Business News Holding

Tag: hardware-and-technology

  • Vivitek Targets US With $999 1080p DLP Projector


    Vivitek has signalled its intention to penetrate the US home-theater projector market with the unveiling of its latest FullHD 1080p home-theater projector.

    The H1080FD FullHD model, which is based on Texas Instruments’ S450 chip/light-engine design, will go on sale in August for a price of USD $999.

    Christopher Yang, Vivitek senior product manager, said that by combining the latest digital technologies in a portable and economical package, the new model offered "amazing" HD content without compromises.

    While the projector’s specs are modest, this is to be expected given the price tag.

    Features include 1,800 lumens of brightness and a 5,000:1 contrast ratio.

    The unit’s I/O ports include: two HDMI inputs, composite video, S-video, and component video inputs, RS-232c data control and a 12v trigger.

    Lamp life is rated at 3,000 hours and Vivitek has designed the cabinet for easy bulb access, enabling users to replace burned out lamps.

    Vivitek offers a one-year limited warranty on parts and labor and a 90-day lamp warranty.
    Vivitek's Christopher Yang withthe H1080P Projector
    The unit’s noise level is listed at 29dB, and the fan vents from the sides, unlike many models that vent from the front.

    Vivitek is in the process of compiling a full line of home-theater and business projectors.

    It is also selecting authorized dealers to carry top performing models for custom installation and specialty A/V channels.

    As part of this move, the company is hiring new channel specialists, revamping it Web site and has signed AVAD, Tech Data and DBL Distributing to help get the products and the brand to the right dealers.

  • Toshiba Blu-ray Player By Year End as Format Sales Grow


    More flesh has been added to Toshiba’s plans to bring out a Blu-ray player – it is likely to be called the BD-18 and could be available as soon as the year end.

    The company, which backed the HD DVD high-definition format that eventually lost to Sony’s prevailing Blu-ray, had stubbornly maintained it would not bring out a Blu-ray player and instead focused on its XDE DVD-upscaling technology.

    Then it emerged last month at its annual shareholder meeting in Tokyo that Toshiba had finally accepted it could no longer ignore the opportunities Blu-ray products offer.

    Now the Japanese electronics giant is planning a Blu-ray player, for its home market initially, according to the Japanese paper Yomiuri.
    A Blu-ray recorder is also being considered.

    A rumored USD $1B financial hole caused by the HD DVD failure appears to be a big motivation for Toshiba’s shift in stance to Blu-ray.

    The development comes as the Consumer Electronics Association publishes a reports pointing to burgeoning shipments of Blu-ray disc players in the second half of the year.

    These are expected to contribute to a 112 per cent increase in unit sales by the end of 2009.

    The growth in unit shipments should take the total to nearly 6 million for the year, which despite falling prices will ensure revenues top USD $1 billion, an increase of 48 per cent over 2008.

    Average Blu-ray player unit prices have falled closer to the USD $200 price point.

  • Pace Secures Brazilian HD Set-Top Box Deal


    Pace is to provide an HD-capable set-top box to Latin America’s largest multi-service cable provider.

    Brazil’s cable operator NET Serviços de Comunicação is buying the UK firms’s new HD-capable set-top unit as part of its drive to establish a fully HD, digitised customer base.

    Márcio Carvalho, products and services director at NET said the Brazilian pay-TV market is developing rapidly.

    He said the provision of high-definition content is increasingly becoming a service expectation in the region as the market matures.

    "This new deployment will dramatically increase our HD content reach and provides us with a platform to introduce additional entertainment services for subscribers," he said.

    The low environmental impact (LEI) box uses Nagra and Open TV middleware to deliver content securely over the cable network.

    NET Serviços’ integrated services include Pay TV (NET), Digital Video (NET Digital), High Definition Digital Video (NET Digital HD), high definition DVR (NET Digital HD Max), bi-directional broadband internet access (NET Vírtua) and voice (NET Fone).

    Hervé Matthieu, vice president of sales at Pace said the deployment of its HD-capable set-top box is a step forward in driving HD penetration in the region.

  • Sipgate Launches Cloud-Based Business VoIP Service


    sipgate has launched a new and entirely web-based service version of its US telephony service that replaces both phone systems and phone lines.

    The VoIP company said that its "Team Edition" will allow small and mid-size companies to move their corporate phone service to the cloud.

    It provides each employee with online access to their inbox containing phone logs, faxes, recordings and voicemail messages.

    Thilo Salmon, CEO of sipgate, said collaboration features like forwards, labels and comments allow coworkers to be more productive.

    It also allows employees to return calls at the click of a button, or sign and send faxes through a WYSIWYG interface on the company letterhead.

    Most functions such as call forwarding, call recording, and 3-way calling can be activated with a single click on the interface.

    Salmon said this makes features previously hidden in phone systems accessible for employees and, consequently, businesses more productive.

    He said the aim is to make telephone service as easy to use as email.

    sipgate team starts at USD $2 per user per month, and a 30-day free trial is available.

    "If you can use email, you now know enough to run your company’s corporate telephony system," he said.

    "We think this service will resonate particularly well with entrepreneurial companies and firms that have already realized the benefits from other cloud-based services like hosted CRM or email."

    In June, sipgate launched a free VoIP service in the US aimed at capturing a share of the 100 million users that make up the landline market.

    Salmon said the new Team service allows each employee to stay in control over where to answer calls and even have their VoIP, landline and mobile phones ring in parallel – the call is routed through to whichever handset is picked up first.

    He said that during a call, it is simple to bridge-in other callers, transfer the call or even record it.

    Employees given administrative privileges can add new users, office locations and blocks of phone numbers at the click of a button, with new additions available to use from the moment ordered.

    The system has been designed to be simple for administrators to set up and maintain, cutting down the time, effort and cost of traditional telephony systems.

    sipgate is running an introductory offer for companies with up to one hundred users, and costs from just USD $2 per user per month and is offered as a one month rolling contract.

  • Corsair Launches new 'Extreme' Series High-Performance SSDs


    Corsair has added another "s" to solid state storage with its latest offering – Speed.

    The Extreme Series X32, X64 and X128 high-performance SSDs, in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB densities respectively, offer read speeds of up to 240MB/s and write speeds of up to 170MB/s.

    Built using the renowned Indilinx Barefoot controller and Samsung MLC NAND flash memory, the Extreme Series can justifiably claim to have the highest performance currently available on the market.

    Jim Carlton, VP of Marketing at Corsair, said the combination of the Indilinx Barefoot controller, Samsung flash memory, and 64MB of on-board cache delivers "blistering, stutter-free performance".

    He said the SSDs eliminateg the bottleneck imposed by traditional mechanical hard disks.

    "The new Extreme Series SSDs are ideal for use as primary drives in desktop and notebooks systems, and also for RAID 0 configurations in high-performance desktops for enthusiasts who want extreme performance," he said.

    All Extreme Series SSDs feature end-user upgradable firmware to allow for new features to be added, such as the upcoming TRIM command for Windows 7 and other operating systems, which maintains optimal performance over time.

    Firmware upgrades and support for the Extreme Series SSDs will be available via Corsair’s website, and drives can be updated without the need to wipe data from the SSD, ensuring seamless upgrades.

    The Corsair Extreme Series X32, X64 and X128 solid-state drives are available immediately.

    No information is available yet on pricing.

  • Verbatim Boosts Portable Hard Drives with SureFire FW800/USB2 HDD Line


    Verbatim has launched a new line of portable combo FW800/USB2 HDDs available in capacities of 250GB, 320GB and 500GB.

    The company says the rugged palm-sized FireWire drives combine power, convenience and reliability with a compact, sleek design that can be plugged into almost any computer.

    The bus-powered drives are equipped with one USB 2.0 port, and one FireWire 800 port to deliver high-speed transfer rates of up to 800MB/sec. for FireWire 800 connections and 480MB/sec. when connected with USB 2.0 – without requiring an AC power adapter.

    Ready to use right out of the box, all cables are included.

    Housed in a durable black aluminum-extruded case with a fingerprint-resistant matte finish, the 2.5" drive features a 5400rpm spindle speed and 8MB of cache memory to optimize performance.

    A black protective carrying case designed to match the sleek lines of the SureFire HD is also included.

    Verbatim’s new SureFire portable HDDs weigh 0.41 lbs. (186g), and measure 3.13" x 5.0" 0.66" (81mm x 128mm x 15mm), making them easy to transport from system to system and place to place.

    The suggested retail pricing is USD $109.99 for the 250GB version, USD $139.99 for the 320GB version and USD $179.99 for the 500GB drive.

    The complete package includes a SureFire hard drive, FireWire 800-800, FireWire 800-400, USB 2.0 and USB power cable for systems limiting power over the USB port, a carrying case and a user guide.

  • JAJAH Embraces Online Dating Industry


    JAJAH has been chosen as the IP platform for online dating sites Match.com and eHarmony.

    The expansion of JAJAH’s platform to service the rapidly growing online dating industry gives users the ability to talk, SMS and leave voice messages for prospective partners, while keeping their personal details private.

    Online daters can call each other using JaJah’s VoIP on their normal phone.

    This feature could be a key one – and could see JAJAH do well out of the market for Internet dating communications.

    Trevor Healy, JAJAH CEO, said its IP platform meant privacy is no longer an issue for those looking for love online.

    In what is certainly a bold claim, he added: "By removing the privacy concerns around making that phone call, the JAJAH platform is giving more people the chance to find true love sooner."

  • Symbian to Launch App Store Platform


    The Symbian Foundation has unveiled its application-publishing program – becoming the latest in what is becoming a long line of mobile app stores.

    Called Symbian Horizon it is scheduled for general availability in October.

    Lee Williams, executive director of the Symbian Foundation, said through Horizon developers will receive assistance in building applications for Symbian devices.

    They will also get help in placing those applications in the many global stores which reach Symbian customers – as well as receiving promotional assistance for bringing those applications to end users.

    "Our goal is to encourage robust application development, increase revenue and application diversity in mobile stores, and improve the consumer experience – all for the greater benefit of the mobile ecosystem," said Williams.

    "And we can help North American developers reach markets in Asia and Europe where the Symbian platform is widely known and loved.

    "We are building a self-sustaining ecosystem that will drive the next generation of mobile and developers that join now are aligning themselves with the future of mobile."

    Symbian Horizon will aim to provide new benefits to two primary communities within the Symbian ecosystem.

    The first is comprised of application store providers, either operator or manufacturer-based, such as Ovi Store by Nokia, Samsung Applications Store and AT&T’s MEdia Mall.

    The second target community for Symbian Horizon is comprised of developers ranging from individual developers to companies that want to reach a broader mobile consumer market.

    Symbian Horizon is currently in development with a number of participating companies and developers, and is anticipated to be available in October 2009.

  • Belkin Cancels FlyWire Wireless HDMI Device


    After a series of postponements Belkin has finally said it will not be releasing its FlyWire wireless HDMI accessory.

    According to the company, the decision not to offer the FlyWire for sale has been taken because of the current state of the economy.

    With an expecteds retail price of USD $1,499, Belkin felt it would be "out of line" given the global economic situation.

    The cancellation comes after a number of postponements following the Flywire’s first appearance at CES 2008.

    The initially promising-sounding wireless device streams 1080p HD content from multiple HDMI inputs to HDTV televisions using the 5GHz band.

    The unit is a transmitter/receiver combo – and since the tiny receiver required only AC power and utilized a single HDMI output, it could be stealthily mounted behind wall-mounted flat screens or ceiling mounted projectors.

    The FlyWire’s disappointing no-show suggests that the future for HDMI consumer technology is bleak.

  • Wireless Broadband World Africa 2009: Conference Starts

    The 1st Wireless Broadband World Africa 2009 Conference opened yesterday in Cape Town Convention Centre with over 60 delegates in attendance.

    By all measures, Wireless Broadband World Africa 2009 is proving to be a great success.

    The conference has attracted delegates across the globe, which gives a fair representation of the industry players. Speaking to Biz-News, Debbie Tagg, Managing Director for Terrapinn, the event organizers, said, "We are happy with market response despite the economic challenges companies are facing world wide".

    The conference opened with presentations focusing on the economic benefits of developed broadband system across the world with a special focus on Africa.

    Delegates and speakers agreed that access to affordable high-speed Internet and mobile phone service are key to economic growth and job creation in developing countries, Africa in particular.

    The conference speakers agreed that for every 10 percentage-point increase in high-speed Internet connections there is an increase in economic growth of 1.3 percentage points.

    Internet users in developing countries increased tenfold from 2000 to 2007, and there are now over four billion mobile phone subscribers in developing countries.

    Most of the participants lamented the unfavourable regulatory environment that hampers the use of technologies. These technologies offer tremendous opportunities. Governments can work with the private sector to accelerate rollout of broadband networks, and to extend access to low-income consumers.

    So far, mobile platform has been identified as the single most powerful way to reach and deliver public and private services to hundreds of millions of people in remote and rural areas across the developing world.

    Commenting on the deliberations, George Finger, ICT Specialist at Development Bank of Southern Africa said that broadband provides the basis for local information technology (IT) services industries, which create youth employment, increase productivity, and exports, and promote social inclusion.

    "Access to broadband completes the information foundation for a modern economy and should be a priority in national development plans", said George.

    "Governments can play a key role in expanding broadband access by policies and incentives that encourage competition and private investment", he concluded.