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Tag: hardware-and-technology

  • Dell and Dropbox Partner on a Business Cloud Storage Push


    Hardware giant Dell has formed a partnership with cloud storage provider Dropbox to sell the business focused cloud storage product through its sales network. The deal aims at helping businesses "meet today’s employee’s expectations for cloud based services."

    Dell will bundle Dropbox’s corporate offering, Dropbox for business with its data protection cloud proposition. According to the company, the move will ensure that the IT Company meets regulatory requirements and also maintain control over sharing.

    Brett Hansen, the executive director of end user computing software at Dell noted that Dropbox was one of the fastest growing, most innovative and most popular solution of its kind. He further noted that through the Dell global ales team, both companies can help organizations of different sizes protect data while embracing consumerisation of IT.

    Global vice president of partnerships at Dropbox, Marc Leibowitz added that Dropbox has always focused in providing a simple and elegant way of accessing their most important stuff. He also noted that Dell offers scalable, innovative and back-end expertise that help to empower IT administrators as well as the end users. The shared values of manageability, simplicity and security make Dell an ideal strategic partner.

    Dell and Dropbox indicated that they will be announcing the developments across Dell’s commercial and consumer client platforms in the coming months. However, they did not expound on when the changes are likely to appear.

    Image: TechMalaysia

  • LG releases 105-inch Curved 4K ULTRA HD TV – Model 105UB9


    LG is working hard towards being the leader in the smart-TV industry by creating a good number of impressive TVs. The company has released 105-inch corved 4K ULTRA HD TV: model 105UB9. 

    The 105” U-HD TV is LG’s first 100+ inch curved TV and the company plans to follow this up with 49”, 55” and 65” versions. This is another notable achievement after the company initiated the introduction of curved OLED TV screens.

    LG indicated that it would be releasing 68 new models in its 2014 releases, with 49” televisions leading the pack.

    The new smart TVs runs on the webOS Smart TV platform bought from Hewlett-Packard. LG had modified the OS after the purchase and brought it back as its own for its smart TVs.

    Over 70% of LG’s smart TVs will be running on the new operating system in 2014. Early January saw its presentation at CES.

    Its user friendliness is a feature that makes it stand out among other similar operating systems. The feature allows users to carry out tasks like content searching and connecting to other smart devices very easily.

    According to the President and CEO of LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company, the company is looking forward to making great strides in the smart TV market. Its webOS smart TV platform, ULTRA IPS, CINEMA 3D display technologies will play a significant role in placing LG on the ‘to watch’ list this year.

    LG's Ultra HD Engine Pro, which has a 3840 x 2160 resolution processing power, is responsible for its 4K quality.

    LG and Harman Kardon are working together to improve its sound system.

  • Squirrels Releases Slingshot, an iOS, Mac and Windows Screen and File Sharing App


    Squirrels, the maker of popular Reflector and AirParrot apps, has today launched Slingshot, a service-based application allowing iOS, Mac and Windows screen and file sharing. 

    Claimed to be “the first application that allows screen sharing from a mobile device while meeting with others online”, Slingshot lets you share your iOS, Mac or Windows screen with anyone in a Slingshot session – regardless of the device they are using (Android is supported too).

    The service also includes online collaboration and meeting tools. Meeting Minutes allows anyone in a session to take collaborative notes in real time, and instant file sharing shares files with everyone in a session. Users files appear instantly in the meeting for others to review and download.

    Slingshot also includes face-to-face chat with up to five streaming webcams in a session.

    The service is available free for 30 days. The individual plan allows one-on-one collaboration and screen sharing for $9.99 USD. Other plans are available that allow more users, more webcam feeds, dial-in access and more concurrent sessions.

    The developer offers special pricing and plans for corporations and larger groups with “unique needs.”

    Find out more about Slingshot in the original article posted on What’s on iPhone.

  • Sony Introduces Flagship W950B BRAVIA Series


    This year alone Sony has released a series of separate 4K TVs, keeping other companies on their toes. However, what has got people talking is their flagship product, the Sony BRAVIA W950B series, a direct successor to the W900A released last year. The W950B series packs a high performance and comes in two models: the 55inch and 65 inch displays. It features a full HD 3D imagery, smart TV platform and it is loaded with apps.

    If you’re looking for high end TV with top notch quality that maintains the current relevant content landscape the W950B would be more than a good fit, it could very well be your perfect fit. Sony has out done themselves with the BRAVIA W950B which packs an impressively high performance without sacrificing beauty. Incorporating a stylish wedge design which is thick at the bottom and tip resistant, this is a modern look and is enjoyed by most people.

    It packs an impressive long duct speaker and a stunning display characterized with rich color details and is bound to give you an immersive home experience. It has state-of-the-art-features incorporating a triluminos display (technology that allows for greater color tones and texture on the screen), X-tended dynamic range (technology that increases range of brightness and light output), social viewing and a long duct speaker. All these give you that unique realism, vivid scenes rich in color, a clear full-range sound, and the fun of sharing.

    It also comes with an array of ports including the HDMI port, USB 2.0, an Ethernet connection, digital and analog audio output(s), and a lot more. Other features include; BRAVIA sync, USB play, quick start,a built in webcam which is Skype ready, Wi-Fi connectivity, Facebook and Twitter. Sony has also added a second remote; it has a touch pad that responds to touch and drag gestures similar to a laptop. It’s on screen menu buttons are well refined and reduced.

    Out of the box, the W950B is well calibrated and there will be no need for further calibration. Sony’s user experience is not perfect, but newcomers may be overwhelmed by the picture quality. It is a solid performer that works right from the box.

    Cost

    It will set you back $1999 for the 55 inch with the price of the 65 inch not yet available. It’s a beautiful TV, with an astonishing great performance, a pair of 3D glasses, an attractive stylish modern look, smarty features, and all around great quality.

  • It’s The End of the Road for AVG LiveKive Cloud Storage Service


    LiveKive users have been notified of the eminent closure of AVG’s cloud storage service just weeks after Crossloop remote access service was ended by the AV vendor.

    2011 saw the launch of AVG LiveKive which provided sync n share services to its customers. What made the service unique was the unlimited package that had an annual fee of $80 and 30 day trial which offered free 5 GB storage space.

    The AVG forum had a post announcing that AVG LiveKive would soon be facing discontinuation which was a clear indication that the goodies the service came with did not do much in making the product profitable.

    The post communicated to its members that AVG would be terminating the service in two stages so that everybody gets time to back up their stuff.

    Uploading of new files will be terminated on April 1st 2014 but downloads will continue for the following 90 days until August 18th which will see the complete shutdown of the service.

    From this date, users will not be able to get access to any data from AVG LiveKive so everyone is advised to do their backup before this day.

    Subscribers to other AVG services are assured that the only change they will feel is that of the termination of AVG LiveKive so all other services will continue to run as usual.

    AVG had followed many other companies in the sync ‘n’ share venture even though it is considered a minor service. Some similar services include; the Dropbox clone Cubby from LogMein, Ubuntu One from Ubuntu, Copy from Barracuda Networks, and Mozy and Simplicity from EMC. EMC is spicing up its service with some collaboration and workflow elements in an effort to make more unique.

  • The New and Stylish OnePlus One Smartphone


    There has been a recent influx of a high-powered Android smartphones that you can buy without contract, as seen with the likes of the Nexus 5 and the Moto G. If you’re looking for a powerful device that is affordable and one that will give you the best bang for your buck, look no further than the trending OnePlus One. 

    Not to be confused with the Taiwan giant’s flagship phone the HTC One which costs a whopping $600 without contract, OnePlus is a new company trying to get a foothold in the smartphone industry with its first go mobile phone being the Oneplus one. 

    A look under the hood

    The Oneplus One packs a 5.5 inch full HD display JDI-made with a 401ppi pixel density, smaller than the Samsung Note 3’s huge display. But by other accounts it has bested the Note 3 and is a force to reckon with.

    A peak under the hood reveals its processor which is faster than the Note 3. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor CPU that clocks a speed of 2.5 GHz which is much higher than Note 3’s 2.3 GHz. When it comes to the camera, the primary has 13 mp and 5 mp secondary camera greater than the Note’s 13 mp and 2 mp respectively. It is at par in terms of battery size with the Note 3, which should give you more than a day’s charge according to Oneplus. It runs on cyanogen, based on Google’s Android version 4.4 aka kitKat. The data equipment on the Oneplus is compatible with most 3G/4G networks in the world including AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S. It comes in the 16GB and 64GB versions. All this is packed inside a beautiful well finished magnesium casing. It weighs about 162 grams, which makes it the lightest of the 5.5 inch smartphones.

    It is currently available in white and black colors but OnePlus will soon be launching swappable back covers to add a touch of personality to the phone. The covers will range from denim, Kevlar, and bamboo. At $299 for the 16 GB version it’s one of the best smartphones you have never heard of.

  • Which Phone System Works for You? VoIP vs. PSTN

    In business promotion a company has to find proper communication lines be it through social media, blogs, web conferencing, Skype or good old fashioned phone calls. Proper communication helps in relaying information to and from prospective customers and it also improves efficiency by facilitating internal communication.

    The two business phone systems available to small businesses are VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network). Internet communication technology and cloud technology is used by VoIP while PSTN uses landlines. To help you find the right phone system best suited for your business we prepared the following pros and cons of the two systems.

    Pros

    VoIP has numerous features that make it more suited for businesses. For starters it includes features such as call forwarding and voicemail services.

    Voice messages can also be converted to email messages, and a business can hold web conference with people all over the world. These features are not present in traditional lines such as the PSTN.

    VoIP provides a convenience and improved user experience for both the business and customer. For instance it shows the call log of all calls and help address concerns raised by customers in a timely fashion. This means better customer service and sales. It is an efficient system that is detailed with clear timelines, it cuts cost and is portable. The bottom line is that VoIP is inexpensive compared to PSTN.

    Cons

    The cons of VoIP are that without an Internet connection it can’t work, slow Internet will affect it considerably and will lead to latency in information sharing and communication.

    Power outages will affect it a great deal as it won’t work without power so it’s advisable to have a backup power generator.

    It can also suffer attacks from viruses and other malware.The decision to choose either should be undertaken after adequate consideration between both systems.

  • Home SmartPhone S Helps You Block Nuisance Calls


    A recently announced Home SmartPhone S features a unique technology that allows you to call block up to 80% of your unwanted calls. This new smartphone is a follow up from the previous bestselling BT6500 that was the first landline to block nuisance calls.

    The new unwanted calls blocking feature allows you to block calls from withheld numbers, international numbers as well as unknown callers. You  also have an option of putting the phone on do not disturb mode, that bars outgoing calls to various numbers, switches off the ringer, blocks premium rate lines as well as  blocks incoming calls from 10 phone numbers.

    In the UK, nuisance calls have become a growing concern, with an average of 50,000 calls monthly coming to the advice line. However, since the BT6500 was introduced, the number of calls coming in has gone down by half. A research that was carried out by Ofcom indicates that on average, people receive two nuisance calls every week. It is indicated that more than half of these calls come from insurance companies sourcing for clients.

    The new Home Smartphone S now allows users to be in control of the people they want to talk to. It also allows them to look up cont acts and make chats via calls, email or Facebook. The new smartphone is available for sale in selected stores.

  • Loaded and locked – 3 seriously secure cloud storage services


    Some of the popular, efficient and convenient cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and SugarSync can sometimes be insecure. Your files may be accessible to companies due to the lack of encryption and unprotected data transfers. Before uploading sensitive files to the large storage services you can use smaller, more secure cloud storage services like Wuala and Tresorit to encrypt the files. Alternatively, you can encrypt the files yourself.

    Wuala

    Wuala is compatible with Linux, iOS, Windows, and Android operating systems. Its first 5GB storage space is free and its packages cost starts from $4 per month for 20GB storage space.

    LaCie is the company behind the Wuala cloud storage company, and it offers unique services in two ways;
    Encryption of files by clients: you are in charge of your file encryption on your device prior to uploading it it the cloud. This ensures that only you can gain access to the uploaded data, making data transfer extremely secure.

    Password confidentiality: You are the only person who has access to your password and not even Wuala employees are able to know it. This means that forgetting your password would give you a very nasty experience trying to access your files.

    Tresorit

    Tresorit is compatible with Mac OS X, Widows, iOS, and Android operating systems. 5GB is free and its package price starts at $7 per month for 100GB of storage space.

    Tresorit provides secure data transfers and data centers able to protect data against data invasion as well as client side encryption.

    Tresorit’s client side data encryption is similar to that of Wuala in terms of confidential password protection. A differentiating feature is the ability to secure any folder on your device by just ‘tresor-ing’ it. This means that you can right click on any folder and secure it.

    McAfee personal locker

    This cloud storage service is compatible with Android, Windows 8, and iOS operating systems. All McAfee LiveSafe subscribers get 1 GB free storage space.

    Its features include a PIN, face and voice recognition security measures, which you will have to go through to access high priority files. Low priority files only require a PIN to gain access.

    Local File Encryption

    Instead of going through the wearisome task of getting a new cloud storage service, applications like TrueCrypt will be useful in helping you encrypt your data inside your cloud folder. This will work well in keeping your files safe and secure.

  • Wholesale VoIP to create new revenue streams for Optus partners


    VoIP protocol is now available to Optus’s wholesale customers. Optus’ current partners and upcoming Cloud resellers are set to gain from its ipPhone express app.

    According to Robert Parcel, Optus’s wholesale and satellite MD, the new service is a "significant differentiator and great opportunity for the channel."

    Parcel added that their resellers had been exploring on ways to use the increasing confidence in VoIP from both consumers and businesses to boost the number of their customers and competitive advantage in the market.

    New customers will have the privilege of getting a new source of income on top of getting support from Optus’s teams. What sets Optus’s VoIP service apart from the rest in the market is the assurance of high quality care that the customers will get.

    According to the telecommunications provider, customers from different service providers can be targeted be the resellers and they would still get to keep their original number while using the service.

    Optus’s partners have the opportunity of creating VoIP service among many other products and services which could be provided as additions to a broadband service.

    Optus claims that it VoIP services will be beneficial to its customers in; managing call forwarding, reducing rental and call costs for a phone line, facilitation in making service changes, management of call diversions and contact lists via a web agent, and availability of different packages to fit different customer requirements.