LG will be showing off a bunch of new 4K TVs at CES 2015 next week
CES 2015 kicks off next week, with my bags not even packed yet and I jump on a plane 49.5 hours from now. But, LG is preparing a bunch of stuff to show off to the world, with a huge push in the world of 4K TVs.
The built-in 4K video decoder can handle both 30FPS and 60FPS inputs, and is "future-proof" for future standards.
Read More ...
LG announces new 21:9 ultra-wide AMD FreeSync capable monitors
LG has already teased it will be showing off a bunch of 4K TVs at CES 2015 next week, but the South Korean giant has just announced it will also be showcasing its new 21:9 ultra-wide monitors, too.
We will be at CES 2015 next week, so you can look forward to us taking a closer look at these delicious new AMD FreeSync-powered 21:9 ultra-wide monitors from LG.
Read More ...
Samsung announces its new Ativ Book 9, with 12.2-inch 2560x1600 screen
Samsung has just unveiled its new Ativ Book 9 ultrabook, a new device that features a beautiful 12.2-inch 2560x1600 display, providing a nice brightness level of 700 nits when you turn on its outdoor mode.
Read More ...
Go 'Into the Storm' and win a copy of the disaster epic on Blu-ray
To celebrate this week's release of 'Into the Storm' on Blu-ray HD and DVD, we have ten copies of the Blu-ray to give away to readers, thanks to our friends at Village Roadshow Home Entertainment.
In the span of just a few hours, the city of Silverton is ravaged by an unprecedented onslaught of the most furious twisters theyve ever seen. The entire town is at the mercy of the erratic and deadly cyclones, even as storm trackers predict the worst is yet to come. Most people seek shelter, while others run toward the vortex, testing how far a storm chaser will go for that once-in-a-lifetime shot.
If a category 10 (extreme) cyclone was headed your way, where would you seek shelter?
To enter, simply 'like' this post and share via Facebook or Twitter and send your answers, along with your postal address to ben at TweakTown dot com before the competition closes on January 4th 2015.
Read More ...
Xbox One update provides improved performance, uses more eSRAM
Microsoft is currently tweaking its latest SDK for the Xbox One, something that Dying Light developer Techland has gotten its hands-on. We've heard that Dying Light will be running at 1080p and 30FPS on the Xbox One and PS4, but it looks like the Xbox One side of things received its 1080p 30FPS target thanks to the latest update.
PIX, or Performance Investigator is a software tool used by developers on the Xbox One to analyze and debug their code in order to increase the performance of their titles. There have been a few developers that have been doing this, squeezing out as much performance as they can from the current (at the time) SDK. These developers include Bungie with Destiny, and Rockstar with Grand Theft Auto V, so Techland isn't the only one doing some tweaking with Dying Light.
Read More ...
Nintendo UK is removing Game Boy Tetris from the 3DS eShop in 2015
As confirmed by Nintendo's UK Twitter, the age-old classic Game Boy Tetris will be pulled from the eShop durng the last day of 2014.
There has been no confirmation from Nintendo America or other regions as to if this game will be pulled from the e-shelves in their respective regions. Some news outlets are speculating that this game was pulled due to Nintendo's recent 3DS release of Ubisoft's Tetris Ultimate. Currently avilable for the bargain price of $3.99, please don't let this news ruin your fun - go and pick yourself up a piece of gaming history. We really hope that Ubisoft isn't at fault for this ordeal, it certainly couldn't do too well in improving the current markets public opinion of the big-name developer.
Is anyone else reminded of the original PC Prince of Persia main screen when looking at the Tetris player select? Maybe it's the Persian-style background buildings.
Read More ...
Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta begins alongside pre-order details
As seen on the official Halo Twitter account, Halo 5's multiplayer beta has been opened up to the public, ending on the 18th of January 2015.
This sequel is said to continue the story of Master Chief and introduce Spartan Locke, a brand new addition to the series. Once again you'll be fighting against peace-shattering invader aliens, seeing Spartan Locke on a mission to find the somewhat-elusive Master Chief alongside solving a complicated mystery that threatens the entire galaxy.
According to developer 343 industries, Halo will be around for 30 more years, so here's hoping this latest release is a massive success to help boost the franchise.
You can pre-order this title from the Microsoft Store and read the full announcement on Xbox Wire.
Read More ...
Xbox 360 deals are running rampant until 2015
If you're running a previous generation console and are looking for a few cheap titles to place in your collection before the new year rolls around, Xbox are offering up a plethora of deals running right until the clock hits 12:00 am on the 1st of January.
There are a few 'filler' titles on the list, however Microsoft have done a fairly good job of offering up some solid gaming offerings at reasonable prices. If full games aren't you thing however, you can purchase things like the World of Tanks Currency Mega Pack and other similar items.
There are also some specials being run for the next-gen offering, along with other specialty sale items.
Read More ...
Earn extra coin in World of Warcraft the easy way - farm Cataclysm
Thanks to a recent guide by YouTuber 'Bellular Gaming' you no longer have to spend hours grueling over the Auction House or implement bot-farming to make sufficient gold advancements in World of Warcraft.
Good luck and have fun players, we'd love for you to show us screenshots of what you've done with this new-found cash.
Read More ...
GGF LANs amazing White Matter ASUS Mark S mod will blow you away
The first word that escaped my mouth when setting eyes on this sponsored build was - "Wow". Stuart Tonks from GGF LAN was been sent some latest-release products from Kingston, ASUS and Coolermaster and told to do his best.
"His best" is this amazing, liquid cooled black-and-white case mod setup affectionately named "White Matter" by the creator himself. The full feature list reads:
- ASUS TUF Sabertooth Z97 Mark S
- Intel i7 4770k
- Kingston HyperX Fury
- Kingston HyperX Fury 240GB
- Dual ASUS GTX780s DCU IIs
- Cooler Master V850
- Cooler Master Cosmos 2 Ultra Tower
- Cooler Master JetFlo fans
- Bitspower watercooling
- Sleeving by IceModz (too be added)
- Custom modding and painting by GGF
"White matter - is a component of the central nervous system that transmits signals from one region of the cerebrum to another and between the cerebrum and lower brain centers. After looking and the finished product you can see how this relates with all the build. Many tubes run through the system as if they were transmitting signals."
No matter what the name or the specifications, this build looks exceptionally clean and well constructed. We'll continue to report on more of Tonks' builds as they progress into completion. In the meantime, you can catch the full build photo gallery on the GGF LAN Facebook page.
Read More ...
A fan-made mod means Kojima is brought to life in Metal Gear Solid V
Fan-made mods are simply breathtaking in this age of gaming. We've recently seen things such as the Skyrim Enderal mod adding a whole new game within a game, another Skyrim fan-update offering 4K resolution textures, bug fixes and more and various community made Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competitive maps and add-on's. All of these additions are what help keeps a title active, strong and relevant for months, or years, to come.
Read More ...
Samsung shows off new curved soundbars similar to the Portal gun
I sat reading through a press release thinking to myself, "wow these Samsung WAM6500 and WAM7500 speakers look awfully familiar." After a short while I noticed the connection between Samsung's latest creations and the much-loved Portal gun.
Samsung created these 'curved soundbars' at a "state-of-the-art audio lab in Valencia, California," we're starting to get more suspicious that Aperture Laboratories may be on the rise. Don't get us wrong, the shape is pretty generic - but it still looks cool.
Read More ...
American CS:GO League ESEA opens up to the Asia Pacific region
Known globally for their massive $78,000 season 17 incorporating American and European teams, ESEA have decided to further expand to the Asia-Pacific. This inclusion will see the prize pot increase to a sum of $100,000.
Along with this new region inclusion, ESEA are offering up a new recruitment section to assist teams and players in joining together for tournaments in preparation for their season 18 signup closure, set to happen on January the 5th next year. Over the next few weeks ESEA will be announcing further rule sets, map rotations and other essential tournament information. If you're interested in competing in this event, you'll have to head to their registration page before the cut-off date.
ESEA have also re-opened their Brazilian CS:GO section, but have made no comment on if this will be included in the massive live finals as of yet.
The Season 17 finals were completed in early December. You can catch up on the action by tuning in to their YouTube channel.
Read More ...
Some of the best Steam sales on today
If you're not already aware, the Steam Sales Tracker is a brilliant tool, offering up an easy-to-see list of the current sales on offer, their time left of sale, the communities verdict on the game and also a handy extension to help link it to your personal steam account.
As according to the Steam Sale tracker 'Community's Choice' section, the hottest titles available today include a 66 percent saving on Mercenary Kings, the indie side-scrolling puzzle game Gunpoint for only $4.99 USD and the addictive and simply designed LUFTRAUSERS game for half price.
There's some larger titles on offer like Half-Life 2 and Dishonored, however we highly suggest you look into the Max Payne package for a tiny sale price of $2.99. It might just be nostalgia, but these two grungy, old-school, 3rd-person games are timeless classics in my book.
It's Dangerous to go Alone! Take This handy chart to help you survive yet another Steam sale.
Read More ...
A Finnish programmer gets Quake working on a super-old oscilloscope
My memories of playing Quake are some of my fondest memories, when the transition to 3dfx was taking place and getting it working with OpenGL and Glide. Oh boy, were those the days. But, I never did play it on an oscilloscope...
Read More ...
Innovative Technology Justin Power Bank Battery Roundup
I've got to admit, I receive more mobile batteries than most people and while I love it, there are just so many of them out there now. It's so hard to be different in this world of products that all want to provide the same thing; portable batteries, but there are some out there that shift away from the norm - like Innovative Technology and its Justin line of batteries.
For our review, the company sent us four models: the 5200mAh Power Bank with LCD Display, the 5400mAh Power Bank with Built-In Lightning & micro-USB cables, the 6000mAh Power Bank with Built-In Stand, and the 10,000mAh Power Bank. All three are different, so let's dive right into them.
Starting with the 5200mAh Power Bank with LCD display, which kind of explains itself - we have a 5200mAh battery with a built-in LCD display which looks glorious in person. The LCD is super bright, with 5V/1A input and output.
The next charger ramps things up a bit, offering 5200mAh of battery, while offering up a Lightning cable, and micro USB cable. This battery has 5V/2.1A of output, which is what you want for fast-charging your device.
The 6000mAh Power Bank with built-in stand is one of the more interesting chargers in the Justin range, offering a decent sized battery with 5V/1A input, and 5V/2.1A output. On top of that, we have a great stand that allows you to watch videos on your tablet or smartphone while it's charging. It also doubles as a great night stand next to your bed, or on your computer desk.
The final battery we have on our review table today is the much bigger 10,000mAh Power Bank, which offers two USB outputs - one of which is 1A out, while the other is 2.1A. The big draw card here is obviously the huge 10,000mAh battery - which will last days and days of charging your device up every night.
As for prices, we have:
- Power Bank with Built-In Connectors (5200mAh) - MSRP $69.99
- Power Bank with LCD Display (5200mAh) - MSRP $29.99
- Power Bank (10,000mAh) - $49.99
- Power Bank with Built-In Stand (6000mAh) - MSRP $29.99
Read More ...
Far Cry 4 PlayStation 4 Game Review
In Far Cry 4, you return to Kyrat as an ex-pat who immigrated to the United States with their mother when they were a child. Kyrat is a fictional city in the Himalayas and where the majority of the game takes place. It is also a dictatorship, ruled by one Pagan Min, a dictator on the level of Vaas from the former game, but one that is prepared to go even further. The story in Far Cry 4 is by no means throwaway, and in fact, many times will keep you forging ahead in the campaign, looking to find out what happens next - especially with the decisions you can make along the way to impact the game world.
On the main campaign side, you join a freedom fighter force known as the Golden Path who have been for a period of time attempting to end the reign of Min and restore peace and democracy to the land of the main characters birth. Throughout this campaign, some tough decisions need to be made as to how to advance the story and which main character of the Golden Path you wish to follow. This really mixes up the game, sends the story in different ways, and in many ways every player could have a slightly unique story. It also significantly enhances the replay value of the game, although to be honest, the game is not lacking without it.
When it comes down to it, the actual gameplay, the game shines. Picking up where Far Cry 3 left off, the game is of course primarily a first person shooter. However, it is changes such as being able to ride on the back of an elephant that really make this game a stunning success. You also need to craft items to improve your weaponry and abilities. Instead of just purchasing more inventory space, for example, you need to craft a wallet. To do this, you need to hunt specific animals and skin them. It adds another dimension to the game and a challenging one at that. Most of the animals can be ferocious when attacked and getting their skins is not so easy.
In terms of the environment the game is set in, it is stunning. This is a game that clearly is using the power of the current generation system. You can stand on the top of a cliff just admiring the mountains in the distance and the draw distance is also significant. One thing we noticed is that the game really never misses a beat. Despite huge explosions on screen, large draw distances and tons of action, the frame rate remained rock solid for us throughout. At least we did not notice any major frame rate issues, despite the epic nature of the game. Voice acting was also impressive, especially of the evil protagonist, and the propaganda style radio came across as authentic.
Far Cry 4 is a stunning game that builds upon its predecessor well. It may follow the same path of the main character having to slowly build up a force and take out an evil dictator, but despite it being almost the same structure, it works. The additions made including the new animals and location really do mix it up, however, it must be said that if Ubisoft is to return to the Far Cry universe for a fifth time, doing this over again is not going to be enough. That said, Far Cry 4 is one of the must-play games of 2014.
PRICING: You can find Far Cry 4 - PlayStation 4 for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.
United States: Far Cry 4 - PlayStation 4 retails for $48.92 at Amazon.
Canada: Far Cry 4 - PlayStation 4 retails for CDN$69.95 at Amazon Canada.
Read More ...
UK - Boxing Day retail proves to be 'damp squib' with 17% drop in online purchases
Boxing Day has lost its positioning as the premier shopping date of the Christmas season with Black Friday now the key date in the sales and bargain-hunting calendar.
Consumers got online in search of a bargain on Boxing Day at about twice the rate that they did throughout Christmas Eve and made five times as many purchases in the process.
However, the country's biggest online retailers saw their conversion rates - the percentage of online shoppers that actually made a purchase from a website - drop from a total of 3% on Boxing Day in 2013 to 2.5% in 2014.
Meanwhile, the conversion rate on Black Friday - the 28th November, reached 2.7% as British consumers went looking for deals. The number of people spending money online was also higher than on Boxing Day - almost 79% more internet shoppers bought something on an ecommerce website on Black Friday than on the 26th December.
As a result many retailers such as Currys are already preparing for Black Friday next year and using their websites to urge customers to mark out the 27th November 2015 in their diaries.
Though Boxing Day lost out to Black Friday in terms of online purchases, UK shoppers still flocked to the internet in massive numbers looking for deals once Christmas was done. Qubit's clients - a list that includes Topshop owner Arcadia Group, DFS and Shop Direct Group - saw a total of 17,657,174 online visitors throughout the day with just under half a million people making 824,152 individual purchases.
Read More ...
Apple Expected to Reverse iPad Misfortunes in 2015; 16% YoY Growth for Tablet OEMs, Says ABI Research
According to the latest forecasts from market intelligence firm ABI Research, tablet growth is expected to resume and continue over the next 5 years with a forecast of nearly 290 million tablet shipments in 2019. As the calendar year comes to a close, many of the world's tablet vendors are looking forward to opportunities in 2015 and are hoping to avoid a repeat of lackluster 2014 results. Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Google are expected to show year-over-year declines in branded tablet unit volume, while Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, LG, Microsoft, and Samsung should end higher in calendar year 2014.
Comparing tablet operating systems, Android continues to gain share with an expected 54% of branded tablets including the Google OS in 2014 while iOS falls to 41% and Windows 8 trails at 5% of shipments.
The tablet outlook for 2015 paints a better picture for OEMs. There are several factors that will lead worldwide branded shipments to grow 16% year-over-year to 194 million:
- Broader tablet adoption by businesses for the "clipboard workforce"
- Clearer, tiered product portfolios from leading OEMs
- Benefits-oriented marketing messaging by vendors to reach laggard adopters in the most mature market economies
Read More ...
NVIDIA Executive Philip Hughes Joins Autonet Mobile as President
Philip Hughes, former NVIDIA Vice President of Automotive Sales and Business Development, was appointed as President of Autonet Mobile, Inc. today. Prior to joining Autonet Mobile, Philip oversaw NVIDIA's global automotive sales initiatives and served as Site Leader of NVIDIA's Technology Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
"Philip brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to help catapult Autonet Mobile into a new level of growth and expansion in the Connected Vehicle space," said Roy Vallee, Autonet Mobile Chairman.
Philip has more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, business development, and operations. He joined NVIDIA in 2010 as Director of Automotive Sales & Business Development. Prior to joining NVIDIA, he led Fujitsu Semiconductor America's Automotive Business Unit. Philip also served as Director of Sales for North America at Kionix Inc. and Director of North American Operations at Wintek Corporation. Philip earned a BA from Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan.
Co-Founder of Autonet Mobile, Sterling Pratz, continues his relationship to the company in an advisory role.
Read More ...
SYNNEX Corporation to Announce Fiscal Fourth Quarter and Annual Results on January 12, 2015
SYNNEX Corporation, a leading business process services company, will announce fiscal fourth quarter and annual results for the period ended November 30, 2014 after market close on Monday, January 12, 2015. A conference call will be held to discuss the results at 2:00 p.m. PT and will be hosted by Kevin Murai, President and Chief Executive Officer; Dennis Polk, Chief Operating Officer; Marshall Witt, Chief Financial Officer; and Chris Caldwell, Executive Vice President and President of Concentrix Corporation.
Read More ...
2015 International CES to Host Largest Ever "Internet of Things" Showcase
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® today announced that the 2015 International CES® will feature the largest ever showcase of products, services and technologies that make up the "Internet of Things" (IoT), with more than 900 exhibitors planning to share innovations that harness the power of the network to connect everyday devices. Owned and produced by CEA, the 2015 CES is the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, and will run January 6-9, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Sensors Marketplace will highlight one of the key technologies that is enabling the IoT. Exhibitors participating in the marketplace include eyeSight Mobile Technologies, Logbar and QuickLogic Corp. In addition, the Smart Home Marketplace will showcase a smarter, more efficient home accelerated by smartphones and tablets interacting with a myriad of connected objects and devices, from basic security systems to connected lighting systems. Some of the 2015 CES exhibitors expected to showcase IoT technologies include Bosch, Lowe's, Konnect Labs, iDevices, Muzzley and Blinksight among many others.
2015 CES keynoters Boo-Keun Yoon, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel Corp., are expected to share their insights on IoT innovations. Other CES conference programming will also explore the future of this trend with the following sessions:
Privacy and the IoT: Navigating Policy Issues
Manufacturers and policymakers discuss steps that each can take to build consumer trust in devices and applications while preserving creativity and the flexibility to innovate. This panel will feature opening remarks from The Honorable Edith Ramirez, chairwoman of the FTC.
1-2 PM Tuesday, January 6
LVCC, North Hall, Room N254
The Impact of the Internet of Things
Experts will discuss the impact of IoT products, including what application areas are going to have the biggest adoption or change.
2:15-3:15 PM Wednesday, January 7
LVCC, North Hall, Room N261
The State of the Internet of Things
Part of the Research Summit conference track, this session will explore where the Internet of Things stands today and what its defining trends suggest about the road ahead.
3:30-4:30 PM Wednesday, January 7
LVCC, North Hall, Room N253
The 2015 CES will feature more than 3,500 exhibitors unveiling the latest consumer technology products and services across the entire ecosystem of consumer technologies.
Read More ...
MasterCard Launches Global Hackathon Series with $100,000 Grand Prize
MasterCard today announced the MasterCard Masters of Code competition. The intense, 10-city hackathon series will traverse the globe - from Sydney to Silicon Valley - to find the master artisans of our day: developers.
The winning team from each region will be flown to Silicon Valley to compete in the Grand Finale Masters of Code hackathon. There, a MasterCard Masters of Code Champion will be crowned and will receive $100,000 to develop their innovation, in addition to the following prizes*:
- Two weeks on-site at the MasterCard Start Path� accelerator location in Dublin, Ireland, or an alternate remote program;
- Six months of mentoring from a member of the MasterCard Open API executive team and the Start Path program team; and,
- Free payment processing for up to $250,000 in transactions for the first 12 months using Simplify Commerce.
The 2015 MasterCard Masters of Code competition kicks off with its first event in Sydney, Australia on February 7-8, followed by events in Hong Kong (March 18-19) and Singapore (March 25-26). Additional locations for the Masters of Code series include cities in Brazil, Canada, Israel, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States, among others.
"We encourage developers from around the world to participate in our Masters of Code competition and use the power of MasterCard through our APIs to create the next generation of commerce applications globally," said Mario Shiliashki, Senior Vice President of Open APIs, MasterCard. "MasterCard is the world's most advanced payments network, and the MasterCard Developer Zone is the bridge to it for developers. We are opening up our technology to the world for a simple reason - to enable any developer to utilize our products and platforms to build the next big thing."
* For more information about the MasterCard Masters of Code competition including rules, judging criteria, prizes, etc., please visit mastersofcode.org.
Read More ...
Tablets and Ultrabooks Become 30% More Affordable in Emerging Markets, Says ABI Research
The Average Selling Price (ASP) of Ultrabooks and tablets declined by 7.8% in 2014, as the market matured and commoditized, allowing these devices to become more affordable in all markets. According to market intelligence firm ABI Research, the average weeks of household income needed to buy a tablet or Ultrabook both declined by approximately 30% YoY; making these devices more affordable to a wider range of consumers.
The affordability of personal technology devices is strongest in many mature markets, such as the United States, Japan, and Germany, primarily due to the higher household income. However, ABI Research highlights that Chile experienced the largest decline in ASP, 56% for both tablets and Ultrabooks combined; tablets experienced the largest decline at 70.3%, due to the increase in selection and competition caused by lower-end devices entering the market between 2013 and 2014. In contrast, India experienced the largest increase in ASP between 2013 and 2014, at an average of 22% for both tablets and Ultrabooks; tablets alone experienced an increase of 34.5%, due to the surge of an e-commerce presence, Apple products, and mid-tiered devices.
As shown in Chart 1, the most noticeable change in affordability for weeks to buy for Ultrabooks and tablets occurred in Indonesia. In 2013, ABI Research's data shows that 11 weeks of income were needed to purchase an Ultrabook and nearly four weeks for tablets. In 2014, the weeks of income needed to purchase an Ultrabook declined by 47%, dropping to 5.9 weeks, and for tablets weeks of income declined by 60%, dropping to 1.5 weeks. "Partly due to the increase in models and price points in e-commerce, Indonesia, like many other developing markets, is a good example of the commoditizing of these devices," continues Van Vactor. "Market maturation will continue this effect through the next year, especially as competition increases and affordability continues to prosper as a result." Over the next year, competition will continue to surge and ASPs will continue to decline.
These findings are part of ABI Research's Media Tablets, Ultrabooks and eReaders Market Research (https://www.abiresearch.com/market-research/service/media-tablets-netbooks-ereaders/).
Read More ...
CrashPlan Wins Best in Biz "Enterprise Product of the Year" Award
Code42, the leader in endpoint data protection and management for business and enterprise, today announced it has been named an "Enterprise Product of the Year" winner in the 2014 Best in Biz Awards. The award honors innovative companies, teams, executives and products for their business success in the past year.
Winners of the fourth annual Best in Biz Awards are determined based on scoring from an independent panel of 53 judges from highly recognized newspapers, business, consumer and technology publications, radio outlets and analyst firms. More than 550 award nominations were received this year across a variety of company, executive, team and product-focused categories. Nominations were fielded from public and private companies of all sizes, from virtually every major industry and region in the U.S. and Canada. For a full list of 2014 Best in Biz Award winners, visit: http://www.bestinbizawards.com/2014-winners.
The recognition marks the latest in a series of honors recognizing Code42's leadership in endpoint backup and commitment to providing enterprise-level data security and scalability for businesses. Earlier this year, CrashPlan earned the gold 2014 Golden Bridge Award for "Backup and Recovery" in the "Innovations: Information Technology and Security" category. Additionally, Network Products Guide gave CrashPlan its 2014 Best Product Award in the "Cloud Computing/SaaS" category, and Info Security Products Guide 2014 named CrashPlan a winner in its "Endpoint Security" and "Software as a Service/Cloud Solutions" categories. For information on the complete list of Code42 achievements, visit the Honors page on the company's website.
Read More ...
Memory Market Sourcing Challenges to Continue According to Market & Technology Trends Report from Avnet Electronics Marketing
With no near-term end in sight for rising prices and extended lead times in a variety of DDR memory form factors, customers who do not proactively build backlog for these devices could find themselves facing the dreaded "A-word" - allocation - according to the latest Market & Technology Trends report now available from Avnet Electronics Marketing, an operating group of Avnet, Inc.
In a video released today, Alex Iuorio, senior vice president, supplier marketing for Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas, presents highlights of the most recent Market and Technology Trends Report, including commentary on memory market sourcing challenges as well information on exciting new product introductions supporting high-performance, high-functionality embedded and wireless systems for the ever-expanding connected device market. The video is available here: http://bit.ly/1Aq5Tai.
"The continued proliferation of big data in the enterprise world has put tremendous pressure on the memory market, but technology advances such as the 8Gb DDR3 monolithic devices and both 4Gb and 8Gb DDR4 will give buyers more options," said Iuorio. "Another hot technology to watch will be BLE beacons, applications of which are quickly expanding from the consumer world into the commercial, medical, connected home and personal asset tracking markets."
Each month, Avnet's Market & Technology Trends report details lead times, pricing trends, allocations, new product releases and end-of-life status on nearly 18 broad product categories from the company's line card of more than 300 suppliers. The report provides customers with the information they need to minimize sourcing risk and accelerate development of differentiated products.
Read More ...
The New Tt eSPORTS BLACK V2 Laser Gaming Mouse Refreshed to bring a new edge to your game
Tt eSPORTS, the leading expert in professional e-Sports gaming peripherals is releasing the new BLACK V2 laser gaming mouse. The BLACK V2 brings new life to Tt eSPORTS' most time honored gaming mouse, the BLACK. Throughout its design, the BLACK V2 sees upgrades from the original BLACK. The laser sensor, surface finish, grips, buttons, and even mouse software has been sent back to the drawing board to come up with new improvements.
An additional thumb button has been added, bringing the total to 2; and the overall programmable buttons to 7 which amounts to a total of 35 programmable macros across 5 profiles.
Dedicated DPI indicator light relays the current DPI setting to the user, and the mouse wheel flashes when changing profiles to indicate the profile setting the BLACK V2 is on. The BLACK V2 features a new surface coating finish, that brings an even "softer" soft to touch (matte finish) that gamers are used to. The new finish in addition with the new hexagonal patterened thumb grip will offers gamers the perfect grip with the BLACK V2. Red LED illumination furthers the gaming styling.
Read More ...
Panasonic Expands Scope of Toughbook H2 Battery Recall in United States
Panasonic announced it is expanding the scope of the U.S. recall Panasonic voluntarily previously put in place of battery packs included with the Toughbook H2 rugged tablet PC and those sold separately or as a result of servicing. The expanded recall includes Toughbook H2 battery packs manufactured between June 2011 and September 2012, following a recall announced May 28, 2014 covering battery packs manufactured between June 2011 and May 2012. The batteries are being recalled due to a rare possibility of overheating or igniting due to a manufacturing condition, although there have been no reports of fires nor injuries in the United States as a result of a faulty Toughbook H2 battery pack.
- Applicable battery pack model number: CF-VZSU53AW
- Applicable manufacturing lot numbers: Beginning with B, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, C93 C94, C96, C9C, C9J, C9K
Those with affected devices should shut down the PC and remove the battery pack, and contact Panasonic Customer Support at (855) 772-8324 (option 1 for laptops) or H2BatteryProgram@us.panasonic.com for free replacement. For more information, visit http://pc-dl.panasonic.co.jp/itn/info/announcement.html.
Read More ...
Panasonic Booth Overview at CES 2015
Panasonic Corporation will exhibit at the 2015 International CES, the largest consumer electronics show in the world, to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Nevada, U.S.A., from January 6 to 9, 2015. The company will hold a press conference on the day before the opening of the event.
With the Brand Slogan "A Better Life, A Better World" as the theme for the booth, Panasonic will showcase not only the company's latest products but also solutions designed to improve all aspects of life.
Date: Tuesday, January 6 to Friday, January 9, 2015
Venue: Central Hall (#9808), Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC)
Booth size: 1,575 m²
Displays: Consumer electronics, B2B solutions, latest automotive and avionics devices and solutions
Panasonic Press Conference Summary
Date & Time: Monday, January 5, 2015 10:00 - 10:45 (PDT)
Venue: Mandalay Bay, South Convention Center, Level 3, Jasmine Ballroom A-H
Presenter: Joseph Taylor, Managing Executive Officer, Panasonic Corporation; Chairman and CEO, Panasonic Corporation of North America
The Panasonic Press Conference will be lived streamed at ,cnet.com/ces/videos
Panasonic Live@CES 2015
Panasonic will share its showcase and comments from industry leaders from the Panasonic booth and provide interactive communications opportunities for visitors and viewers via social networks.
URL: http://www.panasonicces2015.com/
Read More ...
Lenovo Garners the 2014 Hong Kong Corporate Governance Excellence Award and Sustainability Excellence Award
Lenovo has been honored with the Corporate Governance Excellence Award (Hang Seng Index Constituent Companies Category) and Sustainability Excellence Award at the "Hong Kong Corporate Governance Excellence Awards 2014." Lenovo is one of the new awardees in the 2014 Awards, reaffirming the company's excellent standard of corporate governance and sustainability.
A special award on Sustainability Excellence was also granted to Lenovo, in recognition of the company's achievements in sustainability.
Wong Waiming, Executive Vice President and CFO of Lenovo said, "It is our great honor to receive these two awards for the first time, which affirm our exemplary achievement in corporate governance and sustainability. We believe it is critical to uphold high standards of corporate governance in order to enhance the company's transparency and accountability to our stakeholders. At the same time, providing a sustainable business model ensures that we are well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunities in the market and to maintain strong business growth."
In addition to the above achievements, Lenovo has recently been presented the platinum award in the Best Corporate Governance Disclosure Awards 2014 (H-share companies and other Mainland enterprises category), organized by the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Lenovo was once again recognized as a leading company in the quality of its all-round corporate governance disclosure and practices. This is the second year in a row that Lenovo has received this recognition.
Read More ...
Lenovo Recalls Notebook Computer LS-15 AC Power Cords
Lenovo has announced a worldwide voluntary recall and replacement program in cooperation with government regulatory agencies. This recall is for affected AC power cords distributed worldwide with Lenovo IdeaPad computers. These computers were sold from February 2011 through June 2012.
View recall FAQs
Lenovo sold the power cords with new notebook computers or replacement parts on the models listed below. Note: Not all Lenovo products were sold with an affected AC power cord. Please validate your specific AC power cord using the instructions how to identify if my cord is being recalled.
Affected Systems:
- IdeaPad B460
- IdeaPad B470
- IdeaPad B560
- IdeaPad B570
- IdeaPad G460
- IdeaPad G470
- IdeaPad G475
- IdeaPad G480
- IdeaPad G560
- IdeaPad G570
- IdeaPad G575
- IdeaPad G580
- IdeaPad G770
- IdeaPad S100
- IdeaPad S10-3
- IdeaPad S10-3c
- IdeaPad S10-3n
- IdeaPad S10-3s
- IdeaPad S10-3t
- IdeaPad S110
- IdeaPad S205
- IdeaPad S400
- IdeaPad U150
- IdeaPad U160
- IdeaPad U165
- IdeaPad U260
- IdeaPad U455
- IdeaPad U460
- IdeaPad V360
- IdeaPad V370
- IdeaPad V460
- IdeaPad V560
- IdeaPad V570
- IdeaPad Y460
- IdeaPad Y470
- IdeaPad Y560
- IdeaPad Y570
- IdeaPad Z360
- IdeaPad Z370
- IdeaPad Z460
- IdeaPad Z465
- IdeaPad Z470
- IdeaPad Z475
- IdeaPad Z560
- IdeaPad Z565
- IdeaPad Z570
- IdeaPad Z575
- IdeaPad Z580
- Lenovo B460
- Lenovo B470
- Lenovo B470e
- Lenovo B475
- Lenovo B560
- Lenovo B570
- Lenovo B570e
- Lenovo B575
- Lenovo G455
- Lenovo G460
- Lenovo G465
- Lenovo G470
- Lenovo G475
- Lenovo G480
- Lenovo G560
- Lenovo G565
- Lenovo G570
- Lenovo G575
- Lenovo G580
- Lenovo G770
- Lenovo V370
- Lenovo V470
- Lenovo V470c
- Lenovo V560
- Lenovo V570
Note: Only the AC Power Line Cord is being recalled. The Adapter that connects to the computer is not being recalled. Do not discard the adapter. Lenovo apologizes for the inconvenience caused by this issue. Shipment of quality products always has been and continues to be the foremost concern.
Read More ...
Samsung NX1 Showcases 4K UHD in Short Film with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and hitRECord
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced the launch of a new short film created by renowned actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt and his open collaborative production company, hitRECord. 'In a City' was shot entirely in 4K Ultra HD(UHD) on the Samsung NX1, the new premium mirrorless camera, and depicts diverse perspectives of seven cities from across the globe. The actor and his global team of cinematographers capture the essence and stories of their home cities, set to the backdrop of a powerful crowd-sourced soundtrack.
"This emotive short film is testament to both Joseph's exceptional talents as a director and the outstanding technology within the Samsung NX1" said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics. "The NX1's advanced features make it ideal for filmmakers in search of a camera with 4K UHD capabilities, to wow their audiences with exceptional beauty and clarity in every shot."
"When you're creating art, it's important to know that your tools will match your ambition, and that you can rely on the technology to enable, not limit your artistic vision," said Joseph Gordon-Levitt. "Samsung's NX1 is an awesome camera and it allowed us to create something really special with "In a City". The project was one of the most popular collaborations we've ever had on the site, with the whole hitRECord community excited to get behind it. We set out to make a film that speaks to a common experience, shared by millions of people, but set in some of the world's most diverse cities. It was important to capture the unique texture and energy of each city. The NX1 allowed us to do that , and make something that we're all very proud of."
Joseph Gordon-Levitt enlisted the help of hitRECord's talented community of cinematographers, musicians and lyricists to create the short film, curating the best crowd-sourced content to feature in the final cut. The film is structured around a collaboratively written poem, performed by artists from around the world. It takes the audience on a journey through the crowded markets of Cairo and Rio De Janiero, the iconic arches of London and Prague, as well as Tokyo's neon towers, the industrial streets of Sheffield and Los Angeles.
Exclusive unseen footage will be revealed on December 16th, with the launch of a behind the scenes, untold story video which highlights how the film was made, along with background from Joseph Gordon-Levitt on his creative process.
The Samsung NX1 has advanced features that make filmmaking easier and more enjoyable, supporting both Cinema 4K and UHD video recording. Its built-in HEVC Codec (H.265) allows users to compress and store video clips without compromising quality, and its advanced Auto Focus System III with 205 Phase Detection AF points covers nearly the entire imaging area.
Additional benefits to filmmakers include manual exposure control, focus peaking and zebra pattern, as well as microphone and headphone ports. The NX1 is also equipped with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and offers the most advanced connectivity available, even allowing users to watch UHD movies on a UHD TV wirelessly.
'In a City' can be found on:
Samsung camera Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/samsungcamera)
Samsung camera YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/samsungcamera)
For more information on the NX1, visit http://www.samsungmobilepress.com
For more information on the hitRECord, visit http://www.hitrecord.org/
Read More ...
Aussies Set a Click Frenzy Record with Online Sales up 27.7 Percent
IBM reported record online and mobile sales for Australia's third Click Frenzy ahead of the Christmas shopping blitz. The results are based on Australian online shopping transactions analysed by IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark.
- Click Frenzy online sales were up 27.7 percent over the same period in 2013.
- Click Frenzy mobile traffic reached 43 percent, up 29.4 percent over the same period in 2013.
- Click Frenzy mobile sales reached 20.4 percent, up 15.3 percent over the same period in 2013.
Consumers Cash-In on Online Bargains: As consumers become more comfortable with digital coupons average order value increased to $151.02, an increase of 15.2 percent over the same period in 2013. This indicates that shoppers are being much savvier in how they use online coupons and rebates to secure the best bargains. Shoppers purchased an average of 5 items per order, up 48.5 percent over last year.
Smartphones Browse, Tablets Buy: Smartphones drove 24.8 percent of total online traffic, outpacing tablets, which drove 18.3 percent of overall traffic. However, tablets are winning the shopping war. Tablet sales accounted for 13.3 percent of online sales, nearly twice that of smartphones which drove 7.1 percent.
The Desktop is Not Dead: Even so, many shoppers chose a more traditional online experience with desktop traffic representing 56.7 percent of all online traffic, and desktop sales reaching 79.6 percent of all online sales. Further, consumers spent more money on average on their desktops at $161.76 than their mobile devices at $121.82 a difference of 32.8 percent.
iOS vs. Android: Apple continued its leadership in compelling mobile shopping experiences, beating Android across three key metrics: Average Order Value: iOS users averaged $122.42 per order compared to $116.72 for Android users.
- Online Traffic: iOS traffic reached 32.8 percent, outpacing Android traffic, which reached 10 percent as a component of total online traffic
- Online Sales: iOS sales which reached 17.5 percent, were also higher than Android at 2.7 percent as a component of overall online sales.
Read More ...
Westfield Insurance Selects IBM to Transform Claims Processes; Leverage Analytics to Improve Customer Service
IBM announced that Westfield Insurance, a provider of personal, commercial and surety insurance, is working with IBM to transform their claims operations. In their transformation, Westfield is using business analytics to increase flexibility, operational efficiency and effectiveness, enabling Westfield to keep pace with its evolving customer base and business growth.
IBM's deep end-to-end capabilities allow the company to improve customer service though an integrated claims solution that standardizes operations. IBM brought together the best of IBM, from software to its strategy and analytics services, to deliver several of the major components of the program. IBM developed a new protocol to migrate data for use with predicative models and uses simulation models to evaluate bottlenecks in the claims process and develop a strategy for expedited workflow. This simulation helped expedite organizational changes. The new claims system will also utilize a suite of IBM counter fraud capabilities to detect suspicious activity.
"We've been working with IBM for years on multiple initiatives, in order to become a data-oriented company," said Robert Bowers, National Claims Strategy Leader, Westfield Insurance. "Our new claims platform will enable our employees to make quicker decisions, with greater insight. We anticipate lowered costs and improved customer service, all while streamlining operations throughout the country to enhance the customer experience."
"Analytics are the most visionary element to drive a competitive advantage. Since 2007, Westfield Insurance has been working hard to build an enterprise view of their data across their business," said Patricia Hamilton, Vice President, Insurance Strategy and Transformation, IBM. "This new claims platform is the next step in their transformational journey to build a structured process around data governance. By consolidating and standardizing its claims handling systems, Westfield is able to increase operational efficiencies, benefiting employees and customers."
IBM has optimized Westfield's current claims handling process to provide a seamless, fully-integrated customer experience. Westfield's claims system with Guidewire is now consolidated to ensure efficient operations across its network. Through industry leadership, technology expertise and proven practices, IBM was able to evaluate current processes and determine a roadmap to develop an optimized business model, including:
- A fully integrated solution to enable paperless processing, decreasing errors and increasing efficiency. Customers are also able to communicate with Westfield electronically, shortening the lifecycle of a claim.
- Systems integration with third party providers to allow for automated actions throughout the claims process, improving the customer experience and creating adjuster efficiencies.
- Controlled and secure access to applications, functionality, and data. Additionally, IBM's advanced analytics solutions and services are used to analyze millions of data points and identify and predict suspicious claims and activity in real-time.
- Conversion of data from legacy claims system to ensure existing claims are still open and that a record of closed claims are accessible to agents throughout the country.
Read More ...
IBM Opens First Cloud Data Center With SoftLayer in Japan
Today IBM announced the opening of its first cloud data center with SoftLayer in Japan, located in Tokyo. This announcement comes on the heels of recent SoftLayer cloud data center launches in Melbourne and Paris and represents the next step in IBM's $1.2 billion investment to expand its global cloud footprint.
It also addresses the industry's growing concerns about data residency and privacy by offering a local Japanese facility to compute and store sensitive data that needs to remain in country.
"Since we established a Singapore cloud data center in September 2011, SoftLayer has seen tremendous growth in the Asia-Pacific market," said Lance Crosby, CEO of SoftLayer, an IBM Company. "Our new cloud data center in Tokyo will support this evolving market by offering locally the security, resiliency, and efficiency that customers are demanding around the world."
The Tokyo cloud data center is launching at an opportune time for IBM Cloud. Between Q3 2013 and Q3 2014, IBM Cloud's customer base in Japan increased more than 600 percent, and Japanese customers using its SoftLayer Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) now total more than 1,000.
"IBM Cloud's global expansion of SoftLayer cloud data centers, including the new facility in Tokyo, is good for our business," said Hiroyuki Mashita, managing director and vice president of PioneerVC Corporation. "We are based in Japan and have clients located all over the world who use our real-time collaboration solution xSync Prime, which relies on SoftLayer's robust bare metal and virtual cloud servers, services, and worldwide network to provide a low-latency connection. We plan to move some of our clients' accounts and domestic data into the new cloud data center as soon as it opens in Tokyo."
The new facility will provide strategic support for local Asia-Pacific customers as well as global customers that want to reach local end users. SoftLayer's global network, differentiated by its unique network-within-a-network architecture, offers 10Gbps connections to SoftLayer services, less than 50 milliseconds of latency from the Hong Kong cloud data center, and less than 270 milliseconds of latency from other SoftLayer cloud data centers around the world.
"Over the past two years, IBM Cloud's SoftLayer infrastructure has helped us provide a cost-efficient, robust, scalable, and responsive experience for our users", said Mark Sun, co-founder of Singapore-based MotionElements, a royalty-free worldwide stock media marketplace for Asia-focused digital artists. "IBM Cloud has proven to be a very reliable technology provider for us, and we look forward to growing our business with their continued support."
The Tokyo cloud data center has capacity for thousands of physical servers and offers the full range of SoftLayer cloud infrastructure services, including bare metal servers, virtual servers, storage, and networking. It will seamlessly integrate via SoftLayer's leading private network with all SoftLayer cloud data centers and network points of presence (POPs) around the world. With services deployed on demand and full remote access and control, customers of the Tokyo center can create their ideal public, private, or hybrid cloud environments to deliver their services with low latency and ultimate efficiency, performance, and low latency.
Customers can receive $500.00 USD off of new orders for the Tokyo cloud data center for the first month of service, for a limited time. For more information about this discount, visit http://www.softlayer.com/info/tokyo-hosting. For more information about SoftLayer's cloud centers, visit http://www.softlayer.com/datacenters.
SoftLayer, an IBM Company, operates a global cloud infrastructure platform built for Internet scale. With 100,000 devices under management and a global footprint of data centers and network points of presence, SoftLayer provides Infrastructure-as-a-Service to leading-edge customers ranging from Web startups to global enterprises. SoftLayer's modular architecture provides unparalleled performance and control, with a full-featured API and sophisticated automation controlling a flexible unified platform that seamlessly spans physical and virtual devices, and a worldwide network for secure, low-latency communications. For more information, please visit softlayer.com.
Read More ...
IBM Named a Worldwide Leader in IDC MarketScape for Mobile Application Development and Testing Consulting Services
IBM announced it has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Mobile Application Development and Testing Services 2014 Vendor Assessment.
Today's announcement reinforces IBM's commitment to helping organizations speed their mobile enterprise transformation and eliminate barriers to adoption. The IBM MobileFirst portfolio features key capabilities in analytics, data, security and cloud to deliver innovative solutions. These solutions empower employees to make more effective decisions and enhance customer interactions; help developers create, deploy, manage and secure mobile apps, on-premise or in the cloud; and enable organizations to manage and secure mobile devices, applications, content and transactions with confidence.
The report emphasized IBM's mobile application development and testing services strengths across traditional technologies, native mobile device technologies and cloud platforms. Other highlights included clients' high regard for IBM's technical expertise in mobile, global scale and flexibility to work with the client's application development methodology, whether the client used an agile, waterfall or hybrid approach. Also noted was IBM's strong industry partnerships, customer service and overall project management as key assets they valued when working with IBM.
"This report is further recognition of IBM's unmatched mobile enterprise consulting leadership" said Paul Papas, global leader, IBM Interactive Experience. "IBM's trusted mobile experts understand our clients' business, create strategies that align with industry and user expectations, and execute with scale and speed through our unique combination of design, strategy, analytics and enterprise mobile skills."
In late March, IDC also published a MarketScape on Worldwide Mobile Application Development, Testing, Management and Infrastructure Services2 in which IBM was also ranked a Leader. This new report is an adjunct of that work, focusing on application development and testing services only.
To download the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Mobile Application Development and Testing Services 2014 Vendor Assessment report, visit http://www.idc.com.
For more on IBM Business Consulting Services, visit http://www.ibm.com/services/gbs.
Read More ...
ASUS Ranks Number 1 in the Prestigious 2014 Taiwan Global Brands Value Survey
ASUS has been recognized as the number-one Taiwanese brand in the Best Taiwan Global Brands Awards 2014. This year marks the second consecutive year ASUS has won the award as well as the twelfth straight year the company has been in the top-three list of international brands from Taiwan. The brand value is now estimated at US$1.723 billion and has maintained steady growth despite a competitive market.
During 2014, ASUS has continued its tradition of innovation with the launch of several flagship products, including ZenFone, ZenWatch, and EeeBook X205. The ZenFone smartphone series incorporates beautiful design, high-quality materials, and the seamless functionality of ASUS ZenUI to provide an unparalleled mobile experience to users. The new ZenWatch, the first wearable device from ASUS, is an exquisitely crafted watch that pairs seamlessly with ZenFone or other Android smartphones to provide relevant and useful information when it is needed most, and serve as a personal wellness manager. Continuing the concept of the iconic EeePC, EeeBook X205 is an affordable 11.6-inch Windows 8.1 notebook with a full-size keyboard that integrates the latest technology in a compact, lightweight design perfect for consumers who are always-on the go.
The Best Taiwan Global Brands Awards is held by the Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs, R.O.C and global branding consultancy Interbrand. The awards are seen as a key indicator of the position held by Taiwanese brands in the global market. The awards are given out based on brand value, which include the financial performance of the company, the role the brand plays in the consumer purchase decision, and the competitive strength of the brand.
Read More ...
Available Tags:LG , AMD , Samsung , Blu-ray , Xbox , Nintendo , UK , ASUS , Portal , Steam , Apple , iPad , Tablet , NVIDIA , Gaming , Panasonic , Lenovo , Notebook , IBM , IBM , IBM ,
No comments:
Post a Comment