Firmware update sharpens camera responses for α77 and α65 cameras by Sony

Latest firmware Version 1.05 also supports aberration/vignetting compensation for more lenses

A new firmware update further boosts operability of the α77 and α65 Translucent Mirror cameras from Sony.

Available for free download from 29 March 2012, firmware Version 1.05 adds several enhancements to both cameras. Alongside heightened responsiveness, it improves operability of both cameras with a wider choice of A-mount optics by Carl Zeiss and Sony.

Shading and aberration compensation

Both cameras can now intelligently correct vignetting, lateral chromatic aberration and distortion for a total of 11 A-mount lenses, including a further six models that are now supported:

SAL-24F20Z (Carl Zeiss)
SAL-85F14Z (Carl Zeiss)
SAL-135F18Z (Carl Zeiss)
SAL-70300G (G Lens)
SAL-35F18
SAL-50F18

Improved responses

Operability of both cameras is further improved with a number of refinements that facilitate smoother, faster handling.

Auto review responses are now quicker, without a ‘processing’ message being displayed
Time between power switch operation and power off has been shortened
Front/rear dial responses are improved

Autofocus responses and precision

Autofocus accuracy is now improved when focusing on scenes with wide contrast difference between objects (applies to SLT-A77 only). In addition, AF speed is improved when using both cameras with the recently-announced SAL500F40G 500mm F4 G SSM super-telephoto lens by Sony. Youll be able to focus faster on athletes, wildlife and other distant subjects with this bright, high-magnification lens that is available exclusively to order.

Belkin’s Advanced Secure DVI-I KVM Wins 2012 Govies Government Security Awards

(Playa Vista, CA) - March 29, 2012 - Belkin, a global leader in connectivity solutions, is pleased to announce its selection as a winner of Security Products' Magazine 2012 "Govies" Government Security Awards. Belkin's Advanced Secure DVI-I Keyboard-Video-Mouse (KVM) Switch was honored in the Network Security category.

Launched in 2009, the awards honor outstanding government products in a variety of categories, including: access control, fire/life safety, cloud computing/storage, homeland security, IP video surveillance cameras, IT software/hardware, mobile security apps, network security, perimeter security, video management systems and wireless security.

Belkin's Secure DVI-I KVM switch enables secure data access for government agencies that require users to switch between networks. One of the only KVM switches on the market that meets NIAP's new EAL 2+ Common Criteria certification, the solution suite is also the first of its kind to utilize optical data diode technology to prevent peripheral vulnerabilities, further supporting the government's cyber security initiatives.

"We are incredibly excited to have been chosen as a 2012 Govies winner in Network Security," said Luis Artiz, director of product management at Belkin. "This award affirms our commitment to the public sector and showcases our ability to listen to our customers and develop products that meet both their high security and technology needs."

Security Products' Government Security Awards winning entries earn will be displayed in the Govies booth (#2725) at GovSec - the Government Security Conference & Expo featuring the U.S. Law Enforcement Conference & Expo, which will be held April 2-4 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

In addition to being honored at GovSec, the winners will be featured on the Security Products website, security-today.com, and highlighted in a future issue of Security Products magazine.

Ready for iPhone Deployment: OtterBox Cases Featuring Military-Style Camo

Fort Collins, COLO. – For a fashionable Apple® iPhone® 4/4S façade, OtterBox® introduces military-style camouflage patterns to the Defender Series® line of cases. Eleven options are available for deployment:

Urban Funk: black/gray digital camouflage silicone with pink polycarbonate
Blizzard: gray/white digital camouflage silicone with black polycarbonate
Ocean: blue digital camouflage silicone with black or blue polycarbonate
Desert: brown/tan digital camouflage silicone with black or white polycarbonate
Urban: black/gray digital camouflage silicone with black or gray polycarbonate
Jungle: green/brown/black old-school camouflage silicone with black or orange polycarbonate
Forest: green digital camouflage silicone with black polycarbonate

Since 1998, OtterBox has delivered products that embody ultimate protection. In traditional Defender Series form, the new military-style camouflage cases feature three rugged layers that offer the utmost defense against drops, dust, dirt and scratches. Layer one is an impenetrable screen protector that is built into the second layer, a high-impact polycarbonate shell. Layer three is robust silicone skin featuring a military-style camouflage pattern. A holster-style swivel belt clip is included for convenient carrying.

PlayMemories Studio unleashes the picture power of PlayStation®3

Brand new to PlayStation®3, PlayMemories Studio adds a fresh dimension of excitement to interacting with your personal collection of digital photos and HD video clips.

Available now, the easy-to-use application puts you in control of viewing, managing, editing and sharing all those special photo and video memories from the comfort of your sofa.

PlayStation®3 – processing power that’s made for digital images

Harnessing the huge processing power of PlayStation®3, PlayMemories Studio makes enjoying your image collection as much fun as playing your favourite video game. Plug in your digital camera or camcorder, then pick up your PlayStation®3 controller and enjoy the show.

The integrated viewer in PlayMemories Studio lets you browse and view photos and videos – including 3D images and clips – on your TV screen. Content from your camera, stored on PS3 or a connected drive or USB memory are all displayed together in a handy ‘timeline’ view. Looking for that particular shot? Powerful filters let you pinpoint images by date, smiles, 2D/3D, favourites, GPS data and more.

Add a sense of place to your images

A fascinating Map view displays all your geotagged images in place (NB: requires GPS-equipped camera or camcorder). Just spin the on-screen globe and re-live the excitement of your travels.

Spice up your photos and video clips with a palette of one-button artistic picture effects. There’s a choice of eleven treatments including sepia, toy camera, soft focus and monochrome.

You don’t need movie editing skills to turn your video clips into polished productions. PlayMemories Studio makes it easy to create mini-masterpieces in moments. Use your controller to tag, trim and join clips. Add on-screen captions plus fun video, voice-changing and sound effects.

Store and share easily

Don’t keep all those memories to yourself – share them online. PlayMemories Studio lets you upload images and videos straight to Facebook with a few clicks. Support* is also planned for uploads to PlayMemories Online, the new cloud-based service from Sony that lets you access photos and videos from your connected TV, PC, smartphone or tablet.

Images can also be transferred wirelessly to Playstation®Vita or PSP® to enjoy any time while you’re on the move.

Download or try free for 30 days

PlayMemories Studio is available now for download at PlayStation®Store, priced at €15. A trial version (valid for 30 days) is available as a free download.

PlayStation®Plus subscribers can enjoy full, lifetime access to PlayMemories Studio at no extra cost as part of their annual subscription.

Inaugural Intel Marketing Innovation Awards Announced

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 28, 2012 – Recognizing standout marketing campaigns within the Intel Inside® and Intel® Brand Advantage programs, Intel Corporation feted a handful of companies with the first Intel Marketing Innovation Awards.

Fujitsu took the Grand Prix for its LIFEBOOK4Life campaign, being the best all-around entry among the various award categories. Fujitsu's campaign sought to increase brand relevance and drive sales for LIFEBOOK notebooks based on the second-generation Intel® Core™ vPro™ processor family. The campaign targeted IT decision-makers in SMB, enterprise and the channel in 40 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. The campaign resulted in a 65 percent sales increase by integrating innovative social media activities via LinkedIn, Facebook, word-of-mouth, augmented reality and viral videos with standard advertising.

The Grand Prix recognizes the campaign that best exemplifies the value of innovative approach, stands out from all other entries and sets a new standard for marketing with outstanding results.

Toshiba won the Intel Creative Award that honors the campaign best representing breakthrough design and effective expression of brands and massages. "The Inside Campaign" saw Toshiba and Intel teaming up with Hollywood to deliver a "social film" intended to create brand relevance among young adults. The film delivered more than 50 million video views worldwide.

Presented for the Best Integrated marketing concept with outstanding results, the Intel Integrated Campaign Award went to HP's year-long consumer campaign that featured Japanese pop group AKB48. The campaign included several first-time trials and innovations, and purchase intent rose by 2 million.

The Intel Paid Media Award for best strategy and results from paid media went to Asus' "In Search of Incredible." Asus and Intel set out to raise brand awareness and preference in key markets by launching a global co-marketing campaign with Grammy-winning recording artist Jason Mraz. The campaign was centered on Mraz and media-enthusiast consumers sharing "incredible experiences" online. The campaign reportedly reached more than 2 billion consumers, delivered 5 million unique visitors and elevated key brand metrics among the targeted young adult audience.

Lenovo took the Intel Earned Media Award for efforts in Poland around social media presence development. Using "fun and creative applications" on a social media site as a tool to build relevance and consumer emotional connection for the brands, Lenovo exemplified the award by showing engagement with consumers while supporting strategic objectives and advocating Intel's brands through an original concept. Over 50,000 active users creatively designed superhero cartoon characters that represented Lenovo and Intel, and participated in quizzes and contests that tested their knowledge of various products and technologies. The activity included designing T-shirts with likenesses of their superheroes; the shirts were also available for purchase. As a result, Lenovo and Intel significantly increased fan numbers on Facebook in Poland – 63,000 and 47,000, respectively.

The 2012 awards program was a pilot, and Intel has indicated plans to make this an annual event. Judges for the inaugural year consisted of Intel marketing directors and executives in all geographies.

Kensington Boosts Usability for the New iPad with Keyboard Case

Extended line of products helps push productivity on latest-generation of Apple tablets

Aylesbury, UK - March 28, 2012: Kensington Computer Products Group, a worldwide leader in delivering smart. safe. simple.(TM) computing accessories, today confirms the compatibility of five products from its KeyFolio family designed to enhance and protect the new iPad.

The Kensington KeyFolio range gives users of all iPad generations a usability boost in the form of a stylish protective cover combined with a convenient notebook-size keyboard, conveniently connected via Bluetooth. With recent studies* confirming that a growing number of consumers are buying a tablet to replace their notebook or netbook, so more and more users are turning to a portable keyboard as they discover the limitations of a touchscreen-only device.

OtterBox products now available at Okobe.co.uk!

OtterBox products now available at Okobe.co.uk!

Known as an innovator of protective solutions for the leading global handheld manufacturers, wireless carriers and distributors, OtterBox have got technology covered!

Starting with something as simple as a box, OtterBox was created in 1998 and built upon fundamentals of hard work, creativity and perseverance. 

Click here for the current range: OtterBox at Okobe.co.uk

Logitech UE Sets Your Music Free With AirPlay Speaker that Offers Effortless Streaming

New Speaker Features AirPlay for Wireless Music Streaming from iTunes, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

LONDON, UK - March 27, 2012 -Today Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) introduced the Logitech® UETM Air Speaker with Apple's AirPlay®. Now you can stream uncompressed music from iTunes or an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch connected to your home's Wi-Fi® network to a Logitech UE speaker that delivers high-quality audio with a big sound stage boosted by dual tweeters and woofers.

"There's a new breed of music fans whose iPad and iPhone devices are at the centre of their listening activities," said Rory Dooley, senior vice president of music at Logitech. "We created the Logitech UE Air Speaker to give those people a great audio experience that combines effortless streaming with fantastic sound. With its stylish, modern design, easy setup and excellent sound, the Logitech UE Air Speaker looks and sounds phenomenal in any room in the house."

With Logitech UE, it's about delivering pure, undiluted music wherever you want to listen. Combining Logitech's experience in home audio with the Ultimate Ears heritage of delivering great quality sound directly into music lovers' ears, the new Logitech UE Air Speaker offers superior functionality in a stylish design. The Logitech UE Air Speaker's subtle curves and handsome piano-black finish look great in any room, while its custom-tuned acoustics deliver a big soundstage with impressively detailed stereo sound.

Setup is easy: just dock your iPad®, iPhone®, or iPod touch®, follow the on-screen instructions to download the Logitech UE Air app, enter your Wi-Fi® network password and you're ready to go. After that one time setup process, any iPhone 4s, iPhone4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch (2nd, 3rd or 4th generation), iPad, iPad 2, or iPad (3rd generation) with iOS 4.2 or later, or any Mac or PC on your network with iTunes 10.1 or later is instantly connected. Plus with the Apple Dock Connector, you can charge your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch while you play music.

The Logitech UE Air Speaker has been named an International CES Innovations 2012 Design and Engineering Awards Honoree in the Wireless Handset Accessories product category.

Synology® Launches RackStation RS812+ and RS812RP+

Milton Keynes - March 27, 2012 - Synology® today announced RackStation RS812+ and RS812RP+, expandable 4-bay rackmount NAS servers bringing high performance, scalability, and reliability to small and medium businesses.

"Synology RS812+ and RS812RP+ are built to address the needs of businesses that require high performance and maximum system uptime to run mission-critical applications," said Peter Chen, Product Manager of Synology Inc. "They ensure business continuity with an array of redundancy and availability features," added Chen.

Both models feature a passive CPU cooling technology, a fan redundancy mechanism, and dual LAN network failover support to eliminate a single point of failure and maximize system uptime during malfunction. Redundant power supplies in the RS812RP+ further assure uninterrupted service. To reinforce system availability and maintenance efficiency, the hot-swappable hard drives and easily accessible circuit boards are designed to be user-replaceable.

Powered by a 2.13GHz dual-core processor and 1GB RAM, the RS812+ and RS812RP+ achieve read and write speeds at 202.31 MB/sec and 175.11 MB/sec respectively in RAID 5 configuration with Link Aggregation enabled. When businesses grow, they can leverage the expansion capability of a Synology RX410 to scale up the total storage space to 8 hard drive bays and upgrade system RAM to 3GB in tandem with their expanding workloads. With comprehensive iSCSI support, the RS812+ and RS812RP+ provide seamless storage solutions for major virtualization servers, including VMware® vSphereTM, Citrix® XenServerTM and Microsoft® Hyper-VTM.

Synology RS812+ and RS812RP+ run on DiskStation Manager 4.0 (DSM 4.0), the operating system of every Synology DiskStation and RackStation. DSM 4.0 provides rich features to boost users' productivity and simplify their tasks, all on a sleek user interface optimised for multitasking. Synology RS810+, the predecessor of the RS812+ and RS812RP+, has received numerous media accolades, including the "Editor's Choice" award from Digital Reviews Network, Australia.

KYOCERA Starts Mass Production of World’s Fastest Inkjet Printheads for Commercial Printing

27 March 2012 - Kyoto/Neuss – Kyocera Corporation today announced that it will start mass production in April 2012 of two new inkjet printhead products — the KJ4B-Y for water-based ink and the KJ4A-B for UV-curable ink — both offering the world’s fastest print speeds*. New additions to Kyocera’s KJ series, the printheads are key components for commercial inkjet printers. The company will initially produce 1,000 units per month (total for both types combined) and will gradually increase production volume.

KJ4B-Y (for water-based ink)

This product provides high-resolution printing combined with a print speed that is approximately 1.3 times faster than Kyocera’s conventional products, by ejecting ink up to 40,000 times per second (at 40kHz drive frequency) from each ink nozzle, resulting in approximately 100 million drops per second from a printhead with 2,656 nozzles. This allows for higher-speed and higher-resolution printing for large-volume print jobs with individualized data, such as invoices and statements, in a short period of time using water-based ink suitable for paper printing.

KJ4A-B (for UV-curable ink)

This product provides high-resolution printing combined with a print speed that is approximately 1.5 times faster than Kyocera’s conventional products, by ejecting ink up to 30,000 times per second (at 30kHz drive frequency) from each ink nozzle, resulting in approximately 80 million drops per second from a printhead with 2,656 nozzles. This allows high-speed and high-resolution printing for an increasing number of commercial products, such as label printing for plastic and glass bottles and containers using UV-curable ink that enables printing on non-absorbent materials including films and plastics.

Features

1. World’s fastest high-resolution printing

Kyocera improved the piezo actuator for controlling the frequency and intensity of ink ejection and the programming to achieve high-frequency drive. In addition, enhancing the nozzle shape to improve drop placement accuracy enables the world’s fastest high-resolution printing.

2. Design functionality

Both of the new products have a print width of 4.25 inches, thus requiring a fewer number of printheads for wide-format printing, which makes design work easier. It also allows for micron-level printhead alignment, as well as easy adjustment of ink tubing and wiring.

3. Applicable to various types of printing

The product lineup includes both water-based and UV-curable inks. This makes it possible to print not only on paper but also on a variety of other materials such as fabrics and plastic films. Because inkjet systems print without contacting the target material, this technology is expected to be used in a wider range of applications such as printing on textiles and printed electronics (e.g. printing and manufacturing of electronic circuits).

4. High reliability

Breaking the world's fastest print speed record, these new products also deliver the same drive durability performance as conventional products, where drive durability performance (ink ejection frequency) represents product durability. Furthermore, employing an externally sealed structure ensures the high reliability required for commercial printing.

Printing equipment manufacturers are aggressively developing new products in response to recent demands in commercial printing for smaller lot size, shorter delivery time, inventory reduction and variable printing**. Kyocera’s KJ series high-speed and high-resolution printheads, including these new products, will contribute to the advancement of the printing industry.

* The world’s fastest in single-pass inkjet printheads that print with a resolution of 600dpi x 600dpi, with a width of 4.25 inches, and one head for feed direction. Based on research by Kyocera (as of March 22, 2012).

AMD and Rockwell Collins Help Improve Situational Awareness by Providing Pilots with Detailed 3D Imagery

Rockwell Collins selects AMD RadeonTM E2400 embedded GPU to support Synthetic Vision in its Pro Line FusionTMAvionics System

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - March 26, 2012 - AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced Rockwell Collins, a leader in innovative communications and avionics systems for the aerospace and defense industries, has selected the AMD RadeonTM E2400 embedded graphics processor for inclusion in its highly-intuitive, integrated flight deck solution, Pro Line FusionTM. Chosen for its advanced 3D graphics rendering capabilities, the AMD Radeon E2400 helps generate realistic graphical models of the external aircraft environment to help improve awareness of terrain, obstacles and runways in low visibility conditions. With this technology, pilots can now have key information at their fingertips, enabling them to make informed decisions during every phase of flight.

"The rapid and accurate visualisation of data and access to information are essential for professionals in the aerospace and defense industries," said Richard Jaenicke, director, Embedded Client Business, AMD. "The AMD Radeon E2400 was specifically designed to meet customers' demand for high-quality graphics with a stable, long-lasting supply, making it ideal for system designers such as Rockwell Collins."

AMD Completes Acquisition of SeaMicro

Cloud Pioneer is Now AMD's Data Center Server Solutions Business

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - Mar. 23, 2012 - AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced it completed the acquisition of SeaMicro Inc., a pioneer in energy-efficient, high-bandwidth microservers, for approximately $334 million, net of cash assumed.

The acquisition of SeaMicro, which will now become AMD's Data Center Server Solutions business, enables AMD to accelerate its strategy to deliver disruptive server technology and provide its customers serving Cloud-centric data centers with highly-differentiated AMD-based solutions beginning this year.

"Our unique fabric technology is truly one of the crown jewels of the Cloud," said Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager, Global Business Units, AMD. "The combination of this innovative technology with our processor design expertise greatly enhances our ability to attack the fastest growing portion of the server market with industry-leading low-power, low-cost, high-bandwidth solutions."

The purchase price consists of a cash payment of approximately $293 million as well as AMD's assumption of options to purchase approximately 6,475,000 AMD shares and the issuance of approximately 322,000 shares of AMD restricted stock. This transaction is included in AMD's first quarter of 2012 earnings guidance.

Antec Announces the TrueQuiet™ Pro 120 Fan

A Revolutionary Fan with Excellent Cooling and Low Noise

Berlin, Germany, 22 March 2012 - Antec, Inc., the global leader in high-performance computer components announces the TrueQuietTM Pro 120 enclosure fan.

The TrueQuiet Pro 120 combines a completely redesigned fan blade with special Quiet ComputingTM features to deliver high airflow with minimal noise.

Revolutionary Fan Blade - The fan blade of the TrueQuiet Pro 120 is a departure from traditional axial fan blade designs; it is attached to the frame, forming a type of cylindrical turbine. This design provides the fan with a greater cooling surface area, while eliminating turbulence associated with traditional fan blades that "chop" the air by the frame.

Flexible Quiet ComputingTM - The TrueQuiet Pro 120 keeps noise at a minimum due to its built-in silicone grommets and tool-less silicone mounting pins. Additionally, the TrueQuiet Pro 120's convenient two-speed control switch allows users to choose between 600 RPM silent operation and 1200 RPM high performance cooling.

User-Friendly Installation - Equipped with tool-less mounting pins, the TrueQuiet Pro 120 installs easily into nearly any 120 mm fan mount. A 3-pin to Molex adapter is also included to accommodate users who do not have 3-pin motherboard connections.

"The TrueQuiet Pro 120 is a revolution in powerful, yet silent PC cooling" says Mafalda Cogliani, Global Marketing Director at Antec. "Its unique design provides an airflow-to-noise that competitors will be hard-pressed to match."

Belkin Applauds Adoption of the US Green Button Initiative

(Playa Vista, CA) - March 22, 2012 - Belkin applauds the utilities across the nation joining California's PG&E, San Diego Gas and Electric, and Southern California Edison in joining the White House-inspired, industry-led Green Button initiative. The Green Button initiative aims to give electricity customers easy, secure access to their own detailed household energy usage information via the Internet. The initiative also sets a simple standard for the way data is reported, spurring the development of private sector tools that use the data to help consumers track energy use and save money.

"At Belkin, we believe in the potential of technology to empower consumers. Knowledge is power. When consumers have access to their energy data, it enables them to make behavioral changes that can add up to significant savings in both energy usage and monthly bills," said Chet Pipkin, founder and CEO of Belkin. "We are excited by the growing success of the Green Button initiative and look forward to working with the standard in Belkin products in the near future. It's a win-win for all parties."

With the acquisition of clean energy company Zensi in 2010 and the introduction of its Conserve line of energy management products, Belkin is committed to creating simple, effective energy management tools that make it easy for consumers to become more energy efficient in their homes and offices. The Green Button initiative reinforces Belkin's belief that technology will play a major role in driving consumer behavior change and reducing our country's collective energy consumption and costs.

AMD Launches New Platform for Dedicated Web Hosting Providers

New AMD OpteronTM 3200 Series Processor Family Changes Industry Economics for Single-Socket, Dedicated Hosting and Cloud customers

SUNNYVALE, Calif. - Mar. 20, 2012 - AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the latest solution as part of its ongoing Web/Cloud initiative with the launch of the new AMD OpteronTM 3200 Series processor. Dedicated Web hosting customers seeking enterprise-class reliability have a new choice that delivers:
Great value with up to38% better price performance[i] and up to 19% less power per core[ii] than the competition;
ECC memory and server reliabilityfeatures at a low price-point;
Fast hardware payback -- in as few as 7 months hosting fees can cover hardware costs - up to 14% quicker than with the competition[iii];
Efficient economics for the Cloud with twice the core density per rack[iv].

"In today's economic environment, dedicated hosting providers need their data centers to become profit centers faster than ever," said Patrick Patla, corporate vice president and general manager, Commercial Business, AMD. "With the new AMD OpteronTM 3000 Series platform, Web and Cloud customers no longer have to compromise with desktop-class platforms in order to hit certain price points. Now they have all the benefits of a true server-class product at desktop-class price points. This helps rapidly-growing hosting customers achieve fast payback in their incredibly dense, power-efficient environments."

Since the launch of its new core server architecture, and AMD OpteronTM 4200 and 6200 Series processors last November, AMD unveiled a disruptive server strategy and intentions to leverage its leading graphics IP while driving down the power in future SoC offerings. As part of accelerating this, AMD recently announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Cloud pioneer SeaMicro.

Today AMD has delivered on its promise of a low-power, single-socket solution that brings server functionality with desktop economics. The AMD Opteron 3000 Series platform is targeted to the dense, power efficient 1P Web hosting/Web server market. Available in either 4- or 8-core CPUs, the AMD Opteron 3200 Series processor is shipping today in platforms from MSI, Tyan, Fujitsu and Dell. Based on the "Bulldozer" core, the AMD Opteron 3000 Series platform leverages Socket AM3+ and provides customers with the cost savings associated with a "desktop-like" infrastructure, yet still offers server-class reliability, enterprise-class silicon validation/testing, security features and server OS certification.

"AMD is a great partner, and we're excited about the new AMD Opteron 3200 Series CPU. It allows us to create a custom design for our DCS customers, and deliver a compelling combination of performance and energy efficiency, " says Dell Data Center Solutions' Steve Cumings. "As the leader in the Density-Optimised market segment, we require focused partner technology within industry standards - and this is a good fit for our customers."

Spring Savings SALE Now at Okobe.co.uk!

Spring Savings SALE Now at Okobe.co.uk!

WD® Ships First 2 TB Portable Hard Drive with Next-Gen My Passport®

World's Top-Selling External Storage Solution Gets Capacity Boost, Premium New Design, Improved Signature Features of Security and Automatic Backup

IRVINE, Calif. - Mar. 20, 2012 - Western Digital® (NYSE: WDC) today announced the next generation of its top-selling My Passport® line of portable hard drives, offering consumers a fresh new enclosure design and the first-ever 2 TB capacity in a portable drive. Now available in five popular colors: white, black, silver, blue, and red, with a range of capacities beginning from 500 GB, the new sleeker My Passport portable drives offer digital consumers an appealing array of storage options that reflect their personal style. Additionally, the new My Passport drives offer WD SmartWare™ automatic backup software and WD Security™ for password protection and hardware encryption.

With the addition of premium finishes, specially-engineered to make the outer shell more resistant to scratches and fingerprints, the new My Passport external drives feature ultra-fast USB 3.0 connectivity; USB 2.0 compatibility; continuous, automatic backup software; and password protection with hardware encryption. The included software offers the flexibility to customize the drive to a user's storage preferences: installing all features, just the components needed, or using the drive without the software.The new 2 TB model offers massive capacity in an amazing pocket-sized enclosure, affording plenty of secure storage for all of one's photos, video, music and other important files.

Given the small form factor and easy portability of My Passport drives, the built-in security features of password protection and hardware encryption help protect files from unauthorized use, making the drives safe data repositories for data while offering peace of mind to busy consumers on the go.

"More than money, jewelry and other valuables, the item most missed if ever lost or stolen is ones computer - and everything on it - so our goal in launching the next-generation of the popular My Passport drives is to encourage more consumers to protect their data before something happens," said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of WD's branded products and consumer electronics groups. "The new My Passport makes backing up and preserving one's digital life easier, reliable and more secure than ever - it's the perfect blend of monstrous capacity, reliability and user-friendly technology in a sleek form factor, now in five colors."

OtterBox iProtection is Perfect Form, Fit & Function for New iPad

Fort Collins COLO. – OtterBox® iProtection™ is superior fortification for Apple® devices; the result of innovative engineering and precision design that delivers the ideal form, fit and function of a case. Defender Series® iProtection is available today for the latest Apple device, the new iPad®.*

Like its predecessors, the Defender Series for the new iPad maximizes protection without sacrificing mobility or functionality. Memory foam pads cradle the device within a sturdy, easy-to-install polycarbonate shell. A robust silicone skin wraps around the shell to absorb shock and protect ports from dust and dirt. A built-in screen protector keeps the Retina™ display pristine and free from scratches, and any smudges or fingerprints can easily be cleaned.

The case includes a polycarbonate stand that supports viewing in portrait or landscape mode and functions as a durable screen shield when the iPad is not in use. The stand also incorporates two magnets to initiate device sleep mode when placed over the screen and awaken the device when removed, conserving battery power.

“Adaptability is a core characteristic of OtterBox,” Founder and CEO Curt Richardson said. “We are constantly challenged to adapt to the changes within the industry and pioneer new designs and technologies. For the first time on a tablet of this size, we’ve been able to apply a built-in screen protector. We’ve also included magnets that initiate device sleep mode – both features we have not had the capacity to develop in a tablet case until now.”

The NEW Apple iPad 3 Tops Three Million!

CUPERTINO, California―March 19, 2012―Apple® today announced it has sold three million of its incredible new iPad®, since its launch on Friday, March 16. The new iPad features a stunning new Retina™ display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics, a 5 megapixel iSight® camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video, and still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life* while remaining amazingly thin and light. iPad Wi-Fi + 4G supports ultrafast 4G LTE networks in the US and Canada, and fast networks around the world including those based on HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA.

“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold―the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can't wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday.”

Check out the NEW Apple iPad 3 at Okobe.co.uk...

Acer to Hold Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Forum Promoting green ICT and green economy

Acer Inc. will hold its annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Forum on March 20, 2012 in Taipei. The main theme for this year is promoting green ICT and green economy. J.T. Wang, Acer’s chairman and CEO, and Dun-Yi Wu, the elected vice president of Taiwan, will give the opening remarks. Acer has invited world-renowned energy and climate change experts to lecture, as well as international stakeholders and suppliers to share experiences and participate in the panel discussion.

Acer has invited two important keynote speakers for this seminar: KPMG’s Yvo de Boer, special global advisor for climate change and sustainability, and former general secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); and Fumitoshi Terashima, vice president of Sanyo Energy. Both will also join J.T Wang and Eugene Chien, chairman of Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TISE), for the panel discussion.

This year, Acer CSR Forum will emphasize low-carbon as an inevitable trend, presenting how low-carbon ICT products could contribute to a green economy. Topics also include the expectations and propositions on low-carbon business strategies and technical innovations of Taiwan’s ICT industry.

In recent years, the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, Japan and China have been actively promoting low-carbon economies and green growth. The focus has been mainly on low-carbon electricity, production, transport, construction, sustainable consumption, etc. In addition, these countries are seeking ways to further lower their carbon levels, so as to become more environmentally friendly and more responsible for economic development models.

Since 2008, Acer has held a Corporate Social Responsibility Forum in order to increase awareness on CSR. Using the forum as a platform, Acer invites international and domestic CSR stakeholders to share experiences with the Taiwan ICT industry in the hopes of improving the sustainability of Taiwan’s ICT industry.

The corporate social responsibility covers wide range of areas. Currently, Acer emphasizes more on issues such as energy and climate change, green product design and development, supply chain management, product recycling, and data disclosure in CSR report.

Acer continues to build good communication channels with its stakeholders, and encourages business partners to fulfill CSR together.

Chip Shot: Intel Earns Spot as one of World's Most Ethical Companies

Intel was recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, the leading business ethics think-tank, as one of the 2012 World’s Most Ethical Companies. By implementing and maintaining ethical business practices and initiatives, Intel secured a hard-earned spot on this year’s list. Intel was last recognized on this list in 2009. 

SAPPHIRE Introduces HD 7970 OC Edition

New Dual-X cooler brings increased performance and quieter operation

SAPPHIRE Technology has just released a new factory overclocked version of its high end graphics card based on the highly acclaimed graphics GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD.

The SAPPHIRE HD 7970 OC Edition features SAPPHIRE's new dual-extractor technology - Dual-X - a highly efficient multi-heatpipe cooler with dual fans providing quiet and very cool operation during normal operating conditions, and superb cooling performance even under extreme load. The HD 7970 from AMD is the most powerful single chip GPU ever built - it has a new internal structure with 32 compute units and a total of 2048 Stream processors. The SAPPHIRE HD 7970 OC Edition ships with a raised core clock speed of 950MHz, and 1425MHz for the memory. Its Dual BIOS switch allows users to select the higher performance settings of 1GHz core and 1450MHz memory, making the fastest card in its class. This setting also uses a more aggressive fan profile and raises the limits for maximum overclocking.

For enthusiasts wishing to maximise performance, a new version of the SAPPHIRE overclocking tool, TriXX is available free to download from the SAPPHIRE website. TriXX allows tuning of GPU voltage as well as core and memory clocks, whilst continuously displaying temperature. Manual control of fan speed is supported, as well as user created fan profiles and the ability to save up to four different performance settings.

The HD 7000 series is the third generation of DirectX 11 compatible solutions from the graphics division of AMD - formerly ATI. The SAPPHIRE HD 7970 is ready for DirectX 11.1 and the new Windows 8 operating system as well as delivering all the features of the current DirectX 11 such as DirectCompute11 and multi threaded communications with the CPU. Communication with the host PC is optimised with the implementation of the latest high speed PCI-Express Gen3.0 interface, and multiple cards can be used to further enhance performance in CrossFireX mode on a suitably specified mainboard.

HDMI specifications have also increased in the HD 7000 series. Fast HDMI 1.4a supports Stereoscopic 3D with enhanced frame rates of 60Hz per eye - 120Hz total. It is also ready for the next generation of 4K displays that can be driven from a single high speed input of 3GHz HDMI 1.4a or DisplayPort 1.2 HBR2.

Working or gaming with multiple monitors is becoming increasingly popular, and the SAPPHIRE HD 7970 supports this with AMD Eyefinity. With its DVI, HDMI and two mini-DisplayPort outputs the card can support configurations of up to 6 monitors. In addition, the SAPPHIRE HD 7970 is the first graphics card that can simultaneously output multiple, independent audio streams allowing the correct audio content to be associated with different applications on different screens.

APP Acceleration is the name given to the enhanced performance of a wide range of applications using the stream processing capabilities and specific hardware features of the graphics architecture. The HD 7000 series has been optimised for this type of task. Typical applications include Video encoding and decoding, compression and multiplexing for media distribution, gaming or video conferencing. APP acceleration can also enhance everyday tasks such as Internet browsing, Office applications and file compression with supported software suites.

The retail bundle for the SAPPHIRE HD 7970 OC is second to none. In addition to the standard bundle consisting of an Active mini-DP to single-link DVI adaptor for Eyefinity setup, CrossFire bridge cable, HDMI to DVI adaptor for dual DVI setup, DVI to VGA adaptor, 8 pin to 4 pin power adaptor and 6 pin to 4 pin power adaptor, SAPPHIRE also provides an extra mini-DP to DP adaptor and a 1.8 metre HDMI 1.4a cable.

WD® Shipping My Book® Thunderbolt™ Duo Dual-Drive Storage System: Ultra-Fast Read/Write Times for Creative Pros, and Today's Need-It-Now Consumers

Up to 6 TB Capacities, Double-safe Protection, RAID, User Serviceability, and Dual Thunderbolt Ports for Daisy Chaining and Unparalleled Workflow Efficiency

IRVINE, Calif. - Mar. 15, 2012 - Western Digital® (NYSE: WDC), the world's leader in external storage solutions, is now shipping its first external hard drive with Thunderbolt™ technology - the My Book® Thunderbolt™ Duo dual-drive storage system. The new My Book Thunderbolt Duo provides professionals and Mac® enthusiasts with five primary areas of performance, double-safe data protection and flexibility; ultra-fast data transfer rates for greater work efficiency; a 4 TB/6 TB large-capacity; customized dual-drive storage system with RAID 0, 1 and JBOD options; customer serviceable drives; and dual Thunderbolt ports for daisy-chaining multiple My Book Thunderbolt Duo devices or other peripherals.

Thunderbolt technology brings a new way to connect high-speed storage devices to any desktop or notebook computer with a Thunderbolt port while delivering unmatched speed for multitasking activities such as, editing video/music, 3D rendering, and completing other high definition graphics-intensive projects.

"Offering lightning-fast throughput in both directions, the new WD Thunderbolt Duo storage systems are just what I need for organizing, editing, and archiving complex High Definition video projects," said Bruce Dorn, DGA (Director's Guild of America). Configurable as either RAID 0 or RAID 1 - and offered in both 4 TB and 6 TB capacities - these new WD Thunderbolt Duo systems are the perfect solution for video filmmakers who are desperate for an uber-fast time sensitive project management solution."

"The My Book Thunderbolt Duo offers large storage capacities for creative professionals and enthusiasts who produce, edit, or need quick access to large files, including HD video," said Jody Bradshaw, general manager of WD consumer storage solutions. "Its dual Thunderbolt ports provide amazing creative flexibility while allowing daisy-chaining of up to six My Book Thunderbolt Duo drives or other high performance peripherals for fast and efficient workflow. The combination of storage, backup, security, flexibility and speed makes the My Book Thunderbolt Duo the ideal choice for creative professionals that need to write, store, protect and edit high-definition and graphic intensive projects."

My Book Thunderbolt Duo is an ideal, all-in-one external drive for creative professionals, enthusiasts, and consumers who own vast amounts of digital content including videos, music, and photos. The drive serves as a safe and reliable way to backup content stored on your computer while providing the fastest way to get information to and from the WD drive. In addition, its RAID 1 support allows users to create a second copy of their digital content on the drive for double-safe protection, and peace of mind. The drive also supports a JBOD mode (allocate each disk individually to a specific task) excellent option for users running Windows OS on a Mac.

Additional features found on the My Book Thunderbolt Duo include out-of-the-box compatibility with Mac OS Time Machine and formatting for HFS + Journaled for Mac; capability for multi-stream workflows; and a 3-year limited warranty.

New York Knicks and Acer announce new Marketing Partnership

The New York Knickerbockers and Acer announced today a new first-time marketing partnership for the remainder of the 2011-12 season. Acer, whose global headquarters are in Taiwan, will be an Official Partner of the Knicks and promote the company’s personal computers.

“We are proud to welcome Acer as a new marketing partner of the Knicks for this season,” said Scott O’Neil, president, MSG Sports. “This marks the second company based in Greater China in the past month to see value in partnering with Madison Square Garden and the Knicks to help drive brand exposure in New York and beyond.”

"Acer has a long history of sports marketing. Basketball, like any other sport, is associated with a positive image and values that are shared with Acer. We are very glad to be partners with the New York Knicks," said J.T Wang, chairman and CEO of Acer Inc.

As part of the marketing partnership, Acer branding will be featured on the pad position near the courtside signage on the Knicks bench side. This will provide prominent exposure for the Acer brand to both the nearly 20,000 spectators at Madison Square Garden and fans watching on TV and online around the globe.

Since the beginning of February heightened interest in the Knicks has driven record numbers for the team across multiple platforms, including website traffic and social media growth, TV ratings on MSG Network, merchandise sales, and home games at Madison Square Garden this season have all been sold out.

Lenovo and SugarSync Open Cloud Service to Consumers Worldwide

Offers 5GB Free Storage, Open Device Access and Secure Hosting
March 14, 2012

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) and SugarSync today announced Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync, the first Cloud storage service to be integrated as an out-of-box experience broadly on Lenovo’s PCs and tablets. Lenovo and SugarSync are working together to offer an industry-leading cloud service so consumers can access, sync and backup their files, photos, music and movies across their devices. Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync will be available on new Lenovo ThinkPad and IdeaPad laptops and Android tablet products worldwide outside of China starting in April. The ability to download Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync is available beginning today.

Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync gives users a free 5GB account to instantly auto-sync their files, photos, videos and music to the Cloud from their Lenovo PC, tablet or any mobile device so their content is always available when they start using their device. Upgrades for additional storage capability are available for a fee.

Unlike other Cloud storage services, Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync not only works with Lenovo products but also with Internet-based products from other manufacturers across a broad array of devices, including laptops, smartphones and tablets and across all major operating systems. Additionally, the service offers time-saving and security features such as group collaboration, social network sharing and data encryption.

“Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync makes it incredibly simple and convenient for people to interact with their growing libraries of digital content, from anywhere, at anytime,” said Mark Cohen, distinguished engineer and vice president, Lenovo. “Lenovo Cloud Storage plays a fundamental role in our plan to expand Cloud services, bringing even more new capabilities to consumers and businesses around the world.”

Easy, Secure Access & Automatic Updates
Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync will allow users to choose any of their data and sync it to the Cloud while also securing it and making it available for access and sharing. Not only does the service work with any PC-related device, but users can even access their data when they aren’t connected to the Internet using SugarSync’s two-way AutoSync technology. This technology stores users’ data in the Cloud and syncs it locally to the devices when used offline.

To be able to share large files like user-created movies or photos across devices, Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync allows users to share links with others for downloading files directly from the Cloud. Users can also share a permanent link on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, from which friends can download the file straight from the Cloud. Users can also take advantage of SugarSync’s Outlook plugin, enabling users to share files from the Cloud directly from Outlook without attachments.

The service also takes the hassle out of sharing photos by automatically organizing them into albums and making them shareable with friends and family. For users with Android devices, SugarSync’s AutoSync technology automatically syncs the photos and videos right when they’re captured from the camera back to the PC over the air with no wires required.

Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync enables collaboration via the ability to grant access to a person or group of people with an account to a shared folder on the user’s PC. While stored in the Cloud, users’ files are encrypted using 128-bit AES encryption so users can rest assured their data remains secure.

The service automatically uploads the latest version of a file to the Cloud after a user downloads it and makes changes to it, as well as syncs the latest version across all devices associated with the account. If needed to revert to earlier versions, the service retains recent versions of documents.

“Today people need to work with their data across all of their devices, while also being able to easily share and collaborate on that data from anywhere,” said Laura Yecies, CEO of SugarSync. “Lenovo Cloud Storage by SugarSync enables people to access, sync and share their digital lives across all computers and mobile devices. This partnership with Lenovo will give the many millions of Lenovo customers a seamless way to start using the Cloud for ultimate productivity with Lenovo ThinkPad and IdeaPad laptops and Android tablets – right out of the box.”

ASUS Z9PE-D8 WS Delivers Highly Expandable Dual CPU Power

EEB workstation motherboard enables better productivity and upgrades through multiple GPUs, twin Intel® processors, and advanced server-grade add-ons

Taipei, Taiwan (March 12, 2012) - the ASUS Z9PE-D8 WS delivers a unique proposition in the market, offering the best of both mainstream and server boards on a standard-sized, 12" x 13" EEB form factor. It supports 4-way SLITM and quad CrossFireXTM with PCI Express 3.0 speeds, dual Intel® Xeon® E5-2600 processors, an 8-DIMM memory design, and the latest storage standards, including ASUS SSD Caching. This is the first ASUS dual-CPU motherboard that possesses both the features of a mainstream motherboard and a dedicated server board. The Z9PE-D8 WS creates a platform well-suited to the needs of professional workstation application users, including researchers in fluid dynamics, medical sciences, engineering, and financial modeling.

Enhanced parallel computing power with seven PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots

Clients enjoy the advantages of the new PCI Express 3.0 x16 expansion interface standard with 32GB/s bandwidth per direction, twice that of PCI Express 2.0. At the same time, the new slot design retains the physical dimensions of PCI Express 2.0 x16 to ensure complete backward compatibility. The seven slots enable maximized room for expansion and different graphics setups, with up to 4-way NVIDIA® GeForce® SLITM and quad AMD CrossFireXTM. As a professional motherboard, the availability of such large scale graphics processing power presents a highly desirable choice for clients who demand intense rendering capabilities. Also, it brings the benefits of extreme flexibility to GPU computing users alongside PCI Express 3.0 performance gains.

Standard EEB form factor supports advanced and complete I/O integration

Unlike other workstation motherboards currently on the market, the Z9PE-D8 WS packs an extensive feature set onto a regular EEB form factor. The new board therefore fits into any case with EEB-compatible mounting holes, while other workstation offerings demand larger, more expensive, and less convenient accommodations. Although standard in size, the Z9PE-D8 WS enables flexibility and performance well above the norm with dual Intel® Xeon® E5-2600 support (Sandy Bridge-E), and an 8-DIMM memory design. For storage, it ships with four USB 3.0 ports and six SATA 6Gb/s ports. Faster overall system performance can be attained via ASUS SSD Caching technology, which uses an installed SSD to expedite frequently-needed operations. The Z9PE-D8 WS further maintains the highest standards in multimedia, offering 7.1-channel DTS HD Master AudioTM output.

Cross-category usability and server-grade enhancement

The Z9PE-D8 WS merges the benefits of mainstream and server boards, the first offering from ASUS purpose-designed to do so. While unique workstation motherboard features are removed by other brands, ASUS aims to provide a true dual-use motherboard, integrating powerful features usually available only on server boards, including the multi-GPU and dual CPU architecture mentioned above. ASUS is also including dual server-certified Intel® Ethernet ports, out of band ASMB6-IVKM, and in band ASWM Enterprise (both previously exclusive to server models). The Z9PE-D8 WS is the first ASUS motherboard to present this kind of cross-category feature combination, bringing clients the best of several segments.

α57 from Sony with Translucent Mirror Technology lets everyone grab the action at 12fps

Limitless creative options are made even more accessible with a brand-new addition to the range of cameras by Sony employing Translucent Mirror Technology. This innovative design directs incoming light to the CMOS image sensor and the AF sensor at the same time, allowing full-time continuous AF during both still and video shooting. Framing, focusing and real-time preview can be achieved on the high-resolution Tru-Finder™ that offers a wide viewing angle and 100% field of view. This allows photographers to capture exactly what they see on the screen.

A natural successor to the acclaimed α55, the α57 is priced to appeal strongly to a wide audience of DSLR users. It shares many of the premium features – plus sophisticated styling and ergonomics – found on the enthusiast-focused α65. For the first time, entry-level photographers can shoot stills and Full HD video with razor-sharp responses and creative flexibility you’d expect from a camera in the class above.

Ensuring detail-packed images, the 16.1 effective megapixel Exmor™ APS HD CMOS sensor is teamed with a latest-generation BIONZ engine. Refined by Sony during development of the flagship α77 and α65, this powerful processor effortlessly handles large amounts of image data for flawless, low-noise stills and Full HD video.

The α57 allows incredible shooting speeds of up to 12 frames per second in new Tele-zoom Continuous Advance Priority AE mode. Magnifying the central portion of the sensor’s image by 1.4x, it’s perfect for capturing split-second action close-ups with a burst of sharply-focused images, even when your subject’s moving.

Shared with the α65, the 15-point AF system with 3 cross sensors assures fast, accurate TTL phase detection autofocus. Newly-enhanced Object Tracking AF keeps faces or other selected objects in sharp focus – even if your target’s obscured momentarily by another passing object.

The α57 also lets you create powerfully expressive Full HD movies. Responsive full-time continuous phase detection AF ensures that moving subjects stay sharply focused, just like with still shooting. AVCHD (Ver. 2.0) Progressive compatibility means that Full HD resolution movies can be captured at up to high 50p (progressive) frame rate: ideal for capturing silk-smooth, blur-free action. 25p shooting is also selectable for giving your footage that rich, cinematic look. Movie-making options are enhanced further with full control over P/A/S/M shooting modes for virtually limitless creative expression.

Even beginners can effortlessly create pro-style portraits with the α57. In a world first, Sony introduces new Auto Portrait Framing. Using face detection and the compositional ‘rule of thirds’, the camera identifies your subject’s position, trimming the scene to create tightly-framed, professional looking pictures in vertical (portrait) or horizontal (landscape) orientation. By Pixel Super Resolution Technology by Sony ensures that cropped, zoomed images retain a full pixel count. The original photo is saved together with the optimally-trimmed image. This allows easy comparison between the two versions, offering photographers inspiration to refine their own portrait skills.

If you want to get closer to your subject, 2x Clear Image Zoom doubles the effective magnification of your lens. Unique to Sony, By Pixel Super Resolution Technology maintains superb image detail, even with super-zoom shots. It’s a highly practical alternative to travelling with a bigger, bulkier telephoto lens.

Framing, focusing and real-time preview of exposure adjustments are a pleasure with the new Tru-Finder™ electronic viewfinder. With ultra-detailed 1440k dot resolution and a 100% field of view, it rivals quality optical viewfinders. There’s a choice of selectable high-resolution information displays with a wide viewing-angle to help you shoot with confidence, including a digital level gauge and framing grid. Information can be displayed either in the Tru-Finder™ or on the angle-adjustable 7.5 cm (3.0-type) Xtra Fine LCD.

Thanks to the BIONZ processor, creative shooting opportunities are boosted by an outstanding sensitivity range of ISO 100-16000. You’ll experience consistently natural, low-noise images – whether you’re using fast shutter speeds to freeze dynamic action or shooting handheld without flash in low light.

Already popular with creative photographers, the range of in-camera Picture Effects includes 11 effect types and 15 variations – offering a generous palette of ‘PC-free’ artistic treatments. Results can be previewed in live view mode on the LCD screen on in the Tru-Finder™, whether you’re shooting Full HD video or stills.

A range of optional accessories makes an ideal match for the α57. The battery-powered HVL-LE1 LED video light broadens options for recording video indoors or in low light. Ideal for active shooters, the ACC-FM1A accessory kit bundles a spare NP-FM500H rechargeable battery with the compact, versatile LCS-AMB travel case that protectively cradles the camera while offering quick access.

Sony introduces its slimmest ever voice recorder

Ultra-slim ICD-TX50 is just 6.4mm thin and 50g

Slim, stylish digital voice recorder for business
Sleek looks with integrated clip and easy to read OLED display
3-minute battery charge gives 1 hour record time
Record audio as CD-quality Linear PCM or MP3; wide range of playback formats
4GB built-in memory plus microSD card slot to expand storage

Capture those spur-of-the-moment thoughts without spoiling the lines of your sharpest business suit.

6.4mm thin and weighing just 50g, the ICD-TX50 is the slimmest ever voice recorder from Sony. It’s designed to impress in the boardroom or on the move, with high-gloss looks accented by an easy-to-read OLED display. For extra security, there’s an integrated clip that secures the recorder when it’s slipped into a shirt pocket.

It’s easy to capture your next big idea with the high quality on-board stereo microphone. Interviews, voice memos and more can be recorded as CD-quality Linear PCM or MP3 files. There’s a choice of five Scene Select modes – including ‘Shirt Pocket’, ‘Meeting’ and ‘Interview’ – for optimum clarity whenever your words need to be heard.

A generous 4GB of on-board storage gives plenty of room to capture the longest conference, meeting or brainstorming session. Recording time can be expanded further by slipping in an optional microSD card.

If you need to collect your thoughts fast, a three-minute top-up via USB gives power for around an hour’s recording. Fully charged, the built-in lithium ion is good for an uninterrupted 24 hours record/playback time (with MP3 files).

The ICD-TX50 also makes a handy music player while you’re on the go. Just load up with your favourite tracks and enjoy through the supplied stereo earphones or on-board speaker.

The recorder comes bundled with Sound Organiser software (PC only) that simplifies transferring, editing and managing your files. It’s also fully compatible with the latest Dragon Naturally Speaking® Speech recognition software for ‘hands-free’ transcription of your recordings.

Thank you everyone! 5,000 Facebook Likes!

OCZ Technology Talos SAS SSDs to be Deployed in Drobo’s Business-Class Storage Systems

OCZ Enterprise SSDs Offer Exceptional Performance with Faster Access Times and Maximum Reliability for Small and Medium-Business Applications

SAN JOSE, CA - March 8, 2012 - OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced that Drobo will utilize the OCZ Talos SAS SSD Series for integration into its B1200i iSCSI SAN solutions for business environments. Drobo, makers of award-winning data storage products for businesses and professionals, has chosen to provide customers with even faster and more robust storage systems by complementing the sophisticated feature set of the B1200i with the superior performance, energy efficiency, and maximum endurance of Talos SSDs.

Ideal for small-and-medium businesses (SMBs), the Drobo B1200i provides reliable, high-performance, and self-optimizing storage for server virtualization, email, and data protection and features seamless integration with existing infrastructures as an iSCSI SAN device. With innovative automated data-aware tiering, the B1200i delivers a level of automation and technical sophistication that is easier to use and less costly to deploy than typical enterprise solutions. The B1200i is the first Drobo product to leverage the benefits of SSDs for increased bandwidth, lower power consumption, and instantaneous access times.

"Drobo is a leader in data storage products for both professionals and businesses and we are thrilled that they have qualified and selected our enterprise-class Talos SAS SSDs for their business oriented solutions," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. "This collaboration is a perfect example of how our SSD technology can act within a complete solution to deliver superior application-optimized storage for small- and medium-business IT."

"Just like larger organizations, SMBs should be able to afford and enjoy the benefits of SSD technology and performance," said Tom Buiocchi, CEO of Drobo. "For the best capacity and performance, our unique automated data-aware tiering allows customers to easily and affordably add SSDs to the same Drobo environment that already has high-capacity traditional disk drives."

Drobo will offer the B1200i Series with OCZ Talos 3.50-inch SAS 6Gb/s SSDs in 200GB capacities. For SMBs seeking an easy to deploy yet state-of-the-art storage system, Drobo with Talos SSDs offer incredible reliability, unparalleled responsiveness, and optimized energy efficiency when compared to traditional storage systems that only leverage mechanical hard drives. The new Drobo B1200i with OCZ SSDs will be available through Drobo's worldwide network of authorized distributors and resellers.

WD® Completes Acquisition of Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

IRVINE, Calif.-Mar. 8, 2012-Western Digital Corp. (NYSE: WDC) today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Viviti Technologies Ltd. (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies), effective Mar. 8, 2012, for $3.9 billion in cash and 25 million shares of WDC common stock valued at approximately $0.9 billion1. Hitachi, Ltd. now owns approximately 10 percent of WDC shares outstanding, and it has the right to designate two individuals to the board of directors of WD.

The new WD will operate with WD Technologies (WD) and HGST as wholly owned subsidiaries. Aggregated revenues of the two companies in 2011 were $15 billion. As chief executive officer of WD, John Coyne heads up the new office of the CEO, with Steve Milligan as president, Tim Leyden as chief operating officer and Wolfgang Nickl as chief financial officer.

"The completion of this acquisition is a truly momentous event in the 42-year history of our company," said Coyne. "With ownership of two successful companies and the best talent available in the industry, we expect to accomplish great things as we build the new WD to be the world's leading storage solutions provider with the industry's deepest technology capability, broadest product portfolio and best-in-class execution. Similar to successful multi-brand models in other industries, the two subsidiaries will compete in the marketplace with separate brands and product lines while sharing common values of customer delight, value creation, consistent profitability and growth."

A recently updated HDD forecast by IDC predicts industry revenue growth at a compound annual growth rate of 8.6 percent per year from 2011 to 20162. "The growth in demand for digital storage continues unabated driven by the expansion of digital content in consumer and commercial applications," said John Rydning, research vice president, hard disk drives & semiconductors, IDC. "Mobility, cloud infrastructure, social business, and big data analytics are stimulating demand for digital content in new formats and new market segments, creating the need for an increasingly diverse set of storage products and technology capabilities from storage solutions providers."

"With a significantly broadened customer base and expanded resources, the new WD is in a strong position to seize the growth opportunity in stored digital content," said Coyne. "We have acquired a strong presence in the traditional enterprise market, substantially increased our presence in the industry's fastest-growing segments-cloud and mobility-and improved our capability to address new market initiatives such as enterprise SSD, storage solutions for small business and low-profile HDDs and hybrid drives for Ultrabooks™. As a result, WD is better positioned than ever for success."

The cash portion of the purchase price was financed by a $2.3 billion, five-year term loan, short-term financing under a $500 million revolving credit agreement and existing company cash balances. The company expects the transaction to be immediately accretive to earnings per share on a non-GAAP basis, excluding acquisition-related expenses, restructuring charges and amortization of intangibles. In addition, the company expects to maintain a positive net cash position.

Belkin Launches New Keyboard Case and Accessories for the New iPad

Belkin today unveiled a line of accessories designed for the new iPad, including a redesign of its award-winning keyboard case, ultra-lightweight travel folios, and folios designed specifically for watching videos. -

"Our designs are built specifically to enhance the way people use their iPad - which today means for anything and everything - without sacrificing personal style," said Patrick Sullivan, director of product management at Belkin."By fusing both style and personality into a group of extremely functional cases and folios, we have a collection that offers something for everyone."

The redesigned YourType™ Folio + Keyboard combines the best of Belkin's all-in-one Bluetooth® keyboard and folio solution with a sleeker, slimmer package. The removable keyboard is designed for maximum convenience, but also offers superior typing accuracy, an optimal tactile response, and a more comfortable, computer-like feel.


Coming soon to Okobe.co.uk...

KYOCERA Supplies Solar Modules for England’s First "Zero Carbon Church"

08 March 2012 - Kyoto / Neuss − Kyocera Corporation announced that the company has supplied its solar modules for a flagship project for renovating old buildings using solar energy at the roughly 900-year-old St. Michael and All Angels Church in Withington, England. The country's first "zero carbon church" has a solar power generating system using Kyocera modules which supplies CO2-neutral electricity; as well as a biomass-powered boiler system providing environmentally friendly heat.

The 12th century building is now powered entirely by renewable energies. The solar energy is generated with 24 Kyocera solar modules — with a total output of 3.12kW — which are installed on the roof of the church. With over 35 years of experience in the industry Kyocera’s solar technology guarantees exceptional module performance and durability. Moreover, the modules were carefully installed to meet strict regulations concerning historical buildings by using a special ladder system that did not adversely affect the structure of the building or its visual appearance.

The renovation of the church followed both an ecologically and economically sustainable concept. In addition to the solar installation, an environmentally friendly biomass-powered boiler system was installed — which provides CO2-neutral heat. The renovation of the church has double value for the community, because in addition to the CO2-reduction, the electricity and heat generation create clear cost savings. The pioneering project will serve as a reference project for the sustainable renovation of other historical buildings.

Kyocera will be exhibiting at Ecobuild 2012 at stand N3550 from 20 to 22 March.

Apple Brings 1080p High Definition to New Apple TV

New Apple TV Features iTunes Movies and TV Shows, Netflix, Photos & More in HD
SAN FRANCISCO—March 7, 2012—Apple® today announced the new Apple TV® featuring 1080p programming including iTunes® movies and TV shows, Netflix, Vimeo, photos and more in HD. With iTunes in the Cloud, customers can purchase and play their favorite movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store® and watch them instantly on their HD TV. The new Apple TV features a simpler, refined user interface making it easier than ever to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music with iTunes Match℠ right from iCloud®. With AirPlay®, users can stream or mirror their favorite content from their iPad® or iPhone® 4S to Apple TV.

“People are going to love streaming movies and TV shows in 1080p with the new Apple TV, and photos look beautiful displayed at the maximum resolution of your TV,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Apple TV is easier than ever to use with its new icon-based interface and the ability to access your purchased movies, TV shows and music right from iCloud.”

Apple TV users can choose from an incredible selection of programming including over 15,000 movies and over 90,000 TV episodes on the iTunes Store. Apple TV also offers great content from Netflix’s streaming catalog, live sports from MLB, NBA and NHL as well as Internet content from Vimeo, YouTube and Flickr.*

With iCloud, you can buy movies and TV shows on Apple TV and watch them on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch®, Mac® or PC. iCloud also stores photos and pushes them wirelessly to all your devices including your HD TV via Apple TV. iCloud provides an incredibly easy way to get instant access to all of your content, no matter which device is being used.

iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users can use AirPlay to stream music, photos and videos from their devices directly to their HD TV with Apple TV. iPhone 4S or iPad users can use AirPlay Mirroring to show the screen of their device right on their HD TV, allowing them to stream web pages, spreadsheets or even games.

Apple Completes iLife for iOS With Introduction of iPhoto & Major Updates to iMovie & GarageBand

SAN FRANCISCO—March 7, 2012—Apple® today introduced iPhoto® for iPad® and iPhone® and major updates to iMovie® and GarageBand®, completing its suite of iLife® apps for iOS. iPhoto includes breakthrough Multi-Touch™ features so you can use simple gestures to sort through hundreds of photos and find your best shots, enhance and retouch your images using fingertip brushes and share stunning photo journals with iCloud®. iMovie now gives you the ability to create amazing Hollywood-style trailers as you record HD video on your iPad and iPhone. GarageBand introduces Jam Session, an innovative and fun feature that allows a group of friends to wirelessly connect their iOS devices to play instruments and record live music together. Each app takes full advantage of the stunning Retina™ display on the new iPad for incredibly sharp and realistic images and video. The new iPad also features a 5 megapixel iSight® camera so you can record, edit and watch 1080p HD video all on the device.

“With the introduction of iPhoto, we’ve brought the entire suite of iLife apps to iOS and users are going to love it,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Whether brushing an effect onto a photo, shooting a movie trailer or jamming with friends to record a song, iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand let you make amazing creations on iPad and iPhone.”

iPhoto, Apple’s popular photography app, has been completely reimagined for iOS to take full advantage of the Retina display and intuitive Multi-Touch gestures on iPad and iPhone. Simple gestures can be used to select and compare photos side by side and flag your best shots. iPhoto gives you full control over color, exposure and contrast, and you simply touch the parts of the image you want to change. You can enhance pictures by adding beautiful Apple-designed effects with just a tap, or apply adjustments exactly where you want them with fingertip brushes. In addition to posting photos to Facebook, Flickr and Twitter, you can beam photos between your iPhone and iPad; stream photos and slideshows to your Apple TV® with AirPlay®; and use iCloud to publish photo journals to the web and share your stories with friends and family in a whole new way.

iMovie now allows you to turn the HD video on your iPad and iPhone into beautiful Hollywood-style trailers, even as you’re recording. The new Theater view lets you preview and choose from nine templates in a range of genres including Fairy Tale, Superhero and Romance. Trailers feature gorgeous, customizable graphics with soundtracks written by legendary composers such as Academy Award-winner Hans Zimmer and performed by world class musicians like the London Symphony Orchestra. You can also share your movie trailers to YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook, and use AirPlay to stream them to Apple TV in high definition resolutions up to 1080p.

With the new Jam Session feature in GarageBand, you can invite up to three of your friends to get together and wirelessly connect your iOS devices to play and record as a group. Jam Session automatically synchronizes the tempo, key and chords of your Touch Instruments so everyone sounds great. After jamming, everyone’s tracks are automatically collected on your iOS device for you to edit and mix. GarageBand also introduces Smart Strings, a new Touch Instrument that allows you to play an entire string orchestra with just one finger, and the new Note Editor allows you to fine tune a Touch Instrument recording instead of replaying it from scratch. Integration with iCloud keeps your GarageBand songs up to date across your iOS devices, and you can share your finished songs directly to Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud.

Apple today also updated its iWork® for iOS apps to take advantage of the stunning Retina display of iPad and to offer 3D charts so you can create and view impressive 3D bar, line, area and pie charts. Pages now includes support for landscape orientation on iPhone and iPod touch®, and Keynote® gains new builds and transitions including Iris, Shimmer, Wipe, Flame, Swing and Fade Through Color.

Apple Launches New iPad

New iPad Features Retina Display, A5X Chip, 5 Megapixel iSight Camera & Ultrafast 4G LTE
SAN FRANCISCO―March 7, 2012―Apple® today introduced the new iPad®, the third generation of its category defining mobile device, featuring a stunning new Retina™ display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight® camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video. iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G connects to fast networks worldwide, including AT&T’s and Verizon’s 4G LTE networks, and still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life* while remaining amazingly thin and light. Beginning today, iPad 2 will be offered at an even more affordable price starting at just $399.

“The new iPad redefines the category Apple created less than two years ago, delivering the most amazing experience people have ever had with technology,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The new iPad now has the highest resolution display ever seen on a mobile device with 3.1 million pixels, delivering razor sharp text and unbelievable detail in photos and videos.”

The new iPad’s Retina display delivers four times the number of pixels of iPad 2, so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels when held at a normal distance, making web pages, text, images and video look incredibly sharp and realistic. The 3.1 million pixels in the Retina display are more than one million more pixels than an HD TV, and with 44 percent increased color saturation the new iPad displays colors that are unbelievably richer, deeper and more vivid. Movies are now capable of playing at full 1080p HD-resolution, delivering an incomparable viewing experience on a mobile device.

The powerful new A5X chip with quad-core graphics was specifically designed by Apple to deliver a fast, responsive user experience while supporting the incredible Retina display. With double the graphics performance of the A5 chip, the A5X provides a superb balance between performance and power efficiency so users can enjoy all the benefits of the stunning new display while experiencing a smooth Multi-Touch™ interface, immersive gameplay, incredible visual depth and all-day battery life that iPad is known for delivering.

The 5 megapixel iSight camera features advanced optics for taking stunning pictures and recording full HD video. Backside illumination allows you to take great photos in low-light conditions and a new video image stabilization feature removes the bumps and shakes typically seen when filming with a hand-held device. Images can be enjoyed on the large Retina display, then edited, enhanced and easily shared with friends and family using the built-in Photos app on iPad.

iPad Wi-Fi + 4G with built-in next generation 4G LTE has the most comprehensive support for fast networks worldwide including HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA, and now both CDMA and GSM iPad users have the ability to easily roam internationally. The world-ready iPad delivers blazing download and upload speeds so web pages load incredibly quickly and email with large attachments can be sent and received easily. Personal Hotspot can be used to share the fast network connection on your iPad with up to 5 other devices using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB**.

With iOS 5.1, the latest update to the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, the new iPad has a number of new features and enhancements including: a redesigned Camera app with video stabilization technology; the ability to delete photos from Photo Stream; support for dictation in English, French, German and Japanese; and Personal Hotspot. iOS 5.1 also works seamlessly with iCloud®, a breakthrough set of free cloud services including iTunes® in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that works seamlessly with your iPhone®, iPad, iPod touch®, Mac® or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content and push it to your devices. When content changes on one of your devices, your other devices are updated automatically.

The new iPad also supports dictation, another amazing way to get things done just using your voice. Instead of typing, tap the microphone icon on the keyboard, then say what you want to say and the new iPad listens. Tap done, and iPad converts your words into text. You can use dictation to write messages, take notes, search the web and more. Dictation also works with third-party apps, so you can update your Facebook status, tweet, or write Instagram captions.

Apple also introduced the iPhoto® app, along with major updates to iMovie® and GarageBand®, completing its suite of iLife® apps for iOS. iLife and the iWork® apps, Pages®, Keynote® and Numbers®, have all been updated to take advantage of the new iPad Retina display. iPhoto includes breakthrough Multi-Touch features so you can use simple gestures to sort through hundreds of photos and find your best shots, enhance and retouch your images using fingertip brushes and share stunning photo journals with iCloud. iMovie now gives you the ability to create amazing Hollywood-style trailers as you record HD video, and GarageBand introduces Jam Session, an innovative and fun new feature that allows a group of friends to wirelessly connect to play instruments and record music together live on their iOS devices.

iPad runs almost all of the over 585,000 apps available on the App Store™, including more than 200,000 native iPad apps, from a wide range of categories, including books, games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. The iTunes Store® puts the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store at your fingertips with a catalog of over 20 million songs, over 90,000 TV episodes and over 15,000 movies. The new iBooks® 2 app for iPad lets users experience an entirely new kind of ebook that’s dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. iBooks created with Apple’s new iBooks Author offer gorgeous, fullscreen ebooks with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, unrivaled navigation and much more.

Coming soon to Okobe.co.uk...

GIGABYTE Claims World No. 1 Spot for Motherboard Durability

Celebrates 4 Generations of Ultra DurableTM Motherboards with Availability of New Ultra DurableTM 4 Technology on Future 7 Series Models

Taipei, Taiwan, March, 7th 2012 - GIGABYTE TECHNOLGY Co. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced their upcoming 7 series motherboards will boast GIGABYTE's industry leading Ultra DurableTM 4 technology, helping to safe-guard GIGABYTE motherboards from common everyday threats, including humidity and moisture, electro-static discharge, sudden power loss and high operating temperatures.

"With the launch of the first Ultra Durable motherboard in 2006, GIGABYTE revolutionized the motherboard industry by making quality the number one focus in our motherboard design," commented Henry Kao, Vice President of GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit. "Five and a half years later, GIGABYTE maintains our leadership in quality design by equipping our upcoming 7 series motherboards with even more lifespan enhancing technologies in the form of Ultra DurableTM 4."

GIGABYTE Ultra DurableTM 4

GIGABYTE Ultra DurableTM 4 motherboards embrace a range of exclusive technologies that guarantee DIY PC builders the absolute best protection for their PC, with built-in features that prevent common malfunction threats users encounter on a day-to-day basis.

2X Copper PCB

GIGABYTE Ultra DurableTM 4 design features 2X the amount of copper of a traditional motherboard for both the Power and Ground layers which dramatically lowers system temperature by delivering a more efficient spreading of heat from critical areas of the motherboard such as the CPU power zone throughout the entire PCB. GIGABYTE's Ultra DurableTM 4 also lowers the PCB impedance by 50%, which helps to reduce electrical waste and further lowers component temperatures. A 2X Copper layer design also provides improved signal quality and lower EMI (Electromagnetic Interference), providing better system stability and allowing for greater margins for overclocking.

Humidity Protection

There is nothing more harmful to the longevity of your PC than moisture, and most parts of the world experience moisture in the air as humidity at some point during the year. GIGABYTE Ultra DurableTM 4 motherboards have been designed to make sure that humidity is never an issue, incorporating a new Glass Fabric PCB technology that repels moisture caused by humid and damp conditions. Using a new kind of PCB material which reduces the amount of space between the fiber weave, Glass Fiber PCB technology makes it more difficult for moisture to penetrate compared to traditional motherboard PCBs. This offers much better protection from short circuit and system malfunction caused by humid and damp conditions.

Electrostatic Protection

All GIGABYTE Ultra DurableTM 4 motherboards use high quality IC microchips that are rated with higher electro-static discharge (ESD) resistance than traditional IC implementations. GIGABYTE Ultra DurableTM 4 motherboards use ICs with up to 3 times the ESD resistance levels compared to traditional ICs. This helps to better protect the motherboard, its components and the PC in general against potential damage caused by static electricity, a common threat to today's PCs.

Power Failure Protection

If your home experiences a sudden power outage for any reason, GIGABYTE Ultra DurableTM 4 Classic are equipped to ensure that you won't be dealing with a fatal malfunction. All GIGABYTE Ultra DurableTM 4 motherboards use patented DualBIOSTM technology to provide fail safe protection for the BIOS on your motherboard, automatically refreshing your BIOS from a back up version in the case of a critical power outage.

GIGABYTE Ultra DurableTM 4 motherboards also feature special anti-surge ICs that protect your motherboard, and your PC, from any surge in power delivery that may occur, helping to ensure that your PC is equipped to deal with any kind of irregular and inconsistent power delivery.

High Temperature Protection

GIGABYTE Ultra DurableTM 4 motherboards feature specially selected components that make your PC capable of higher temperatures in more extreme conditions, while at the same time preventing your PC from overheating. Using all solid capacitors for the GIGABYTE Ultra DurableTM 4 range both reduces overall board temperatures while, making the motherboard more robust at higher temperatures. The choice of Lower RDS(on) MOSFETs also helps to reduce operating temperatures significantly compared to traditional MOSFET solutions. These component technologies combine to guarantee enhanced longevity and stability for your PC.

For the current GIGABYTE range at Okobe.co.uk please click here...