entertainment-friendly dimensions to the Inspiron Mini family. Like the Inspiron Mini 9 and Mini 12, the Mini 10 is a compact, easy-to-carry Internet companion featuring wireless and entertainment capabilities to help keep kids, tweens, teens, travelers and “Tweeters” chatting, blogging, streaming content, sharing photos, watching videos and more.

The Mini 10 is scheduled to debut for advance orders today on QVC® at 9 p.m. (EST). A full Mini 10 overview is available at Dell.com, and the system will be available for purchase directly from Dell in the U.S. and other countries beginning Feb. 26.

Products and services like the Inspiron Minis, the Wasabi handheld wireless printer and the Dell Design Studio are redefining value, personalization and customization for connected mobile lifestyles.

Features available today on the Inspiron Mini 10 include:

• Sleek design and starting weight of only 2.86 lbs.
• Roomy keyboard – 92 percent of full-size for comfort and ease of use.
• Multi-touch gestures touchpad – navigate the screen using simple movements to rotate, scroll and zoom documents and photos.
• 10.1” WSVGA “edge-to-edge” 16:9 widescreen display.
• HDMI output for enhanced entertainment connectivity
• Internal WiFi.
• Built-in Webcam.
• Windows XP.
• 1 GB RAM standard and 160GB hard drive, providing ample capacity for mobile applications, content creation and storage.
• Expanded color palette options to express your personal style: Obsidian Black, Alpine White, Cherry Red, Promise Pink, Ice Blue and Jade Green.
• Fully featured QVC configuration includes free shipping, a 4GB* SD memory card and productivity software.
• Available now with a starting price of $399.

*Mini 10 optional features planned for later this year include: *

• Internal digital TV tuner, HD resolution and external USB DVD player options for an optimized video entertainment experience.
• Ubuntu and Vista operating systems.
• Bluetooth.®
• WWAN.
• Internal GPS.
• 2 Gb RAM.
• 250 GB hard drive.
• Solid state drives.
• Popular Design Studio images to express personal style.

Rogers Wireless, has unveiled three new handsets to Canada. The Samsung PROPEL, Samsung GRAVITY and LG Neon. These quick messaging phones are designed with the text-happy customer in mind, for easy text or picture messaging, instant messaging or mobile email.

“Rogers is thrilled to bring these exclusive quick messaging handsets to the Canadian market to better serve the needs of our customers who are heavy texters,” said John Boynton, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Rogers Wireless. “Rogers Wireless customers sent and received over 1.2 billion text messages in January 2009 alone. With the introduction of the Samsung PROPEL, Samsung GRAVITY and LG Neon, our customers will be able to choose how and when they communicate, to suit their busy on-the-go lifestyles, at an affordable price point.”

Featuring a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard and 3G capabilities (up to 3.6Mbps download speeds) on Canada’s fastest mobile network, the Samsung PROPEL is the perfect phone for messaging and browsing the mobile web.

Other features of the Samsung PROPEL include:

• Large 2.2” screen for easy message viewing and menu navigation
• HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) services from Rogers Wireless, such as Video on Demand and Radio on Demand
• Embedded MobileMail email and IM applications
• Expandable memory up to 8GB
• Available in red and white or blue and black

The Samsung GRAVITY is a stylish bar phone with slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Other features of the Samsung GRAVITY include:

• 1.3 megapixel camera with video recording
• Embedded multimedia player
• Embedded MobileMail email and IM applications
• Expandable memory up to 4GB
• Available in white and teal or grey and green

The LG Neon is a quick messaging phone with a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a unique touch screen for dialing, making it easy to place calls directly from the face of the phone.

Other features of the LG Neon include:

• 2.0 megapixel camera with video capture
• Threaded SMS for tracking your conversations
• Embedded MobileMail email and IM applications
• Music Player with expandable microSD port (up to 4GB)
• Available in stunning pink or grey

Pricing and availability:

The Samsung PROPEL is available from $49.99 on a three-year term plan, while the Samsung GRAVITY and LG Neon each sell from $29.99 on a three-year term plan. All three devices are exclusive to Rogers. To complement these devices, Rogers is offering exclusive Messaging Bundles including text, picture/video messaging, MobileMail email and instant messaging, from $10 a month, which can be added to any rate plan. Mega Value plans offering voice, unlimited text, picture/video messaging, MobileMail email and instant messaging start at $35 a month. Click here for more information

Global motherboard and graphics card producer, MSI International, has always been dedicated to not simply producing great products, but also to developing anything which increase its customers convenience and easy of use. This time, MSI is pleased to formally announce the creation of a new internet interactive device without an operating system – the appropriately named Winki. It is a small device with a large array of functions: built in web browsing, immediate communication, VOIP calls, photo searching and more common PC functions. All one has to do is start Winki and in a flash the online world is at his/her fingertips.

Winki leverages a Linux base, but, through MSI’s skilled research, this new internet device revolutionizes the way most people will think of Linux. All installations and settings have been simplified and made more straightforward – by simply connecting an onboard USB Pin-header and going through a brief set of system settings, one can begin to take advantage of this tiny, convenient tool. With support for 15 languages, adapting to this device was made easy for the global user. More importantly, Winki’s greatest ability is how it compares to other OS supported devices: it starts up faster, uses less electricity, will not have problems caused by virus and, best of all, and does not cost customers a penny more.

By the way, Winki optimizes functionality by grouping together a powerful team of software solutions. This suite includes Mozilla’s Firefox handles web browsing, while Skype takes care VOIP phone call and other common applications so users won’t have to spend a lot of time learning whole new programs. One worth mentioning is instant messaging (IM) software called “Pidgin”, which supports up to 15 different kinds of IM accounts at the same time. No matter what account your friends are on, you are sure to be in contact with them all. Go with a Winki Edition product, and enjoy the express and convenience by Winki.

Look for Winki enabled products to hit shelves soon.

Apple® today announced the public beta of Safari® 4, the world’s fastest and most innovative web browser for Mac® and Windows PCs. The Nitro engine in Safari 4 runs JavaScript 4.2 times faster than Safari 3. Innovative new features that make browsing more intuitive and enjoyable include Top Sites, for a stunning visual preview of frequently visited pages; Full History Search, to search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages; Cover Flow®, to easily flip through web history or bookmarks; and Tabs on Top, to make tabbed browsing easier and more intuitive.

“Apple created Safari to bring innovation, speed and open standards back into web browsers, and today it takes another big step forward,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Safari 4 is the fastest and most efficient browser for Mac and Windows, with great integration of HTML 5 and CSS 3 web standards that enables the next generation of interactive web applications.”

Safari 4 is built on the world’s most advanced browser technologies including the new Nitro JavaScript engine that executes JavaScript up to 30 times faster than IE 7 and more than three times faster than Firefox 3. Safari quickly loads HTML web pages three times faster than IE 7 and almost three times faster than Firefox 3.

Apple is leading the industry in defining and implementing innovative web standards such as HTML 5 and CSS 3 for an entirely new class of web applications that feature rich media, graphics and fonts. Safari 4 includes HTML 5 support for offline technologies so web-based applications can store information locally without an Internet connection, and is the first browser to support advanced CSS Effects that enable highly polished web graphics using reflections, gradients and precision masks. Safari 4 is the first browser to pass the Web Standards Project’s Acid3 test, which examines how well a browser adheres to CSS, JavaScript, XML and SVG web standards that are specifically designed for dynamic web applications.

Safari for Mac, Windows, iPhone™ and iPod® touch are all built on Apple’s WebKit, the world’s fastest and most advanced browser engine. Apple developed WebKit as an open source project to create the world’s best browser engine and to advance the adoption of modern web standards. Most recently, WebKit led the introduction of HTML 5 and CSS 3 web standards and is known for its fast, modern code-base. The industry’s newest browsers are based on WebKit including Google Chrome, the Google Android browser, the Nokia Series 60 browser and Palm webOS.

Innovative new features in Safari 4 include:

• Top Sites, a display of frequently visited pages in a stunning wall of previews so users can jump to their favorite sites with a single click;
• Full History Search, where users search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages to easily return to sites they’ve seen before;
• Cover Flow, to make searching web history or bookmarks as fun and easy as paging through album art in iTunes®;
• Tabs on Top, for better tabbed browsing with easy drag-and-drop tab management tools and an intuitive button for opening new ones;
• Smart Address Field, that automatically completes web addresses by displaying an easy-to-read list of suggestions from Top Sites, bookmarks and browsing history;
• Smart Search Field, where users fine-tune searches with recommendations from * Google Suggest or a list of recent searches;
• Full Page Zoom, for a closer look at any website without degrading the quality of the site’s layout and text;
• built-in web developer tools to debug, tweak and optimize a website for peak performance and compatibility; and
• a new Windows-native look in Safari for Windows, that uses standard Windows font rendering and native title bar, borders and toolbars so Safari fits the look and feel of other Windows XP and Windows Vista applications.

Pricing & Availability
Safari 4 is a public beta for both Mac OS® X and Windows and is available immediately as a free download.

Safari 4 for Mac OS X requires Mac OS X Leopard® version 10.5.6 and Security Update 2009-001 or Mac OS X Tiger® version 10.4.11, a minimum 256MB of memory, and is designed to run on any Intel-based Mac or a Mac with a PowerPC G5, G4 or G3 processor and built-in FireWire®. Safari 4 for Windows requires Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista, a minimum 256MB of memory and a system with at least a 500 MHz Intel Pentium processor. Full system requirements and more information on Safari 4 can be found here.

Apple® has announced updates to its iMac® and Mac® mini desktop lines, including a 24-inch iMac that is priced more affordably than ever before and a Mac mini with powerful new integrated graphics. For the same $1,499 price as the previous generation 20-inch iMac, the new 24-inch iMac delivers a 30 percent larger display, twice the memory and twice the storage. Delivering up to five times better graphics performance, the updated Mac mini now features the same groundbreaking NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics introduced with the aluminum unibody MacBook® family. The Mac mini is the world’s most energy efficient desktop, drawing less than 13 watts of power when idle. All iMac and Mac mini systems come with Mac OS® X Leopard®, the world’s most advanced operating system, and iLife® ’09, Apple’s unparalleled suite of consumer applications for managing and organizing photos, making movies and creating and learning to play music.

“Our flagship 24-inch iMac with twice the memory and twice the storage is now available for just $1,499,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. “The Mac mini is not only our most affordable Mac, it’s also the world’s most energy efficient desktop computer.”

The elegant, full-featured iMac line starts with the 20-inch iMac for only $1,199 with a 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, a 320GB Serial ATA hard drive and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics. The 24-inch iMac features a beautiful 1920-by-1200 pixel widescreen display that offers 30 percent more screen real estate than the 20-inch model, and starts at just $1,499. The 24-inch iMac includes up to a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 memory, a 640GB or 1TB Serial ATA hard drive, and a variety of graphics technology from NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 130 or ATI Radeon HD 4850 discrete graphics for ultimate performance.

Every iMac features a glossy display with a built-in iSight® video camera, mic and speakers in a thin aluminum and glass design. The new iMac also includes a Mini DisplayPort connector for a pure digital signal to Apple’s new 24-inch LED Cinema Display with adapters available for DisplayPort, VGA, DVI and Dual-Link DVI displays. iMac includes built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n Wi-Fi networking; Bluetooth 2.1+EDR; Gigabit Ethernet; a total of six USB 2.0 ports (including two on the Apple Keyboard); and one FireWire® 800 port.

Starting at $599, the Mac mini is an innovative, tiny desktop measuring only 6.5 by 6.5 by 2-inches. Available in two models, Mac mini features a 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of DDR3 1066 MHz memory, up to 320GB Serial ATA hard drive, five USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800 and a SuperDrive®. The Mac mini features NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics for up to five times better graphics performance than before* and now with dual display support can drive two Apple or third-party displays with Mini DisplayPort or DVI connections. Using less than 13 watts of power at idle, up to 10 times less power than a typical desktop PC, the new Mac mini is the most energy efficient desktop in the world.

Continuing Apple’s commitment to the environment, both iMac and Mac mini extend their leadership in green design. Both iMac and Mac mini exceed current Energy Star 4.0 requirements and are leading the industry as early adopters of the more stringent Energy Star 5.0 requirements which will become effective later this year. Both iMac and Mac mini use PVC-free internal components and cables and contain no brominated flame retardants. Both iMac and Mac mini feature material-efficient system and packaging designs and use highly recyclable materials. Apple’s new desktop lineup joins its recently introduced aluminum unibody MacBook family in achieving EPEAT Gold status.

Every Mac comes with Apple’s innovative iLife ’09 suite of applications for managing photos, making movies and creating and learning to play music. iLife ’09 features iPhoto®, which introduces Faces and Places as breakthrough new ways to easily organize and manage your photos; iMovie® with powerful easy-to-use new features such as Precision Editor, video stabilization and advanced drag and drop; and GarageBand® which introduces a whole new way to help you learn to play piano and guitar. Every Mac also includes Leopard, the world’s most advanced operating system which features Time Machine™, an effortless way to automatically back up everything on a Mac; a redesigned Finder™ that lets users quickly browse and share files between multiple Macs; Quick Look, the best way to instantly see files without opening an application; Spaces®, an intuitive feature used to create groups of applications and instantly switch between them; Mail with easy setup and elegant, personalized stationery; and iChat®, the most advanced video chat.

Apple also announced that its popular AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi Base Station and Time Capsule® now feature simultaneous 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz dual-band networking for optimal performance, range and compatibility. An innovative Guest Network feature allows setting up a secondary network for friends and visitors with Internet-only access so you don’t have to hand out your WiFi password. Time Capsule combines an 802.11n router and server-grade hard disk for automatic wireless back-up with Time Machine, and is immediately available in two models: a 500GB model for $299 and a 1TB model for $499. The AirPort Extreme Base Station is also available immediately for a suggested retail price of $179.

*Pricing & Availability *
The new iMac and Mac mini lines are now shipping and available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

The new 20-inch 2.66 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,199 (US), includes:

• 20-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
• 2GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 8GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• 320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse.

The new 24-inch 2.66 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US), includes:

• 24-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 8GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• 640GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse.

The new 24-inch 2.93 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US), includes:

• 24-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 2.93 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 8GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 120; with 256MB GDDR3 SDRAM memory;
• 640GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse.

The new 24-inch 3.06 GHz iMac, for a suggested retail price of $2,199 (US), includes:

• 24-inch widescreen LCD display;
• 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 6MB shared L2 cache;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable to 8GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 130; with 512MB GDDR3 memory;
• 1TB Serial ATA hard drive running at 7200 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• four USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port;
• built-in stereo speakers and microphone; and
• the Apple Keyboard, Mighty Mouse.

Build-to-order options and accessories for the iMac include: a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 8GB DDR3 SDRAM, up to 1TB Serial ATA hard drive, and NVIDIA GeForce GT 130, or ATI Radeon HD 4850 with 512MB GDDR3 memory on the 24-inch iMac, and up to 8GB DDR3 SDRAM and up to a 1TB Serial ATA hard drive on the 20-inch iMac. Additional options include: Apple Keyboard with numeric keypad, Apple Wireless Keyboard and Wireless Mighty Mouse; AirPort Express®, AirPort Extreme Base Station, Time Capsule; Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple USB Modem, Apple Remote, the AppleCare® Protection Plan; and pre-installed copies of iWork® ’09, Logic® Express 8, Final Cut® Express 4 and Aperture™ 2.

The new 2.0 GHz Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of $599 (US), includes:

• 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
• 1GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable up to 4GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• 120GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort and mini-DVI for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 BASE-T);
• five USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port; and
• one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog.

The new 2.0 GHz Mac mini, for a suggested retail price of $799 (US), includes:

• 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB shared L2 cache;
• 2GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM expandable up to 4GB;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• 320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm;
• a slot-load 8x SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW);
• Mini DisplayPort and mini-DVI for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme wireless networking & Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000 BASE-T);
• five USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire 800 port; and
• one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog.

Build-to-order options and accessories for the Mac mini include: a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, 80GB, 250GB or 320GB 5400 hard drives. Additional options include: LED Cinema Display, Apple Keyboard, Apple Keyboard with numeric keypad, Apple Wireless Keyboard and Wireless Mighty Mouse; AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme Base Station, Time Capsule; Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple USB Modem, Apple Remote, the AppleCare Protection Plan; and pre-installed copies of iWork ’09, Logic Express 8, Final Cut Express 4 and Aperture 2.

Skype 4.0 for Windows is finally out. The new version offers full-screen video calling, crystal clear call quality and is easier to use than ever before. In addition, Skype users will find all of the features they have come to expect – free voice and video calls to other Skype users, instant messaging, SMS, as well as calls to landlines and mobile devices around the world at very low rates.

Face-to-Face Video Calling
“Video calling has emerged as a very popular way for people to communicate online,” said Mike Bartlett, director of product strategy for Skype. “Whether it’s saying hello to your daughter at college or reading a book to your child while you’re away on business—video calling lets you have the conversations that make a difference and it really feels almost as good as being there.”

With the all-new Skype, people can experience the benefits of free face-to-face video calling. It’s now easier to start a video call and experience full-screen video, which makes conversations more intimate and engaging.

Additionally, a new built-in bandwidth manager ensures that consumers have the very best Skype video calling experience possible even on a low-bandwidth connection. If you have a fast enough connection (recommended 400 Kb/s or higher), a dual-core processor PC and a Skype Certified High Quality Video webcam, Skype delivers up to 30-frames-per-second High Quality Video.

Improved Call Quality
Call quality is substantially improved in the new version of Skype. The new audio codec achieves wideband audio quality using 50% less bandwidth than previously required. Moreover, it introduces super wideband audio that delivers crystal clear, richer and warmer sound to those using a compatible headset and a high quality broadband connection. The bandwidth manager interacts with the codec to adjust quickly to fluctuating bandwidth conditions to produce the most reliable sound.

Easier Than Ever
Skype now makes it easier to set up your headset, microphone and webcam, so getting started is fast and simple to do in a few steps. The new Conversations Tab makes it easy to keep track of multiple conversations in one place, and you can switch seamlessly to your preferred communication method – free voice and video calls to other Skype users, instant messaging, SMS, as well as calls to landlines and mobile devices at Skype’s low rates. In addition, you can choose to use Skype in two different views. Default View has everything neatly contained in a single window or Compact View allows you to resize or put each conversation into separate windows.

“This is just the latest example of how Skype is continuing to innovate and improve its software to deliver an even better voice and video calling experience,” said Bartlett. “The combination of feedback from tens of thousands of users over the last two years of development has allowed us to create a truly amazing experience that puts the focus on bringing people closer together even when they are continents apart.”

For a more detailed explanation of many other features and improvements or to download Skype 4.0 for Windows.

Google Inc. has announced the launch of ocean in Google Earth, a new feature that enables users of Google Earth to dive beneath the water surface, explore 3D underwater terrain and browse ocean-related content contributed by leaders in ocean science and advocacy. The new version of Google Earth also introduces Historical Imagery, a feature that enables users to virtually travel back in time through archival satellite and aerial imagery, Touring, which makes it simple to create a narrated tour in Google Earth and share it with the world and Google Mars 3D, which features hi-res imagery and terrain of the red planet.

“With this latest version of Google Earth you can not only zoom into whatever part of our planet’s surface you wish to examine in closer detail, you can now dive into the world’s oceans that cover almost three-quarters of the planet and discover new wonders that had not been accessible in previous versions of this magical experience,” said The Honorable Al Gore at this morning’s launch event in San Francisco. “Moreover, with the new historical imagery feature, you can look back in time and see for yourself the unprecedented pace of change taking place on the Earth — largely because of human influences. For example, you can watch the melting of the largest glacier in Glacier National Park—the Grinnell Glacier—image by image, for the last decade.”

“In discussions about climate change, the world’s oceans are often overlooked despite being an integral part of the issue,” said Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google. “About one-third of the carbon dioxide that we emit into the atmosphere ends up in the oceans. Furthermore, biodiversity loss in our oceans in the next 20-30 years will be roughly equivalent to losing an entire Amazon rainforest, but this goes unnoticed because we can’t see it. This is why today’s launch of Google Earth 5.0 is so important – it gives us an opportunity to change everyone’s perspective.”

Ocean in Google Earth combines sea floor terrain and expert content to provide users with an opportunity to explore some of the most difficult-to-reach parts of the world. Virtual travelers to Hawaii, for example, can examine underwater volcanoes, see videos about the exotic marine life of the region, read about nearby shipwrecks and contribute photos and videos of favorite surf spots.

The ocean feature is on by default in the newest version of Google Earth. As users zoom in on the ocean they will see a dynamic water surface, and once they dive beneath the surface they can navigate 3D sea floor terrain. The feature includes 20 content layers, containing information contributed by the world’s leading scientists, researchers, and ocean explorers. These include:

• An “Explore the Ocean” layer containing photos and videos about ocean hot spots around the world contributed by over 80 individuals and organizations
• A National Geographic Magazine geo-quiz and overlays from their new Atlas of the Ocean
• Videos from the archives of Jacques Cousteau, featuring never-before-seen footage of historic ocean expeditions

“What this project helped me begin to understand,” said John Hanke, Director of Google Earth and Maps, “is the role the ocean plays in global climate change and the impact that humans are having on the oceans and the creatures that live in it. It was a serious omission on our part not to include a better treatment of the oceans when we launched Google Earth, and I’m very happy that we’ve been able to address that. We now have a good substrate for publishing and exploring data about the ‘other’ two-thirds of the planet.”

The new feature was developed in close collaboration with oceanographer and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle and an advisory council of leading ocean advocates and scientists.

“I cannot imagine a more effective way to inspire awareness and caring for the blue heart of the planet than the new ocean in Google Earth, “ said Sylvia Earle. “For the first time, everyone from curious kids to serious researchers can see the world, the whole world, with new eyes. In a stroke, Google Earth brings life and character to the blue part of the planet, and makes obvious the many ways land, water, atmosphere and living systems connect. Many ‘aha!’ moments are sure to come as people discover new patterns, new correlations, and countless personal discoveries while vicariously diving into the waters of the world.”

The announcement was made this morning at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, one of the nation’s leading institutions for scientific education and research. Following the announcement, local fourth graders participated in an interactive lesson on marine ecosystems, designed specifically by Academy educators to use the new ocean feature. “Information technology is key to the work that Academy scientists and educators do, and Google Earth is a leading example of such technology,” said Dr. Greg Farrington, Executive Director of the Academy. “Ocean in Google Earth opens up a new world of opportunities to explore and educate the public about the least understood parts of our planet.”

Historical imagery: In previous versions of Google Earth, users could only view only one set of imagery for a given location. Now users can activate a time slider to see both newer and older satellite imagery from around the globe, enabling them to observe a single location’s development over time.

Touring is a simple new way for users to create narrated tours of imagery and content in Google Earth. By simply pressing the “record” button, users can fly from place to place, zoom in or out and click on content balloons, providing voiceover narration along the way. Whether creating a tour of one’s family home or an in-depth study of environmental change, the tours are easy to create and even easier to share.

Google Mars 3D is the latest stop on Google’s virtual tour of the galaxy. Users can travel to Mars with the click of a button and see high resolution imagery and 3D terrain. They can fly to the top of Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in our solar system, read geo-located excerpts about different locations on the planet from A Traveler’s Guide to Mars, observe where various Mars Rovers and Landers have touched down and much more.

GPS Tracking – Previously only available in the Plus and Pro versions of Google Earth, now all users can upload tracks from GPS devices (including many Garmin, Magellan, and NMEA-compatible devices) to Google Earth, making it easy to visualize and record running, hiking and biking routes.

Google Earth 5.0 is now available in 41 languages (previously 26):English (US), English (GB), French, Italian, German, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), Dutch, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Thai, Arabic, Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Portuguese (Portugal), Romanian, Hungarian, Hebrew, Indonesian, Czech, Greek, Norwegian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Croatian, Lithuanian, Slovak, Filipino, Slovenian, Serbian, Catalan, Latvian, Ukrainian, and Hindi.

Download Google Earth 5.0

Desktop icon organizer Fences arranges your cluttered desktop icons into containers so you can clean up the mess into useful groups of shortcuts – or with a double click hides them altogether.

Fences is a one-of-a-kind program, allowing you to draw labeled shaded areas on your desktop, which become movable & resizable containers for your desktop icons. These groups can help bring organization and consistency to your computer’s desktop, solving the “constant mess” problem that has plagued the desktop since its inception.

Fences also helps you finally appreciate the wallpaper you have hiding behind all that clutter.

In addition to its organizing features, Fences offers a novel quick-hide feature. Double click your desktop, and all your icons will fade out. Double click again, and they’ll return.

System Requirements

• Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7
• On Vista and Windows 7, both 32bit and 64bit versions are supported.

It’s FREE for personal use, so try it out today, and change how you use your desktop forever!

The Debian Project is pleased to announce the official release of Debian GNU/Linux version 5.0 (codenamed “Lenny”) after 22 months of constant development. Debian GNU/Linux is a free operating system which supports a total of twelve processor architectures and includes the KDE, GNOME, Xfce, and LXDE desktop environments. It also features compatibility with the FHS v2.3 and software developed for version 3.2 of the LSB.

Debian GNU/Linux runs on computers ranging from palmtops and handheld systems to supercomputers, and on nearly everything in between. A total of twelve architectures are supported: Sun SPARC (sparc), HP Alpha (alpha), Motorola/IBM PowerPC (powerpc), Intel IA-32 (i386), IA-64 (ia64), HP PA-RISC (hppa), MIPS (mips, mipsel), ARM (arm, armel), IBM S/390 (s390), and AMD64 and Intel EM64T (amd64).

Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 “Lenny” adds support for Marvell’s Orion platform which is used in many storage devices. Supported storage devices include the QNAP Turbo Station series, HP Media Vault mv2120, and Buffalo Kurobox Pro. Additionally, “Lenny” now supports several Netbooks, in particular the Eee PC by Asus. “Lenny” also contains the build tools for Emdebian which allow Debian source packages to be cross-built and shrunk to suit embedded ARM systems.

Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 “Lenny” includes the new ARM EABI port, “armel”. This new port provides a more efficient use of both modern and future ARM processors. As a result, the old ARM port (arm) has now been deprecated.

This release includes numerous updated software packages, such as the K Desktop Environment 3.5.10 (KDE), an updated version of the GNOME desktop environment 2.22.2, the Xfce 4.4.2 desktop environment, LXDE 0.3.2.1, the GNUstep desktop 7.3, X.Org 7.3, OpenOffice.org 2.4.1, GIMP 2.4.7, Iceweasel 3.0.6 (an unbranded version of Mozilla Firefox), Icedove 2.0.0.19 (an unbranded version of Mozilla Thunderbird), PostgreSQL 8.3.6, MySQL 5.0.51a, GNU Compiler Collection 4.3.2, Linux kernel version 2.6.26, Apache 2.2.9, Samba 3.2.5, Python 2.5.2 and 2.4.6, Perl 5.10.0, PHP 5.2.6, Asterisk 1.4.21.2, Emacs 22, Inkscape 0.46, Nagios 3.06, Xen Hypervisor 3.2.1 (dom0 as well as domU support), OpenJDK 6b11, and more than 23,000 other ready-to-use software packages (built from over 12,000 source packages).

With the integration of X.Org 7.3 the X server autoconfigures itself with most hardware. Newly introduced packages allow the full support of NTFS filesystems and the use of most multimedia keys out of the box. Support for Adobe® Flash® format files is available via the swfdec or Gnash plugins. Overall improvements for notebooks have been introduced, such as out of the box support of CPU frequency scaling. For leisure time several new games have been added, including puzzle games as well as first-person shooters. Also notable is the introduction of “goplay”, a graphical games browser offering filters, search, screenshots and descriptions for games in Debian.

The availability and updates of OpenJDK, GNU Java compiler, GNU Java bytecode interpreter, Classpath and other free versions of Sun’s Java technology, into Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 allow us to ship Java-based applications in Debian’s “main” repository.

Further improvements in system security include the installation of available security updates before the first reboot by the Debian Installer, the reduction of setuid root binaries and open ports in the standard installation, and the use of GCC hardening features in the builds of several security-critical packages. Various applications have specific improvements, too. PHP for example is now built with the Suhosin hardening patch.

For non-native English speaking users the package management systems now support translated package descriptions and will automatically show the description of a package in the native language of the user, if available.

Debian GNU/Linux can be installed from various installation media such as DVDs, CDs, USB sticks and floppies, or from the network. GNOME is the default desktop environment and is contained on the first CD. Other desktop environments — KDE, Xfce, or LXDE — can be installed through two new alternative CD images. Again available with Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 are multi-arch CDs and DVDs supporting installation of multiple architectures from a single disc; and this release adds Blu-ray Discs, allowing the archive for an entire architecture to be shipped on a single BD.

In addition to the regular installation media, Debian GNU/Linux can now also be directly used without prior installation. The special images used, known as live images, are available for CDs, USB sticks, and netboot setups. Initially, these are provided for the amd64 and i386 architectures only.

The installation process for Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 has been improved in many ways: among many other improvements, support for installation from more than one CD or DVD has been restored, firmware required by some devices can be loaded by using removable media, and installations via Braille display are supported. The installer boot process has also received much attention: a graphical menu can be used to choose front-ends and desktop environments, and to select expert or rescue mode. The installation system for Debian GNU/Linux has now been translated to 63 languages.

Debian GNU/Linux can be downloaded right now via bittorrent (the recommended way), jigdo or HTTP; see Debian GNU/Linux on CDs for further information. It will soon be available on DVD, CD-ROM and Blu-ray Disc from numerous vendors, too.

Upgrades to Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 from the previous release, Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 (codenamed “Etch”) are automatically handled by the aptitude package management tool for most configurations, and to a certain degree also by the apt-get package management tool. As always, Debian GNU/Linux systems can be upgraded painlessly, in place, without any forced downtime, but it is strongly recommended to read the release notes for possible issues, and for detailed instructions on installing and upgrading. The release notes will be further improved and translated to additional languages in the weeks after the release.

Gamer Doc™, the retail video game store that delivers a new and interactive customer experience, today announced that the Burlington store is celebrating its grand opening, Feb. 2 – Feb. 28, 2009, and will be giving away a Wii® console each week. The festivities begin at 11:00 a.m. on Feb. 2, when Burlington Mayor Cam Jackson performs the official ribbon-cutting ceremony, after which refreshments will be served.

“We want everyone to visit our store and enjoy the Gamer Doc experience, so we are celebrating the entire month of February,” said James Bajc, store owner. “Everyone is invited to come in and sign-up to win a Wii console or a store credit if they already have one. We will be holding a drawing every Friday at 7:00 p.m., and will announce the winner’s name. If they are not present at that time, we will contact them to come in and claim their prize.”

The first Wii drawing will be held on Feb. 6th, and T-shirts and wristbands will also be awarded as door prizes throughout the month. Refreshments will also be served each week during the Wii drawing.

“Video games offer families the best value for their entertainment dollar, which is one of the reasons they are rapidly becoming more popular than watching TV, going to sporting events, concerts or movies,” Bajc said. “The Wii console is especially fun, because the whole family can participate and even get some exercise as they bowl, play tennis, golf, or baseball.”

The Burlington Gamer Doc store is located at 3350 Fairview Street. Store hours are from 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. The store telephone number is 905-631-8390 and the website is www.gamerdoc.com.

Motherboard top maker Micro-Star International (MSI) has prepared to launch whole new industrial product WindBOX to the market in 2009 Q1.

Strong demand of ultra-low power platform with fanless design, MSI debuts the IM-945GSE based on the Intel® AtomTM processor N270 and the Mobile Intel® 945GSE Express chipset to provide the latest ultra-low power and slim form factor into solid embedded applications.

MSI enhanced I/O connectivity covers a Realtek 10/100 LAN, 3 USB 2.0 ports, a 3-in-1 card reader, and VGA interface. Different from other similar products in the market, MSI provides longevity support for 5-year lifespan to help you ensure long-term operation quality. Besides, MSI WindBOX eliminates the noise and the risk of fan’s failure by wide heatsink as fanless solution.

The Intel AtomM processor N270 in the WindBOX offers robust performance-per-watt. The N270 is based on Intel® 45nm process technology and generates 2.5W TDP power and 0.6W average power consumption. The N270’s latest SSE3 instruction sets enhance performance for multimedia and gaming application.

The chipset is a combination of the Intel® 945GSE Graphics Memory Controller Hub and the Intel® I/O Controller Hub 7-M (ICH7-M), which provides great I/O capability including 1GB memory capacity, a Mini-PCIe socket and a SATA II interface. The chipset features the Intel® GMA950 (Graphics Media Accelerator) with full support for DirectX 9 and OpenGL 1.4. With such solid capability, the MSI WindBOX revolutionizing the traditional definition of a low power and cost-effective segment.

The MSI WindBOX supports VESA wall-mount interface and various scenarios like digital signage, thin client, and POS with affordable expenditure, which not only fits the demand of Industrial applications but also qualifies for the request of companies, governments, and institutes for general using. Based on endless innovation, MSI keeps providing you more efficient and economical products and being with you to fulfill your demand.

Apple® has announced that iLife® ’09 will be available January 27, and features major upgrades to iPhoto®, iMovie® and GarageBand®, with breakthrough new ways to organize and manage photos, create movies and learn to play music. iLife ’09 is included with every new Mac® and is available as a $79 upgrade for existing users through the Apple Store®, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

iPhoto ’09 builds on the ability to automatically organize photos into Events by adding Faces and Places as innovative new ways to easily organize and manage your photos using face detection, face recognition and GPS geo-tagging technologies. iMovie ’09 expands on the revolutionary super fast movie creation introduced in iMovie ’08 by adding the depth users want through powerful easy-to-use new features such as the incredible new Precision Editor, video stabilization, advanced drag and drop, and animated travel maps. GarageBand ’09 introduces a whole new way to help you learn to play piano and guitar with 18 basic lessons and optional lessons from top artists such as Sara Bareilles, John Fogerty, Norah Jones and Sting.

iLife ’09 also includes iWeb™ ’09 for authoring custom websites and iDVD® ’09 for creating DVDs. iWeb ’09 adds new iWeb Widgets, such as iSight® video and photos, a countdown timer, YouTube video and RSS feeds. New integrated FTP publishing allows you to publish your website to virtually any hosting service and updates to your site can now be automatically added to your Facebook profile.

You can see step-by-step demonstrations of iLife ’09 features by browsing more than 70 video tutorials.

Pricing & Availability
iLife ’09 will be available January 27 for a suggested retail price of $79 (US) through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The iLife Up-To-Date upgrade package is available to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after January 6, 2009 for a shipping and handling fee of $9.95 (US). The iLife ’09 Family Pack includes five licenses and will be available for $99 (US) and the Mac Box Set which includes iLife ’09, iWork ’09 and Mac OS® X v10.5.6 Leopard® will be available for $169 (US). Artist Lessons are sold separately through the GarageBand Lesson Store for $4.99 (US) each.

iLife ’09 requires Mac OS X version 10.5.6 or later, a Macintosh® computer with an Intel processor, a PowerPC G5 or 867 MHz or faster PowerPC G4, 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended), QuickTime® 7.5.5 or later (included), a DVD drive for installation and 4GB of available disk space. iPhoto print services and GarageBand Artist Lessons are available in select countries. Full system requirements and more information on iLife ’09 can be found at www.apple.com/ilife.

Simply the best netbook Linux OS, Easy Peasy (formerly Ubuntu Eee), is now available for download.

Easy Peasy is an Ubuntu based distribution for netbooks, but is not only Ubuntu optimized for the Asus EeePC, it contains all drivers needed to make various netbook brands working out of the box. It’s an operating system, using the Netbook Remix interface, which favors the best software available instead of open source alternatives (ie. Skype instead of Ekiga).

Get Easy Peasy

Sony has put up the official product page of Vaio P-Series Lifestyle PC which it unveiled at CES last week. Sony is also accepting pre-orders for the “world’s lightest 8-inch notebook”. The price starts at $899.99.

This is by far the coolest netbook seen on the market today, even though Sony refuses to call it a netbook.

Here are the official specs, start drooling:

• Intel (1.33 GHz) Processor
• Up to 60GB hard drive, available 128GB SSD
• 2GB DDR2 RAM
• Up to 4 hours battery life or 8 hours for a larger capacity battery
• Memory Stick PRO (Standard/Duo) media slot with MagicGate functionality
• Multi-media Card (MMC) slot
• SD memory card slot
• 8” LED backlit 1600 × 768 wide-screen display
• QWERTY keyboard, 82 keys with 1.2mm stroke and 16.5mm pitch
• Wireless LAN: 802.11 b/g/n
• Integrated Stereo A2DP Bluetooth technology
• Wireless WAN: Integrated Mobile Broadband (Verizon 3G broadband connectivity)
• Real-time GPS functionality
• Built-in MOTION EYE webcam and microphone
• One-button quick-boot option
• Windows Vista Home OS
• Only 1.4 lbs

Visit Sony Style

In a follow-up to the Jan 5 announcement, Apple CEO Steve Jobs sent an email to all Apple employees, outlining that his medical condition is worse than originally thought and that he will need to focus on his health.

Here is a copy of the email:

Team,

I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.

In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.

I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple’s day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.

I look forward to seeing all of you this summer.

Steve

Apple® has announced several changes to the iTunes® Store. Beginning Jan 6, 2009, all four major music labels—Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group and EMI, along with thousands of independent labels, are now offering their music in iTunes Plus, Apple’s DRM-free format with higher-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quality virtually indistinguishable from the original recordings. iTunes customers can also choose to download their favorite songs from the world’s largest music catalog directly onto their iPhone™ 3G over their 3G network just as they do with Wi-Fi today, for the same price as downloading to their computer. And beginning in April, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available at one of three price points: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29, with most albums still priced at $9.99.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer our iTunes customers DRM-free iTunes Plus songs in high quality audio and our iPhone 3G customers the ability to download music from iTunes anytime, anywhere over their 3G network at the same price as downloading to your computer or via Wi-Fi,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “And in April, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available at one of three price points—69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29—with many more songs priced at 69 cents than $1.29.”

iTunes offers customers a simple, one-click option to easily upgrade their entire library of previously purchased songs to the higher quality DRM-free iTunes Plus format for just 30 cents per song or 30 percent of the album price. The iTunes Store will begin offering eight million of its 10 million songs in Apple’s DRM-free format, iTunes Plus, today with the remaining two million songs offered in iTunes Plus by the end of March.

iPhone 3G users can now preview and purchase the entire iTunes Store music catalog on their iPhone 3G over their 3G network, just as they do with Wi-Fi today, for the same price and in the same high quality format. Songs purchased on an iPhone will automatically sync to a user’s computer the next time they sync their iPhone.

The G-series line of gaming peripherals from Logitech® gives gamers what they want: complete control. Today, Logitech unveiled an extension of its award-winning G-series by introducing three new products that deliver precision, high performance and customization: the Logitech® G19 keyboard for gaming, the Logitech® G35 surround sound headset and the Logitech® G9x laser mouse. Delivering everything gamers need for a competitive edge – from programmable buttons to 7.1-channel surround sound and 5000 dpi laser sensors to backlit keys – Logitech’s best-in-class gaming peripherals are engineered to deliver everything you have always wanted.

“The G-series product line is all about seeing how far we can push the envelope, giving gamers extraordinary, engineered-to-win features developed as a result of our deep connection with the gaming community,” said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech’s director of product marketing for gaming. “With each one of these new G-series products, gamers gain exceptional benefits; but most importantly, they can transform their gear to suit their gameplay.”

The Logitech G19 Keyboard for Gaming
Giving you an arsenal of advanced gaming technology, the Logitech G19 keyboard for gaming is the first Logitech keyboard to feature a color GamePanel LCD. The tiltable, 320-by-240-pixel display provides valuable in-game information for over sixty games, including World of Warcraft® (requires installation of included Logitech GamePanel software). In addition to in-game information, the screen can show VoIP communication data, clock, CPU load, or other non-gaming specific items such as pictures or videos. And you can easily switch among types of information – without ever leaving your game.

Logitech’s newest keyboard for gaming offers 12 fully programmable G-keys with three macros per key, giving you 36 time-saving commands per game. Performing multiple actions simultaneously is also made easier with the keyboard’s multi-key input-functionality, which allows you to engage up to five keys at the same time.

A popular feature with previous Logitech keyboards for gaming, the Game Mode switch can disable the Windows® key so you don’t get accidentally locked out of your game. And so you can connect and power devices – such as your G9x mouse or G35 headset – the G19 keyboard features two high-speed USB 2.0 ports.

The G19 keyboard for gaming is compatible with both Windows-based and Mac® computers.

The Logitech G35 Surround Sound Headset
For game-changing immersion, the Logitech G35 headset is the first Logitech headset to offer 7.1 surround sound – a perfect complement to the growing number of action games and high-definition movies that support 7.1-channel surround sound. Powered by second-generation Dolby® Headphone technology, the G35 headset simulates the complex acoustics of a listening room, creating a detailed, outside-the-head sound field. Plus, with its proprietary ear-enclosing design, the G35 headset greatly reduces ambient noise from interfering with your entertainment, while an adjustable, noise-canceling microphone focuses on your voice and reduces background noise.

If you want to sound like your World of Warcraft character or disguise your voice when gaming, you can install the included software to enjoy six voice-morphing options, including cyborg, giant, mutant, space squirrel, troll and alien. If you use popular chat clients such as Ventrilo or Team Speak, the G35 headset includes three G-keys on the left earpiece for one-touch command over voice morphing. Additional on-ear audio controls provide quick access to volume, microphone mute and surround sound adjustments.

To ensure your headset remains comfortable during long gaming sessions, the G35 headset features three swappable headbands – thin, thick and contoured designs – so you can select the style that fits you best.

To enhance sound files recorded in more traditional formats, including MP3 files, the G35 headset uses Dolby® Pro Logic II in conjunction with Dolby Headphone technology to create an expanded stereo sound.

The Logitech G9x Laser Mouse
Providing precision at any hand speed (up to 150 inches per second on most popular gaming-mousepad surfaces), the Logitech G9x laser mouse extends the promise of the award-winning Logitech® G9 Laser Mouse with its next-generation laser sensor. Featuring on-the-fly adjustable dpi from 200 to 5000 dpi, the G9x mouse makes it easy to go from pixel-precise targeting to lightning-fast maneuvers without pausing the action.

The G9x mouse includes two interchangeable, snap-on grips that let you choose a fit and feel that’s best for your playing style. With more ways to tune for the way you play, the G9x mouse also features onboard memory – program up to five ready-to-play profiles. The weight-tuning system gives you up to 28 grams of extra weight. And custom-color LEDs let you match your G9x mouse to your personal preference – or the colors you choose for your G19 keyboard or G13 gameboard.

The Logitech G13 advanced gameboard wins Best of Innovations in Electronic Gaming
The new G-series products join the recently announced Logitech® G13 advanced gameboard, which was just awarded the CES 2009 Design and Engineering Award: Best of Innovations in Electronic Gaming. The G13 gameboard offers a contoured design that complements the natural shape of your hand and fingers. So you don’t have to take your eyes off the screen, the concave keys along the home row make it easy to locate buttons by touch. And for a tactical advantage, the G13 gameboard includes 87 buttons, so you can set up custom button-profiles for each one of your favorite games, and a 160-by-43-pixel GamePanel™ LCD that shows live game stats, system info and messages from other players. The Logitech G13 advanced gameboard is available now in the U.S. and Europe in March for a suggested retail price of $79.99 (U.S.).

Pricing and Availability
The Logitech G19 keyboard for gaming is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe in March for a suggested retail price of $199.99 (U.S.). The Logitech G35 surround sound headset is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe in March for a suggested retail price of $129.99 (U.S.). The Logitech G9x laser mouse is expected to be available in the U.S., Canada and Europe in April for a suggested retail price of $99.99 (U.S.).

Apple® has unveiled the new 17-inch MacBook® Pro featuring a durable and beautiful precision aluminum unibody enclosure, and a revolutionary new built-in battery that delivers up to eight hours of use and up to 1,000 recharges for more than three times the lifespan of conventional notebook batteries. The new 17-inch MacBook Pro has a high resolution LED-backlit display and the same large glass Multi-Touch™ trackpad introduced with the new MacBook family in October. In addition, the new 17-inch MacBook Pro includes state of the art NVIDIA graphics and the latest generation Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processors. As part of the industry’s greenest notebook family, the new 17-inch MacBook Pro is made of highly recyclable materials, meets stringent energy efficiency standards and is made without many of the harmful toxins found in other computers.

“We’ve developed new battery technology that is better for the user and better for the environment,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Apple’s advanced chemistry and innovative technology deliver up to eight hours of use on a full charge cycle and up to 1,000 recharges.”

Apple uses advanced chemistry, intelligent monitoring of the system and battery, and Adaptive Charging technology to create a revolutionary new notebook battery that delivers up to eight hours of wireless productivity on a single charge and up to 1,000 recharges without adding thickness, weight or cost to the MacBook Pro’s incredible design. The longer battery lifespan equals fewer depleted batteries and less waste, which is better for the environment.

The new 17-inch MacBook Pro includes an ultra-thin, widescreen glossy 1920 × 1200 display with 78 percent more pixels than the 15-inch MacBook Pro and a 60 percent greater color gamut that delivers desktop-quality color in a notebook. The LED-backlit display has brilliant instant-on performance, uses up to 30 percent less energy and eliminates the mercury found in industry standard fluorescent tube backlights.

Measuring just 0.98-inches thin and weighing 6.6 pounds, the 17-inch MacBook Pro is the world’s thinnest and lightest 17-inch notebook. The 17-inch MacBook Pro is the most powerful Mac® notebook yet with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors available up to 2.93 GHz, up to 8GB DDR3 main memory and a graphics architecture that allows users to switch between the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor for better battery life and the powerful NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics processor for higher performance. The new 17-inch MacBook Pro includes a 320GB 5400 rpm hard drive standard with a 320GB 7200 rpm hard drive and 128GB and 256GB solid state drives as options. As with the rest of the new MacBook family, the 17-inch MacBook Pro includes a next generation, industry-standard Mini DisplayPort to connect with the new Apple LED Cinema Display featuring a 24-inch LED-backlit widescreen display with a built-in iSight® video camera, mic and speakers.

The new 17-inch MacBook Pro joins the aluminum unibody MacBook family in setting new standards for environmentally friendly notebooks with every model achieving EPEAT Gold status. Each MacBook unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. The new MacBook family meets stringent Energy Star 4.0 requirements, contains no brominated flame retardants and uses internal cables and components that are PVC-free. The battery in the new 17-inch MacBook Pro provides additional environmental benefit because its extended lifespan means fewer depleted batteries resulting in less waste. Depleted batteries can be replaced for $179 which includes installation and disposal of your old battery in an environmentally responsible manner.

Pricing & Availability
The new 17-inch MacBook Pro will be shipping at the end of January and will be available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $2,799 (US), and includes:

• 17-inch widescreen LED-backlit 1920 × 1200, glossy display;
• 2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with 6MB shared L2 cache;
• 1066 MHz front-side bus;
• 4GB 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics;
• NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics with 512MB GDDR3 video memory;
• 320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpm, with Sudden Motion Sensor;
• a slot-load 8X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) optical drive;
• Mini DisplayPort for video output (adapters sold separately);
• built-in AirPort Extreme® 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
• Gigabit Ethernet port;
• built-in iSight video camera;
• three USB 2.0 ports;
• one FireWire® 800 port (FireWire 400 compatible);
• ExpressCard/34 expansion card slot;
• one audio line in and one audio line out port, each supporting both optical digital and analog;
• glass Multi-Touch trackpad and illuminated keyboard;
• built-in, 95WHr lithium polymer battery; and
• 85 Watt MagSafe® Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options for the 17-inch MacBook Pro include a 2.93 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 8GB 1066 MHz DDR 3 memory, 320GB 7200 rpm hard drive, a 128GB or 256GB solid state drive, anti-glare display for $50 (US), Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter, Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (for 30-inch DVI display), Mini DisplayPort to VGA Adapter, Apple Remote, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter and the AppleCare Protection Plan.

Dell has announced the Inspiron 15 laptop, the latest addition to the Inspiron line of systems offering solid performance and smart style at a great value. The Inspiron15 is now available in select configurations at Best Buy stores and online availability through Dell.com planned for later in January. Systems start at $600.

“Building on the Inspiron platform of mainstream solutions, Inspiron 15 expands laptop personalization through attractive design, an array of optional features and an affordable price,” said Glen Robson, general manager of consumer notebooks. “By listening to customers we’ve created an ideal multi-purpose system with a range of choices that help them create a custom match for their specific needs and deeds.”

Designed to merge a clean and sleek design with great all-around performance and an affordable price, the Inspiron 15 features a 15.6-inch LCD screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio — ideal for watching movies. The system can be personalized through options including up to 4GB of RAM, up to 320 GB of storage capacity, a built-in webcam, Blu-ray™ and facial recognition software.

• The Inspiron 15 delivers solid performance and smart style, with a 15.6-inch LCD screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio — ideal for watching movies — up to 4GB of memory and up to 320 GB of storage.
• Select configurations of Inspiron 15 available now at Best Buy stores in the U.S., and PC World and Curry’s in the U.K. Online availability through Dell.com planned for later in January.
• Optional features include: Intel CoreTM 2 Duo processors, integrated webcam, Blu-ray, Bluetooth and facial recognition software.

Despite a tough economy, the gaming industry held strong in 2008 and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system recorded the biggest year in Xbox history, with more consoles, games and online entertainment experiences sold than any previous year. It was a year in which life-to-date unit sales of Xbox 360 systems climbed to 28 million consoles worldwide — expanding the product’s lead over Sony PlayStation 3 to more than 8 million units. The Xbox LIVE community also grew to more than 17 million active members, as online consumer spending increased 84 percent from last year. Since the launch of the Xbox 360 three years ago, more than $1 billion has been spent on Xbox LIVE. This amazing growth was fueled by the launch of the New Xbox Experience1; the broadest selection of hit games, TV shows, and movies available; and mass-market price points, starting at $199.

Xbox 360 is experiencing record-setting sales around the globe, particularly in Japan and Europe, nearly doubling market share in these key territories. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) specifically, Xbox 360 has now sold more than 8 million units, extending its lead over the PS3 by more than 1 million units.

“For Xbox, 2008 will be remembered around the world as a pivotal growth year at retail and online — even in the face of tough economic conditions,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Worldwide, a record number of players flocked to our broadest games and entertainment lineup ever, while the New Xbox Experience thrilled millions of fans by making our console even more engaging. And yet, we’ve only provided a glimpse into the new world of interactive entertainment that we’re imagining. The best of Xbox 360 is yet to come.”

One of the biggest trends in 2008 was consumers taking advantage of the convenience and value with digital distribution of games and entertainment content. One of the most popular offerings this holiday was Netflix on Xbox 360, which as a Netflix member provides users with access to unlimited viewing of more than 12,000 movies and TV shows in DVD quality as well as many in high definition. 2 In addition, Xbox LIVE is home to the largest library of downloadable games, game add-ons, movies and TV shows.

Between Christmas and New Year’s Day, Xbox LIVE experienced its busiest week ever, with a record of more than 1.5 million concurrent members online. During that week, some of the most popular movies, TV shows, arcade games and game add-ons included these:

Movies

• “The Dark Knight”
• “Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay” (unrated)
• “Hellboy II: The Golden Army”
• “Iron Man”
• “Tropic Thunder”

TV Shows

• “South Park”
• “Family Guy”
• “The Office”
• “House”
• “Heroes”

Arcade Games

• A Kingdom for Keflings
• Castle Crashers
• Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

Puzzle Arcade

• Worms

Game Add-Ons

• “Rock Band®”
• “Guitar Hero®”
• “Halo 3”
• “Gears of War® 2”
• “Call of Duty® 4”

Google has launched Picasa for Mac (in beta) – free software that helps Mac users easily organize their photos in one place, edit pictures, and share them online with friends, family, and the world.

Picasa for Mac makes it easy to manage large photo collections and helps users make professional-looking edits without any technical knowledge, including:

• A drag-and-drop photo collage tool that gives users control over layout and content
• A retouching brush to wipe out scratches and blemishes – and repair old photos
• A slideshow movie maker that uploads users photo montage videos to YouTube with a click
• Smart auto-cropping that guides users on how to zoom in on their subject
• And, auto red-eye removal.

Many of us take pictures so that we can show them to the people we care about. Picasa for Mac integrates seamlessly with Picasa Web Albums, Google’s free photo-sharing site, which offers features like name tags – the ability for users to automatically organize and share their photos based on the faces in each picture.

People who already share photos on Picasa Web Albums will find that Picasa for Mac allows them to easily and quickly manage their online and local photo collections. Millions of Mac users have been sharing photos on Picasa Web Albums, and while we’ve previously offered a Mac uploader and iPhoto plugin for Picasa Web Albums, Picasa includes additional sharing features like automatic web sync. Picasa for Mac “plays nice” with iPhoto, and takes a read-only approach to editing photos stored in the iPhoto library, duplicating files as needed, so that users’ iPhoto libraries are never affected when they use Picasa. Avid iPhoto users who currently use our Picasa Web Albums Uploader plugin can continue to do so, although features like automatic web sync, photo collages, and more will only be found in the Picasa application.

This first beta of Picasa for Mac matches the speed and most core features of Picasa on Windows — and we’ll be working on more refinements to the Mac interface and feature set as time goes on.

Picasa for Mac is available for free download in US English.

Synchronize the built-in calendar and address book on your BlackBerry® with your Google account.

• Get your Google Calendar events to your device
• Synchronize your Gmail contacts
• Be alerted for upcoming appointments with sound and vibration using your BlackBerry’s native calendar

Features:
Synchronize your contacts. Get your Gmail contacts quickly and easily to your BlackBerry smartphone. With Sync, you can have access to your address book at any time and place that you need it.

Get calendar alerts. Using your BlackBerry smartphone’s native calendar, you can now access your Google calendar even when you don’t have network coverage, and be alerted for upcoming appointments with sound or vibration. It automatically runs in the background, so you can attend to other tasks and still be reminded of your appointments.

Always in sync. Your calendar and contacts stay synchronized whether you access it from your computer or your phone. You can add or edit contacts or calendar entries right on your BlackBerry smartphone or on your Google account on the web. Synchronize one or many calendars at the same time.

On Decemebr 16th Apple announced that this would be the last year that Apple will exhibit at Macworld, even more shocking was the added statement that Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, would deliver the opening keynote and not Steve Jobs. Of course roumors flew, Apple is on the brink, Steve Jobs is dying, and on and on…

Well today there were two press releases, the first from Steve Jobs himself, which basically boilled down to “No, I am not dying, I am sick and receiving treatment and I am just not up to the Keynote at Macworld this year. Oh and I don’t want to talk about it anymore” The second was from the Apple Board, which threw its support behind Steve.

This seems to put an end to the on-going soap opera of Steve’s health and the roumor’s of his and Apples Death.

Wallpaper Shifter is a little program that starts when you login to Windows and picks a random wallpaper from your list. Depending on the wallpaper width and height, it can automagically scale it for you to fit your desktop without deforming it’s proportions. It does not remain running in the background so no system resources are used.

Wallpaper Shifter version 7 is a ‘Back to Basics’ version. I have removed a lot of features that I’m not looking for in a Wallpaper Randomizer, as version 6 started to turn into ‘bloatware’. Two new features were added though, such as “Automagic scaling” and “Background fills”. You can also delete the current background from disk.

Windows Only: Download Wallpaper Shifter

Linux Only: Download Giver

Canadian Internet users tend to have large personal networks and frequent interactions with friends and family, although they tend to spend less time face-to-face with others, and more time online.

Many are using the World Wide Web in ways that facilitate social and civic participation, such as making contact with others and finding out about their communities.

Internet users, particularly those who spend more than one hour online per day, spend less time on traditional social activities, including time with family members and socializing over meals. However, they are at least as socially engaged as non-users.

For example, Canadians who spend more than one hour online per day spend, on average, nearly two hours more time alone than Internet non-users. Yet, nearly one-half of Internet users’ time online is spent emailing or chatting with others. In addition, Internet users spend more time talking on the phone than non-users.

In recent years, the Internet has also become a resource for telephone contact. In 2007, nearly 10% of home Internet users and more than one-quarter of recent immigrants who used the Internet from home made telephone calls online.

One-half of home Internet users aged 16 and over contacted others through instant messaging, and one-fifth contributed content online by blogging, posting images or participating in discussion groups in 2007. These activities were most common among young Canadians.

In addition, more than 4 in 10 home Internet users said they went online to research community events. This activity was particularly popular among university-educated and urban Canadians.

Canadians also used the Internet to connect with political and social issues. In 2005, just over one-half of home Internet users aged 18 and over reported that they read online newspapers or magazines about a particular social or political issue.

Further, 29% of home Internet users said they went online to read what other Canadians think about political or social issues and 14% said they used the Internet to correspond with other Canadians about these issues.

Overall, 19.2 million Canadians went online for personal non-business reasons in 2007, representing 73% of the population aged 16 and older.

Read More from Statistics Canada

Gyminee™ is the premier fitness social network for detailed tracking, online accountability, and motivation. Whether you are trying to lose weight or get fit, it’s time to start taking your fitness seriously.

Workout Programs

Gyminee™ has the tools you need to find or create your perfect workout routine for both cardio and weight training.

Diverse Library of Exercises
Gyminee™ has a huge library of exercises complete with video instruction. Build your own custom workout program or subscribe to workout programs that other users have shared.

Detailed Exercise Tracking
Gyminee™ gives you the tools needed for detailed tracking of all your exercises. Quickly and easily capture all of your sets, reps, weight, distance, elevation, heart rate, and more.

Online Food Diary And More!

Maintaining a proper diet is key to staying healthy and in shape. Our nutrition tracking tools make this a snap.

Large Food Database
Gyminee™ has a database of 67,000+ foods and recipes provided by the USDA and by Gyminee™ users. You can also add your own foods and recipes.

Detailed Nutrition Labels
View a nutrition label for all the foods you eat, just like the one you see on each food’s package. Watch your intake of calories, fat, carbs, protein, and more!

Fitness Social Network

Do you struggle to workout and eat healthy on a consistent basis? Gyminee provides motivation through Groups and GymBuddies™ that will help you reach your health & fitness goals!

GymBuddies™
GymBuddies™ are online accountability partners that will congratulate you when you are doing well, and give you a helping hand when you are falling behind.

Fitness Groups
Gyminee has a wide range of groups that are based around everything from weight loss to rock climbing. Stay connected with like-minded individuals who can help you learn and stay motivated towards your goals.

Fitness & Weight Loss Challenges

Gyminee™ Challenges are a great way to have fun while you are trying to lose weight and get in better shape. Challenges can be based around weight loss, running, biking, swimming, weight lifting and more. It’s the perfect time to have a biggest loser competition at your home or office!

Stay Motivated with Friendly Competition
Gyminee™ Challenges have a constantly-updated leader board that shows your position in each challenge. You can also get a blog widget for each challenge that can help spread the word and keep you motivated.

Visit Gyminee™

For four young Canadians known as team “EndResult” in the gaming community, the sweetest of all end results was a gold-medal finish in the Halo 3 tournament for XBOX 360 at the 2008 World Cyber Games Grand Finals in Cologne, Germany in November. Title and worldwide sponsor Samsung Electronics has been helping to bring the world’s best cyber athletes together since 2000 through its technology.

The team, comprised of Kevin Garcia (19) of Keswick, ON, Max Rawal (17) of Scarborough, ON, Chris Kerluke (20) of Vancouver, BC and Mark James (20) of Mississauga, ON, went undefeated in all of their matches before entering the gold medal round. EndResult then went on to defeat team SSK of France to secure the top prize in a best-of-three competition.

“We are absolutely thrilled for Kevin, Max, Chris and Mark,” said Benjamin Lee, President of Samsung Electronics Canada. “As the title sponsor of this global event, we are very proud of these four young men, and of Team Canada as a whole. They showcased their skills brilliantly on the world stage and maintained a true spirit of camaraderie and sportsmanship throughout the entire competition.”

More than 700 top gamers and 58,000 spectators from around the world descended on Cologne from November 5-9 to take part in five days of intense competition at the world’s largest video game event and e-sports festival. While teams from South Korea, the Netherlands and the United States clinched the top three spots, Team Canada was a very strong contender, placing ninth overall from a total of 83 participating countries.

“It was such an honour to represent our country at the World Cyber Games Grand Final in Germany,” said Kevin Garcia. “Thanks to Samsung, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime – a chance for my passion for video games to take me halfway around the world where I competed against today’s best gamers and was crowned a World Champion.”

With their gold medal, the members of team EndResult received a cash prize worth $40,000 USD. Each player also received a new Samsung notebook computer. Raising the competitive bar this year in the international tournament, Samsung’s stunning Syncmaster T200 20-inch monitor and LE32A557P 32-inch LCD TV (Full HD) were selected as the official monitor and TV for the event. Fans and event attendees were also given access to the highest level of Samsung products and the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of events and activities. Samsung Sports World featured popular sports including soccer, golf, NASCAR, fencing, field hockey and horse jumping, through which participants had the opportunity to win prizes for scoring goals, hitting the longest drive or getting closest to the hole in one-on-one and group competition.

Adding to the excitement of EndResult’s winning Halo 3 performance, Team Canada also met with well-deserved success in the Counter-Strike 1.6 PC game competition. The five young men that made up team NoPression, whose members all hail from the province of Quebec, faced some fierce competition, making it all the way to the quarter-finals before being knocked out of the tournament by team x30 from the US.

Team Canada was comprised of 13 young men from across the country who qualified to represent Canada after winning the national titles in their respective games at the WCG Canadian Championship in Montreal in September. The winning gamers in each of the single-player games (a total of four winners), as well as two winning teams from this year’s team games (a total of nine winners), each received paid airfare and accommodations in Cologne, Germany, where they competed for more than $400,000 USD in cash and prizes.

Although the World Cyber Games has drawn to a close for the 2008 season, gamers from around the world are already training for competition in 2009. Canadian gamers will begin competing in official WCG qualifying events across the country next summer by participating in online and terrestrial competitions. Winners will earn invitations to the WCG 2009 Canadian Championship where they will compete for a chance to represent Canada at next year’s WCG Grand Final in Chengdu, China.

Thunderbird 3 Beta 1 is now available for download. Thunderbird 3 Beta 1 is a preview release for the next major version of Thunderbird. It is being made available for testing purposes only. Thunderbird 3 Beta 1 for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X in a variety of languages.

New features and changes in this milestone that require feedback include:

• Tab interface for Mail
• Improvements to IMAP for faster message viewing
• Improved message reader view
• New Add-ons Manager
• Improved Address Book interface
• Improved import of mail from other Mail clients
• Integration with Windows Vista search
• Integration with Mac OS X Address Book

Download Thunderbird 3 Beta 1

The Town of Halton Hills is among 15 successful municipalities moving forward with plans to build local broadband infrastructure thanks to a partnership with the Ontario government.

The Rural Connections Broadband Program provides funding to help rural municipalities build high-speed Internet projects in their communities. The program’s goal is to bring broadband access to rural and remote areas currently under-serviced in southern Ontario.

“This announcement will give our businesses, students and teachers, healthcare professionals and citizens the hi-tech tools they need to succeed and do business,” said Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “I am delighted that the Town of Halton Hills brought forward a successful proposal which shows their commitment to community broadband expansion and to providing their citizens with the best technology possible.”

The province will provide funding for one-third of the approved eligible costs of the project. The Town of Halton Hills’ project is eligible for $397,038.

Broadband combines telecommunications infrastructure and service to deliver more Internet information at speeds far greater than dial-up service.

“This is excellent news. This is exactly the type of service that is needed to serve our residents living in the rural area of Halton Hills,” said Mayor Rick Bonnette. “Our project involves a three-way partnership with the Ontario government and private sector telecommunications companies to enhance the reliability and speed of the existing infrastructure and put Halton Hills on a strong communications footing.”

Logitech has announced that it has shipped its billionth mouse. A pioneer in the development of the computer mouse in the 1980s, Logitech has enthusiastically driven nearly every major innovation in mouse technology – persistently refining this ubiquitous interface between people and their digital experiences. With more than a billion people currently using computers worldwide and another billion expected to begin using computers by 2014, according to a report by analyst firm Gartner, Logitech continues to pursue compelling innovation to delight users of the next billion mice and input devices of the future.

Founded in a farmhouse in Apples, Switzerland in 1981 and shortly thereafter establishing strong ties in Silicon Valley, Logitech introduced its first retail mouse in 1985 and reached the 100 millionth mouse mark in 1996. Sales of Logitech mice topped 500 million seven years later. Today, Logitech sells mice in more than 100 countries worldwide and manufactures an average of 376,000 mice per day and 7.8 million every month.

“Since the first click of the Logitech® P4 mouse in 1982, Logitech mice have played an indispensable role in the evolution of the personal computer,” said Gerald P. Quindlen, Logitech president and chief executive officer. “During the last few decades, the way people use computers has changed dramatically – what was once strictly a business tool has become highly integrated into our personal lives. Logitech has continually pursued innovations to meet those changing conditions, introducing – in the last five years alone – the world’s first laser mouse, hyper-fast scrolling and the nano-receiver.”

“Looking to the future, the gesture-based Logitech® MX™ Air mouse and the hybrid Logitech® diNovo Mini™ palm-sized keyboard hint at what can be expected from Logitech’s next generation of innovations,” said Rory Dooley, Logitech senior vice president and general manager of the Control Devices business unit. “While the traditional mouse and keyboard still make the most sense for productivity, the emergence of the digital home and new forms of entertainment are opening the doors to new ways of interacting with the computer, whether it be voice, touch or something entirely new.”

As Logitech celebrates its milestone, many will be celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the first public demonstration of the computer mouse.

“What a wonderful coincidence that the leading mouse manufacturer has announced such a significant milestone in the same month that we celebrate Doug Engelbart’s legendary public debut of the computer mouse,” said Curt Carlson, president and chief executive officer of SRI International. “Logitech’s product innovations support Engelbart’s vision of human-computer tools for interactive and collaborative work.”

In celebration of its billionth mouse, Logitech is launching a worldwide contest that invites people to follow the travels of this notable mouse – from the manufacturing line to its final destination – and to try to figure out where in the world it will end up. The mouse’s journey will be chronicled on Logitech’s blog, BLogitech. For more details, please visit blog.logitech.com..

Nokia has unveiled the Nokia N97, the world’s most advanced mobile computer, which will transform the way people connect to the Internet and to each other. Designed for the needs of Internet-savvy consumers, the Nokia N97 combines a large 3.5” touch display with a full QWERTY keyboard, providing an ‘always open’ window to favorite social networking sites and Internet destinations. Nokia’s flagship Nseries device introduces leading technology – including multiple sensors, memory, processing power and connection speeds – for people to create a personal Internet and share their ‘social location.’

Tilting touch display, QWERTY keyboard and personalized home screen – a true mobile computer

“From the desktop to the laptop and now to your pocket, the Nokia N97 is the most powerful, multi-sensory mobile computer in existence,” said Jonas Geust, Vice President, heading Nokia Nseries. “Together with the Ovi services announced today, the Nokia N97 mobile computer adjusts to the world around us, helping stay connected to the people and things that matter most. With the Nokia N97, Nseries leads the charge in helping to transform the Internet into your Internet”.

Sensing your ‘So-Lo’
The Nokia N97 introduces the concept of ‘social location’. With integrated A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass, the Nokia N97 mobile computer intuitively understands where it is. The Nokia N97 makes it easy to update social networks automatically with real-time information, giving approved friends the ability to update their ‘status’ and share their ‘social location’ as well as related pictures or videos.

Widescreen – Internet and entertainment
The home screen of the Nokia N97 mobile computer features the people, content and media that matter the most. Friends, social networks and news are available by simply touching the home screen. The 16:9 widescreen display can be fully personalized with frequently updated widgets of favorite web services and social networking sites. The Nokia N97 is also perfectly suited for browsing the web, streaming Flash videos or playing games. Both the physical QWERTY and virtual touch input ensure efficiency in blogging, chatting, posting, sending texts or emailing.

The Nokia N97 supports up to 48 GB of storage, including 32 GB of on-board memory, expandable with a 16 GB microSD card for music, media and more. This is complemented by excellent music capabilities, full support for the Nokia Music Store and continuous playback time of up to 1.5 days. The Nokia N97 also has a 5-Megapixel camera with high-quality Carl Zeiss optics, 16:9 and DVD quality video capture, and support for services like Share on Ovi for immediate sharing over HSDPA and WLAN.

The Nokia N97 is expected to begin shipping in the first half of 2009 at an estimated retail price of EUR 550 or CDN $865.

To address the growing need for a PC security solution tailored to the demands of emerging markets, smaller PC form factors and rapid increases in the incidence of malware, Microsoft Corp. plans to offer a new consumer security offering focused on core anti-malware protection.

New anti-malware solution will broaden PC protection and help improve Windows experience.

Code-named “Morro,” this streamlined solution will be available in the second half of 2009 and will provide comprehensive protection from malware including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans. This new solution, to be offered at no charge to consumers, will be architected for a smaller footprint that will use fewer computing resources, making it ideal for low-bandwidth scenarios or less powerful PCs. As part of Microsoft’s move to focus on this simplified offering, the company also announced today that it will discontinue retail sales of its Windows Live OneCare subscription service effective June 30, 2009.

“Customers around the world have told us that they need comprehensive, ongoing protection from new and existing threats, and we take that concern seriously,” said Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management for the Online Services and Windows Division at Microsoft. “This new, no-cost offering will give us the ability to protect an even greater number of consumers, especially in markets where the growth of new PC purchases is outpaced only by the growth of malware.”

Built on Microsoft’s award-winning malware protection engine, “Morro” will take advantage of the same core anti-malware technology that fuels the company’s current line of security products, which have received the VB100 award from Virus Bulletin, Checkmark Certification from West Coast Labs and certification from the International Computer Security Association Labs. The new solution will deliver the same core protection against malware as that offered through Microsoft’s enterprise solutions, but will not include many of the additional non-security features found in many consumer security suites.

Windows Live OneCare, one of the first all-in-one suites to be launched in the consumer market, includes a number of non-security features, such as printer sharing and automated PC tune-up. By shifting to focus on the core anti-malware features that most consumers still don’t keep up to date, “Morro” will be able to provide the essential protections that consumers need without overusing system resources, and will help more consumers have better protection against online threats.

“Because uptake of standard anti-malware is low around the world, particularly in developing nations, the availability of basic protection for anyone who wants it is all the more important,” said Roger Kay, founder and president of Endpoint Technologies Associates. “By offering such basic protection at no charge to the consumer, Microsoft is promoting a safer environment for PCs, service providers and e-commerce itself, since it is through unprotected PCs that the worst threats are introduced to the system as a whole.”

“Morro” will be available as a stand-alone download and offer malware protection for the Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 operating systems. When used in conjunction with the ongoing security and privacy enhancements of Windows and Internet Explorer, this new solution will offer consumers a robust, no-cost security solution to help protect against the majority of online threats.

Windows Live OneCare will continue to be sold for Windows XP and Windows Vista at retail through June 30, 2009. Direct sales of OneCare will be gradually phased out when “Morro” becomes available. Regardless of their method of purchase, Microsoft will ensure that all current customers remain protected through the life of their subscriptions.

More information is available on the Windows Live OneCare Team Blog.

Nikon announced the D3X, an FX-format digital SLR featuring extreme 24.5-megapixel resolution and superb low-noise capabilities, which provides professional photographers with commercial-quality image performance in a familiar and extraordinarily versatile D-SLR form factor. In conjunction with the groundbreaking Nikon FX-format D3, the D3X tops off a collection of flagship level, rugged, professional caliber digital single lens reflex cameras engineered to excel in all types of professional photographic disciplines from photojournalism and sideline sports, to commercial in-studio applications.

With Extreme 24.5-Megapixel Resolution, Processed Image Files Exceeding 138 MB, Five Frame-per-Second Burst Speed and Nikon Core Technologies, the D3X Ushers in a New Level of Image Quality

The foundation of the enhanced performance of the D3X is its FX-format, 24.5-megapixel (6048 × 4032) CMOS sensor providing commercial, high fashion, fine art and landscape photographers with the extreme resolution, dynamic range, color depth, detail and sharpness that clients demand. Whether creating catalogs, magazine covers, billboards or gallery prints, the large 5.94-micron pixel size and high signal to noise ratio produces vibrant images with breathtaking image fidelity while reducing lost highlights and shadows, and ensuring smoother tone reproduction with minimized noise. With full resolution shooting speeds of up to five frames-per-second (fps), and 14-bit files, that when processed are approximately 138 MB, the D3X offers today’s photographic artists an extreme level of performance and versatility ready for demanding assignments in the studio or on location.

“In 2007, the 12.1-megapixel FX-format D3 delivered groundbreaking digital SLR image quality, coupled with incomparable high ISO, low noise performance and high-speed handling. In doing so, the D3 broke photographic barriers, enabling photographers to work in ways never before possible,” said Edward Fasano, general manager for Marketing, SLR Systems Products at Nikon Inc. “Now, the new 24.5-megapixel FX-format D3X D-SLR provides the extreme resolution and high dynamic range capabilities needed to meet the extraordinary needs of photographic disciplines such as high fashion, commercial advertising and fine art. The D3X delivers this remarkable capability while fitting seamlessly within the Nikon system, taking full advantage of Nikon’s world-renowned collection of NIKKOR lenses and Speedlights.”

Image Quality Takes Center Stage
To re-emphasize the importance of image quality above all else, the D3X delivers an incredible level of digital SLR performance to provide photographers with extremely high resolution, exceptional dynamic range, phenomenal total gradation and outstanding color reproduction. Image files can be recorded as TIFF, JPEG or NEF (RAW) formats in either 12- or 14-bit compressed or uncompressed formats, and recorded to UDMA compatible CompactFlash™ cards for optimum speed. Photographers can save image files directly to the dual card slots as overflow, backup, or as separate file formats to different cards. Building on the D3X’s flexibility, users have the creative option to shoot in the 5:4 crop mode with 20.4-megapixel resolution, the ideal format for creating 8 × 10-inch portraits. While using DX-format lenses, faster continuous shooting of up to seven frames per second can be achieved at a resolution of 10.5 megapixels.

The exceptionally low noise of the D3X is essential to any professional commercial application, and it provides photographers with an ISO range of 100 to 1600, expandable to 50 (Lo-1) and 6400 (Hi-2). The ultra smooth tones and lack of grain at ISO 1600 as well as at low sensitivity settings result in smooth, natural skin tones and exacting detail that, before the D3X, required larger and far costlier studio-bound camera systems.

Advanced Technologies, Meticulously Executed
In a commercial setting or on location, imaging professionals need high performance in both speed and processing. The Nikon D3X can shoot at up to five fps at full resolution or up to seven fps in DX crop mode, allowing photographers to catch the split-second difference in a model’s expression or capture all of the action in a sequence. Just like the D3, the D3X achieves a start-up time of a mere 0.12 seconds and a shutter release time lag of 0.04 seconds.

The D3X’s speed, as well as high levels of performance, leverages Nikon core technologies including a newly enhanced EXPEED™ Image Processing System, specially designed for the D3X to provide superior image quality, faster processing speeds and lower power consumption. This advanced system is able to achieve extremely precise color reproduction for a broad spectrum of hues, in addition to vivid saturation and smooth gradation. What’s more, Nikon’s advanced noise processing function is engineered to minimize noise at all sensitivities and operate seamlessly without interfering with other image color parameters.

The D3X also features Nikon’s exclusive Scene Recognition System, which continuously analyzes information from the 1,005-pixel RGB light sensor, to further refine auto exposure, auto white balance and autofocus calculations. This results in flattering portraits and awe-inspiring landscapes that portray accurate color and fine details. Nikon’s exclusive 3D Color Matrix Metering II helps ensure accurate exposures, even in the most challenging lighting conditions. Instantly evaluating each scene before capture, input data from the system’s sensor is automatically referenced against an internal database of more than 30,000 images derived from actual photographs to calculate correct exposure values. Active D-Lighting, used in combination with 3D Matrix Metering II, helps to determines proper exposure, and creates realistic contrast while compensating for lost shadows and highlights. Prior to shooting, users can choose from Extra High, High, Normal, Low or Off settings, as well as an Auto mode.

Additionally, the D3X features Nikon’s exclusive Multi-CAM 3500FX focus module, with 51 AF points, 15 cross type sensors and 36 horizontal sensors that easily track and lock onto moving subjects, delivering the same fast and accurate AF performance that helped make the D3 immediately successful. Users can select any of the AF points, making it easy to consistently attain accurate focus right on a subject’s eyes, frame after frame. Additionally, three AF-area modes – Single point, Dynamic-area AF and Auto-area AF – are available to maximize the use of the 51 focus points by selecting the most suitable one to match subject conditions. AF is also available in one of two Live View modes optimized for the studio, including a phase detection handheld mode and a tripod mode. This feature allows the user to zoom in up to 27x on the LCD screen to ensure critical focus. While in Live View, the graphic indication of a virtual horizon is also available, making it easier than ever to confirm camera orientation.

To further ensure each photographer’s ability to balance their personal style, Nikon’s Picture Control System enables users to adjust their images to pre-set parameters such as Standard, Neutral, Vivid and Monochrome that apply tweaks to image sharpening, tone compensation, brightness, overall tone and saturation. Photographers have creative control over these image parameters with the use of up to nine available customizable presets.

Synchronizing Both Form and Function
Engineered for real-world functionality, the D3X retains a rugged shell with moisture, dust and shock resistance that has become a hallmark of flagship Nikon D-SLRs, while preserving the usability and ergonomics that allow the camera to remain an extension of the photographer’s vision. Attention to detail goes so far as to include a self-diagnostic shutter system that is tested to exceed 300,000 cycles for maximum durability and longevity. The camera’s body also maintains the resilient magnesium alloy construction and form factor of the D3, promoting consistent Nikon system synergy.

A bright and accurate viewfinder offers 100 percent coverage with 0.7x magnification. The body also houses Nikon’s acclaimed 3.0-inch super density LCD screen, now relied upon by so many photographers. The high-resolution 920,000-dot screen is viewable at wide angles up to 170 degrees, and will allow photographers to quickly zoom in to confirm critical focus. Users can also output the video signal to an external display via HDMI to allow client viewing. Thanks to incredibly efficient internal circuitry, the D3X can capture up to 4400* shots per single charge of the camera’s Lithium ion battery.

System Strength Withstands the Test of Time
The D3X is fully compatible with Nikon’s Creative Lighting System (CLS) to give photographers a mobile lighting solution that is easy to manage. To further enhance mobility, the D3X is compatible with Nikon’s GP-1 GPS receiver to gather information such as latitude, longitude, altitude and date of shooting. Photographers can easily shoot tethered via USB, or use the WT-4a wireless transmitter to send images wirelessly when speed and mobility are essential. D3X users will also enjoy the system strength of more than 50 genuine NIKKOR lenses that provide outstanding sharpness and high resolution across a broad range of focal lengths.

Price and Availability
The Nikon D3X will be available at Nikon Authorized Professional Dealers starting December 2008, and will be available for an estimated selling price of $7999.95

Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system kicked off the holidays with record-breaking console sales on one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year in the U.S. Retailers reported Xbox 360 console sales over the Black Friday weekend were on pace to beat previous years, outselling the PlayStation 3 by a three-to-one ratio and estimating a 25 percent increase from Xbox 360 Black Friday sales figures from 2007.

Xbox 360 consoles and games sell at record levels; outsells PlayStation 3 by three-to-one ratio.

Strong game sales rounded out a historic Black Friday for Xbox 360, with record-paced software sales continuing for key Microsoft titles, such as “Gears of War 2,” “Fable II,” and “Lips.” Xbox 360 continues to have the highest game attach rate of any console at 8.1 games per console.

“We entered into the Black Friday sales period with cautious optimism, knowing that dollar for dollar, Xbox 360 offers more social entertainment value than any other console on the market,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Record Black Friday sales in the U.S., coupled with our existing global install base of 25 million and an online community of more than 14 million Xbox LIVE members, have laid the groundwork for continued global sales momentum in 2009.”

Xbox 360 sales have also surged worldwide since the September price drop, outselling the PlayStation 3 week over week across Europe. Console sales in Europe are up as much as 400 percent, with sales nearly double year over year and reaching 7 million consoles sold this generation.

With a mass-market price point starting at $199.99 worldwide (estimated retail price) for Xbox 360 Arcade, a games lineup of more broad-appeal social titles than any other platform, and the recently launched New Xbox Experience, Xbox 360 is leading the industry and inviting everyone to play.

To give gamers greater freedom and high-quality voice reproduction, Logitech today announced the Logitech® Wireless Microphone – featuring an authentic, professional design.

With more than 20 hours of battery life, gamers can perform encore after encore while minimizing the hassle of changing batteries. Offering a range of up to 30 feet, the microphone uses 2.4 GHz wireless technology and can be easily set up with its convenient USB receiver. The USB receiver also holds the mic when not in use. The wireless microphone is compatible with PLAYSTATION®3, PlayStation®2 and Xbox 360™.

The Logitech Wireless Microphone is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe in December for a suggested retail price of $79.99 (U.S.).

With today’s traditional workstation model pricing, many organizations can only afford to deploy professional graphics solutions to select designers and engineers, leaving a significant portion of the workforce with sub-optimal products. This is about to change as NVIDIA Corp. announced today NVIDIA® Quadro® FX 470, the first integrated professional motherboard GPU, and NVIDIA Quadro FX 370 Low Profile (Quadro FX 370 LP), an entry-level Quadro graphics boards for small form factor systems.

Honoring NVIDIA’s commitment to tailor its Quadro professional line to the specific needs of the end user, the Quadro FX 470 and Quadro FX 370 LP GPU deliver high performance and flexibility at entry-level pricing for computer-aided design (CAD) and digital content creation (DCC) applications.

“In today’s competitive global marketplace, engineers, traders, designers and power office users demand more functionality and reliability from their desktop computing solutions,” said Jeff Brown, general manager, Professional Services, NVIDIA. “The Quadro FX 470 and the Quadro FX 370 LP are precisely tested, certified and designed to maximize productivity and deliver the cost-effective, professional-quality solution these users require on a daily basis.”

Increasing performance and reliability at a ground-breaking price, both systems are certified for key DCC and CAD applications from independent software vendors such as Autodesk and Adobe. Designed to fit seamlessly in a space-saving configuration, the Quadro FX 370 LP GPU has a MSRP at $149 USD and offers professional graphics performance with fanless cooling for a quieter work environment. The Quadro FX 470 GPU expands end customer access to professional graphics by enabling systems to achieve a price point under $700 USD.

“The Quadro FX 470 integrated chipset is a landmark achievement for professional graphics,” said Tom Lin, general manager, Server Business Unit, AsusTek COMPUTER Inc. “By offering Quadro FX 470 graphics in our new ASUS TW100-E5 iQuadro workstation, we are giving our customers an entirely new way to get the performance advantages of a Quadro GPU at entry-level pricing. It’s a powerful graphics option that we believe the CAD and design communities will eagerly embrace.”

Delivering the quality and reliability that the market expects from NVIDIA Quadro solutions, the Quadro FX 470 motherboard GPU and Quadro FX 370 LP feature 128-bit precision graphics pipeline, 32-bit floating point precision, filtering and blending, advanced color compression and early z-culling for improved bandwidth and rendering efficiency, and full-scene antialiasing. Additional features include:

• Industry-First Unified GPU Architecture – Dynamically allocates geometry, shading and pixel processing power for high performance in OpenGL, Microsoft DirectX 10 applications
• NVIDIA CUDA™ Technology – Revolutionary parallel computing processor architecture exposed through an extended C language environment, and a tool suite for high-performance visualization
• Shader Model 4.0 Support – Enables ultra-realistic, real-time visualization applications
• NVIDIA nView® Advanced Display Software – The nView hardware and software technology combination delivers maximum flexibility for single-large display or multi-display options and provides unprecedented end-user control of the desktop experience
• I/O Scalability and Performance – Extensive I/O slot support enables peripherals like SAS and dual GbE, which lengthen platform life cycle and performance

The Quadro FX 470 motherboard GPU is available from NVIDIA System Integrator partners. The Quadro FX 370 LP GPU is available today, with a MSRP of $149 USD. For more information on NVIDIA Quadro technologies and products.

When Toshiba set out to reset the bar for high performance gaming laptops and revamp its flagship gaming line, the company turned to NVIDIA for its expertise in visual computing. The combined efforts of both companies resulted in Toshiba’s most powerful gaming laptop to date featuring the new highly integrated GeForce® 9400M graphics processing unit (GPU) along with a pair of NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS enthusiast-class GPUs. The Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q708 and X305-Q706, the first pair of laptops to incorporate three powerful NVIDIA GPUs, gives users a choice between maximum performance and quiet operation.

“We wanted to deliver an extreme-performance gaming machine that gives gamers a complete, non-compromising system in a laptop form factor,” said Carl Pinto, vice president of product development, digital products division for Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. “The combination of the NVIDIA GPUs and chipset allowed us to achieve a high level of performance, quality and flexibility that our customers are asking for, at a competitive starting price of $1,999.”

The unique design featuring three NVIDIA GPUs enables the Qosmio X305-Q708 and X305-Q706 laptops to deliver scorching gaming performance by combining the horsepower of two discrete GeForce 9800M GTS GPUs with NVIDIA SLI® technology, and allows the option of switching to a quiet operation mode with NVIDIA Hybrid SLI technology. In Hybrid SLI operation, the powerful 9800M GTS GPUs are powered down and graphics operation is transferred to the GeForce 9400M GPU. As a result, Toshiba Qosmio laptops are able to deliver record-breaking gaming performance at high resolutions, while enabling a quiet state when powering other types of Windows Vista applications.

“The Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q708 is a world-class gaming laptop that uses NVIDIA graphics processors to solve real problems and add real value for notebook users,” said Rene Haas, general manager of the notebook business unit at NVIDIA. “We were thrilled to be able to partner with Toshiba to deliver this ground-breaking new product.”

The Qosmio X305-Q708 and X305-Q706 laptops are now available for purchase directly from Toshiba.

This announcement for Toshiba continues the momentum for the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M high performance GPU with system core logic. For more information on the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M GPU. For information on NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS discrete GPUs.

Canonical Ltd. announced the upcoming availability of Ubuntu® 8.10 Desktop Edition for free download on 30 October. In related news, Canonical also announced the simultaneous release of Ubuntu 8.10 Server Edition.

Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop Edition is designed for the pervasively connected digital lifestyle. With new 3G network support, users can move smoothly from wired and WiFi networks onto 3G cellphone networks while traveling. Ubuntu 8.10 is also built to be shared – users can start a quick “guest session” on the fly and let someone use their computer to surf the web or check email, while maintaining the security and integrity of their own data. And if that person really enjoys their brief session as an Ubuntu guest, they can put Ubuntu on any USB key and take it home to install on their own computer rather than having to burn a CD.

As a bonus, all Ubuntu 8.10 users will be able to enjoy programming from the BBC, with high quality streamed content available through the default media players in Ubuntu 8.10. Canonical has worked with the BBC to make sure that much of the material is available to users in all locations.

“Ubuntu 8.10 sees us lay the groundwork for a radically different, more mobile, desktop computing environment over the next two years,” says Jane Silber, COO of Canonical and head of Online Services for Canonical. “Our rapid release cycle means we can deliver the elements to support this future faster, more fully realised, and more attractively packaged than the traditional OS vendors. Ubuntu 8.10 has many features that sign-post how Linux will provide the drive and innovation in desktop computing.”

“Working with open source technologies like GNOME, Ubuntu 8.10 provides exciting new features for users like creating an always-on system that seamlessly connects wireless and cellular networks,” said Stormy Peters, executive director at the GNOME Foundation. “Users no longer need to worry about finding a network – their computer is always connected. This is a great step for both mobile and desktop computing.”

Features

• 3G Support – For constant connectivity public WiFi has limitations. Improvements to the network manager in Ubuntu 8.10 makes it simple to detect and connect to 3G networks and manage connectivity. This connectivity is delivered through an inbuilt 3G modem, through ‘dongle’ support, through a mobile phone or through Bluetooth. It is a complex environment that Ubuntu 8.10 simplifies through a single interface and the auto-detection of many of the most popular devices.

• Write Ubuntu to and Install from a USB Drive – Ubuntu has been made available to users as an image for CDs and DVDs to date. But CDs and DVDs are slower, less portable and less convenient than USB sticks. Now, a simple application in Ubuntu will allow users to write Ubuntu to a USB drive, even a modified version of Ubuntu with their data on it, so it can be carried everywhere to plug in and use on any machine.

• Guest Sessions – In a world of ‘always on’ pervasive computing it is more likely that users lend their computers to colleagues or friends at conferences, cafes or at parties so they can check email, etc. Guest sessions allow users to lock down a session easily so a guest can use the full system without interference with programs or data.

• BBC Content – Starting the media players within Ubuntu (Totem Movie Player and Rhythmbox) launches a menu of selected content from the broadcaster that is free to air. This is a mixture of video, radio and podcasts and available in high quality, much of it playable using non-proprietary codecs. Content is constantly updated via the corporation’s stream and will vary dependent on location, though some content will be available for every user.

• Latest Gnome 2.24 Desktop Environment – The GNOME desktop environment project releases its latest version which is incorporated into Ubuntu 8.10. New features include a new instant messaging client, a built-in time tracker, improved file management and toolbars plus better support for multiple monitor use with the ability to set screen resolution by monitor.

Pricing, Availability and Technical Information
Additional information and a feature tour is available at www.ubuntu.com.

Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop Edition is free of charge and available starting on Thursday 30 October from www.ubuntu.com/download.

Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company today announced the availability of its multi-use TS710 USB speaker/handset. The TS710 functions as an Internet speakerphone, VoIP handset and PC speaker and is a must-have for Internet users. Installation is easy with a plug-and-play setup – the device connects directly to a user’s computer with a USB cable and automatic driver installation.

“We’ve incorporated three key features into one device for ultimate ease of use,” said Bill Taylor, Vice President, Communications Solutions Group, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. “The hands-free function is perfect for multitasking when you are too busy to leave your PC, while the handset function enables private calling with very little sound leakage. And the PC Speaker function comes with high quality 8-kHz sound so that users have a more enjoyable music experience from their computers.”

The TS710 is available in black or silver and is styled to blend in seamlessly with modern or traditional office décor. Small and portable, it is easy to use in the office or wherever work or play takes you. In handset mode, it opens into a comfortable handset that can be either held or cradled.

The TS710 is available now at Fry’s and on Amazon. For more information about Panasonic telephones, please visit www.panasonic.com.

No matter which way you look at it, the notion of harvesting energy from the sun to power our homes and businesses is more absorbing than ever.

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered and demonstrated a new method for overcoming two major hurdles facing solar energy. By developing a new antireflective coating that boosts the amount of sunlight captured by solar panels and allows those panels to absorb the entire solar spectrum from nearly any angle, the research team has moved academia and industry closer to realizing high-efficiency, cost-effective solar power.

“To get maximum efficiency when converting solar power into electricity, you want a solar panel that can absorb nearly every single photon of light, regardless of the sun’s position in the sky,” said Shawn-Yu Lin, professor of physics at Rensselaer and a member of the university’s Future Chips Constellation, who led the research project. “Our new antireflective coating makes this possible.”

Results of the year-long project are explained in the paper “Realization of a Near Perfect Antireflection Coating for Silicon Solar Energy,” published this week by the journal Optics Letters.

An untreated silicon solar cell only absorbs 67.4 percent of sunlight shone upon it — meaning that nearly one-third of that sunlight is reflected away and thus unharvestable. From an economic and efficiency perspective, this unharvested light is wasted potential and a major barrier hampering the proliferation and widespread adoption of solar power.

After a silicon surface was treated with Lin’s new nanoengineered reflective coating, however, the material absorbed 96.21 percent of sunlight shone upon it — meaning that only 3.79 percent of the sunlight was reflected and unharvested. This huge gain in absorption was consistent across the entire spectrum of sunlight, from UV to visible light and infrared, and moves solar power a significant step forward toward economic viability.

Lin’s new coating also successfully tackles the tricky challenge of angles.

Most surfaces and coatings are designed to absorb light — i.e., be antireflective — and transmit light — i.e., allow the light to pass through it — from a specific range of angles. Eyeglass lenses, for example, will absorb and transmit quite a bit of light from a light source directly in front of them, but those same lenses would absorb and transmit considerably less light if the light source were off to the side or on the wearer’s periphery.

This same is true of conventional solar panels, which is why some industrial solar arrays are mechanized to slowly move throughout the day so their panels are perfectly aligned with the sun’s position in the sky. Without this automated movement, the panels would not be optimally positioned and would therefore absorb less sunlight. The tradeoff for this increased efficiency, however, is the energy needed to power the automation system, the cost of upkeeping this system, and the possibility of errors or misalignment.

Lin’s discovery could antiquate these automated solar arrays, as his antireflective coating absorbs sunlight evenly and equally from all angles. This means that a stationary solar panel treated with the coating would absorb 96.21 percent of sunlight no matter the position of the sun in the sky. So along with significantly better absorption of sunlight, Lin’s discovery could also enable a new generation of stationary, more cost-efficient solar arrays.

“At the beginning of the project, we asked ‘would it be possible to create a single antireflective structure that can work from all angles?’ Then we attacked the problem from a fundamental perspective, tested and fine-tuned our theory, and created a working device,” Lin said. Rensselaer physics graduate student Mei-Ling Kuo played a key role in the investigations.

Typical antireflective coatings are engineered to transmit light of one particular wavelength. Lin’s new coating stacks seven of these layers, one on top of the other, in such a way that each layer enhances the antireflective properties of the layer below it. These additional layers also help to “bend” the flow of sunlight to an angle that augments the coating’s antireflective properties. This means that each layer not only transmits sunlight, it also helps to capture any light that may have otherwise been reflected off of the layers below it.

The seven layers, each with a height of 50 nanometers to 100 nanometers, are made up of silicon dioxide and titanium dioxide nanorods positioned at an oblique angle — each layer looks and functions similar to a dense forest where sunlight is “captured” between the trees. The nanorods were attached to a silicon substrate via chemical vapor disposition, and Lin said the new coating can be affixed to nearly any photovoltaic materials for use in solar cells, including III-V multi-junction and cadmium telluride.

Best Buy Canada will launch Gears of War® 2 at midnight opening events at all Best Buy locations across the country (8 a.m. in Quebec and Gatineau).

Gears of War 2 picks up six months after the events of Gears of War® – gamers will find themselves taken back into the deep and harrowing story of humankind’s battle for survival against underground creatures known as the Locust Horde. Gears of War 2 is the sequel to the critically acclaimed best-seller Gears of War, which sold over three million copies in just ten weeks, and was the fastest-selling next-generation game of 2006. Both Gears of War and Gears of War 2 are designed exclusively for the Xbox 360® console. For more information on Gears of War 2 visit the Gears of War Emergence Day site.

Midnight Opening Details:

All Best Buy Canada locations will open from midnight until 2 a.m. on Friday, November 7, 2008, with the exception of store locations in Quebec and Gatineau, which will open at 8 a.m on Friday, November 7, 2008. Stores will be open exclusively for the sale of Gears of War 2 and some related products.

Xbox Street Teams will be on location at Toronto’s Bay and Dundas and the Edmonton South stores creating a great “army style” theatrical experience for both customers and media.

Further details on midnight openings as well as store locations and maps are available at www.BestBuy.ca/GOW2.

Yahoo! Inc., a leading global Internet company, today announced that Google has terminated the advertising services agreement the companies announced in June. Yahoo! continues to believe in the benefits of the agreement and is disappointed that Google has elected to withdraw from the agreement rather than defend it in court. Google notified Yahoo! of its refusal to move forward with implementation of the agreement following indication from the Department of Justice that it would seek to block it, despite Yahoo!‘s proposed revisions to address the DOJ’s concerns.

While the implementation of the services agreement with Google would have enabled Yahoo! to accelerate its investments in its top business priorities through an infusion of additional operating cash flow, this deal was incremental to Yahoo!‘s product roadmap and does not change Yahoo!‘s commitment to innovation and growth in search. The fundamental building blocks of a stronger Yahoo! in both sponsored and algorithmic search were put in place independent of the agreement.

Yahoo! continually optimizes its algorithmic and sponsored search, and we have, in 2008 alone, developed and launched hundreds of improvements all designed to enhance search quality and deliver a more relevant search experience to the company’s users. To that end, Yahoo! has benefited from strong revenue per search (RPS) gains in the U.S. as discussed on the Q3 earnings call. Furthermore, Yahoo! continues to make substantial progress against its Open Strategy and in the deployment of its game changing APT from Yahoo! display advertising platform.

Going forward, Yahoo! plans to continue to provide the cutting-edge advances in products, platforms and services that the industry needs and expects, and intends to be the destination of choice for advertisers and publishers who want to reach one of the largest and most engaged populations of consumers on the web.

XM Canada, the country’s leading satellite radio company, today unveiled the XMp3 – a portable satellite radio and MP3 player in one. Manufactured by Pioneer, this chic and sleek portable unit provides access to all of XM Canada’s 130 channels, including commercial-free music, sports, news, talk, comedy, entertainment and much more.

“The XMp3 is the lightest and most compact satellite radio unit that features a number of firsts, including the ability to record several channels at the same time to ensure you always have fresh music content, sports games and your favourite XM shows at your fingertips,” said Janet Gillespie, Marketing Vice-President of XM Canada. “XMp3 maximizes the XM entertainment experience with the XM2go® Music Manager by allowing listeners to combine and manage live XM content with their MP3 music, another industry first.”

Features of the XMp3 include:

• The ability to record up to 10 hours of individual songs
• Users can schedule up to five XM channels to record simultaneously, allowing them to store up to 75 hours of live XM sports, talk and commercial-free music programming
• An auto-record feature that allows users to save a total of 30 hours of their favourite XM programming content across five different channels at the same time
• A micro-SD card slot that allows listeners to store MP3 files and manage them with the XM2go® Music Manager software, letting users easily organize their saved XM content and personal MP3 music collection
• A DVR-like feature that automatically saves the last 30 minutes of live XM programming so listeners can easily replay what they just heard
• The first portable satellite radio Program Guide that displays broadcasts on each channel two weeks in advance
• XM Highlights feature which spotlights XM programming, hand-picked by XM deejays

The portable satellite radio Programming Guide also provides XM subscribers even more ways to discover and record their favourite XM music and programs by allowing them to scroll through the Program Guide or use the XM Highlights feature to view upcoming broadcasts, select a program to learn more, schedule a recording or choose to be alerted about future broadcasts.

All of these features allow Canadians to make the most of their XM subscription and listen to their favourite XM programs at their convenience. Listeners will never miss a beat, sports play or news item again.

The XMp3 radio is compact and lightweight at 3.1 ounces, features a large easy-to-read colour screen for use on the go, in the car, home or office and comes with a suggested retail price of $279. The new XM2go Music Manager and a variety of new accessories are also available. For more information about the XMp3, please visit www.xmradio.ca/xmp3.

Rogers Wireless and Research In Motion (RIM) are launching the BlackBerry® Pearl™ Flip 8220 smartphone, the first BlackBerry® phone to come in the popular flip form factor. The BlackBerry Pearl Flip will be available in a stylish black finish from Rogers Wireless starting November 4, with the stunning pink BlackBerry Pearl Flip coming soon.

The new BlackBerry Pearl Flip provides flip phone fans with all the power of a BlackBerry smartphone in a fun and familiar design. You can send a message to your friends or family, make a call, browse the web, snap a picture, watch a video or listen to your favorite song. It’s all in your control with a simple flip. The quad-band EDGE based BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone presents a sophisticated look with a sleek design and a chrome-finished frame surrounding its smooth, luminescent face. It features two high-resolution, light-sensing color displays, including an external LCD that makes it easy to preview incoming emails, text messages and phone calls without opening the handset.

“The BlackBerry Pearl Flip packs an impressive range of features into an exciting new design and we are very pleased to be working with Rogers Wireless to bring this powerful new smartphone to customers in Canada,” said Mark Guibert, Vice President, Corporate Marketing at Research In Motion. “The BlackBerry Pearl Flip smartphone is a natural choice for customers who are looking to replace their existing flip phone with something more powerful.”

The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 smartphone from Rogers Wireless has numerous advanced features including:

• Spacious SureType® QWERTY keyboard that makes typing messages and dialing numbers fast and easy
• Large 240 × 320 internal LCD that displays messages, videos and web pages with impressive detail and contrast
• Built-in Wi-Fi ® (802.11 b/g) with support for Rogers TalkSpot service
• 2 megapixel camera with digital zoom, built-in flash and video recording*
• Advanced media player for viewing pictures, listening to music and watching videos
• Externally-accessible microSD/SDHC memory card slot that supports up to 16GB for plenty of storage
• Enhanced HTML browser with RTSP support for online streaming video from sites like m.youtube.com and www.zoovision.com
• BlackBerry® Maps, delivering maps, local searches and step-by-step directions quickly and easily
• DataViz® Documents To Go® preinstalled, enabling customers to edit Microsoft® Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on the smartphone
• BlackBerry® Desktop Manager software, which includes Roxio® Media Manager for BlackBerry®, a powerful media manager application that allows users to easily manage media files on their computer and transfer them to the smartphone; the BlackBerry Pearl Flip also comes with the new BlackBerry® Media Sync application for customers that want a simple way to sync their iTunes® digital music collections with the smartphone**
• Premium phone features including voice activated dialing, enhanced background noise cancellation, a low-distortion speakerphone, and Bluetooth® (2.0) support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits, stereo headsets and other Bluetooth peripherals
• BlackBerry® Internet Service support that allows access to up to 10 supported personal and corporate email accounts, including most popular ISP email accounts
• BlackBerry® Enterprise Server support for enterprise deployments with advanced security and IT controls

PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
The BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 smartphone will be available in black from Rogers starting November 4, from $49.99 with activation on any combination of 3 year voice and data plan with minimum combined monthly service fee of $35 per month from Rogers. Some conditions apply. The pink BlackBerry Pearl Flip will be available in the coming weeks.

Canadian duo, Rob Maran of Maran Illustrated and Deidra Jones, a veteran of the Canadian advertising industry, have teamed up to become one of the first Canadians to product and launch an iPhone application. Their new application called Pocket Cocktails and is now available for sale on Apple’s iTunes store.

Pocket has a retro 1960’s theme and uses beautiful, large, high resolution pictures and incorporates many trendy iPhone features including the integrated graphics and navigation features that the iPhone is famous for. This seamless integration of visuals and content provides a fast, engaging and,entertaining user experience. Unlike other iPhone applications, some that require users to store images on the Internet, requiring Internet connection and extra cellular charges or both, Pocket Cocktail images are all stored within the application so the user only pays a one time charge to use.

Pocket Cocktails also has fun bonus features including a “Random” mode, which lets the iPhone user shake the phone to get a random drink image, recipe and ingredient list all from the ebartender. While serving up the drink, the iPhone spits out a colourful collection of shaker noises and catchy phrases to the user.

With Pocket Cocktails and the touch of your fingertips, you can serve drinks like a professional bartender. They made sure that even a tech neophyte can pickup and use this application in seconds. A complimentary 40-page Bartender’s guide is available as a downloadable free resource on the pocketcocktails.com website.

Since launching on October 16, sales of the Pocket Cocktails application are close to 1,000 worldwide, selling in more than 20 countries.

Pocket Cocktails is available for $4.99 exclusively at Apple’s iPhone application store, iTunes or through www.pocketcocktails.com.

Visit www.pocketcocktails.com for a video overview.

Professional Developers Conference 2008 (PDC2008), Microsoft Corp. rallied software developers by sharing the first full public demo of Windows 7. Windows 7 extends developers’ investments in Windows Vista and encourages the creation of new applications and services for the Windows platform. The company also delivered a pre-beta build of Windows 7 to PDC attendees and announced plans to release a full Windows 7 beta early next year.

Company showcases an early version of its next client operating system designed to be faster and easier and connect across PCs, devices and the Web.

Microsoft also demonstrated, for the first time, its new Web applications for Office, which are lightweight versions of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that are used from within standard Web browsers. The company showed how anyone can use all of the Web, phone, and PC versions of Office to edit the same rich document, switching among them seamlessly with lossless file compatibility.

“We are bringing the best of the Web to Windows, and the best of Windows to the Web,” said Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft. “From PC to the Web to the phone, and from the server to cloud, we are focused on enabling the creation of the next generation of user experiences that change the way we live, work and play.”

Windows 7 Preview

Windows 7 is designed to make everyday tasks faster and easier, and make new things possible for end users. Windows 7 reflects an evolved approach to engineering that incorporates customer and partner feedback more closely into the development process. It will deliver innovative new features while focusing on application and device compatibility. With Windows 7, Microsoft is working to establish a more consistent and predictable release schedule so partners across the Windows ecosystem can easily and quickly build on the new capabilities Windows has to offer. When released to the market, Windows 7 will enable the following:

• Work the way you want. Windows 7 will deliver the fundamental performance, reliability and security features that people expect — and it is designed to be compatible with the same hardware, applications and device drivers as Windows Vista. New features will help protect privacy and data, make it easier to keep a PC running smoothly, and enable quicker recovery from problems.

• Make everyday tasks faster and easier. Windows 7 will streamline and simplify the tasks people do most often. Improved navigation, a new taskbar and a streamlined user interface put commonly used resources within easy reach. Sharing data across all PCs and devices will be easier at home, in the office or on the go. Windows 7 and Windows Live will help users stay connected to the people and things they care about, and Internet Explorer 8 will offer a faster, safer and more productive Web experience.

• Make new things possible. Windows 7 will offer more choice in how users interact with their PCs, such as through multitouch gestures. With Device Stage, Windows 7 enables people to get more from the devices they use most often with their PC, such as cameras, phones and printers. Windows 7 also will make it easier to use home audio-video systems and other networked media devices to play music, watch videos and display photos that reside on Windows-based PCs. And Windows 7 will offer more options than ever to customize and personalize Windows-based PCs with styles that match the user’s personality.

Extending Office Productivity on the Web

Separately, Microsoft announced that the next version of Microsoft Office will include Office Web applications that will help improve productivity and enhance the desktop experience by enabling people to access, create, edit, share and collaborate on Office documents across multiple devices.

“Microsoft supports diversity in work styles and understands that customers want choice and flexibility in how and where they work,” said Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division. “Microsoft is in a unique position to meet that customer need. Office enables people to view, edit, share information and collaborate on documents on the desktop, phone and in the browser, and do so in a consistent and familiar way.”

Office Web applications for Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote will be available to individuals through Office Live, and to businesses though a hosted subscription and existing volume licensing programs. This new offering will be compatible with familiar Web browsers from Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. Microsoft will release a private Technical Preview of Office Web applications later this year. In the meantime, customers interested in learning more about the upcoming beta availability are encouraged to sign up for Microsoft Office Live Workspace.

Samsung Electronics has announced the availability of Netflix and Pandora services for its Blu-ray players. Greatly enhancing the functionality of its cutting-edge BD-P2500 and BD-P2550 devices, users can now instantly access a wealth of compelling online entertainment. Going well beyond simply spinning ordinary Blu-ray discs, these Samsung Blu-ray players can instantly stream movies and television episodes from Netflix and music powered by Pandora, all from the comfort of the living room.

A host of advanced features including instant access to Netflix and Pandora services revolutionize home entertainment for consumers

Consumer can upload the value-added services at no additional cost to the players via a feature upgrade. Starting today, current Samsung Blu-ray device owners will be able to instantly watch from a growing library of more than 12,000 movies and television episodes from Netflix (BD-P2500/BD-P2550) and music from Pandora (BD-P2550). The upgrade is available at www.samsung.com/bluraysupport.

“In its new form, Samsung Blu-ray players become the ultimate content delivery box, combining on-demand access to movies and music as well as jaw-dropping Full HD viewing,” said Reid Sullivan, Vice President of Marketing, Audio/Video & Imaging at Samsung Electronics America. “Samsung presents a new value proposition for Blu-ray players by positioning it as a portal to a wide world of engaging digital content, be it Blu-ray discs, Pandora’s online music library or movies from Netflix.”

The addition of content from Netflix and Pandora underscores Samsung’s strong commitment to meeting consumers’ rapidly-evolving desire for multimedia enjoyment at home. Since releasing the first stand-alone Blu-ray player in 2006, Samsung has a proven track record of continuously improving features for its product owners. With this update, the most potent yet, consumers can instantly enjoy a vast library of digital music, movies and television shows along with the crystal clear high-definition experience of Blu-ray using one device.

In addition to the content services, Samsung will provide a BD-Live update for the company’s BD-P2550. To heighten audio format options, a DTS-HD High Resolution firmware upgrade will also be available for both the BD-P2500 and BD-P2550 on October 30, giving consumers both superior sound plus incredibly sharp high-definition picture quality. Making the upgrade process a breeze is Samsung’s Auto Firmware Update feature. When connected to a home network, the player will now prompt users of new firmware as soon as it becomes available.

Netflix
Access to Netflix on both the BD-P2500 and BD-P2550 offers consumers an extensive supply of video content to watch instantly. From the players’ welcome screen, Netflix members click on the Netflix icon to reach their instant Queue (the list of movies they have selected on the PC want to watch instantly.) After choosing the title they want to watch, they simply push play and the movie starts in as little as 30 seconds. Netflix members also can use the BD-P2500 and BD-P2550 to watch any one of the 100,000 titles Netflix has on DVDs as well as the more than 800 titles Netflix has on Blu-ray disc.

“Samsung has been at the forefront of innovation in consumer electronics and has established a market leadership position in Blu-ray and digital television,” said Netflix Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Reed Hastings. “We’re excited about the upgraded Blu-ray disc players. Moreover, we look forward to working with Samsung in the years to come to deliver a variety of outstanding products on which consumers can watch movies delivered over the Internet from Netflix.”

Pandora
The BD-P2550 can now stream music though the popular Pandora music service. As a result, Samsung Blu-ray consumers have a fresh way to discover new music and stay up-to-date with their favorite artists.

“Internet radio is rapidly spreading beyond the desktop computer to every room of the house” said Tim Westergren, Pandora’s founder. “We’re honored and excited that Samsung selected Pandora’s personalized radio as the radio of choice for their Blu-Ray player customers.”

Dell’s answer to the MacBook Air? Dell has announced the Inspiron ^TM Mini 12, a small, easy-to-carry Internet companion that you can fine tune to fit your specific needs and deeds. Like its counterpart the Inspiron Mini 9, the Mini 12 is ideal for teens, tweens, travelers and “Tweeters” to surf the Web1, chat with friends, blog, stream content, upload photos or enjoy online videos, music and games.

The Inspiron Mini 12 is available initially only in Japan through Bic Camera, Kojima and Sofmap stores and other retail outlets. It will launch online globally by late November with configurations starting under $600 (U.S.). Ubuntu and Windows XP ^® operating systems also will be available before the end of the year.

With a starting weight of only 2.72 lbs.1 and only 0.92 in. thick,1 current standard features on the Inspiron Mini 12 include:

• Windows Vista ^® Home Basic, built-in webcam, 1GB of RAM and a choice of 60 GB or 80 GB hard drive,1 providing ample capacity for mobile applications, content creation and storage.
• Built-in Bluetooth ^® and 802.11b/g wireless.
• A sharp 12.1 inch WXGA display, offering wider viewing angles and exceptional brightness.

Google Earth has long offered users the opportunity to explore their planet with just a few mouse clicks. Today, a few clicks have become a few flicks, with the release of Google Earth for iPhone and iPod Touch. Users will have the whole world in their hands – not to mention their pockets, purses, and backpacks – and can engage Google Earth as they never have before, zooming from location to location and experiencing the app’s unique features on Apple’s mobile devices. The Google Earth app displays the same imagery and offers the same navigational capabilities as the desktop client and at launch will feature layers with geo-located Wikipedia articles and Panoramio photos, as well as map labels and borders. Available in 18 languages, Google Earth can be downloaded for free from Apple’s App Store (accessible through iTunes) and will be compatible with first and second generation models of both iPhone and iPod touch operating on EDGE, 3G, and other WiFi networks. Navigation in Google Earth is simple and intuitive, letting users’ imaginations do the work of exploring an app that puts a trip around the world at their fingertips.

Whether a place of interest is thousands of miles away or just around the corner, Google Earth makes it accessible to the user, regardless of where they may be. For example, waiting in New York for a flight to San Francisco, a user could use Google Earth to learn about the City by the Bay and plan an entire vacation before ever fastening their seatbelt. After directing Google Earth to San Francisco on their iPhone, they could read Wikipedia entries about Cable Cars and Fisherman’s Wharf, check out user-contributed Panoramio photos of the Golden Gate Bridge, search for hotels and take a quick aerial tour around the city, all with a few screen touches.

Google Earth becomes even more practical after this user touches down on the West coast, as the app takes advantage of iPhone and iPod Touch’s mobile technology:

• With the ‘Search Near Me’ function, query results will not only be geo-located within Google Earth, but also will be automatically relevant to the user according to their location. For example, in San Francisco, a search for ‘pizza’ will show the precise location of a collection of San Francisco pizza restaurants in Google Earth. How does the app know the user is in San Francisco? Users choose to allow the app to approximate their locations using GPS, WiFi, or cell tower ID information, the results of which are deleted each time users exit the app.

• Knowing San Francisco, one of those pizza joints will be at the top of a hill, and after a day of sightseeing, users may want to know if they will have to earn their pizza dinner. To preview their walk, they could use the ‘auto tilt’ function which, using the device’s built-in accelerometer, enables users to change their view in Google Earth simply by tilting their device.

• Finally, if a user decides to relax and hail a cab, they can choose to follow the progress of their trip within Google Earth. After tapping the ‘Location’ button, a blue dot will show an approximation of where they are, and as this position changes, the dot, and the user’s view in Google Earth, are updated accordingly.

As of today, the globe is not only explorable, it’s portable as well. For more information, visit the Google Lat Long Blog.

Give Google Earth on iPhone a try, download it here.

Absolute® Software Corporation the leading provider of firmware-based, patented, computer theft recovery, data protection and IT asset management solutions announced today that it is has had an increase in the number of computer thefts reported to its Theft Recovery Team during the recent economic downturn. Absolute also highlighted a series of successful computer theft investigations including: recovering a British tourist’s laptop stolen while vacationing in the Netherlands; leading LAPD detectives to the recovery of 24 stolen school laptops; and identifying a security system installer alleged to have helped himself to high school laptops.

“We are seeing a rapid increase in the number of computer thefts reported to our Theft Recovery Team,” said John Livingston, Chairman and CEO of Absolute. “While some of this is due to our rapid subscriber base growth, we also believe this may be a sign of the economic times. Computer loss and theft is a major contributor to identity theft and data privacy breaches, which we believe is a top security risk at the best of times.”

Available on a subscription basis and delivered as software-as-a-service (SaaS) via the Internet, Absolute’s suite of Computrace® solutions are designed specifically to manage and protect mobile computing devices.

For larger organizations, Computrace inventories computers that have left the corporate network, remotely deletes sensitive information, recovers computers and offers post-theft forensic analysis. For home office users, small businesses and students, Computrace LoJack® for Laptops™ offers theft recovery and identity protection through remote data delete capabilities backed by a Service Guarantee of up to $1,000.

Absolute has also developed a powerful set of theft recovery tools, which include capabilities such as keystroke loggers, cameras, location tracking (Wi-Fi, GPS), remote access terminals, etc., that enable the Absolute Theft Recovery Team to augment their investigation. These tools are only employed post-theft with customer authorization and are used exclusively by Absolute’s trained professionals in order to protect privacy.

According to Lyle Singular, Absolute’s Vice President of Recovery Services and a 25-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police specializing in computer crime, “Having managed thousands of computer theft investigations, we have learned that there are some simple steps computer users can take to protect themselves from the increased prevalence of laptop theft. Never leave a laptop unattended, don’t carry laptops in tell-tale bags and don’t just lock it in your vehicle’s trunk – make sure you lock it in the trunk before you arrive at your destination, not when you arrive. Thieves monitor parking lots for this type of activity. It is also important to help police recover your computer and apprehend thieves by subscribing to cost-effective anti-theft solutions like Computrace and Computrace LoJack for Laptops.”

How Computrace Solutions Work

The Computrace Software Agent that powers Absolute Software’s solutions is embedded in the firmware of computers from the world’s leading computer manufacturers. It can be activated by customers when they purchase a subscription with terms ranging from one to four years.

When a computer equipped with Computrace is reported stolen, Computrace sends a signal over the Internet to Absolute’s Monitoring Center, providing critical location information. Absolute then works with local law enforcement to help recover the computer. The stealthy Computrace Agent is capable of surviving operating system re-installations, as well as hard-drive reformats, replacements and re-imaging.

Backed by the Absolute Theft Recovery Team

All Absolute theft recovery solutions are backed by the efforts of the Absolute Theft Recovery Team. Staffed by former senior law enforcement officers with over 650 years of combined policing experience, the team uses information sent via Computrace to investigate computer thefts, document evidence and work with local law enforcement to physically recover missing computers and prosecute computer thieves.

For more information on Absolute Software and its range of computer theft recovery, data protection and IT asset management solutions, please visit www.absolute.com or www.lojackforlaptops.com.

BlackBerry Developer Conference – Research In Motion (RIM) has announced two major distribution initiatives for BlackBerry® smartphone applications at the BlackBerry Developer Conference. A new online application storefront and a new on-device application center will help application developers and carriers reach millions of BlackBerry® smartphone users worldwide and will provide consumers with greater choice, enhanced application discovery and an easy method for managing installation, upgrades, and purchases.

RIM plans to launch the application storefront in March 2009 and BlackBerry application developers can begin submitting their applications and content for inclusion in the storefront in December 2008. The storefront will allow developers to set their own prices for applications and developers will retain 80 percent of the revenue generated from their applications. RIM is working with PayPal, a leading global online payment service, to provide consumers with a convenient and trusted way to pay for applications within the new application storefront, right from their BlackBerry smartphone. Organizations that have deployed BlackBerry® Enterprise Server or BlackBerry® Professional Software will retain control of what applications can be downloaded to BlackBerry smartphones within their corporate deployments.

RIM is also working with its carrier partners to provide carrier-customized, on-device application centers to help foster after-market application downloads. The BlackBerry application center will allow each carrier to offer a convenient catalog right on the device where a customer can discover and download applications. RIM has already worked with carriers successfully to provide this type of on-device distribution system for individual software applications, such as the popular Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones application. The new BlackBerry application center will allow a carrier to build on that success with a broader catalog and provide customers with a convenient and easy method to purchase and download applications.

“The BlackBerry platform enjoys strong roots in the enterprise market and we continue to invest for growth and success with our enterprise channel partners, but the introduction of more consumer-friendly features in BlackBerry smartphones has clearly helped generate a groundswell of interest with new developers that has already resulted in the introduction of thousands of consumer and lifestyle oriented applications for BlackBerry smartphones,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “The new BlackBerry application storefront and BlackBerry application centers will further support the growing BlackBerry ecosystem and help bridge consumers with developers and carriers as more and more innovative and interesting applications arrive.”

RIM is already working with carrier partners on plans to roll out the BlackBerry application center on future BlackBerry smartphones. For more information on the BlackBerry application storefront, interested developers should visit the storefront site and sign up to receive periodic updates.

Calling all shower singers, rush-hour traffic vocalists, wanna-be rappers, pop princesses and those with a country twang: “Lips,” the highly anticipated singing experience exclusively for Xbox 360 from iNiS Corp., will be available in mid-November 2008. Picture throwing a “Lips” party for your closest friends where everyone sings and grooves to a vast array of music backed by the original music video, lyrics and scoring. Not only can everyone sing along, but “Lips” is the only music video game that comes with two wireless motion-sensitive microphones, allowing the freedom to put on the ultimate performance. Your parties will never be the same!

All 40 songs on disc are ready to play right out of the box, and “Lips” delivers great tracks from a wide range of musical genres that will set the stage for evenings of fun and entertainment with friends and family.

Regardless of whether you consider yourself a singer or typically shy away from the microphone, there’s something for everyone in “Lips,” including the following:

• Party Games. “Lips” has a variety of gameplay modes that will appeal to the gamer in all of us and possibly spark a little competition, while allowing you to experience and interact with your music in fun, new ways:
• Kiss is the epitome of singing and flirting your way to a sweet reward, where duos who hit the notes and gestures together meet in the middle to share a kiss. Are you a match?
• Vocal Fighters appeals to the competitor in all of us by pitting singers in one-on-one competition to win the most fans and boot one another off the stage. It’s a sing-off!
• Time Bomb is a cooperative mode where players work together to perform well and stave off a time bomb. The clock is ticking!
• Music videos. “Lips” has a variety of engaging music videos that enhance the game outside the original videos included with most songs:
• Virtual Music Videos. The more you get into your performance, the better the video. An in-game virtual music video will enhance your performance because the screen will mirror your moves and the characters will lip-sync along with you.
• Custom Music Videos. These unique, quirky videos add a humorous element to your routine and provide a music video for songs that may not have one.
• Freestyle Mode. “Lips” also allows you to use digital rights management-free songs from your own music collection when singing or playing any of the Party Games. Sing along to your music collection and play up your gestures to add to your score, while a virtual music video accompanies your performance. It is as simple as plugging in your compatible MP3 player. Lyrics will not display for songs from your music collection. For a list of compatible music players, visit Xbox Lips site.
• Play along. In addition to using the two mics as instruments, four of your friends can join in using the standard Xbox 360 Controller and choose from a variety of percussion accompaniment to play along with the music in “Lips.”
• Download new songs. For those who like what they see and crave more, “Lips” will also have a regular flow of downloadable content available for purchase via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, starting at game launch. Love Estelle’s “No Substitute Love”? It is there. You can get it and the latest tracks to continually update your “Lips” experience.
• Split parts. Co-op Mode in “Lips” is designed to more accurately reflect songs that feature multiple vocalists. This gameplay mode enhances the experience by showing the lyrics and melody to all parts, helping turn a singing duo into a professional act.

If you want to be the first to get your hands on this premier singing game, pre-orders are available now at GameStop and Amazon.com. Not only will you have this hot game the day it is available, but a pre-order will give you a card that allows you to download one song per week (songs chosen by Zune) for two months on Zune Marketplace. “Lips” is rated “T” for Teen and will be available mid-November in all major retail stores nationwide. More information about “Lips,” this holiday’s hottest party game, can be found at the Xbox Lips site.

Best Buy Canada, the fastest growing retailer and e-tailer of consumer electronics in Canada, is launching BestBuyMobile.ca, a comprehensive online destination for customers to research cell phones, smart phones, monthly plans and data services, as well as purchase prepaid plans and a full range of mobile and wireless accessories.

BestBuyMobile.ca, available online in English and French, and the new Best Buy Mobile stores sell an unprecedented selection of mobile phones, plans, accessories and related items all in one place. Best Buy Mobile stand-alone stores first opened in Canada last month in Vaughan Mills and Fairview Mall, along with store-within-a-store concepts at some existing Best Buy locations.

BestBuyMobile.ca will harness the iconic power of the Best Buy brand that Canadians have grown to trust, and will help customers make informed decisions on what mobile devices and services plans are best for their needs and lifestyle. Visitors to the site can search and compare rate plans by location, price and size of the plan. Customers can also purchase mobile accessories. BestBuyMobile.ca will list store locations and openings, and also let customers browse the weekly flyer and monthly buyers guide as well.

“Best Buy Canada has long been a source of trusted information for consumers, and of course many of our customers go online for research before making purchase decisions. Mobile shoppers are no different,” said Phil Johnston, Director, Wireless Solutions, Best Buy Canada Ltd. “It’s difficult for Canadians to get help choosing the right mobile device and service plan because there are so many options and quite often, pressure from sales people. BestBuyMobile.ca will be the one-stop-shop to compare options, and then make an informed purchase.”

Best Buy Canada is one of Canada’s largest e-retailers, generating over 34 million pages views a year and 83,000 unique visitors daily.

Best Buy Mobile standalone and store-within-a-store concepts include:

• ALL current Canadian wireless network carriers
• Canada’s best selection of phones and handsets
• A complete range of mobile phone accessories
• Knowledgeable, non-commissioned mobile phone specialists
• No mail-in rebates. Actual prices are clearly marked
• WOW (Walk Out Working) service for your phone, so that customers can leave our stores with their new mobile device actually working and data transferred

The newest Best Buy Mobile stores opened this month in Fairview Mall, Ontario and in the new Best Buy store in Ancaster, Ontario.

After a successful three month test pilot in Calgary stores, Future Shop is expanding its used gaming offering across the country. Future Shop, Canada’s largest retailer and e-tailer of consumer electronics, announced today the national used gaming program is now available in 55 stores across the country and plans to offer the program in most stores in 2009. Unlike other used gaming retailers, Future Shop’s customers can trade-in used video games for a Future Shop gift card, allowing customers to turn their used games into the coolest, newest technology.

“Since launching the used gaming pilot program in Calgary in the spring, word spread quickly and our customers from coast to coast were asking when they would have the trade-in at their Future Shop stores,” said Michelle Grawe, Director Merchandising, Future Shop. “While the traditional male gamer continues to be the most common, we’re seeing more females, including Moms, trading-in used games, proving that gaming is becoming more and more a part of pop-culture and transcending all demographics.”

According to The NPD Group, a company that specializes in consumer and market research, the total video gaming market sales in Canada is $1.8B and has grown 54 per cent over the period July 2007 to July 2008.

Trade old games for new stuff

Future Shop accepts used games for these gaming consoles: XBOX 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. Games must be in good, re-playable condition and with the original case. The trade-in value of used games will be determined by Future Shop’s Trade-in Station. Pricing is determined based on inventory of the gaming titles and customer demand. All used games will be tested, cleaned and re-packaged in like new condition for customers. They will also be backed by a 30-day guarantee.

“When gamers finish that last level and want a new challenge they can trade up for another game or a new technology like an iPod nano at Future Shop now with our used gaming trade-in program,” said Grawe.

For more information on Future Shop’s used games offering, go to www.futureshop.ca/usedgames.

The sound of trumpets, the clash of cymbals and the thunder of drums herald today’s launch of Wii Music™. Just as Wii Sports™ attracted millions of new players to the world of video games and Wii Fit™ showed people that fitness could be fun, Wii Music creates a whole new genre in video games, one that lets players have fun experimenting with music as they strive to produce fun, masterful arrangements.

“Music is both moving and inspirational, and it’s something everyone can understand, regardless of time or place,” said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s vice-president and general manager. “Wii Music highlights music’s universal appeal as a fun way for people to play together and enjoy a creative experience. Wii Music can motivate people to enhance their appreciation and understanding of music and rhythm, and can even inspire them to learn real instruments.”

Wii Music brings more than 60 instruments to your living room, where you’re free to experiment with them in a variety of different ways. Unlike other music video games, Wii Music lets you put your own spin on songs. It’s all about improvisation, creativity and fun. The goal is to explore your inner musician to find creative and interesting new blends of instruments, tempos and styles.

To play each instrument, you use the motion-sensing abilities of the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers to mimic the real-life motions of instruments: bow a violin, strike a vibraphone or pluck a sitar. The controllers know if you’re playing fast or slow, hitting the notes gently or really jamming. Musical novices can understand how to play and start carrying a tune instantly, while people who are really into music will have fun creating mixes, rearranging tunes and sharing them with friends.

Songs in the Wii Music catalogue can be rearranged with different instruments for a virtually endless variety of sounds. Imagine putting a reggae spin on Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” or turning pop favourites like “Every Breath You Take” or “Please Mr. Postman” into heavy metal tunes. The song list contains everything from American classics like “The Entertainer” to international favourites like “La Cucaracha.” Video game fans will find several Nintendo favourites, like the themes from Super Mario Bros.(TM), The Legend of Zelda™ and even Wii Sports.

Wii Music builds on the social gaming trend that Nintendo has pioneered. Not only can up to four musicians jam together on the same song, but once you’ve created your masterpiece, you can send it electronically to friends and family members who have Wii Music so that they can bask in your musical mastery. After they’ve had a listen, they can take your arrangement and add their own flavour to it with new instruments or a different tempo and send it back to you. This allows you to jam together even if you are miles apart.

Finally, Wii Music includes a variety of mini-games that let players create music videos, conduct an orchestra, play in a handbell choir, test their musical ears or even rock out on a virtual drum set. Drum Mode lets you use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers as drumsticks to play like you have a real-life drum set. Drummers who purchase Wii Fit separately also can use the Wii Balance Board™ accessory as virtual pedals for the bass drum and the hi-hat cymbal. But the basic Wii Music experience does not require any extra accessories. All 60+ instruments and 50+ songs are included at an MSRP of just $49.95.

Remember that the Wii™ console features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.

For more information about Wii Music, visit www.wiimusic.com.

Dell has launched the Simplify and Save blog to help businesses engage and exchange best-practices with Dell, experts and each other on how to win in today’s tough times with smart, simple IT strategies.

Blog, information designed to promote wise IT spending, help “recession-proof” businesses of all sizes

At Dell IdeaStorm, customers are also encouraged to share their ideas for how they are simplifying IT and saving in their businesses or how else they would like to see Dell help.

IT decision makers from businesses of all sizes can learn about and contribute to conversations on energy-efficient IT; virtualization; data storage; managed services for large and small and medium businesses; server, desktop and laptop replacement strategies; financing options, social media strategies and tools and more.

According to a recent report from Gartner analysts John Rizzuto and Betsy Burton, continued IT investment is imperative for all enterprises, whether the objective is to maintain or to gain competitiveness.

Michael Dell discussed similar ideas with a group of small-and-medium-business owners during their recent visit to Dell as part of the 2008 Small Business Excellence Award.

In the inaugural Simplify and Save blog post, chairman and CEO, Michael Dell, explains: “The first reaction in any downturn is to cut costs. But what then? Where do you invest to drive competitiveness and prepare for growth? Challenging periods also present significant opportunities. Technology investments done right are the one thing that drive productivity and help drive cost out, which is what almost every business is looking for right now.”

“Customers confirm complexity is out of control as the cost of managing IT exceeds the cost of acquiring it,” said Steve Schuckenbrock, Dell CIO and president of Global Services. “With 70 percent of IT budgets spent just keeping the lights on, too little is left for innovation. Our focus is on solutions and services that simplify IT management to free up resources for projects that drive business results.”

“We are engaging our customers in the conversation to ensure we are on the right track to help them through these tough times,” Schuckenbrock continued. “The blog and IdeaStorm category are just the beginning as we help enable IT decision makers to become the ‘chief savings officers’ in their companies.”

Do you like fast paced deathmatch? How about rich, colorful, arcadelike atmospheres? How about…retro Sci Fi? Then you’re going to love what Alien Arena 2008 has in store for you! This game combines some of the very best aspects of such games as Quake III and Unreal Tournament and wraps them up with a retro alien theme, while adding tons of original ideas to make the game quite unique.

Alien Arena is a fast paced, furious frag fest with arenas ranging from the small, to the massive. With a large built-in player base, it’s never hard to find a good match going on, at any hour of the day. The community is friendly, as well as prolific. Dozens of maps, models, and various accessories have been created by community members to add on to the game experience.

Version 7.20, took nearly five months of grueling work to complete, and includes changes with the renderer, which has not only been greatly optimized, but a host of new and enhanced features/effects have been added. Gameplay was not neglected – new features such as a reward system and anti-lag were implemented, as well as some nice improvements to weapon balance and various bugfixes.

Get Alien Arena 2008! v7.20

AssaultCube is a free first-person-shooter based on the game Cube. Set in a realistic looking environment, as far as that´s possible with this engine, while gameplay stays fast and arcade. This game is all about team oriented multiplayer fun.

The Multiplayer Shooter game is 19MB small, 56k modem capable, and opensource.

Available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X !!

Get it here!

“New School” gamers, “Button Mashers,” and “Power” gamers unite! Thousands will descend upon Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown Toronto on Friday, October 17 for Gaming Invasion ’08 – a monster weekend of video game madness. Best Buy Canada is hosting its third annual Gaming Invasion, one of Canada’s largest multi-platform gaming events, bringing together the gaming industries top brands to one location. Game enthusiasts will go head-to-head while playing advanced copies of highly anticipated games, including Gears of War II, Guitar Hero®: World Tour and Little Big Planet.

This year’s Gaming Invasion will also include an exclusive live performance from JUNO award-winning rock band Mobile and an autograph session with all-girl gamers, The FragDolls.

Best Buy will also donate over 45 of the flat-panel Insignia TV’s, used at the event (valued at $25,000), to The Toronto District School Board.

More information about Gaming Invasion can be found at: www.bestbuy.ca/gaminginvasion.

Gaming Invasion Event Details:

Friday, October 17

• 10:00 am: Wristband distribution to first 100 people in line at Best Buy’s Bay and Dundas location for the VIP section of the Mobile live performance. Limit one wristband per person.
• 12:30 – 2:00 pm: Media preview Gears of War II, Guitar Hero World Tour and Little Big Planet at Yonge-Dundas Square
• 2:00 – 9:00 pm: Gaming Invasion ’08 is open to the general public to experience one of Canada’s largest multi-platform gaming events
• 4:00 – 5:00 pm: Autograph session with Mobile at Best Buy’s Bay and Dundas location for first 150 people in line
• 5:30 – 6:00 pm: A battle of the bands performance of Guitar Hero: World Tour by Mobile and the Z103.5 winning band on the main stage
• 6:30 – 7:30 pm: Mobile perform live on the main stage

Saturday, October 18

• 12:00 – 9:00 pm: Gaming Invasion ’08 is open for the general public to experience one of Canada’s largest multi-platform gaming events
• 12:30 – 1:30 pm: Game with Fame: Play Xbox 360™ with Mobile on the main stage at Gaming Invasion
• 2:30 – 3:30 pm: Participate in a Tom Clancy’s End War tournament (involves 2 on 2 game play with voice command)
• 3:30 – 4:30 pm: An autograph session with The FragDolls on the main stage

Sunday, October 19

• 12:00 – 9:00 pm: Gaming Invasion ’08 is open for the general public to experience one of Canada’s largest multi-platform gaming events
• 2:00 – 3:00 pm: Toshiba endorsed AMP Energy Pro Team events on the main stage

Get ready. The evolution is coming. Microsoft Corp. has announced at the Tokyo Game Show 2008 that the New Xbox Experience, a transformation in home entertainment, will launch on Wednesday, Nov. 19. On that day, millions of Xbox 360 owners worldwide will experience a completely new Xbox 360 that is fun, social and simple to use — and puts more entertainment at their fingertips than any other device connected to the TV.

Not one of the millions who already have the Xbox 360 at the heart of the family room? No problem. Microsoft also announced that beginning this month, buy any Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, and games are free.

It is now easier than ever to get the most affordable next-generation console and some of the season’s best and broadest games. For an estimated retail price (ERP) of $199.99 ERP (U.S.), the Xbox 360 Arcade holiday offer comes with six games, including “Sega Superstars Tennis” and five Xbox LIVE Arcade games. In addition, the Xbox 360 console ($299.99 ERP) and Xbox 360 Elite ($399.99 ERP) holiday offers pair the consoles and the promise of the New Xbox Experience with two amazing games: “LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures” and “Kung Fu PandaTM” — at no added cost.

“Our industry is defining the future of entertainment,” said John Schappert, corporate vice president of Interactive Entertainment, LIVE, Software and Studios, while at the Tokyo Game Show 2008. “When the New Xbox Experience launches in just six weeks, we will be inviting the whole world to play. We will also have the games that everyone will want, including all-new social experiences like ‘Lips,’ ‘Scene It? Box Office Smash,’ and ‘You’re In the Movies,’ all launching this holiday, all exclusively on Xbox 360.”

With the launch of the New Xbox Experience1 on Nov. 19, Xbox 360 owners will enjoy the following:

• Entertainment without limits. Xbox 360 invites you into a limitless world where the best games, movies and TV shows live side by side with your personal pictures and music library, and ready to share your fun anytime with friends across the globe through Xbox LIVE.

• Xbox LIVE Party. Xbox 360 allows you to create a virtual party on your TV with up to seven friends. With LIVE Party, voice chat while you play games, share photos in real time2 and entertain friends all over the world.

• Personality plus. Create a customizable, animated avatar and literally jump into the world of Xbox LIVE. Your avatar is your game-face throughout the New Xbox Experience and represents your personality — whether you are a LIVE Party host or chatting with a friend. With custom avatars created by the more than 14 million members worldwide, Xbox LIVE will have as many avatars as Tokyo has residents.3

• On-demand entertainment. Xbox 360 is home to the best TV and movie entertainment, including more than 12,000 exclusive films and TV episodes from Netflix Inc., and a large online library of on-demand high-definition TV shows and movies from partners such as Constantin, Disney, MGM, NBC Universal Inc. and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.4

• Games for the community, by the community. For the first time in the history of console gaming, thousands of games developed by the creative community will be available to the public. The Community Games channel on Xbox LIVE will include games made by students, hobbyists, and average people all around the world and will be exclusive to Xbox LIVE.

When the New Xbox Experience launches this fall, it will join the best and broadest Xbox 360 entertainment lineup of games ever. Whatever your passion, Xbox 360 has games for you. Only on Xbox 360 can you unleash your inner diva with “Lips,” live your favorite movie moments with “You’re in the Movies” and “Scene It? Box Office Smash,” and find Xbox LIVE Arcade favorites such as “Castle Crashers” alongside indie favorites like the smash hit “Braid.”

• Music. Xbox 360 is the preferred stage for the best music games, including “Lips,” “Rock Band 2,” “Guitar Hero® World Tour” and “DanceDanceRevolution® UNIVERSE3.”

• Family. Xbox 360 gets the whole family playing with titles such as “Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts,” “Dig Dug Stylish Edition,” “PacLand” and “Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise.”

• Sports. Xbox 360 remains the best place to play sports titles, including leading franchises such as “Madden NFL,” “Tiger Woods PGA TOUR,” “NBA LIVE,” “NHL 2K” and more.

• Blockbusters. “Final Fantasy® XIII” will be available on Xbox 360 at launch in North America and Europe. And Xbox 360 is the only place gamers can play the year’s biggest games, such as “Gears of War 2” and “Fable II”.

The stand-alone expansion, set to release in fall 2009, extends the award-winning Halo® 3 experience with hours of new campaign excursions and multiplayer gameplay. In addition, attendees were given an all-new glimpse of the Xbox 360 exclusive strategy game Halo Wars from Ensemble Studios. The campaign mode provided a thrilling taste of the revolutionary gameplay and new perspective of the Halo universe. Enjoy the full experience when Halo Wars hits retailers in early 2009.

Game Details

This new chapter in the Halo universe includes the following:

• All-new campaign content: The Halo 3: Recon campaign is an intriguing side story that takes place during the terrifying events leading up to the Master Chief’s return to New Mombasa in Halo 3. Experience the fate of Earth from the brand-new perspective of a special forces ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper), adding a unique outlook and new gameplay elements to the events that unfold in the trilogy’s finale. While the feel of this new chapter greatly resembles that of previous Halo experiences, Halo 3: Recon will require you to employ more elements of stealth and cunning than ever before.
• Prepare to drop: Known for their courage, valor and, at times, insanity, ODSTs are among the fiercest UNSC soldiers, priding themselves on being the first unit deployed into hostile situations. While not as large or supernaturally gifted as their Spartan comrades, these “Hell Jumpers” more than compensate with their ferocious attitudes and unwavering nerve.
• Expanded multiplayer collection: No Halo experience would be complete without groundbreaking multiplayer content, and Halo 3: Recon gives fans more of what they love. With exclusive new maps and expanded Forge options, Xbox LIVE® Gold members will find more multiplayer content than ever before with Halo 3: Recon.
• Ever-growing community options: Enjoy all the great Halo 3 technological innovations, including Saved Films, screenshots, Campaign Scoring, and four-player co-op. All of the new multiplayer maps fully support the Forge editor, offering endless gameplay customization possibilities.

Against the backdrop of one of the world’s largest video games events, Tokyo Game Show 2008, Microsoft Corp. has unveiled a blockbuster portfolio of games for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from many of the world’s most renowned developers. The lineup, which features a variety of high-profile titles coming this holiday season as well as in 2009 and beyond, was headlined by “Halo 3: Recon,” an exciting new chapter in the legendary “Halo” franchise from acclaimed developer Bungie, as well as the announcement of “TEKKEN 6” coming to Xbox 360, which brings the “TEKKEN” franchise from Namco Bandai Games to Xbox 360 for the first time in history.

During his keynote address, John Schappert, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of LIVE, Software and Studios showcased the best blockbusters Japan has to offer from the most popular genres. Cementing the reputation of Xbox 360 as the premier home for great storytelling and the industry’s best role-playing games (RPGs), Schappert provided an exclusive look at the widely anticipated “Star Ocean®: THE LAST HOPE™” and “THE LAST REMNANT™” from developer Square Enix. Action-adventure fans were also given a new look at the latest trailer for “RESIDENT EVIL 5,” slated to launch on Xbox 360 in March 2009. Finally, Schappert thrilled the capacity crowd by announcing that fighting franchise “TEKKEN 6” would be launching on Xbox 360 for the first time, releasing worldwide in 2009.

“Xbox 360 continues to be the destination of choice for the best and broadest games from the world’s biggest and best developers,” Schappert said. “With the latest incarnations of the ‘Halo’ universe, as well as global hits like ‘TEKKEN 6,’ we continue to deliver on our commitment to provide the caliber of entertainment and games that capture the imagination of people across the globe.”

A New Look at the “Halo” Universe

To the delight of devoted fans across the world, Microsoft debuted “Halo 3: Recon,” developed exclusively for Xbox 360 by acclaimed developer Bungie. “Halo 3: Recon” is a new chapter in the “Halo” saga that lets gamers experience events leading up to the epic story told in “Halo 3” through the eyes of a new hero in the “Halo” universe. The stand-alone expansion, set to release in fall 2009, extends the award-winning “Halo 3” experience with hours of new campaign excursions and multiplayer gameplay. In addition, attendees were given an all-new glimpse of the Xbox 360 exclusive strategy game “Halo Wars” from Ensemble Studios. By showing campaign mode for the first time, the live demo provided viewers with a thrilling taste of the revolutionary gameplay and new perspective of the “Halo” universe. Players will be able to enjoy the full experience when “Halo Wars” hits retailers in early 2009.

Japanese Developers Gain Worldwide Momentum

By partnering with the best and brightest Japanese developers and publishers, Microsoft is committed not only to providing an unparalleled gaming experience on Xbox 360 to Japan, but also to helping Japanese games reach new audiences worldwide. During his keynote address, Schappert announced that Xbox 360 has the most top-selling, third-party Japanese titles among all other current games platforms. He also noted that Japanese publishers have sold more than $800 million worth of games thus far on Xbox 360 and are on track to see lifetime revenue of more than $1 billion by the end of this holiday.

To underscore that point, Schappert unveiled dramatic new titles from Japan, including “NINETY-NINE NIGHTS II”1 produced by Q Entertainment and developed by Feelplus. The title will join the “Ninja Gaiden” franchise and the just-announced “Ninja Blade” in making Xbox 360 the best place for Japanese action games. Schappert also declared that the release of “Star Ocean: THE LAST HOPE” and “THE LAST REMNANT” are further proof that Xbox 360 is the best console for RPGs, citing a rich portfolio of global blockbusters including “Infinite Undiscovery,” “Fable II” and “Fallout 3.” Additional Japanese-developed blockbusters debuting this holiday and 2009 include the following:

• &“THE LAST REMNANT” (Square Enix).* “THE LAST REMNANT” is a new role-playing game crafted using the finest artistry and technology Square Enix has to offer. Set in a fantasy world, war-torn and scarred by years of conflict, gameplay revolves around mysterious artifacts — Remnants — that possess magic powers. Groundbreaking graphics possible only on Xbox 360 bring the intensity to a whole new level. “THE LAST REMNANT” is launching worldwide on Nov. 20 and will be available only on Xbox 360.

• “NINETY-NINE NIGHTS II” (Q Entertainment). Set amid a dramatic, epic backdrop of a warring world, “NINETY-NINE NIGHTS II” blends strategy and action, allowing players to take control of massive armies to defeat thousands of enemies in massive-scaled battles never before seen on Xbox 360.

• “RESIDENT EVIL 5” (Capcom Entertainment Inc.). Destined to bring new fans to the series, “RESIDENT EVIL 5” is the sequel to one of the highest-rated video games in history (according to Metacritic.com and GameRankings.com). Promising to revolutionize the series by delivering an unbelievable level of detail, realism and control, “RESIDENT EVIL 5” unleashes an unprecedented level of fear for the next generation. New technology developed specifically for the game, as well as incredible changes to both the gameplay and the “RESIDENT EVIL” world, will make this a must-have game for gamers across the globe.

• “Star Ocean: The LAST HOPE” (Square Enix). “Star Ocean: THE LAST HOPE” is the long-awaited continuation of the celebrated science fiction and fantasy role-playing game series. Slated for release on Xbox 360 in spring 2009 and published by Square Enix, this prequel set during the aftermath of World War III combines science fiction and fantasy elements spanning multiple planets and the vastness of space itself to recount the origins of the “Star Ocean” universe. Exhilarating combat expands upon the franchise’s famous real-time battle system, introducing the amazing graphics and visual effects possible only on Xbox 360.

• “TEKKEN 6” (Namco Bandai Games). The latest chapter in one of the most popular fighting franchises in the world, “TEKKEN,” a series that has sold 33 million units worldwide, is coming for the first time to Xbox 360. “TEKKEN 6” is the newest addition to the 3-D fighting series “TEKKEN,” popular for its immersive storyline with characters featuring distinctive personalities as they fight it out at incredible speeds. Starting with the launch of the arcade version in 1994, “TEKKEN” has evolved into a highly acclaimed worldwide franchise, and “TEKKEN 6,” appearing on Xbox 360, is the first multiplatform title in the “TEKKEN” series.

Xbox LIVEArcade Debuts New Lineup

Xbox LIVE Arcade continued momentum built during the summer of arcade as Microsoft announced seven new titles to the already robust lineup of classics and original titles. With the power of Xbox LIVE Arcade, a new generation of gamers can now experience some of the most beloved games of all time from Japan’s most legendary developers. Classic titles showcased at Tokyo Game Show include the following:

• “ARKANOID™ Live!” (TAITO). First appearing in the 1980s as a block-breaking game, the next evolution will now be available on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Gamers can enjoy “Arkanoid” in high definition with beautifully choreographed background movies and background music. “Arkanoid” is loaded with 120 stages and colorful cooperative and versus modes.

• “The King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match” (SNK PLAYMORE). The original “dream match” comes to Xbox LIVE Arcade with new features, characters and game modes. Gamers can face their favorite “The King of Fighters” characters to determine the ultimate champion.

• “Metal Slug 7” (SNK PLAYMORE). Gamers can join Marco, Tarma, Eri, Fiolina, Clark and Ralph as they prepare to take on Modern’s Forces across seven new missions. “Metal Slug 7” will also feature new weapons, colossal new bosses, new gameplay modes and new Slugs to pilot.

• “Meteos Wars” (Q ENTERTAINMENT). Gamers can take a ride through this intergalactic journey where they slide, stack and ignite their blocks to blast away the world‐ending meteors to stop them from falling and crushing the planet. Gamers master the combo links and power-ups to challenge their friends in intense multiplayer sessions.

• “R-Type Dimensions™” (Microsoft). “R-Type Dimensions” combines the genre-defining coin-op classics “R-Type” and “R-Type II,” with a twist. For the first time ever, “R-Type Dimensions” allows multiplayer co-op play locally or over Xbox LIVE for up to two players. Gamers fight through all 14 Bydo-infested stages in the original 2-D or all-new 3-D graphics, and can swap between the two seamlessly.

• “SPACE INVADERS EXTREME™” (TAITO). Gamers can experience “Space Invaders” in fully immersive sound and vivid high definition on the next-generation system, with visuals that will excite their senses.

• “Tenchu: Shadow Assault” (FROMSOFTWARE). Tenchu, the world-famous ninja action game, is now on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Gamers can control their favorite characters as they use a variety of ninja weapons to defeat their enemies and complete their missions. They can use traps in multiplayer mode2 to kill their friends for massive points.

Halton Region is holding its annual E-Waste Amnesty Week to allow Halton residents to drop off electronic waste (e-waste) free of charge. E-Waste Amnesty Week will run from Monday October 20 to Saturday October 25 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Halton Waste Management Site (HWMS) located at 5400 Regional Road 25 in Milton.

Acceptable e-waste includes items such as computers, computer monitors, computer accessories such as keyboards, scanners, speakers and printers, televisions, VCRs, DVD players, remote controls, stereos, speakers, answering machines and MP3 players and associated cords.

“Discarded electronic waste is accumulating at an alarming rate worldwide,” said Gary Carr, Halton’s Regional Chair. “E-Waste Amnesty Week is an opportunity for residents to get involved to help divert unwanted electronics away from our landfill site.”

Last year during E-Waste Amnesty Week, residents successfully diverted 60 tonnes of e-waste to be recycled in an environmentally-safe manner. The recycling of e-waste includes dismantling items to recover useful materials for use in the manufacturing of new products.

According to Environment Canada, Canadians threw out an estimated 167,000 tonnes of E-waste in 2002. This amount is expected to increase to about 206,000 tonnes by 2010.

The E-Waste Amnesty Week is one of the initiatives identified in the Region’s 2006-2010 Solid Waste Management Strategy that will assist in reaching a goal of diverting 60 per cent of residential waste away from landfill. Halton Region’s E-Waste Amnesty Week coincides with the national Waste Reduction Week.

E-waste (excluding computer monitors and televisions) is accepted for recycling all year at the Halton Waste Management Site for a small fee ($5.00/load for up to 50 kg, $10/load for 51-150 kg). Electronics in good working order can often be taken to your local reuse center. Please call ahead to ensure that the item will be accepted. For a listing of local reuse centres visit, www.halton.ca/waste.

Please note that e-waste collected from industrial, commercial or institutional settings cannot be accepted free of charge during E-Waste Amnesty Week.

For more information about the E-Waste Amnesty Week please call Halton Region at 905-825-6000, toll free 1-866-442-5866, TTY 905-827-9833, or visit our website at www.halton.ca.

Yahoo! Inc. has announced the availability of an all-new Yahoo! Calendar, the No. 1 Web-based calendar service in the world. The new Yahoo! Calendar, which will begin rolling out in beta to users today, offers an intuitive, online social calendaring experience that enables people to be more productive.

All New Yahoo! Calendar Beta Leverages Zimbra Technology, Enhancing Sharing Capabilities and Productivity From Within Yahoo! Mail

Based on open standards, the new Yahoo! Calendar beta makes it easy for users to discover, share and keep track of events and appointments. Yahoo! Calendar is a popular feature within Yahoo! Mail, a key starting point for consumers on the Web and one of the most popular Web mail services in the world with more than 278 million users per month.

Leveraging last year’s acquisition of Zimbra, a leader in open source messaging and collaboration software that brought Ajax functionality to online calendars, the new Yahoo! Calendar is built on the Zimbra platform using the iCalendar (iCal) and CalDAV standards. The new calendar is interoperable with other online calendar services including those from Mozilla, Apple, Microsoft, AOL and Google, so users can share their calendar data with friends who use other online calendaring services and subscribe to any iCal-based public calendar.

Other new easy-to-use features allow consumers to keep track of activities through color-coding, drag and drop appointments for easy scheduling, and “zoom-in and -out” from a monthly “wall calendar” view to a single event — all from within a Yahoo! Mail account. In addition, images from the Flickr photo community can be included to create a visual, unique-looking online calendar with interesting photos.

“With the new Yahoo! Calendar, we’ve taken the concept of a traditional paper calendar and transformed it into a smart, yet simple online tool that helps people to keep track of their schedules, stay organized and be more productive,” said John Kremer, vice president, Yahoo! Mail.

“We’re executing against our vision of a smarter inbox, and this is just a preview of what’s to come in terms of integrating other network properties into the Yahoo! Mail experience. In the coming months, users will see additional features in Yahoo! Calendar to help them discover and keep track of their favorite events — like sports team schedules and concert dates — and even more features to enhance their overall communications experience.”

Key features in the new Yahoo! Calendar include:

• Sharing – Layering functionality that makes sharing events and keeping track of group activities easier
• Zoom – Calendar zoom capabilities make it easy to add and view new Calendar entries
• Photos – Integration with Flickr adds an interesting visual component to the Calendar and gives it the feel of a classic wall calendar through interesting public, Creative Commons designated photos on Flickr
• Alerts – Reminder feature makes it simple to set email, IM or SMS reminders for important Calendar activities
• Drag and Drop – Web 2.0 drag and drop functionality makes it simple to move appointments to new times — all without refreshing the Web page
• “To Do” List – A simple and handy “To List” feature makes it easy to keep track of important chores and tasks

When the Yahoo! Calendar beta becomes generally available in the coming months, it will include additional synching features and the capability to discover events of interest through tight integration with Upcoming.org and other Yahoo! properties. The Yahoo! Calendar beta is currently being rolled out in five markets: the United States, Brazil, India, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Plans for global general availability will be announced later this year.

Users can learn more and register to try the Yahoo! Calendar beta at: switch.calendar.yahoo.com.

In this age of fast-emerging payment technologies, RBC Royal Bank is testing a new service, RBC Mobex Mobile Payment Service, which allows users to easily and securely send and receive money instantly using a text message on their mobile phone.

The service is designed for person-to-person payments in situations where individuals may not have the cash on hand, such as reimbursing a friend for lunch, collecting for the office coffee run, paying the babysitter, or buying a garage sale item.

“Increasingly, consumers are using their mobile phones to help simplify their day-to-day lives, including banking and payment transactions,” said Anne Koski, head, RBC Payments Innovation. “We’re testing this mobile phone service to find out if consumers are eager to instantly send and get cash when it’s needed most, in an easy but secure manner.”

Participants in the trial are able to use the RBC Mobex payment service on their existing mobile phone, providing it has SMS – text messaging capability. Users simply send a text message to RBC Mobex with the dollar amount and the recipient’s cell phone number. Funds are then taken from the sender’s Mobex account and moved to the recipient’s Mobex account. The recipient also receives an instant text message on their cell phone to let them know when the money has been sent to them.

Amounts of up to $100 per day can be sent to anyone with a mobile phone serviced by any Canadian wireless carrier, even if they do not have an RBC Mobex account. Recipients just need to register for the payment service to access their funds. The RBC Mobex account is a stored value account and enrollment is through the RBC Mobex web-site, where money can be loaded from any bank account with any financial institution in Canada, or by using a credit card.

For added security, senders receive a call on their mobile phone to verify the transaction with a PIN for amounts over $25. Participants will be able to remotely track and manage their RBC Mobex account directly from their mobile phone or through the RBC Mobex web site to check balances, view payment history, and add funds. There are no additional fees to use the service, however users are subject to any regular bank or wireless carrier charges and fees they might have in place.

“Although our new payment service is used on a cell phone, it utilizes the same highly secure payment systems that Canadians have come to trust from their banks”, added Koski. “With more consumers clamoring for services that fit their fast paced lifestyles, RBC continues to create secure solutions that meet our clients ‘anywhere, anytime’ financial needs.”

Starting with RBC employees, their family and their friends in Canada, the trial will run until January 2009. Further details about a wide scale consumer pilot are to be confirmed and announced at a later time.

Driving Innovative Mobile Solutions in Canada

The mobile phone payment trial represents one more addition to RBC’s mobile solutions suite which already includes a web and mobile banking service designed specifically for mobile devices. Through www.rbc.mobi, online banking users not only have convenient and secure access to their RBC accounts, the navigation has been streamlined to make it easy to pay bills, check balances and transfer funds from just about anywhere over Internet-enabled mobile phones or PDAs.

RBC is also lab testing the use of cell phones rather than traditional credit cards for making Visa card purchases at merchant locations. Mobile phone devices are embedded with Near Field Communication (NFC) contactless chips that ensure users a fast and convenient way to pay for small purchases by simply waving their mobile phone at Visa payWave checkout readers.

ling Media, Inc., a leading digital lifestyle products company, has announced its next generation Slingbox™ PRO-HD is now available for purchase from leading online and brick and mortar retailers across Canada. The Slingbox PRO-HD is a revolutionary new product that allows you to watch and control your favourite HD content from anywhere in the world on your laptop PC or mobile phone.

First of its kind Slingbox capable of streaming both SDTV and HDTV; now available from Best Buy, Canada Computers, Future Shop and London Drugs stores nationwide/

The Slingbox PRO-HD is capable of streaming HD content from any home television source, including over the air HD digital signals (ATSC), digital cable channels (Clear QAM), HDTV cable set-top boxes, HDTV satellite receivers, or HD DVR’s, to a laptop or desktop computer in and around the house. Additionally, customers who have a high speed broadband connection that features upload speeds of 1.5 Megabits per second or higher, Slingbox PRO-HD can even stream HD TV signals outside the home to just about anywhere you can receive a high-speed network connection.

“With Slingbox PRO-HD, our customers will have the ability to place-shift their HD programming to a laptop or desktop computer both in and around the home or remotely while preserving the best possible picture quality,” said Blake Krikorian, co-founder and CEO of Sling Media. “Slingbox PRO-HD marks a giant leap forward in hardware and software development from Sling Media including the powerful encoding enhancements that are a part of SlingStream 2.0. Because of this, Slingbox PRO-HD delivers picture quality at all resolutions that is truly amazing.”

With the availability of the Slingbox PRO-HD, Sling Media has also updated its SlingPlayer for Windows software for PCs running Windows XP or Windows Vista. SlingPlayer 2.0 for Windows is now available for download from Sling Media’s web site, www.slingmedia.com. SlingPlayer 2.0 for Windows features a live video buffer built into the software, allowing the viewer to pause and rewind a live video stream for easy navigation within a program, and avoiding potential conflicts with home viewers. Also included is the familiar ‘favorites’ feature which slides out of the SlingPlayer and gives users a fast and intuitive way to navigate to their favorite channels or select the most popular remote control commands without having to bring up an on-screen guide on their home set-top box. Finally, SlingPlayer 2.0 for Windows incorporates Sling Accounts, a single sign-on feature that keeps key personal Slingbox information including Finder IDs, favorite channels and programming guide information, making them all accessible on any PC running SlingPlayer 2.0 for Windows software.

Slingbox PRO-HD features SlingStream 2.0, a major improvement to the company’s proprietary SlingStream™ technology. SlingStream 2.0 allows the Slingbox PRO-HD to adaptively stream high quality television content across virtually any network connection. With SlingStream 2.0, audio/video quality is noticeably improved for remote clients operating in both high and low bitrate environments, including high definition players on a home network.

The Slingbox PRO-HD replaces the Slingbox PRO at the top-end of Sling Media’s Slingbox family and sets itself apart as it is the first and only Slingbox product that is capable of streaming video content at HD resolutions and delivers it to a HD-compatible laptop or desktop computer. The Slingbox PRO and Slingbox SOLO both down-convert HDTV sources to SDTV resolutions.

Slingbox PRO-HD is designed to meet the varied requirements of today’s multi-faceted TV-viewing households. The product includes support for both standard (4:3) and widescreen (16:9) video formats and features multiple integrated sets of audio-video inputs and outputs (Tuner support for HD Digital Antenna (ATSC), Analog and/or HD Digital Cable (Clear QAM) channels, S-Video, composite video, component video and both analog and multi-channel, 5.1 surround, digital audio (S/PDIF)) and features integrated looping outputs for each input. Slingbox PRO-HD transforms desktop PCs, laptop PCs, Macs and a wide range of smartphones into personal, portable TVs and builds upon the goals of the original Slingbox – to give consumers the freedom to view their home cable, satellite or DVR programming on a wide range of devices anywhere they can access the Internet.

Slingbox PRO-HD is available from leading Canadian retailers including Best Buy, Canada Computers, Future Shop and London Drugs. The Canadian SRP is $329.99 for Slingbox PRO-HD.

LG Electronics (LG), a worldwide technology and design leader in mobile communications, announced the official launch of its LG-KC910, a slim yet feature-packed full touchscreen 8 megapixel multimedia phone. This artistic new handset, known as Renoir, goes on sale in Europe in early October and has a large palate of features like Wi-Fi, Dolby® Mobile from Dolby Laboratories, Inc., and camera capabilities that even surpass those found on standalone digital cameras.

“Renoir is much more than a camera phone. It truly puts everything at your fingertips and provides a multi-sensorial experience through sight, sound and touch,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The 8 megapixel camera is only one aspect of the phone. Its unique combination of features, including a full touchscreen interface, Dolby Mobile for Music and built in support for Wi-Fi and A-GPS, allow Renoir to be used in equally unique ways.”

Focus on Touch-Enhanced High Quality Camera

Renoir takes super-sharp 8 megapixel pictures that can be edited in camera and are instantly ready for sharing online or printing. The phone’s list of features includes some that are usually only found on extremely high-end standalone cameras, such as Schneider-Kreuznach certified optics, a Xenon flash, auto and manual focus, sensitivity up to ISO 1600 and geo-tagging.

Renoir takes the full advantage capabilities as a full touchscreen 8 megapixel phone, with unique touch-enhanced features. One feature, Touch Shot, makes it easy to get the right shot every time by allowing photographers to focus on any object by touching it on screen. The shutter fires automatically when the user’s finger is removed from the screen. Touch Shot, a first for a mobile phone, also reduces camera shake and eliminates the need to search for the shutter release button.

One major advantage Renoir has over standalone digital cameras is its ability to connect to the latest 3G HSDPA networks and Wi-Fi. This eliminates the need to wait to share pictures with the world. They can be instantly and effortlessly uploaded and shared with the world from almost anywhere. Geo-tagging, enabled by Renoir’s A-GPS capabilities, makes it easy to keep track of where pictures were taken and plot them using online mapping websites.

Special shot modes give pictures that special look that usually requires a professional touch. Beauty Shot removes spots and imperfections from people’s faces, while also making them appear brighter and clearer in photos. The feature is smart enough to recognize faces and only apply the effect to the right areas. Art Shot allows users to apply a number of creative preset effects, from common changes like black and white to less common and more nuanced ones like warm or cool tone.

Share in an Unrivalled Multimedia Experience

Renoir delivers a full multimedia experience that stimulates the senses. . Renoir is also the first handset created for the worldwide market to include Dolby Mobile. This integrated suite of audio processing technologies from Dolby Laboratories brings depth and richness as well as clean, powerful bass to deliver a more immersing and engaging listening experience for music.

Renoir records video better than any other mobile phone, with the ability to capture super-high-quality 120 frame per second slow-motion video or to compress longer events using five frame per second time lapse recording. A noise-free microphone ensures that audio is just as crisp as the video it accompanies. Built-in support for DivX and Xvid encoded video means that Renoir can provide hours of entertainment straight out of the box.

Just as with photos, Renoir can upload any user generated content it creates including audio, video or text, over 3G HSDPA networks or Wi-Fi. Renoir is ready for the complete web 2.0 experience, fully able to use web-based applications, including those that require GPS location.

Touch the Intuitive, Customizable Interface

Renoir works just like people think. Its user interface is both intuitive and easily customizable, based around a full touchscreen that provides the perfect canvas for multimedia. When first turned on, the handset greets users with a screen that is home to numerous widgets. These can be selected from a wide range of choices and dragged into place. Standing out among these are Renoir’s online widgets, which use live content from the web to provided up-to-the-second information on things like local weather.

For applications like text messaging, Renoir allows users to choose what kind of input interface they want to use – either an onscreen QWERTY keypad, similar to a computer keyboard, or an alpha-numeric keypad, like what is found on most mobile phones. Another unique feature enabled by Renoir’s touchscreen is its picture-based speed dial, which allows users to quickly scroll through contacts and bring up more detailed information with just the touch of a finger.

LG chose the name Renoir for Viewty’s successor to reflect its personality and level of multimedia sophistication. The handset’s designers drew inspiration from the way the impressionist painter of the same name used light and color to capture scenes that were beautifully rich in meaning.

After making its initial debut in Europe in October of this year, Renoir will come out in Asia, Latin America and CIS in November, the Middle East and Africa in December and China in January of 2009. The 13.95 mm Renoir will be available in titan black and other color options depending on operator.

LG will also launch another 8 megapixel handset in October, its super slim 13.9 mm slider, the LG-KC780. This phone will have a number of built-in features that make it a great on-the-go companion for taking portraits.

Nikon Canada has announced its 2008 holiday line-up. Starting at $99.95 for compact digital cameras and $419.95 for digital SLRs, Nikon offers high quality and premium performance for every skill level and budget. With cameras like the COOLPIX S60 featuring touch-screen control, the P6000 with built-in GPS and the D90 featuring the world’s first digital SLR movie function, Nikon offers something for every photographer.

Each COOLPIX camera in Nikon’s holiday line-up comes equipped with Nikon’s original EXPEED advanced digital imaging system technologies and Nikon’s three unique image innovations – Face Priority AF, In-Camera Red-Eye Fix and D-Lighting – all housed in stylish, intuitively designed bodies. There are three distinctive lines of COOLPIX cameras: the “S” (Style) series, the “P” (Performance) series and the “L” (Life) series, each offering the performance and quality consumers have come to expect from Nikon. Nikon’s acclaimed series of digital SLRs make a great gift for the advanced photographer who wants greater control and more creative options. Each digital SLR in Nikon’s holiday line-up comes standard with the exclusive imaging technology that makes Nikon a leader in the imaging industry.

“Whether users are new to digital photography or ready for an upgrade, Nikon Canada offers a full range of cameras that combines advanced technology, unparalleled performance and ease of use to produce superior photos every time,” said Gregory Flasch, National Advertising and Communications Manager, Nikon Canada. “Taking professional quality pictures has never been easier with Nikon’s industry-leading digital SLRs. Our compact cameras continue to offer easy and exciting options for taking and sharing holiday memories with family and friends.”

COOLPIX “S” Series

The Great Corporate Gift – COOLPIX S560

The COOLPIX S560 is the perfect gift for clients or the boss who wants to reward staff for a job-well-done. The S560 includes 10 megapixels, 5x Zoom-NIKKOR lens and a large, 2.7-inch LCD monitor for easy viewing and quality pictures. With features like Blink Warning, which displays a message when it detects a subject has blinked, and Smile Mode, which automatically releases the shutter when a selected subject smiles, the S560 is perfect for office parties or company events.

The S560 is available in blue and black.

MSRP: COOLPIX S560: $249.95

Great Gifts for Teenagers – COOLPIX S60

The COOLPIX S60 with touch-screen operation is the perfect gift for any tech-junkie. The S60’s touch-screen interface offers a choice of three HOME screens with large icons that make fingertip control easy and accurate. The only physical button on the S60 is the shutter release and even that is not necessary with the new Smile Timer mode. This state-of-the-art camera also includes a Draw Function, allowing the user to store handwritten memos as JPEG files; and a Paint Function, allowing users to add memos and frames to images. With 10.0 megapixels, 5x Zoom-NIKKOR lens and easy-to-use features like One-Touch Zoom which commands the camera to zoom in and capture the subject with just the right amount of framing, the S60 makes it easy to snap photos at home, school or parties with friends.

The S60 is available in espresso and burgundy.

MSRP:
COOLPIX S60: $369.95

COOLPIX S52/S52c

Combining sleek camera design with advanced features, the COOLPIX S52 and S52c are stylish cameras that produce incredible pictures with ease. With 9.0 megapixels, 3x Zoom-NIKKOR lens and large 3.0-inch LCD monitor, the S52 and S52c give users the ability to capture everything from family portraits by the tree to candid shots in the snow. Both cameras come equipped with Pictmotion, allowing users to create in-camera slide shows complete with music and movies and the WiFi-enabled S52c makes it simple to share pictures with friends. The ultra-thin cameras fit easily into a pocket or purse, making them an ideal option for that person on the list who doesn’t want to miss a moment. The S52 or S52c are both perfect choices for the stocking or under the tree.

The S52 is available in black and red; the S52c is available in dark chocolate.

MSRPs:
COOLPIX S52: $229.95
COOLPIX S52c: $279.95

More Cameras From COOLPIX “S” Series

The “S” or Style series offers advanced cameras in compact, stylish bodies. The “S” series cameras are perfect for users looking for advanced functionality without sacrificing flair. An ideal gift for the style-conscious photographer, the “S” series cameras are slender enough to fit in the pocket and sturdy enough to go anywhere.

• COOLPIX S210: Perfect for style-conscious photographer, the S210 features 8.0 megapixels, 5x Zoom-NIKKOR lens and 2.5-inch LCD monitor, all housed in a razor thin, all-metal body; available in black, sapphire and plum; MSRP: COOLPIX S210: $169.95
• COOLPIX S550: Combining high performance with elegant design, the S550 features 10.0 megapixels, 5x Zoom-NIKKOR lens and 2.5-inch LCD monitor; available in black, sapphire and plum; MSRP: COOLPIX S550: $219.95
• COOLPIX S710: Blending refined design and quality construction with advanced features, the S710 comes equipped with 14.5 megapixels, 3.6x Zoom-NIKKOR lens and a large 3-inch LCD monitor; available in black; MSRP: COOLPIX S710: $349.95

COOLPIX “P” Series

Great Gift for Adventurous Friends – COOLPIX P6000

The new COOLPIX flagship model, the P6000, is a great gift for users looking to combine the quality of digital SLR with the ease of a compact camera. The P6000 offers photographers control with customizable features inspired by Nikon’s digital SLR cameras. The Command dial and customizable function button lets users quickly change settings and the shoot menu provides easy access to regularly used selections. Wired LAN support offers easy access to the Internet and the built-in GPS unit can attach “geotags” with information about latitude and longitude to each image file when the shot is taken. The P6000 offers system expandability with optional tele-converter lenses and a built-in accessory shoe that supports advanced i-TTL flash control for external speedlights. With 13.5 megapixels, 2.7-inch LCD monitor and 4x Zoom-NIKKOR lens, the P6000 delivers quality results with faithful colour reproduction every time.

MSRP:
COOLPIX P6000: $499.95

More Cameras From COOLPIX “P” Series

The “P” or Performance series offers digital SLR functionality in a compact camera. The “P” series cameras are an ideal gift for those seeking greater more options and control in a compact camera.

• COOLPIX P60: Combining quality performance with classic styling, the P60 features 8.1 megapixels, 5x Zoom-NIKKOR lens and 2.5-inch LCD monitor; MSRP: COOLPIX P60: $189.95
• COOLPIX P80: Combining the unbeatable compositional freedom of an 18x Zoom-NIKKOR lens with traditional camera styling, the P80 features 10.1 megapixels and 2.7-inch LCD monitor; MSRP: $399.95

COOLPIX “L” Series

The “L” or Life series offers powerful cameras that are easy to use. The “L” series cameras are perfect for anyone looking for quick and easy-to-use operation coupled with quality design and performance.

Great Stocking Stuffers – COOLPIX L16/L18

The COOLPIX L16 and L18 make great gifts for anyone on your list. These cameras combine simple operation with high performance, putting digital photography within anyone’s reach. The L16 and L18 feature a dedicated button on top of the body to switch between shooting and playback mode and Easy Auto mode, allowing users to power-up and shoot without worrying about settings. With 7.1 and 8.0 megapixels respectively, 3x Zoom-NIKKOR lens and large 2.8-inch (L16) and 3.0-inch (L18) LCD monitors, the L16 and L18 make it easy to take bright, beautiful pictures every time. The L16 and L18 are both a perfect first camera for the soon-to-be shutterbug.

The COOLPIX L16 is available in silver; the COOLPIX L18 is available in black, ruby and sapphire.

MSRPs:
COOLPIX L16: $99.95
COOLPIX L18: $129.95

Digital SLRs

Great Gift for Parents – D60

For parents who have mastered their compact cameras and love digital photography, Nikon’s D60 makes switching to a digital SLR a snap! Simple operation makes capturing brilliant pictures effortless, yet with a turn of the Mode Dial, the D60 offers an array of advanced features for those wishing to expand their creative photography skills. The D60’s Active D-Lighting feature can adjust the look of the final picture during shooting. Combined with an extensive in-camera Retouch Menu, including a Filter Effects option and in-camera NEF (RAW) processing, the D60 allows the user to edit like a pro. With 10.2 megapixels, instant power-up time of 0.19 seconds, split-second shutter action and up to three frames-per-second in continuous shooting mode, the D60 is a holiday gift parents are sure to appreciate.

MSRP:
D60 Body Only: $499.95
D60 Set with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 G VR Lens: $649.95

Great Gift for Spouses – D90

The D90 is an extra special gift for an extra special photography aficionado. The newest member of Nikon’s digital SLR family, the D90 takes its inspiration from Nikon’s acclaimed flagship DX format camera, the D300. With 12.3 megapixels, extensive in-camera Retouch Menus, Scene Recognition System with integrated Face Detection System and the Easy-to-Use Live View mode, the D90 takes crisp, clear, professional quality photos. The D90 is the world’s first digital SLR with a movie shooting function. D-Movie lets users shoot video clips in HD format up to HD720p. The D90’s image sensor is larger than a typical camcorder, which means users can achieve higher image quality and exceptionally high ISO performance even when shooting in low-light conditions.

MSRP:
D90 Body Only: $1,119.95
D90 Set with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 G IF-ED Lens: $1,279.95
D90 Set with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f3.5-5.6 G ED VR Lens: $1,449.95

EXPEED – The New State-of-the-Art Image-Processing System technologies, only from Nikon

Built on Nikon’s innovative EXPEED advanced digital image processing system technologies and incorporating the precision optics of a NIKKOR lens, the latest Nikon cameras continue the longstanding tradition of industry-leading photographic performance, superior image quality, advanced functionality and ease-of-use.

Exclusive Canadian Warranty

Nikon Canada offers an exclusive two-year warranty for all COOLPIX and D40, D40x, D50, D60, D80, D90, D200, D300 and D700 digital SLR cameras, and a five-year warranty for all NIKKOR lenses purchased from a Nikon Canada authorized dealer. Consumer’s investment is protected by Nikon Canada’s warranties with in-Canada service.

Small businesses increasingly rely on technology to help the environment and save money, according to results of a survey released today. Findings show that 60 percent of small-business decision-makers save money by using sustainable technologies.

Green IT solutions can bring small businesses cost savings.

The telephone survey — conducted on behalf of Microsoft Corp. by KRC Research — of 250 small-business IT decision-makers nationwide discovered a growing focus on environmental concerns. Thirty-eight percent of respondents reported that their companies are more focused on being environmentally friendly than they were one year ago.

An overwhelming majority (69 percent) of respondents reported that environmentally friendly practices are important for their business. When it comes to methods for greening their business, 94 percent of those surveyed also believe technology is an important tool to help accomplish that goal.

“Technology can play a significant role in helping businesses lower their impact on the environment,” said Francois Ajenstat, director of environmental sustainability at Microsoft. “Microsoft helps by reducing the energy consumption of technology, helping manage environment footprint and rethinking business practices. This enables organizations to improve both their bottom line and the sustainability of their operations.”

The survey results reveal practices that small businesses see as most beneficial for the environment. Respondents identified a paperless office as the No. 1 green IT practice they feel also offers the greatest cost savings.

One survey participant, Joseph Hommel, chief operating officer and co-owner of Maui Office Machines and Furnishings, considers environmental practices for his business a natural extension of his personal lifestyle.

“Living and working on an island, being green is a necessity,” Hommel said. “To practice paperless communication, we use Microsoft Outlook to handle all client proposals. By sending everything electronically, we are able to include color and images in proposals easily for more effective communications. We have a very high rate of deal closure, and clients routinely tell us it’s because of the quality of our communications.”

Curtis Ryan, owner of EuroTan in San Antonio, Texas, switched to online marketing almost exclusively to promote his businesses, and the results benefit the environment and his bottom line.

“We used to send several bulk direct-mail pieces each year, with significant expense in design, printing and postage, but very low success rates,” Ryan said. “Now we’ve eliminated that waste of paper, and instead I use Outlook to send special promotions to our client database for a fraction of the cost and with outstanding results. I also use Microsoft Publisher to create and manage our Web sites, which has eliminated the cost of an outside vendor as well as the costs to maintain a listing in a printed telephone directory.”

The survey results highlight sustainable practices that small-business decision-makers believe represent the most savings potential for their business including the following:

• Setting up standards to manage power consumption for computers, such as setting computers or monitors to sleep mode after a period of not being used (28 percent)
• Allowing employees to telecommute (26 percent)
• Upgrading server infrastructure with the most energy-efficient technology available (16 percent)
• Using mobile technology (15 percent)
• Conducting live meetings that share resources over the Web such as presentations (14 percent)

Microsoft offers solutions to help small businesses implement environmentally friendly IT practices. When it comes to creating paperless offices, Microsoft Office Live provides businesses with programs such as an online filing cabinet, where documents can be stored, shared, edited or read by anyone in the company. With devices equipped with Windows Mobile technology, these documents can be accessed from nearly anywhere, allowing more employees to work from home and keep their cars off the road.

Microsoft solutions also help reduce energy consumption. Windows Vista provides substantial energy savings compared with Windows XP. In fact, several independent analyses found that businesses switching to Windows Vista can actually reduce their power consumption costs and carbon emissions by half. The same holds true with Windows Server 2008, which is 10 percent more efficient than its predecessor.

Toshiba of Canada Information Systems Group (Toshiba) has announced five new Tecra laptops, including two Tecra M10 series and two Tecra S10 series laptops that feature the latest Intel vPro processor technology for high performance and secure business computing.

Intel vPro processor technology includes hardware-assisted security and management capabilities that allow IT professionals to remotely diagnose and troubleshoot a system resulting in enhanced workplace productivity with the reduction in down time and IT support wait time. Intel vPro technology provides the industry’s first solution for operating system-absent manageability and security even when the PC is off, the OS is unresponsive and when software agents are disabled.
The hardware-based capabilities improve network traffic filtering and isolate clients under attack for added security.

All models include Toshiba EasyGuard technology, with built-in shock absorbers for the hard disk drive, LCD panel, LCD inverter and chassis. The magnesium alloy casework keeps the unit robust and light for travel and the spill-resistant keyboard guards the laptop from spills. Security features include multi-level passwords and a fingerprint reader. All five Tecra models come with a three year warranty and are Microsoft Office Ready as they include a free 60 day trial of Microsoft Office Professional 2007.

“Our new Tecra laptops provide business users with tools they need to succeed and with the peace of mind that their data is safe and secure,” said Jerome Kudera, Toshiba product manager. “Intel vPro processor technology provides IT support for greater manageability options which lead to enhanced security for businesses.”

Tecra M10 Series
The titanium silver laptop features a 14.1-inch wide screen display, weighs 5.4 pounds and packs in a DVD Super Multi Double Layer drive, wireless and Bluetooth capabilities and an integrated webcam. The portable laptop comes loaded with Windows Vista Business with a downgrade option for the Windows XP Professional operating system.

1. Tecra M10-EG2 – comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor P8400 – 2.26 GHz with vPro processor technology, 2 GB DDR2, 160 GB of Hard Disk Drive space and an NVIDIA Quadro NVS 150M Graphics controller with 256 MB of dedicated video memory. The native LCD panel resolution displays 1400×900×16.7 million colours for sharp images. It retails for a suggested list price of $1,549.
2. Tecra M10-EG0 – features the Intel Core 2 Duo processor P8400 – 2.26 GHZ with vPro processor technology, 2 GB DDR2, 160 GB of Hard Disk Drive space and an NVIDIA Quadro NVS 150M Graphics controller with 256 MB of dedicated video memory. The native LCD panel resolution displays 1280×800×16.7 colours. It retails for a suggested list price of $1,499.
3. Tecra M10-00P – equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600-2.4 GHz, 2 GB DDR2, 250 GB of Hard Disk Drive space and a Mobile Intel GMA X4500 graphics controller with 256 GB of shared video memory. It retails for a suggested list price of $1,499.

Tecra S10 Series
Both Tecra S10 laptops feature a 15.4-inch wide screen display. The titanium silver laptop comes with a DVD Super-Multi Double Layer drive, wireless and Bluetooth capabilities and a 1.3 MP webcam. The versatile desktop replacement comes with Windows Vista Business and an option to downgrade to Windows XP Professional.

1. Tecra S10-MN4 – comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P9400-2.53 GHz vPro processor technology, 2 GB DDR2, 200 GB of Hard Disk Drive space and an NVIDIA Quadro NVS 150M graphics controller with 256 MB of dedicated video memory. It retails for a suggested list price of $1,849.
2. Tecra S10-MN2 – features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor P8600-2.4GHz vPro processor technology, 2 GB DR2, 160 GB of Hard Disk Drive space and an NVIDIA Quadro NVS 150M Graphics with 256 MB of dedicated video memory. It retails for a suggested list price of $1,549.

Toshiba is committed to making its products consumer friendly and friendly to the environment. Its products, including the Tecra laptops meet Toshiba’s ongoing efforts to bring eco-conscious products to market and comply with the company’s strict environmental policies. The Tecra laptops are Energy Star 4.0 compliant for energy consumption. As a registered manufacturer with Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), member of the Electronics Product Stewardship Canada and partner of the Energy Star Program, Toshiba’s remains committed to the environment in product manufacturing. The Tecra laptops also comply with RoHS environmental regulations that restrict the use of specific hazardous materials found in electrical and electronic products. Environmental management is promoted both from the standpoint of improving products themselves and renewing manufacturing processes, which call for the elimination of hazardous substances in products as well as avoiding the use of hazardous substances in the manufacturing process.

Focal Press is pleased to announce two brand new books covering Adobe Photoshop CS4 from best-selling author Martin Evening. In the article below, Martin discusses several of the new and exciting features offered in Photoshop CS4.

“This latest release of Photoshop has a lot of interesting new features. The new Camera Raw has all the new tools that were featured in Lightroom 2, allowing you to work more smoothly between the two programs. The interface refinements incorporate a task-based workflow approach in which image adjustments like curves can be edited via an Adjustments panel. The new Masking panel means that you can edit masks, such as increase the feathering, as well as the usual Refine Edge command that you could use in CS3 to edit a layer mask. Color Range employs a more sophisticated color selection algorithm and now allows you to generate color-based masks more easily. There is also a new Content-Aware scaling feature that allows you to resize images without distorting the shape of important components within a picture.

Bridge has been given a makeover too. Among the most significant changes is the task-based workspace menu that makes it easier for you to switch between different Bridge workspace settings. You can now click with the Spacebar to toggle displaying a full-screen preview of a selected photo. The output panel for Web or PDF is in some ways a small improvement on the Web Photo Gallery and Contact Sheet features. Although some will find these to be something of a backward step, if you have Lightroom 2, it is unlikely that you would ever need to use these anyway.

The problem with Photoshop is that Adobe keeps adding stuff into the program without taking much out. This, in turn, has made it harder to keep updating the Adobe Photoshop for Photographers book series without the book becoming too bloated. The release of Photoshop CS4 has provided a good opportunity to update Adobe Photoshop for Photographers. The new book will be the same size as previous editions and concentrate on the essentials of image editing in Photoshop as well as all that’s new in Photoshop and Bridge CS4. Meanwhile, I have been collaborating with Jeff Schewe to work on a joint book that will be called Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers: The Ultimate Workshop. This new book means that the Photoshop for Photographers series has now expanded to offer a spin-off book in which readers can gain more in-depth expertise about how to use Photoshop, written by two of the world’s leading experts in digital imaging and Photoshop.”

Author Bio: Martin Evening is a professional photographer and digital imaging consultant. He is an Alpha tester for Photoshop and key demo artist for Adobe and a Photoshop Hall of Fame inductee. He is based in London, UK.

About the publisher: Focal Press is marking its 70th Anniversary this year. Starting out as a photography publisher in 1938, Focal has grown through the years to meet the needs of many creative communities, including film, audio, animation, and gaming.

Feature set changes in After Effects CS4 that concern motion graphic artists are detailed in an article by Trish and Chris Meyer on www.cmg4cs4.com. As is often the case with After Effects, the real news isn’t just in big new features, but in refinements to existing features, which help you get your work done faster.

Here’s an excerpt from the article, which includes visuals from CS4: We’ll start with some instant gratification: new effects.

The one that will get all of the headlines is the new Cartoon effect, which creates the cartoon-from-live-action look that’s been popular in some commercials and even movies the past few years. What’s special about the After Effects CS4 version is that it’s very easy to use with few parameters to learn, plus is GPU-accelerated so that it’s much more responsive than the third-party effects we’ve used in the past.

Compared to a normal blur, the new Bilateral Blur effect has built-in edge detection. This means it blurs connected areas of an image that are similar, but keeps transitions sharp. This is useful for tricks such as blurring lines and wrinkles in a person’s face, or for more highly stylized looks. By default, it reduces the saturation in an image; enable the Colorize switch to get the color back. At higher Radius or Threshold settings, its GPU acceleration really kicks in; if you find yourself using lower settings to get more subtle results, it can slow down considerably … (read the complete article at www.cmg4cs4.com)

The complete article may be reposted or printed for free, with credit back to www.cmg4cs4.com.

The announcement of CS4 also means a special update for the Meyers cornerstone book, Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects. “We want to make sure we … protect your investment in the current edition,” said author Chris Meyer, “So we are working on a bonus chapter that covers what’s changed between CS3 and CS4.”

This chapter will be available for free download at www.cmg4cs4.com later this year. Register on this site now to be notified when the new chapter is available.

With Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects, 4e and the complementary web chapter on CS4, you’ll gain the tips, gotchas and sage advice needed to survive whatever your next motion graphics project throws at you.

The Consumer Electronics Group of Toshiba of Canada (Toshiba) has launched 11 new LCD TVs in four new series to its Toshiba, REGZA® brand. Toshiba also unveiled SRT™ (Super Resolution Technology) that will upconvert standard definition content to appear like high definition and AutoView™, a new feature that automatically adjusts television picture settings according to the viewing environment.

“Through cutting-edge technologies, like SRT and AutoView, our core models are enhanced for the upcoming holiday season,” said Lindsay Takashima, Toshiba’s Vice President of Marketing CEG. “Toshiba’s growth in LCD TVs is already outpacing the industry. Our second new line-up of TVs this year will help solidify Toshiba’s position as a true leader.”

Toshiba makes Standard Definition appear like HD
Making its debut in Toshiba’s REGZA LCD TVs is Toshiba’s SRT, a new technology that overcomes an industry-wide challenge when viewers transmit a standard video signal on an HDTV. Using a proprietary processing system, SRT brings clean, sharp edges and bright, vibrant colours to standard definition content enhancing DVD collections, TV shows and camcorder movies to near HD quality. SRT is available in Toshiba’s REGZA RV535 and XV545 series.

Super Resolution Technology (SRT) delivers a new level of picture quality that makes SD content look like full HD

Toshiba takes the guesswork out of home theatre viewing
Toshiba’s newAutoView feature automatically adjusts picture settings based on the ambient room lighting and the type of video content being displayed, reducing the amount of energy used while improving the viewing experience.

Through a built-in light sensor and intelligent algorithms, AutoView ensures increased image quality at all times, no matter the surroundings. Consumers no longer need to worry about the glare from afternoon sunlight or eye strain when watching TV in a darkened room. AutoView is available in the RV535 and XV545 REGZA series.

FALL 2008 TOSHIBA LCD TV SERIES:
XV545 Series – REGZA 1080p Full HD with SRT, AutoView, ClearFrame and Double Skin Cabinetry
The top-of-the-line XV545 series offers advanced technology and picture quality in 42-inch, 46-inch and 52-inch screen sizes (diagonal). This lineup includes Toshiba’s new SRT upconversion technology, AutoView and Double Skin Cabinetry. The cabinet’s outer skin is translucent, allowing viewers to see through to a second interior skin with texture behind it – creating a feeling of dimension and a rich, luxurious look.

For fast action movies and sports, the XV545 line features Toshiba’s ClearFrame™ technology, which virtually eliminates motion blur. The 120Hz system doubles the frame rate of an LCD TV from 60 frames per second to 120 frames per second, creating tire-spinning action sequences and game-winning sports moments that are more crisp and clear. All REGZA models with ClearFrame 120 Hz technology include Film Stabilization mode for a picture with smoother motion. Toshiba’s 5:5 Pull-Down process offers a more film-like viewing experience. This series also features 14-Bit PixelPure® 4G Internal Digital Video Processing with 10-Bit LCD panels for 16,384 levels of gradation and Toshiba’s ColourBurst™ wide colour gamut for rich life-like colour. In addition, the XV545 series includes four HDMI inputs with REGZA LINK (HDMI™-CEC) and Toshiba’s SoundStrip® speaker technology, which allows for home theatre sound in a small strip beneath the screen.

To keep the avid gamer one step ahead, the line also offers Gaming Mode and Native Mode, which enhance the overall gaming experience. Gaming Mode reduces input lag by shortening the overall signal to screen response time for improved reaction time. Native Mode eliminates overscan that can hide up to 8 per cent of the original image around the perimeter of the screen.

Like all of Toshiba’s new LCD TV lines, the XV545 features a CineSpeed™ panel for faster response times, DynaLight™ control for deeper black levels and is ENERGY STAR® 3.0 compliant.

RV535 Series – REGZA 1080p Full HD with SRT, AutoView and Double Skin Cabinetry
The REGZA RV535 series, available in 42-inch, 46-inch and 52-inch (diagonal) screen sizes, features Toshiba’s PixelPure 4G 14-bit internal digital video processor, with 4,096 levels of gradation, as well as four HDMI inputs with REGZA LINK (HDMI-CEC) and Toshiba’s SoundStrip speaker technology. The RV535 lineup is Energy Star 3.0 compliant and includes Toshiba’s SRT upconversion technology, AutoView, Gaming Mode, Native Mode as well as Toshiba’s new Double Skin Cabinetry.

RV525 Series – 1080p Full HD
Available in a 40-inch (diagonal) screen size, Toshiba’s RV525 series provides 1080p Full HD resolution, offering consumers impressive high-definition quality at attractive price points in beautiful high-gloss cabinetry. The RV525 series features DynaLight Dynamic Backlight control for deep blacks, Native Mode, Gaming Mode and a high-res PC input. The REGZA RV 525 Series is Energy Star 3.0 compliant.

AV502 Series – 720p HD
Replacing Toshiba’s AV500 series in the 22-inch, 26-inch, 32-inch and 37-inch (diagonal) sizes, Toshiba’s new entry-level 720p LCD TV series offers high-gloss black cabinetry and a thinner bezel than its predecessor, plus two HDMI inputs and a PC input, creating a very feature rich entry-level lineup. Wrapped in a high-gloss cabinet and standing less than 18-inches high to fit beneath standard kitchen cabinets, this set joins Toshiba’s 19.0-inch (diagonal) AV500 models. The REGZA AV502 Series features Gaming Mode, Native Mode and is Energy Star 3.0 compliant.

Fall lineup pricing:

XV545 Series

• REGZA 42XV545U – 1599.99
• REGZA 46XV545U – 1999.99
• REGZA 52XV545U – 2499.99

RV535 Series

• REGZA 42RV535U – 1399.99
• REGZA 46RV535U – 1799.99
• REGZA 52RV535U – 2199.99

RV525 Series

• REGZA 40RV525U – 1199.99

AV502 Series

• REGZA 22AV502U – 479.99
• REGZA 26AV502U – 599.99
• REGZA 32AV502U – 749.99
• REGZA 37AV502U – 949.99

Toshiba is committed to making its products consumer friendly and friendly to the environment. Its products, including the REGZA series, meet Toshiba’s ongoing efforts to bring eco-conscious products to market and to comply with the company’s strict environmental policies. The REGZA models announced are Energy Star 3.0 for energy efficiency. Environmental management is promoted both from the standpoint of improving products themselves and renewing manufacturing processes, which call for the elimination of hazardous substances in products as well as avoiding the use of hazardous substances in the manufacturing process.

If you’ve balanced a laptop computer on your lap lately, you probably noticed a burning sensation. That’s because ever-increasing processing speeds are creating more and more heat, which has to go somewhere — in this case, into your lap.

Two researchers at the University of Virginia’s School of Engineering and Applied Science aim to lay the scientific groundwork that will solve the problem using nanoelectronics, considered the essential science for powering the next generation of computers.

“Laptops are very hot now, so hot that they are not ‘lap’ tops anymore,” said Avik Ghosh, an assistant professor in the Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “The prediction is that if we continue at our current pace of miniaturization, these devices will be as hot as the sun in 10 to 20 years.”

To head off this problem, Ghosh and Mircea Stan, also a professor in the department, are re-examining nothing less than the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The law states that, left to itself, heat will transfer from a hotter unit to a cooler one — in this case between electrical computer components — until both have roughly the same temperature, a state called “thermal equilibrium.”

The possibility of breaking the law will require Ghosh and Stan to solve a scientifically controversial — and theoretical — conundrum known as “Maxwell’s Demon.”

Introduced by Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell in 1871, the concept theorizes that the energy flow from hot to cold could be disrupted if there were a way to control the transfer of energy between two units. Maxwell’s Demon would allow one component to take the heat while the other worked at a lower temperature.

This could be accomplished only if the degree of natural disorder, or entropy, were reduced. And that’s the “demon” in Maxwell’s Demon. “Device engineering is typically based on operating near thermal equilibrium,” Ghosh said.

But, he added, nature has examples of biological cells that operate outside thermal equilibrium.

“Chlorophyll, for example, can convert photons into energy in highly efficient ways that seem to violate traditional thermodynamic expectations,” he said.

A closely related concept, Brownian “ratchets,” will also be explored. This concept proposes that devices could be engineered to convert non-equilibrium electrical activity into directed motion, allowing energy to be harvested from a heat source.

If computers could be made with components that operate outside thermal equilibrium, it could mean better computer performance. Basically, your laptop wouldn’t burst into flames as it processes larger amounts of information at faster speeds. Also, because it would operate at extremely low power levels and would have the ability to harness, or scavenge, power dissipated by other functions, battery life would increase.

Combining Ghosh’s command of physics with Stan’s expertise in electrical engineering, the two hope to bridge the concept of tackling Maxwell’s Demon and Brownian ratchets from theoretical physics to engineered technologies.

“These theories have been looked at from a physics perspective for years, but not from the perspective of electrical engineering,” Stan said. “So that’s where we are trying to break some ground.”

The big story of the week is that Google is the latest company to enter the browser wars with a new browser called Chrome. We didn’t know what to expect from a browser with a lame name and a logo that looks like a cross between a pokeball and a Simon says toy. But, we have been running it all week and for beta software, we were impressed.

Chrome works very well, it’s fast, reliable, and has a number of attractive new features. Chrome is a little different than Internet Explorer (IE) or Firefox, like Google itself, takes a minimalist approach to user interface, very sparse. The biggest difference is that there is no search bar, the address bar has two functions and the convenience is an advantage. Another cool feature, when you create a new tab, the default is to show thumbnails of the most visited websites.

The most important change, which has been causing some debate on the interwebs, is under the hood. Each instance of the browser, each tab or window, runs as its own process. This means that if something goes wrong with a website and the browser freezes, you can kill that tab (process) without having to restart the entire browser, like IE or Firefox. But there is a downside, each of the browser instances take more computer resources.

To Google, the benefits of their own browser is clear, the promotion of Google and its own services, and Google will receive information about where people surf, even if they are not using Google (depending on your security configuration).

For users there is no compelling reason to switch to Chrome. Either IE, Firefox or Opera are more polished, and they all have features that users expect. But Chrome offers a series of innovations in terms of how it looks and perhaps more importantly how it is designed. It will shake up the browser marketplace and have a positive effect on future browser development, competition is always good for innovation.

Why don’t you decide, download Chrome for yourself (only for Windows).

Samsung Electronics Canada, a leading innovator in the world’s technology industry, raises the bar in viewing, storing and enjoying special memories with the release of three new digital photo frame series – the H-Series, P-Series and V-Series.

With their stylish frames, vibrant colour display and storage capabilities, Samsung’s new digital photo frames provide users with an elegant platform to showcase their favourite memories. All three series of digital photo frames offers the ability to use the digital frame as a secondary PC monitor, where users can view files, surf the web, listen to MP3 files, watch videos and even access Instant Messenger. The P and V-series both allow users to enhance their photo-viewing experiences by playing MP3 files as background music for photo slideshows; in addition the V-series also provides users with Wi-Fi capabilities. Those with an abundance of images will embrace the H-Series frames that offer 7” and 8” screen sizes as well as 1G of built-in memory – allowing the user to showcase up to 3,000 photos.

“Without a doubt, digital photo frames have become very popular among Canadian consumers,” said Ronald Hulse, Vice President Sales & Marketing, IT Division, Samsung Electronics Canada. “With the technology and innovation found in our new line-up of digital photo frames, memories are brought back to life like never before.”

Realizing consumers’ need for technology products that are multi-functional as well as stylish, Samsung has raised the bar with its new lineup of digital photo frames. With features such as increased memory capacity and Wi-Fi functionality, Samsung’s digital photo frames provide the latest in digital technology in a sleek and streamlined package.

As consumers continue to embrace digital technology via the use of digital cameras, the demand for premium, feature-laden and aesthetically pleasing options has increased. With hundreds of images residing on the average home computer, Samsung’s new photo frames provide the needed solution for displaying a multitude of pictures in a single, streamlined package.

V Series:
With the new V Series, users can wirelessly download images from their PCs via a Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi connection also allows individuals to view website photos without the need of a PC. With the SPF-85V model, users are connected to live web data and instant updates, which will automatically be added to the digital photo frame.

Offered in 8” and 10.2” screen sizes, the V will be available at Future Shop and Samsung resellers starting July 2008 at an MSRP of $229.99 and $239.99 for the black and wooden finishes respectively.

P Series:
Enriching the photo viewing experience, the P series allows users to play and designate MP3 files as background music for photo slideshows. What’s more, users have a choice of five playback slideshow speeds and can even apply various effects when transitioning from one slide to another. The series’ intuitive graphic interface is easy to use; allowing users to create slideshows and navigate through content effortlessly.

Available in 8” and 10.2” screen sizes The P Series will be available at Future Shop and Best Buy as well as Samsung resellers starting July 2008 at an MSRP of $169.99 and $229.99 for the black finish; $179.99 for the wooden finish.

H Series:
With its ultra slim and stylish design, the H Series seamlessly fits into any home décor style. Available in 7” and 8” screen sizes and offering 1G of built-in memory, the H Series provides users with a convenient way to showcase up to 3,000 photos.

Strategically designed so the controls are hidden on the trim of the frame, the LED Front Touch buttons are easily accessible without compromising the style of the frame.

The H Series will be available at Future Shop and Best Buy as well as Samsung resellers starting July 2008 at an MSRP of $119.99 and $149.99 for the black 7” and 8” respectively; $129.99 and $159.99 for the wooden finish.

Panasonic Canada Inc. today introduced the LUMIX DMC-LX3 digital camera, the successor to the highly-regarded and popular DMC-LX2. Designed for easy, creative shooting and high-performance in low-light conditions, the DMC-LX3 features a F2.0 24mm LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMICRON lens, 10.1 megapixels and an ultra-sensitive 1/1.63-inch CCD developed specifically for this model. By combining a high-quality lens and sensor ready for a variety of shooting conditions with a wide-range of accessories and manual controls, the DMC-LX3 is ideal for professional photographers and serious amateurs looking for a compact digital camera that furthers their creative photography.

At the heart of the DMC-LX3 is its 1/1.63-inch CCD. Making the intentional choice to limit the number of megapixels to 10.1 on its CCD, Panasonic was able to give more space for each pixel and also redesign the peripheral circuits and other components to further minimize noise generation. As a result, sensitivity is almost 40 per cent higher and saturation is increased by 35 percent, when compared to Panasonic’s 10 MP digital cameras(1), giving the DMC-LX3 outstanding image quality and a wide dynamic range, and meeting the demand for a camera that works optimally in low-light environments. The CCD is also capable of reproducing images in three aspect ratios – 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9. The new Multi Aspect mode enables the camera to take an image in all three aspect ratios simultaneously, allowing users to choose the version that best suits their needs.

“With the strong response towards the DMC-LX2, Panasonic has taken its technology a step further by upgrading several key components that we think will make the LX3 another win,” said Doug Borbath, Senior Product Manager, Panasonic Imaging Group. “With the enhanced CCD and extensive manual and automatic functions, the DMC-LX3 is ideal for photographers looking for a full-featured compact digital camera with some DSLR-like characteristics and a wide-range of optional accessories.”

Another major upgrade to the LX3 is the F2.0 24mm ultra wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMICRON lens. The F2.0 is about twice as bright as a F2.8 lens and can shoot at higher shutter speeds to capture clear, blur-free images in dimly lit environments. In addition, the 24mm lens captures approximately a 213 per cent larger viewing angle than a normal 35mm camera and 136 per cent larger compared to a 28mm wide-angle lens. The lens unit consists of eight elements in six groups with four aspherical lenses with four aspherical surfaces. As a result of the F2.0 lens, the LX3 produces high resolution and minimal distortion and artifacts – such as chromatic aberrations, ghosting and flaring.

The LX3 also incorporates the Venus Engine IV, which provides more advanced signal processing technology for producing higher-quality images with reduced noise in both luminance signal and chromatic signal processing – as compared to the Venus Engine III. The Venus Engine IV supports high sensitivity recording, enabling the DMC-LX3 to record at up to ISO 3200 at full resolution, enough to capture subjects in low lighting without using a flash(2). The Venus Engine IV also supports a faster response time, allowing the camera to shoot 2.5 shots per second at full resolution and six shots per second in High-Speed Burst mode.

The easy-to-use joystick operation which was featured in its predecessor continues with the LX3, as its intuitive design makes selecting different settings on the camera, including focus, aperture and shutter speed – easy and quick. Other convenient design elements include a switch on the side of the lens barrel that allows the user to quickly change the focus modes between Manual Focus, Auto Focus and Macro Auto Focus. When choosing Manual Focus, the focus distance and the depth of field according to the zoom range and aperture is also displayed. For setting white balance, the LX3 provides a new colour temperature display function, and still includes the Two-Axis white balance adjustment settings offered in previous models. Users can also customize and store their own personal settings of up to four unique functions and instantly recall them later using the mode dial.

Furthering its creative options, the LX3 also features a Film mode with six colour types and three types of monochrome selections. Much like selecting from different film types, this function gives the user the flexibility and creative freedom to take more expressive digital photos. Also, when using the Multi-film mode, the LX3 produces a maximum of three images from a RAW file for the user to compare the different textures. Another new feature is the multiple-exposure feature, which lets the user create artistic photos by overlaying up to three consecutive images, while still viewing the last image on the 3-inch LCD screen. The LCD on the LX3 is new and improved with a 460,000-dot high resolution.

While the LX3 allows full manual control for more advanced photography, it also includes Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto mode (iA), including the new feature, AF (auto focus) Tracking. AF Tracking automatically tracks the image subject and locks it into focus, making it easier for anyone to capture sharp, well-focused photos. The AF Tracking technology also improves face detection accuracy, allowing for crisp, sharp-focused shots even if the subject moves or turns their face. Other iA technologies include Intelligent Exposure, Digital Red-eye Correction, MEGA O.I.S, Intelligent ISO, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection (up to 15 faces) and Quick AF.

The DMC-LX3 has the ability to record High Definition (HD) video in 1280 × 720p at 24fps. With the newly added HD component output capability, still and moving pictures can be viewed by connecting the camera to a TV via an optional component cable (DMW-HDC2). In addition, the LX3 features Image Leveling, so when a captured image “leans” to the right or left because the camera was held at a slight angle when the photo was taken, this feature rotates the image to straighten it and crops the unnecessary edges.

A number of accessories are also available to further expand the flexibility of the LX3 as more than just a typical point-and-shoot camera. The optional Wide Conversion Lens (DMW-LW46) brings the maximum wide angle to 18mm. Other optional accessories include: ND Filter (DMW-LND46)(3), the new PL Filter (DMW-LPL46), the high-end aluminum External Optical Viewfinder (DMW-VF1); the GN22 Compact Flash mounts to the LX3’s hot shoe – a new feature for the LX-Series.

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX3 will be available in black in August 2008 for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $549.99.

Panasonic Canada Inc. has unveiled the LUMIX DMC-FZ28 digital camera, which boasts a premium 27mm wide-angle LEICA lens with an 18x optical zoom, ideal for tight indoor shots and long-distance action photos. The 10.1 megapixel digital camera also features an enhanced Intelligent Auto Mode (iA), with the new AF (auto focus) Tracking function, making it easier for photographers at any level to shoot sharp, well-focused photos, even when the subject is moving – making it ideal for action shots.

The AF Tracking function, the latest component to be added to Panasonic’s iA system, allows users to lock focus on a moving subject. The camera then automatically tracks the subject as it moves, keeping it in focus without the need to hold the shutter halfway down. AF Tracking makes it easier to capture moving subjects and spur-of-the-moment action shots. The AF Tracking technology also improves Face Detection (up to 15 faces), by providing continuous adjustment of the focus and exposure, even if the face is turned away from the camera.(1)

“The FZ28 packs a wide-angle lens and a high-powered zoom, so shooting outdoor events or vacation adventures is easy with this powerful camera,” said Doug Borbath, Senior Product Manager, Panasonic Imaging Group. “Without sacrificing Panasonic’s reputation for high-quality lenses and innovative technologies, the FZ28 expands the Intelligent Auto Mode, allowing a user at any level to take high-quality photos.”

In addition to the AF Tracking functionality, Panasonic’s other iA technologies include:

• Intelligent Exposure – Helps prevents photos from being under- or over-exposed by instantly analyzing the framed image and adjusting the brightness in areas that are too dark because of dim lighting, backlighting or the use of the flash. The camera will automatically adjust the brightness accordingly.
• Digital Red-eye Correction – This feature helps to eliminate the red-eye problem that sometimes results when taking flash shots at night. Incorporated into the camera, the built-in flash emits a small preliminary flash before the main flash, detects red-eye and will digitally correct it.
• MEGA O.I.S. – Gyrosensors detect hand-shake and the lens system shifts to compensate, helping to prevent hand-shake from creating a blurry image.
• Intelligent ISO – Determines if the photo subject is moving and changes the ISO setting and shutter speed accordingly, thus giving a blur-free photo.
• Intelligent Scene Selector – Senses the ambient conditions, recognizes the shooting environment and will automatically select the appropriate scene mode from: Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait or Night Scenery mode. This intuitive technology helps the consumer use the most common scene modes that are built into the camera but often go unused without making any manual adjustments.
• Face Detection – Detects faces in the frame (up to 15 faces), even if they are moving, and selects optimal focus and exposure settings so portraits come out clear.
• Quick AF (Auto Focus) – Starts focusing on the subject by just pointing the camera, thus minimizing the AF time.

The high-quality, high-performance Venus Engine IV supports a faster response time, allowing the camera to shoot 2.5 shots per second at full resolution and 13 shots per second in High-Speed Burst mode. The LUMIX DMC-FZ28 is also is equipped with a 2.7-inch large, high resolution LCD with 230,000 pixels, and a high resolution electric viewfinder equivalent to 201,600 pixels.

The DMC-FZ28 also features High Defintion (HD) video capabilities with a resolution of 1280 × 720p at 30fps. Still photos can also be shot in a 16:9 aspect ratio for optimal full-screen viewing on a HDTV. Panasonic VIERA Plasma or LCD HDTVs also feature an integrated SD Memory Card slot, allowing users to easily view photos by simply inserting the SD Memory Card into the convenient SD Card slot built into the TV. Consumer can also enjoy watching videos in HD quality and view still images on their TV by connecting the DMC-FXZ28 via an optional Panasonic component cable (DMW-HDC2).

Additional features of the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ28 include:

• Image Leveling – When a captured image “leans” to the right or left because the camera was held at a slight angle when the photo was taken, the Image Leveling function rotates the image to straighten it and crops the unnecessary edges. No computer needed!
• Scene Modes – The DMC-FZ28 offers a total of 37 scene modes to respond easily to any shooting situation. The new Pin Hole and Film Grain modes add unique, film camera-like effects and ambiences to images. Additionally, the actual effects of the scene mode can be viewed on the LCD before taking the shot.
• Flash – Reaches a distance of 8.5 meters at the wide setting and 5.4 meters at the telephoto setting (ISO AUTO).
• SILKYPIX Developer Studio 3.0 SE – Software application comes bundled with the DMC-FZ28 for editing and developing images in the RAW file format.

The Panasonic LUMIX DMC-FZ28 will be available in titanium and black in August 2008 for a suggested retail price of $449.99.

Bell today announced it will introduce the Samsung Instinct ^TM, a stylish and highly intelligent touch-screen mobile phone, to Canada on August 8.

Already a hot seller in the United States since its introduction there last month, the sleek and slender Samsung Instinct offers easy touch or stylus navigation on its full QWERTY touch-screen keyboard and extra-large high-resolution display.

The Samsung Instinct will also be available with a wide range of voice and data plans, including the $10 Unlimited Mobile Browser add-on data plan that allows unlimited Internet access.

“We are thrilled to offer Canadians this beautifully designed and intelligent device. Accessing the Internet, listening to downloaded music or satellite radio, watching TV or using it as a GPS system, it’s all a real pleasure with the Samsung Instinct thanks to its powerful touch screen and easy interface,” said Adel Bazerghi, Vice President, Products for Bell Mobility. “Data pricing plans available with the Samsung Instinct will offer also exceptional value and let clients take full advantage of Bell Mobility’s wide range of data services.”

Multimedia data services from Bell

Bell offers access to the fastest and largest high-speed mobile data network across North America, making Internet browsing on the Samsung Instinct quick and easy. Bell also delivers a range of multimedia and other data services that are perfect for the powerful device:

• GPS Nav turn-by-turn navigation with audio directions and live traffic updates
• Messaging services such as Windows Live Messenger ^TM and Windows Live Hotmail ^R
• With more than two million songs, Bell’s Full Track Music service is the largest mobile music catalogue in Canada, and the only one to offer full album downloads, artist bios and music reviews. Bell offers an unlimited subscription service for $15 per month
• Mobile television featuring more than 20 popular channels, and exclusive HBO programming
• SIRIUS Satellite Radio

The Samsung Instinct includes a 2.0 MP camera/camcorder and supports up to an 8 GB Micro SD card, allowing clients to download and permanently retain content by purchasing additional cards if necessary.

Samsung Instinct pricing

The Samsung Instinct will be available for as little as $149.95 on a three-year contract, $249.95 on a two-year contract or $399.95 on a one-year contract. Clients can buy the Samsung Instinct without a term contract for $449.95.

For more information, please visit bell.ca/instinct.

MeeMix Internet Radio, currently in public Beta, intends on providing a new and progressive way to listen and discover music online. Music is a lifestyle, an attitude and a state of mind. You’re sharing much more than just music at MeeMix.

MeeMix is an internet community website that offers its members a chance to create and listen to personalized radio stations that envisage your musical preferences based on the company’s cutting edge taste prediction algorithm. MeeMix technology combined with a progressive web based communal experience offers its users a new and unique way to enjoy and share music.

MeeMix provides a fast and easy registration process that will allow full, unlimited and free access to all MeeMix music, communities and services. First time visitors to www.meemix.com can try out the service before registering and create up to 3 radio stations that allow you to listen to 5 songs on each station. All new MeeMix members will receive an unlimited amount of invitations to send out to friends and family.

In MeeMix, users can connect with and meet a diverse community of music lovers from around the world based on their shared musical tastes. Members can also broadcast their personal radio stations, receive comments and chat while listening to the same playlists.

“Music is a lifestyle, an attitude and a state of mind. You’re sharing much more than just music at MeeMix.” said Gilad Shlang, CEO and Founder of MeeMix. “Music is part of who we are.”

“MeeMix is focused on taking the work out of entertainment”, Shlang adds. “It’s all about you, your tastes and connecting with like-minded people. No more searching, downloading and sorting through music you’re not interested in. MeeMix is a place where you can sit back and enjoy a way of life that is your own.”

Listen Only to the Music You Love

On July 20, Facebook ^® released a new, cleaner and simpler design, along with the opportunity for users to preview and test the next-generation features and functionality. The company is inviting people to use the new design and try out the improved features by navigating back and forth between the new and current versions of the site. Access to the new design will be limited at first and gradually become available to all of Facebook’s more than 80 million users over the coming days.

“We’ve made the changes rolling out today in order to highlight the most recent and relevant information that users value, give users even more control and ownership over their profiles and simplify the user experience,” said Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “Facebook’s new design makes it a lot easier for users to share information, and we encourage them to check it out.”

The company has been developing the new design since early this year. Over the past six months, more than 100,000 Facebook users offered constructive suggestions on the layout and features, many of which were included in the final version.

The Power of Feeds

Facebook uses feeds to deliver people news and information in a social context. The evolution of the site design focuses on integrating powerful feed technology and the Wall, a forum for users and their friends to post comments, photos, videos and more, including content from third-party applications. The Wall now surfaces more current and pertinent information, or “stories”, about a user and their friends’ on Facebook.

New Types of Stories

Users have complete control over the stories published on their profile. They also have the ability to adjust the size and prominence of stories and can choose between having one-line stories, short or full stories. One-line stories are one sentence long, while short stories include thumbnail photos or content, and full stories display large, noticeable images.

Publish More Content

Located on the Wall tab, the Publisher feature enables users to create more content than ever and in a centralized place. From the Publisher, a user can add photos, upload video, or write notes, rather than navigating to each individual application. Similarly, users can add content to their friends’ profiles through the Publisher on their profiles.

Easier Site Navigation with Tabs

The top menu is similar to the old design and allows users to access their Profile, Friends, and Inbox. The left hand applications menu has been moved to the ‘Applications’ link on the top of the menu screen. The Profile is now split out into tabs:

• The Wall tab displays the most recent and relevant information both about the user and by the user;

• The Info tab shows information about the user that doesn’t change frequently;

• The Photos tab shows photos of the user as well as their albums;

• The Boxes tab features all of a user’s existing application boxes.

Users are also able to add individual tabs for their favorite applications. This gives users greater control over their own profiles and makes navigation faster and easier.

Applications and the New Design

Third-party applications are more tightly integrated into Facebook in order to make using applications simpler and more seamless. Users will have the option to interact with an application before adding it, grant it access to their information, and decide where they want it placed, if at all, on their profiles.

Privacy Controls

On Facebook, users choose what information they put in their profile, including contact and personal information, pictures, interests and groups they join. And they control the users with whom they share that information through the privacy settings on the Privacy page of their profile. The new design does not change any of the privacy settings previously selected by the user. The new Facebook design will be made available to users at www.new.facebook.com. In the coming weeks, all Facebook users will automatically default to the new site design when logging in at www.facebook.com.

Canadians instinctively searching for a new and innovative touch-control wireless device will find that their senses are on the mark. Samsung, a world leader in wireless communications, will be bringing its highly-anticipated, all-in-one Samsung INSTINCT device to Canada this summer.

Generating a lot of buzz south of the border, the INSTINCT will provide Canadian users with the ultimate touch-screen mobile experience. From their fingertips, Canadians can seamlessly and instantaneously stay connected to family, friends and the office.

“Millions of people around the world own Samsung wireless handsets. Our company is known for its innovative, stylish and reliable wireless products and now, with the upcoming launch of INSTINCT, we’re raising the bar higher in terms of delivering the ultimate mobile experience,” said Paul Brannen, General Manager, Wireless Terminals Division, Samsung Electronics Canada.

Instinctively Intelligent

INSTINCT is loaded with all the top wireless features including turn-by-turn GPS navigation; full HTML browsing capabilities; enhanced multimedia features for high quality movie and music enjoyment and faster upload and download speeds via the EVDO Rev A network platform.

The Samsung INSTINCT also features:

• Touch screen interface that also works with a Stylus
• Landscape full QWERTY keyboard with full resolution screen
• Turn-by-turn GPS navigation with service from select carriers
• Multimedia functionality allowing users to listen to music while they text or surf the web
• Live TV and radio streaming capabilities
• 2.0 mega pixel camera with 4x digital zoom and video camcorder
• Full HTML browser
• Access web-based email through the web browser, similar to your desktop experience

For a sneak peak of the Samsung INSTINCT, visit www.samsung.com/instinct.

Future Shop, Canada’s largest retailer and e-tailer of consumer electronics, announced today an application for users to browse and buy Future Shop products directly on BlackBerry ^R smartphones from Research In Motion (RIM). The new application from Future Shop takes convenience and shopping on-the-go to a whole new level.

Millions of Canadians visit Future Shop’s web site every week, and now BlackBerry smartphone users have the opportunity to make shopping at futureshop.ca simple and convenient with the new optimized futureshop.ca site for BlackBerry users available today.

Futureshop.ca’s navigation has been directly integrated into the BlackBerry ^R Browser menu, boosting user experience by customizing content and the website’s format for optimal mobile viewing. Designed to work seamlessly with RIM’s BlackBerry Wallet application, personal information remains secure, and shopping becomes easy. BlackBerry Wallet retrieves shipping, reward program and credit card information securely stored on the user’s BlackBerry smartphone and can automatically populate Futureshop.ca’s checkout for the buyer.

“Providing a customized shopping experience on the BlackBerry platform was a natural match for Future Shop,” says Robert Pearson, Director of E-Commerce. “We have hundreds of thousands of tech savvy customers who visit our web site every day and now with this new way to shop futureshop.ca on your BlackBerry smartphone, customers have the enhanced shopping experience they are looking for.”

Download the new application for futureshop.ca.

Bell, the exclusive Telecommunications Partner of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, today announced the availability of the Samsung m530 Canadian Olympic Team phone. With this phone, Canadians can connect with the Canadian Olympic Team, share in the Olympic experience, and show support leading up to and during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

“This phone delivers the ultimate sports and entertainment experience for Canadian Olympic fans,” said Loring Phinney, Vice President, Olympic and Corporate Marketing for Bell. “The exclusive content and interactive functions of this one-of-a kind, limited edition Canadian Olympic Team branded phone will enable fans to connect to athletes any time and anywhere.”

The Samsung m530 is the ideal phone to watch CBC Olympic Games’ live coverage from Beijing and video clips of the Games’ highlights; check Canada’s medal standings; view exclusive interviews with athletes and text in votes for top Bell Olympic Moments on CBC. Bell Mobility’s Beijing 2008 video bundle is available for a one time fee of $8, and will offer ongoing coverage of the Olympic Games from August 8 to August 24.

“This feature-rich, multi-media phone supports a variety of our most popular multimedia and messaging services, all powered by the fastest and largest network across Canada,” said Adel Bazerghi, Vice President, Products for Bell Mobility. “We are pleased to offer Canadians a phone that lets them so directly demonstrate their Olympic spirit.”

Demos of Sega Mobile’s Sonic at the Olympic Games and Beijing 2008, the Official Mobile Phone Game of the Olympic Games, two high quality mobile games that feature rich graphics, quality audio and one-thumb controls, are pre-loaded on the phone. The unit itself displays the Canadian Olympic Team logo and the wallpaper, an iconic 2010 Olympic Winter Games logo.

As part of its Olympic Games content, Bell will also offer screensavers of competing countries’ flags and ringtones of their national anthems for download.

The Samsung m530 includes a camera/camcorder, speakerphone and expandable memory. It features the Bell User Experience, a customized user interface that allows clients to create shortcuts to their favourite applications and services, directly on the home screen. The Samsung m530 supports services including:

• GPS Nav turn-by-turn navigation
• Full Track Music
• SIRIUS Satellite Radio
• Windows Live Hotmail ^R and Windows Live Messenger ^TM
• Picture and video messaging

The Samsung m530 is offered in white and is available for as little as $49.95 on a three-year contract with a Fun Bundle.

More information on the Samsung m530 and Bell Mobility’s Olympic Games content.

Ubisoft announced the acquisition of Hybride Technologies, a Montreal-based studio renowned for its expertise in the creation of visual effects for cinema, television and advertising.

Created over 15 years ago, Hybride employs 80 team members. The studio’s many projects include such innovative films as 300, Frank Miller’s Sin City and the Spy Kids series.

Ubisoft will work closely with Hybride to share technology and to develop tools in order to optimize the creation of both video games and visual effects and to offer gamers visual experiences that rival those of the cinema. At the same time, Hybride will continue to work with its film partners while also bringing its expertise to leverage Ubisoft’s intellectual properties for the movie industry.

“The future of our industry depends on our ability to create brands that captivate audiences and to extend those brands to other forms of entertainment,” said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “The acquisition of Hybride falls directly into the strategy that has already led us to open a digital creation studio in Montreal and to acquire the Tom Clancy brand for video games and ancillary products. The exceptional quality of the team at Hybride and the expertise of our Ubisoft teams will allow us to create one of the best 3D animation studios in the entertainment industry.”

“This alliance is a true first for the industry,” continued Yannis Mallat, chief executive officer of Ubisoft Montreal. “Ubisoft and Hybride share the same vision of entertainment convergence and a common passion for innovation and creativity.”

“It is the quality and innovation of our artists that made Hybride into one of the most successful studios in cinema and the most important visual effects producer on the North American East Coast,” stated Pierre Raymond, founder and chief executive officer at Hybride Technologies. “The sharing of technological and creative expertise between Ubisoft and Hybride will position the two companies at the head of the pack in an entertainment industry in rapid evolution.”

In addition to bringing its technological knowledge and its collaboration to Ubisoft’s brands, Hybride will continue to work with its external partners. The forecast for this visual effects creation activity for cinema, television and advertising will initially generate sales of approximately 6 to 7 M euros and a current operating income of about 10 % of sales.

A video montage of both Hybride and Ubisoft projects can be seen at uplay.us.ubi.com

Absolute ^R Software, the leading provider of firmware-based, patented, Computer Theft Recovery, Data Protection and Secure Asset Tracking ^TM
solutions announced that its laptop management and theft recovery services have helped solve several recent cases of laptop theft in U.S. airports. The stories include: recovering a business laptop stolen while its owner was on her way to Germany, breaking up an internal theft ring at Tampa International Airport and recovering a Spokane traveler’s laptop allegedly stolen from baggage handling at Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport.

According to John Livingston, Chairman and CEO of Absolute, “New research from the Ponemon Institute sponsored by Dell indicates that as many as 12,000 computers are lost weekly and up to 600,000 are lost or stolen annually from U.S. airports. These statistics are further evidence that even in high security environments, laptops continue to be stolen at alarming rates. In our experience, a great proportion of these thefts have been from checked baggage. With Computrace ^R and Computrace ^R LoJack ^R for Laptops ^TM, our clients have the peace of mind that their computer and the sensitive information on it are protected as they travel. Recovering computers with a high success rate would not be possible without the assistance of investigative experts, such as the Absolute Theft Recovery Team.”

Available on a subscription basis and delivered as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) via the Internet, Absolute’s suite of Computrace ^R solutions are designed specifically to manage mobile computers. For larger organizations, Computrace inventories computers that have left the corporate network, remotely deletes sensitive information and offers post-theft forensic analysis. For home office users, small businesses and students, Computrace LoJack for Laptops offers theft recovery and identity protection through remote data delete capabilities backed by a Service Guarantee of up to $1,000. Absolute has also developed a powerful set of theft recovery tools, which include capabilities such as keystroke loggers, cameras, location tracking (Wi-Fi, GPS), remote access terminals, etc., that enable the Absolute Theft Recovery Team to augment their investigation. These tools are only employed post-theft with customer authorization and are used exclusively by Absolute’s trained professionals in order to protect privacy.

Below are several recent investigations into airport computer thefts conducted by the Absolute Theft Recovery Team in conjunction with local police and airport authorities:

Stolen Business Laptop Bound for Germany Calls Home

Bound for Germany, an Absolute client packed her laptop computer into her checked baggage and settled in for her international flight. Upon arriving, she discovered that her laptop bag was empty. Her computer had gone missing in the baggage handling area. A Computrace LoJack for Laptop subscriber, she informed JFK Port Authority PD and the Absolute Theft Recovery Team.

The assigned Absolute Theft Recovery Officer used Absolute’s theft recovery tools to obtain information from the stolen computer and to immediately identify the new user. He then worked with airport authorities to check the name against an employee database. Having identified the new user as a baggage handler, police obtained a search warrant and recovered the stolen laptop and returned it to the business traveler. When confronted, the now former baggage handler claimed the computer was purchased from a third party. Charges of possession of stolen property are now pending. JFK Port Authority PD authorities remarked that the case was one of the fastest and easiest cases they had ever investigated.

Baggage Handlers Arrested: Traveler’s Notebook Recovered

When a notebook computer packed in baggage from Tampa International Airport failed to arrive at its destination, the computer’s owner, a Computrace LoJack for Laptops subscriber, informed airport police and the Absolute Theft Recovery Team.

Information gathered by the Absolute Theft Recovery Team via Computrace led Tampa police to the home of a suspect. On further investigation, police learned that the computer had allegedly been purchased from a Tampa International baggage handler for $350 and was only one of many items that had allegedly been stolen from baggage passing through the airport. Ultimately, police apprehended a total of three airport baggage handlers who are now facing charges of theft. The notebook computer has been returned safely to its owner.

Spokane Traveler’s Laptop Recovered in Arizona

Headed home on a routine flight from Cleveland, Ohio to Spokane, Washington, an Absolute client’s baggage was delayed on a layover in Phoenix, Arizona. When the baggage arrived in Spokane the next morning, the traveler was shocked to find that his laptop had gone missing. The Absolute client reported the theft to Spokane police and alerted the Absolute Theft Recovery Team.

Shortly thereafter, the Absolute Monitoring Center received a silent transmission from the stolen computer and the Absolute Theft Recovery Team discovered that it was in the possession of an individual in Mesa, Arizona. Acting on evidence delivered by Absolute, Mesa detectives served a search warrant on the home of the alleged thief. Attending the address, detectives quickly learned that the computer was being used by a Phoenix baggage handler. The computer has been returned to its owner and Phoenix police are investigating with local pawn shops the possibility of additional related thefts.

How Absolute’s Computrace Services Work

The software-based Computrace Agent that powers Absolute Software’s solutions is embedded in the firmware of computers from the world’s leading computer manufacturers. Access to one of Absolute’s IT asset management, computer theft recovery and remote data protection solutions is typically activated by customers when they purchase a subscription to Computrace or Computrace LoJack for Laptops with terms ranging from 1-4 years.

When a computer equipped with Computrace is reported stolen, Computrace sends a silent signal over the Internet to the Absolute Monitoring Center, at which time the Absolute Theft Recovery Team is able to deploy Absolute’s recovery tools and conduct an investigation in order to obtain critical details including location and unauthorized user information. The Theft Recovery Team then coordinates with local law enforcement for recovery of the stolen machine.

Backed by the Absolute Theft Recovery Team

All Absolute theft recovery solutions are backed by the efforts of the elite Absolute Theft Recovery Team. Staffed by former senior law enforcement officers, the team uses information sent via Computrace to investigate computer thefts, document evidence and work with local law enforcement to physically recover missing computers and prosecute computer thieves.

Please note that indictments and criminal complaints are merely unproven accusations and the accused in all cases are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

For more information on Absolute Software and its range of Computer Theft Recovery, Data Protection and Secure Asset Tracking ^TM solutions, please visit www.absolute.com or www.lojackforlaptops.com.

Kodak Canada Inc. announced the latest addition to its Z-Series line of digital cameras, bringing consumers greater control when taking pictures under various lighting conditions and distances. The KODAK EASYSHARE Z1015 IS Digital Camera offers maximum versatility for serious photographers to easily handle both long-distance and wide-angle shots, while also incorporating Kodak’s innovative Smart Capture feature, which adjusts the camera’s settings for a great picture in virtually any environment – automatically.

“This latest addition to the EASYSHARE System family enables consumers to effortlessly get a brilliant shot every time,” said John Blake, General Manager Digital Capture and Devices, Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “The versatile lens, combined with our exclusive Smart Capture feature, lets consumers capture great pictures as they move from daytime to night and from close-ups to landscapes – the camera does all the thinking for them.”

KODAK EASYSHARE Z1015 IS Digital Camera

The KODAK EASYSHARE Z1015 IS Digital Camera offers a range of professional features for consumers who want an advanced camera with a versatile lens that boasts a best-in-class click to capture speed. Compact, affordable and easy-to-use, the Z1015 IS is designed for the consumer who is serious about capturing great pictures:

• Zoom in fast for crisp, clear shots using the professional-quality 15X – SCHNEIDER- KREUZNACH VARIOGON Optical Zoom Lens with image stabilization.

• Capture dramatic shots in tight quarters or of spectacular landscapes with the f/2.8 28 mm wide-angle lens.

• Count on a great picture in just about any environment – automatically – with Kodak’s innovative Smart Capture feature, which identifies the scene and adjusts camera settings.

• Capture that challenging action shot without delay with best-in-class click-to-capture speed ((less than)0.22 sec.) and auto-focus accuracy.

• Capture the details in low light conditions and fast action situations with high ISO (up to 6400(xx)).

• Take stunning HD pictures and videos and view them on an HDTV with the optional KODAK EASYSHARE HDTV Dock.

• Get creative with advanced settings including program, aperture and shutter priority, as well as full manual mode (PASM).

Pricing and Availability

• The KODAK EASYSHARE Z1015 IS Digital Camera will be available from September 2008 at $349.95 (CDN MSRP).

About the KODAK EASYSHARE System

Kodak continues to bring groundbreaking features to its award-winning KODAK EASYSHARE Digital Photography System, enhancing the digital photography experience for consumers worldwide. The EASYSHARE System consists of digital cameras, picture frames, snapshot printers, online services, software, inkjet printers, and accessories-making picture-taking, sharing and archiving effortless. All KODAK EASYSHARE Products being introduced today include the latest Version 7 of KODAK EASYSHARE Software featuring an array of enhancements to help consumers find, create and share pictures like never before. Version 7 Software now includes direct access to KODAK Gallery making it simple to find albums stored online. The new KODAK EASYSHARE Software Version 7 can be downloaded for free. Further information on all KODAK EASYSHARE Products can be found at www.kodak.ca.

Roaring Penguin Software Inc. analyzed three weeks worth of data collected via its RPTN data-collection system and revealed a worrying trend: Spammers are increasingly using free e-mail providers to avoid IP address-based reputation systems. These systems track mail sent by various IP addresses and assign each IP address a rating. Some anti-spam software operates largely or exclusively on the basis of the IP address rating.

Roaring Penguin’s data shows that over the three weeks from June 13 to July 3, 2008, the percentage of US-originated spam originating from the top 3 free e-mail providers (Yahoo, Google and Hotmail) rose from about 2% to almost 4%. We believe that spammers are using Google’s service in particular to send spam, relying on the fact that blacklisting Google’s servers is impractical for most organizations. According to our data, the probability that an e-mail originating from a Google server is spam rose from 6.8% on June 13 to a whopping 27% on July 3.

A CAPTCHA is a test designed to tell humans apart from computers. It typically involves typing a word seen in an image or heard on an audio recording. CAPTCHAs are designed to prevent automated creation of e-mail accounts.

David Skoll, CTO of Roaring Penguin Software, said: “The effectiveness of IP address-based reputation systems has increased the market value of a good IP address, making spam gangs concentrate their development efforts on breaking CAPTCHAs to create free e-mail addresses from which to spam. We predict a gradual but long-term decline in the effectiveness of IP address reputation systems.”

Roaring Penguin Software’s anti-spam Software relies on a variety of techniques to detect spam including keyword search, header analysis, message format analysis, Bayesian statistical analysis, blacklists, whitelists, greylisting, open proxy lists, DNS verification, content-filtering rules, sender policy framework (SPF), custom rules and more. By not relying on IP address reputation exclusively, Roaring Penguin has been able to retain its
98 % + effectiveness in detecting spam.

Kodak Canada Inc. has announced a feature-packed wireless digital frame series boasting innovative capabilities and accessibility to online content. Available in 10-inch and 8-inch versions, these frames will wirelessly connect consumers to photo-sharing sites including KODAK Gallery and Flickr ^TM, and Internet content manager FrameChannel, a service of Frame Media, Inc.

“Kodak continues to introduce strategic alliances to the mix – partnerships that allow consumers to explore a world without boundaries,” said John Blake, general manager Digital Capture and Devices, Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “Kodak’s relationships with pioneers in photo- and content-sharing make it easier than ever for consumers to share pictures with friends and family.”

KODAK EASYSHARE Wireless Digital Frame Partners

Flickr ^TM

Kodak and Flickr, global leaders in the consumer photography industry, join to make it easy for Flickr members to share their photos with friends and family on a convenient, modern wireless digital frame. Through a relationship with Kodak, Flickr members will be able to enjoy their own digital pictures, including interesting public photos from around the world, on the new KODAK EASYSHARE Wireless Digital Frames.

FrameChannel

With more than 200 channels of dynamic content, connection to FrameChannel via KODAK EASYSHARE Wireless Digital Frames will let consumers access and view the latest news, weather, traffic, sports scores and much more, with just one touch. FrameChannel also acts as a portal enabling access to images from popular photo-sharing and social networking web sites.

KODAK Gallery

KODAK Gallery continues to be an integral partner of the KODAK EASYSHARE Wireless Digital Frames. KODAK EASYSHARE Wireless Digital Frames connected to KODAK Gallery offer consumers the ability to enjoy all of their albums and “my friends” albums right on the frame.

Additionally, with Kodak’s Picture Mail feature, users will be automatically notified when another KODAK Gallery member shares pictures. When this option is activated on a KODAK EASYSHARE Wireless Digital Frame, users will be greeted with an on-frame message letting them know that new pictures have arrived. In addition, members can now send pictures directly from their frame to their friends’ frames through KODAK Gallery. No computer is required, and just like Flickr and FrameChannel, there are no subscription fees for this service.

KODAK EASYSHARE Wireless Digital Frame Features

The new KODAK EASYSHARE W820 and W1020 Wireless Digital Frames are not ordinary picture frames – they are a window to the world. Connect to friends and family with KODAK Gallery and Flickr. Wireless connectivity gives consumers seamless access to their memories – whether they are stored on a home computer or online. The intuitive Quick Touch Border allows users to get the latest news, weather, sports, and more in one touch. It’s the power of the Internet, brought right to your fingertips.

• Display pictures in brilliant colour and crisp detail. Kodak’s Digital Frames display images in HD format (16:9 aspect ratio). The screens are colour-tuned to Kodak’s standards and use proprietary KODAK Color Science for vibrant colours and pleasing skin tones.

• Wirelessly stream all of your pictures and video from your home PC to your frame with built-in Wi-Fi capability.

• Control the frame easily with the Quick Touch Border, allowing for simple operation with a touch or slide of the finger, while leaving the screen fingerprint- and smudge-free.

• Store up to 4000 of your favourite pictures directly on your frame’s 512 MB of internal memory, and even more pictures when using the two convenient memory card slots.

• Customize the frame to match a home’s décor. Two decorative mattes are included in Cranberry Red and Silver colours. In addition, optional KODAK Digital Frame Faceplates are available in Mahogany with a gold matte, Silver with a blue matte, Black Shadowbox with a champagne matte and Espresso Shadowbox with a black matte. Easy to change, the faceplates snap onto the frame and update the look to suit your own personal style.

• Play your digital camera videos and listen to your favourite MP3 songs through built-in speakers, bringing a special dimension to any picture slideshow.

• Transfer pictures from a PC to a KODAK EASYSHARE Digital Frame even more effortlessly with the new KODAK EASYSHARE Digital Display Software. In addition to organizing and editing pictures, this software makes it easy to move favourite pictures and slideshows from a computer directly onto the frame. Use the Digital Display Software to set up the frame, quickly and easily, to access images stored on a computer and exciting Internet content though KODAK Gallery, Flickr and FrameChannel.

Pricing and Availability

• KODAK EASYSHARE W820 Wireless Digital Frame, $229.95 (CDN MRSP), August 2008
• KODAK EASYSHARE W1020 Wireless Digital Frames, $279.99 (CDN MRSP), August 2008

KODAK EASYSHARE Software Digital Frame Edition, with Digital Display Software, will be available with all EASYSHARE Digital Frames and free to download from kodak.ca.

Seagate has unveiled the industry’s first 1.5-terabyte desktop and half-terabyte notebook hard drives to meet explosive worldwide demand for digital-content storage in home and business environments.

The debut of the Barracuda ^R 7200.11 1.5TB hard drive, the eleventh generation of Seagate’s flagship drive for desktop PCs, marks the single largest capacity hard drive jump in the more than half-century history of hard drives — a half-terabyte increase from the previous highest capacity of 1TB, thanks to the capacity-boosting power of perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology.

The Barracuda 7200.11 hard drive combines proven PMR technology, components and expert manufacturing to provide 1.5TB of reliable storage for mainstream desktop computers, workstations, desktop RAID, gaming and high-end PCs, and USB/FireWire/eSATA external storage.

Seagate’s new 2.5-inch half-terabyte 5400- and 7200-rpm drives — Momentus ^R 5400.6 and Momentus 7200.4 — deliver the best combination of capacity, mobility and durability for mainstream and high-performance notebook computers, external storage solutions, PCs and industrial applications requiring small form factor.

Highlighting the global growth of digital content, Seagate expects to ship its two billionth hard drive within the next five years. Earlier this year Seagate shipped its one billionth hard drive since the company’s inception nearly 30 years ago.

“Organizations and consumers of all kinds worldwide continue to create, share and consume digital content at levels never before seen, giving rise to new markets, new applications and demand for desktop and notebook computers with unprecedented storage capacity, performance and reliability,” said Michael Wingert, Seagate executive vice president and general manager, Personal Compute Business. “Seagate is committed to powering the next generation of computing today with the planet’s fastest, highest-capacity and most reliable storage solutions.”

Momentus 5400.6 and Momentus 7200.4 hard drives are the fourth generation of Seagate’s laptop family to use PMR. The Momentus 5400.6, a 5400-rpm drive, combines a powerful Serial ATA 3Gb/second interface and capacities ranging from 120GB to 500GB with an 8MB cache.

The Momentus 7200.4 hard drive, with its 7200-rpm spin speed and a Serial ATA 3GB/second interface, delivers true desktop performance. The power-efficient 7200-rpm drive maximizes battery life and comes in capacities ranging from 250GB to 500GB with a 16MB cache.

Both Momentus drives are built tough enough to withstand up to 1,000 Gs of non-operating shock and 350 Gs of operating shock to protect drive data, making the drives ideal for systems that are subject to rough handling or high levels of vibration. For added robustness in mobile environments, the Momentus 5400.6 and 7200.4 are offered with G-Force Protection, a free-fall sensor technology that helps prevent drive damage and data loss upon impact if a laptop PC is dropped. The sensor works by detecting any changes in acceleration equal to the force of gravity and parks the heads off the disc to prevent contact with the platter in a free fall of as little as 8 inches and within 3/10ths of a second.

Seagate’s new Momentus drives are lean on power consumption, allowing notebook users to work longer between battery charges, and are virtually inaudible thanks to Seagate’s innovative SoftSonic ^TM fluid-dynamic bearing motors and QuietStep ^TM ramp load technology.

The Barracuda 7200.11 hard drive combines the capacity and speed required for today’s most demanding desktop PC applications. The drive packs 1.5TB on just four platters and its fast Serial ATA 3Gb/second interface delivers an industry-leading sustained data rate of up to 120MB/second for fast boot, application startup and file access. The 3.5-inch drive is also offered in capacities of 1TB, 750GB, 640GB, 500GB, 320GB and 160GB with cache options of 32MB and 16MB.

All Momentus and Barracuda drives are backed by Seagate’s leading five-year warranty.

Availability

Shipments of the Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB are set to begin August 2008. Momentus 5400.6 and 7200.4 hard drives are to begin shipping in Q4 calendar 2008.

North America’s most popular iPhone sports web application will now be available to Canadians. With the official launch of the Apple iPhone 3G in Canada on Friday July 11, Canadian users will be able to access ScoreMobile iPhone Edition from anywhere cellular service is available. Volkswagen Canada has signed on as the official Canadian launch partner of Score Mobile iPhone Edition.

Score Mobile iPhone Edition is a free web application that can be accessed with an iPhone or iPod touch. Taking advantage of the unique touch screen interface, the application allows fans to get up-to-the-minute scores and odds along with standings, game previews and real-time boxscores for MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, CFL and NCAA Football and Basketball.

“Since its launch in the United States last fall, Score Mobile iPhone Edition has developed a very strong following,” said Benjamin Levy, Executive Vice President and Co-COO, Score Media Inc. “We are extremely pleased that hardcore sports fans across Canada will finally be able to experience this must-have iPhone application.”

ScoreMobile iPhone Edition was the first iPhone-optimized web application to be launched by a mainstream sports media company in North America.

“We are always looking for new and innovative ways to bring our brand to the consumer,” stated Bruce Rosen, Director of Marketing & Communications at Volkswagen. “The iPhone and The Score combine two passions shared by Volkswagen drivers: sports and intuitive technology.”

From July 11 to August 15, fans will have the chance to win an Apple iPhone (including 3 years of voice, data and text messages) by registering at The Score.

Effective July 11, and as a limited time promotional offer for customers who activate by August 31 on a three year contract, a data-only offering of 6GB of data for $30 per month is being made available that can be added to any in-market voice plan. For example, with 6GB of data, iPhone 3G users can visit 35,952 web pages, or send and receive 157,286 emails, or watch 6,292 minutes of YouTube videos each and every month.

This is still much more expensive than comparable plans in the US or other countries. By comparison, U.S. carrier AT&T has said it will offer unlimited 3G iPhone data plans for $30 a month in addition to voice plans that start at $39.99 a month. As the iPhone is extremely heavy on data usage, the limits imposed by Rogers and Fido will be reached very quickly.

Kodak Canada Inc. today announced the latest M-Series Digital Camera to join its EASYSHARE System portfolio. The KODAK EASYSHARE M1093 IS Digital Camera, a sleek but powerful digital camera for style-conscious consumers, is packed with innovative features, including Kodak’s Smart Capture, which instantly adjusts the camera settings to help ensure brilliant pictures in virtually any environment – automatically.

“Underneath its sleek exterior, the KODAK EASYSHARE M1093 IS Digital Camera is a powerhouse built to capture beautiful pictures,” said John Blake, general manager Digital Capture and Devices, Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “The Smart Capture feature available on our latest digital cameras, including the M1093 IS, lets consumers capture moments that would have otherwise been missed, thanks to its intuitive and automatic scene detection and setting control.”

KODAK EASYSHARE M1093 IS Digital Camera

The KODAK EASYSHARE M1093 IS Digital Camera is the newest member of Kodak’s line of affordable EASYSHARE M-Series Zoom Digital Cameras for the style-savvy consumer. A range of features lets consumers capture and share their memorable moments quickly and effortlessly:

• Innovative Smart Capture feature identifies the scene and adjusts camera settings for a great picture in just about any environment – automatically.

• Take stunning HD pictures and video and view them on an HDTV with the optional KODAK EASYSHARE HDTV Dock.

• Reduce blur caused by camera shake, subject movement or fast-action situations with image stabilization and blur reduction technology.

• For great shots of friends and family, face detection technology locates faces and automatically adjusts the camera settings.

• Capture the details in low light conditions and fast action situations with high ISO (up to 3200).

Pricing and Availability

The KODAK EASYSHARE M1093 IS Digital Camera will retail for $199.95 (CDN MSRP) from September 2008.

Windows XP/2000/2003 Only

EASEUS is releasing its Personal Partition Manager v. 1.6.4 for free. Create, delete, format or move a logical disk to reallocate free space or simply comply with system requirements. Sooner or later, most of us face the need to reshape our hard disks. Now all that is possible without having to wipe out the entire disk and reinstall all the software.

EASEUS Partition Manager performs all types of basic and advanced file system functions: resizing and moving partitions, creating new and deleting (one or all) partitions, formatting partitions and “sticking” labels to them, viewing disk or partition properties, marking partitions as active, hiding and un-hiding partitions.

Since software of this kind is usually overcomplicated, the developers of EASEUS Partition Manager made an extra effort to make their application easy to use. The majority of operations are intuitive and don’t require in-depth knowledge: simply click on the “disk” (partition) to be managed and choose the required action on the Partitions menu; e.g., Resize.

In an era of worldwide security threats, people can’t afford to give up safety and confidence for software that is just easy to use. Partition Manager was made with a focus on the accuracy and safety of its operations. So, for example, before deleting data off a disk, the program will clarify whether you want to just delete the partition or you’d like to wipe every byte of data off it.

The software takes a load off your head by “remembering” little things for you. For example, it won’t let you create a FAT16 partition larger than 4 Gigs, or let you place the old Windows systems boot code further than the first 2016 MB of the partition.

Although the software performs a specific, narrow set of actions, many categories of users can benefit from it. Thus, corporate users can obtain a powerful partition manager, ready to handle both individual drives and RAID arrays. At the same time, home users can get an easy yet accurate utility for managing their disk space and also enjoy the free registration of their copy of the software.

EASEUS Company website
EASEUS Product page:
Personal Partition Manager Download link