Kobian launches new Sub Woofer System iXA 480U

Kobian announced the launch of Mercury IXA 480U sub woofer speaker system which is a delight for entertainment lovers. Kobian is one of the leading brands in PC peripherals. The wooden base high quality subwoofer offers wide range performance for exceptionally clear sound from the lowest to the highest tones.
The high quality stylishly designed wooden base has a 5.25" long throw driver that delivers powerful performance which is well enjoyed by music, games and movie enthusiasts. The speaker delivers an output power of 10W RMS Power which ensures super sound with low distortion. The uniqueness of the system lies in the fact that it supports USB drive or SD card which is a rare treat for music lovers. The speaker renders crisp audio quality in powerful bass, and the exterior is attributed with a sleek black and silver design.
The high performance dual cone drivers deliver balanced audio playback catering to all your entertainment needs. The small satellite footprint enables easy placement. It can effortlessly comply with desktop and TV for optimal performance. The two sleek satellite speakers deliver compact sound systems with elegant design.
Price, Warranty and Availability:
The iXA 480U Sub Woofer System comes with an affordable price of Rs. 1980/- and 1 year warranty across India with Kaizen infoserve.  

Kaspersky Lab appoints 4 new national distributors for its enterprise business

Kaspersky Lab has appointed 4 new national distributors for its Enterprise business: Mumbai-based Comguard Network Pvt. Ltd.; Coimbatore-based Ecaps Computers Pvt. Ltd.; Bangalore-based Ivalue infosolutions Pvt. Ltd.; and, Kolkata-based Sea Info Net Pvt. Ltd. The four new Enterprise Distributors will operate nationally.
Kaspersky Lab foresees market growth as, predictably, corporate customers will benefit from the enhanced and diverse skillset of their partner network. Further, the step will lead to augmented pre-sales & post-sales support through the company's distributors and partners.

The appointment of the four new national Enterprise Distributors will maximize Kaspersky Lab's reach in Small and Medium Businesses (SMB) and Enterprise segment in India. The antivirus leader already has its wings spread to the tier 3 and tier 4 partners. This strategic measure will now help the company to focus on large government and education deals and expand to tier 1 and tier 2 partners.

Kaspersky Lab has terminated its contract with Hyderabad-based Zoom Technologies, who were the earlier National Distributor for its Enterprise products. 

China cleans up spam problem

It's been a few years coming, but it looks like China may finally be getting a handle on its spam problem.
Once the largest source of the world's spam, China has been gradually fading off the list of the world's top spam-producers. Right now Cisco Systems' IronPort group ranks it at number 18 in terms of spam-producing countries. That's a big drop from two years ago, when it consistently ranked in the top five.
China is home to more than 420 million Internet users, according to the International Telecommunications Union, and many of them are connecting via hacked computers. Back in 2009, those hacked systems had been pumping out spam at a pretty good clip. In January of that year, China was ranked the number three spam-producing country in the world, according to data compiled by security vendor Sophos.
But by the end of 2009, spam from China started to drop off significantly, according to Chet Wisniewski, a Sophos researcher.
Sophos now ranks China as spam producer number 20, right behind Spain.
"This is the first time in recent memory that China has not been in the top 10," said Cisco Research Fellow Patrick Peterson, in an e-mail interview.
According to him, China got serious about the issue in 2006, launching an anti-spam initiative that brought network operators and security companies together to address the problem. Peterson described this initiative as "dramatically successful."
"China has been notable in the amount of spam that's not coming from China now," said Michael O'Reirdan, chairman of the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group and a distinguished engineer at Comcast. Spam fighters from the U.S. are now working more closely with members of the Internet Society of China -- the group behind China's anti-spam effort -- to work out standards and better ways of cooperating, O'Reirdan said. They're set to outline these efforts in a report, due next month, entitled "Fighting Spam to Build Trust."
Perhaps the U.S. will learn a thing or two from China. According to Sophos, the U.S. remains the top-spamming country and the source of about one-fifth of the world's spam. Security experts say many of those messages are crafted by spammers residing outside the country, but the fact that they have so many many hacked machines in the U.S. at their disposal is a major problem. At last week's RSA Conference, Microsoft's security chief went so far as to suggest that companies might want to start using digital health certificates to help cut down on the number of infected PCs.
Cisco says things have improved in China as ISPs have become better at working with customers to cut down on the spam problem.
According to Wisniewski, China has made it tougher to register new Internet domains and has put on stricter controls over who is allowed to send out e-mail -- both of which may have helped reduce spam. "We don't really have good insight into what exactly is going on in China, because they keep a lot of that under wraps," he said. "It's probably more about censorship than about stopping spam, but the net effect is that it has stopped spam."
There were some arrests for criminal spamming late last year in Russia, and that country is now the focus in the fight against spam, according to Richard Cox, CIO of the anti-spam group Spamhaus. He applauded the joint U.S.-China effort.
"The majority of the criminal spammers have already moved their activities from China to Russia," Cox said in an e-mail interview. "There is still a lot of work to be done in solving the problems of corruption and lawlessness in Russia that make it the international leader in spam and cybercrime."
Robert McMillan covers computer security and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Robert on Twitter at @bobmcmillan. Robert's e-mail address is robert_mcmillan@idg.com

Kaspersky Lab launches a new product for home users - Kaspersky PURE

Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content management solutions, announces the launch of Kaspersky PURE, an integrated solution designed to protect home networks.

Kaspersky PURE is Kaspersky Lab’s flagship solution in the home user product range. It offers a new approach to the provision of computer security by combining a host of protection technologies in a single package. Users are reliably shielded from external attacks, operator errors and data loss as a result of computer failure and can enjoy all the benefits that modern PCs and the Internet have to offer, safe in the knowledge that they are fully protected.

The program is designed to appeal to the advanced user, who will appreciate the solution’s configuration options and extended functionality, as well as to those who simply need an easy-to-use product, for example families with several computers.

Kaspersky PURE includes such cutting-edge technologies as Application Control, which provides online protection by allotting programs a security rating based on information from Kaspersky Lab’s reputation databases; Safe Run mode, which allows suspicious programs to be launched without damaging the system; and behavioral analysis modules to detect suspicious or dangerous program behavior. The product also includes important security features such as rootkit detection, the use of a virtual keyboard and an option for creating a rescue disk.

With Kaspersky PURE’s My Control Center, a user can view the security status of any computers on the home network. It is the first solution in our product range to allow a user to launch different tasks such as vulnerability scanning or to configure parental control rules remotely. It can also reduce the volume of Internet traffic by downloading updates to a chosen computer, which then distributes the data to the other PCs on the network. The intuitive interface allows a user to control all aspects of their home network security and to fix any problems as they arise.

Kaspersky PURE provides additional options to enhance a user’s digital security even more, including: the possibility to encrypt data to prevent theft or unauthorized access, a centralized password storage system and a ‘file shredder’ utility that makes it impossible to restore deleted data.

Kaspersky PURE's Security+ toolkit will help the user to fine-tune operating system and browser security settings. The product analyzes those settings that are either hidden or generally overlooked and prompts the user to take action if any of them pose a threat to computer security.

Kaspersky PURE also includes a dedicated module to help the user create backup copies of data and restore it if needed. The module offers flexible configuration: scheduled backups of all data, or backups of certain files or folders that are of particular importance. Selective backups allow only those files that were modified since they were last saved to be backed up, preserving backup disk storage space. Previous versions of files can be saved at specific restore points, thus allowing them to be recovered in the event of accidental data deletion.

Kaspersky PURE's encryption feature protects against confidential data leaks.  A user can create special, protected containers to store their sensitive data in.  Each container is encrypted and password-protected for enhanced protection.  Encryption and decryption of the data in the container is performed on the fly and does not affect the system’s operation. Only encrypted data is saved to the hard disk.

For those with children, Kaspersky PURE's Parental Control module provides a flexible policy for controlling Internet, Computer and IM usage and content. It helps parents to regulate access to specific programs and the Internet and allows or blocks websites and file downloads according to predefined categories.  Parents can now supervise their children’s contacts and activities on all the most popular social networks, such as: Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, etc.

Kaspersky PURE includes a Password Manager program that can save the user an awful lot of time. This feature allows credentials such as passwords and logins to be encrypted and saved to your PC and most importantly, it automatically inserts them for you during the login process. It can also complete lengthy forms using data stored in the system’s memory, for example, telephone numbers, postal addresses, email addresses, etc.  Along with passwords, the solution can also store other confidential data which can be added to the system with the help of the Safe Notes feature. The module can run on any PC without installation by using a suitably prepared portable USB device.  In addition to the regular text-based key, access can be gained to the password database based on the unique characteristics of a Bluetooth/USB device, with an additional PIN code in case the device is used by somebody other than the intended user.

Kaspersky PURE has an intuitive, user-friendly interface from which most of the important options can be enabled with just a few clicks of the mouse.

"Security solutions have always developed in line with the evolution of digital threats. The emergence of the first computer viruses prompted the development of the early antivirus products. The arrival of the first web-borne threats gave impetus to the development of Internet Security-class solutions. Now that it has become common for many users to store their digital assets in electronic format, a need has arisen for new types of comprehensive solutions that offer protection against all types of digital threats and mitigate the risks to our digital assets," said Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky Lab. "We are pleased to offer Kaspersky PURE, our new solution, to the entire user community. This product incorporates a unique package of state-of-the-art technologies, offering reliable protection from digital pollution of all types. With Kaspersky PURE you no longer have to be an expert in order to keep your digital life neat and tidy – our new solution will do the job for you."

More detailed information about Kaspersky PURE is available at www.kaspersky.co.in

Kaspersky PURE is available in 1 user @ MRP 1995.00, and 3 user @ MRP 3495.00

Japan work on World Fastest Train

No barriers of innovation but there is barrier for competition in world of technology because here is something which is going under table battle of innovation in term of creating or building world fastest train between the world two giant countries China and Japan. Japan wants to build the world fastest train which based on concept of mag-lev train which runs between two cities Tokyo and N agoya and it will be completed in 2027. The sources of Japan also confirm that this p roject cost around $64 billion which provide the passengers a new world of experience of high speed travelling.

The train will be run on speed of 310 miles per hour while at now the train which used in Japan is run on speed of 165 miles per hour. In respect of all, China is still the r etainer of title of world super fast speedy train which runs at a speed of 302 miles and the train run on the largest track between China two big cities Beijing and Shanghai. In a Nutshell, China and Japan both working on more super fast speedy trains which not only change the conventional travelling concepts but also provide more efficient and effective essence of travelling in future.

Apple peels covers off new MacBook Pro

Apple has unveiled its much anticipated updates to the MacBook Pro line of laptops, with the highlight being its new connection technology called Thunderbolt. Not to be confused with a new smartphone coming from a rival, STEVEN AMBROSE explains what we can expect from Thunderbolt and what the new MacBook Pro range has to offer.

Apple has unveiled much anticipated updates to its MacBook Pro line of laptops. Early leaks accurately revealed many of the specs of the new models just a day ahead of launch. Three key new technologies stand out: Thunderbolt connection technology from Intel, known as Light Peak until now; the latest Intel Core processors; and new AMD Radeon graphics.

The highlight of the new MacBook Pro line (especially for professional users) is the introduction of the new Thunderbolt I/O standard. The promise of Thunderbolt technology is to move media faster and simplify connections between devices. It combines high-speed data and HD video connections together onto a single cable.

Thunderbolt technology is compatible with existing DisplayPort displays and adapters. All Thunderbolt technology devices share a common connector, and you can simply daisy-chain devices one after another, connected by electrical or optical cables.

Unlike what some early rumours predicted, the new MacBook Pros have essentially the same basic design as their predecessor, and a very similar looking aluminium and glass enclosure with a black bezel around the screen. All the new MacBooks also include the new integrated Intel HD Graphics 3000 GPU, although the 15” and 17” models also offer high-end AMD discrete graphics, which will please the creative set.

Another smart move is a new FaceTime HD Camera, which replaces the built-in iSight camera and offers 720p quality video for FaceTime calls between the new Macs.

The battery life is quoted at around seven hours, which is very good for a laptop, and a range of SSD hard drives and memory upgrades will also be made available – at a price, of course.

The latest update brings the MacBooks right up to date with the latest Intel technology, and the new core processors are much faster than the previous generation. When used for video transcoding and other video tasks, they are significantly faster. In demonstrations at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the new entry level Core i5 outperformed the previous generation top end Core  i7.

Transcend tosses in trendy Jet Flash 560 USB Flash Drive

Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today announced the launch of its new JetFlash 560 USB flash drive. The new JetFlash 560 features a simple yet exquisite design with easy-to-use retractable USB connector, offering a touch of urban sophistication as well as ultimate convenience.

The JetFlash 560 is the newest member of Transcend’s JetFlash series that boasts an excellent combination of style and performance. Its silver-tone metallic case is embellished with a classic checkerboard pattern, which adds a chic urban touch to an otherwise dull portable storage device. Thanks to its use of ultrasonic welding technology, the sleek and trendy JetFlash 560 USB flash drive is rugged enough to withstand a few bumps and falls.

In addition to its eye-catching exterior design, the JetFlash 560 also features a handy push-out USB connector. With a simple flick of the thumb, users can effortlessly extend and retract the connector for easy one-handed operation. Such retractable design not only keeps dust and debris out of the drive, but also ensures there is no cap to misplace or lose.

The entire JetFlash lineup is backed by Transcend's Limited Lifetime Warranty. For added value, users can freely download and install the exclusive JetFlash Elite data management tools for better mobile productivity. With the aid of this software, users can easily turn the flash drive into a key to log on to website accounts, or temporarily lock a computer to prevent unauthorized access.

Backed by Transcend’s limited lifetime warranty, and offered with three different storage capacities, the 4GB Jet Flash 560 USB flash drive is now available for a suggested price of Rs.700 for the 4GB model, Rs. 1,120 for 8GB model, and Rs.2, 290 for the 16GB model respectively.

Cisco appoints Gary Moore as company's first Chief Operating Officer

Cisco created a new post of COO and also confirmed the appointment of Gary Moore to the position who was executive vice president before this, sources informed.

The COO position did not exist in Cisco before; this designation would require Moore to report on verticals like engineering, marketing, operations and services at the networking giant, sources reported.

Also Cisco reportedly expects the seasoned leader Moore to execute their goals of prioritization and accountability.The appointment will be immediately effective where Moore will hold both the positions at the same time of Vice president and chief operating officer.

Probably Cisco had to take such a step because of recent departures of a number of high profile employee’s including Susan Bostrom, executive vice president and chief marketing officer and Tony Bates senior VP enterprise, commercial and small business group, experts believe.

Cisco had Moore on board in 2001; he had previously worked at Netigy Corp and had a long stint of 26 years at EDS. Also he had a brief stay at Hitachi Data before HDS was formed stemming from a joint collaboration of EDS and Hitachi.

ViewSonic appoints Rashi Peripherals as its National Distributor

ViewSonic recently announced appointment of Rashi Peripherals as its National Distributor for its range of Monitors.

As the pioneer in LCD monitors for more than 5 years, ViewSonic has maintained its leadership position by offering a full range of products to meet the needs of today's techsavvy consumer. 

According to Mr. Kuldeep Ramaiya, National Sales Head, ViewSonic India, they will leverage on Rashi’s national sales network as well as channel strength for their LCD monitor business. As Rashi is one of the leaders in distribution market, they are expecting a great boost on the sales of monitors in the coming days. 

ViewSonic strategy will be to leverage its leadership position and continuously develop the channels in India through Rashi. It will focus on channel development programs which will include reseller trainings, marketing events, etc thus, leveraging Rashi’s strength in the tier 2 and tier 3 cities and towns.

According to Rajesh Goenka, VP – Sales and Marketing, Rashi Peripherals on the tie up, Partnering with Viewsonic is a value adds to their distribution kitty. They can now aim at providing complete range of PC components and will now be able to provide world class components and accessories to the Indian consumers through their supply channel. They will work closely with the Viewsonic team to facilitate branding and marketing of the products.

Viewsonic is well known for its premium quality and value pricing, which will be a key part of the branding and marketing strategy for the Indian market. Together with Rashi as its partner, Viewsonic brand will build on these strengths and focus on increasing its reach in the Indian market.

Users frustrated with Seagate's next-gen hybrid drive

Users are complaining that Seagate's Momentus XT hybrid drive, which combines solid-state drive (SSD) technology with a traditional hard drive, has a significant defect that causes it to pause frequently, freeze up and beep a lot.
One user said his drive recorded more than 65,000 spin-downs/spin-ups in its first month of use.
Much of the problem involves a Momentus XT feature called Advanced Power Management (APM), which automatically spins down the hard disk to manage power use and increase mechanical life span. The feature also allows the SSD to take over read requests and serve up the most frequently used data. Users on Seagate's online forum say the problem is that the spin-down feature is too aggressive.
The Momentus XT's relatively low price and its promise of high performance have led to a boom in sales. During a recent conference call about its financial performance, Seagate announced that it shipped about 350,000 units since the Momentus XT was released last spring.
Darren Dittrich, CEO of Sell.com Marketplace, said he was impressed with the concept of the Seagate drive -- a product that cut the high cost of SSD by adding a hard drive for higher capacity. But after purchasing four 500GB Momentus XT drives to use in his personal computers, including a MacBook Pro, Dittrich said the product's shine quickly dulled.
He said he noticed an inordinate amount of spin-downs with the drive. After a couple of weeks, he purchased a SMART (self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology) utility to investigate the drive's performance and found that it clocked in 3,200 spin down/up cycles.
"That can't be good for anything," he said.
Dittrich said he replaced his MacBook's Momentus XT with another one that he'd purchased and had in production in another computer a month earlier. The SMART software showed that it had spun down and up 65,535 times.
The Momentus XT is a 7200-rpm Serial ATA hard disk drive combined with 4GB of SSD capacity and 32MB of DDR3 cache memory. Among its advanced software features is the ability for the drive to track use trends and take advantage of its high-performance flash memory to serve up the most frequently accessed data, while storing the bulk of data on its hard drive component.
Seagate said it released a firmware upgrade for the Momentus XT, Version SD24, to address its aggressive APM tool. Dittrich said he installed the firmware upgrade and found that it addressed the frequency of spin-downs, but the drive is still slower than the native hard drive that came with the MacBook and he's still suffering from "odd lagging, and mysterious slowdowns."
"They are temporary and bearable, but very annoying for me, even more difficult for some folks on the forums (video editors, musicians, etc)," he said. "I only have experience on the Mac side of the house, but there are plenty of PC users out there as well who are experiencing spin-down/up, drive stalls, and the like."
A Seagate spokesman said the company has been addressing "anomalies reported by customers" in its online forum and directly to company customer service representatives.
"Most of these anomalies have already been resolved by the current SD24 firmware upgrade located on the Seagate support forum or through our technical support team," the spokesman said. "The few remaining concerns include beeping sounds, no spin down in power-saving modes and intermittent hangs, most notably on MacBook Pro systems. Seagate remains focused on resolving these issues as well."
In Computerworld's benchmark tests, the drive surpassed the industry's highest performing hard disk drives and even beat out some pure SSDs for write performance.
Seagate's first attempt at producing a hybrid drive failed to gain significant sales. The Momentus 5400 PSD, or Power Savings Drive, had a spindle speed of 5,400 rpm and 256MB of NAND flash capacity. Seagate had aimed for power savings rather than performance with that drive, but it found that most consumers and system manufacturers were more interested in improvements in boot-up times and application load times than they were in decreases in their electricity bills or improvements in laptop battery life.

Apple iPad launch due on March 2

Apple Inc is expected to launch its new iPad on March 2, contrary to speculation of a delay of the latest version of the popular tablet computer. 

One person familiar with the matter said recent speculation about a delay until June was "simply not true" as Apple is planning a launch in the same seasonal schedule as the first iPad, which went on sale in April 2010. 

Apple will host an event on March 2, where the company is expected to take the wraps off the newest iPad model, an individual with knowledge of the situation said. Apple declined to comment. 

Shares of Apple fell 3 per cent after a Taiwanese brokerage firm said the next version of the iPad tablet computer will be delayed as maker Hon Hai faces production bottlenecks due to the device's new design. 

But analysts quickly downplayed the report, noting that Apple has been reliable when it comes to its release schedule. 

"Apple has a very consistent track record," said Hudson Square Research analyst Daniel Ernst. 

The speculation over the timing of the iPad unveiling comes as unverified tabloid reports of the faltering health of its iconic chief executive, Steve Jobs , cloud perceptions of the company's ability to maintain its global technology leadership over the long term. 

Tim Cook , chief operating officer of Apple, is expected to take the stage at the annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday in Jobs' place. Jobs, who underwent a liver transplant in 2009, took his third medical leave in seven years in mid-January. 

The iPad was the hottest technology device of 2010, selling nearly 15 million units and sparking a slew of copycat devices from rivals. More than 50 million tablets are expected to be sold this year, with Apple capturing the bulk of the demand. 

Yuanta Securities had said in a note the next version of iPad would come out two months later in the seasonal schedule this year than the first version, which launched in April last year. 

According to the note, component makers had to change their production processes after Apple made design changes to the iPad2 before the Lunar New Year at the beginning of February. 

Hon Hai declined to comment. Morgan Keegan analyst Tavis McCourt said investors were overreacting to Yuanta's note, adding that even if a late launch hurts second-quarter sales, he is not changing his expectation for full year sales of 27 million iPads . 

Manufacturing sources have previously said the new model would have cameras on the front and back of the device and would be slimmer, lighter and have a better resolution display than the first iPad. 

Xerox's new Printers Target SMBs

Xerox has released two new laser printers and a multifunction model, all aimed at helping small and medium-sized businesses create professional-looking documents at an affordable price point.
The $299 Xerox Phaser 6010 color laser printer (pictured) boasts a small, lightweight design and can print up to 12 color pages per minute (PPM) and 15 black and white PPM. It has a paper capacity of 160 sheets and can handle a variety of custom media and sizes, including labels, card stock, and envelopes.

The $399 Xerox Phaser 6500 color laser printer kicks things up a notch with speeds of 24 PPM in both color and black and white, and a paper capacity of up to 500 sheets. It uses small, high-capacity cartridges that save on storage space as well as on environmental impact-Xerox claims these cartridges produce up to 80 percent less waste than comparable color devices. A $499 model that enables two-sided output is also available.
Finally, the $649 Xerox WorkCentre 6505 adds copy, scan, fax, and digital workflow capabilities to the mix, allowing companies to manage documents more effectively with features like Scan to E-mail, Network Scanning, Direct Scan to Applications including Optical Character Recognition, and a Scan to USB memory device. A $749 model that supports two-sided output is also available.
The Phaser 6010, Phaser 6500, and WorkCentre 6505 all print at a maximum print resolution of 600 by 600 by 4 dpi and are available now through Xerox resellers, dealers and concessionaires.

PC in Rs. 10,000 from Simmtronics & VIA Technologies

Taiwan-based VIA Technologies and Simmtronics Semiconductors on Wednesday jointly launched a new range of ‘green' computing products, including a personal computer below Rs.10,000 and a range of power-efficient motherboards.

Simmtronics will assemble the motherboards exclusively in its advanced manufacturing facility in Roorkee (Uttarakhand) under the terms of an agreement recently signed by the two companies. In addition to India, Simmtronics will distribute the products through its channel partners in a total of 15 other countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Dubai, UAE, Turkey, Iraq, Algeria, and Ghana.

“The global technology market is witnessing a growing race among manufacturers to introduce the lowest carbon emission and most environmentally-friendly products in order to enable their customers to become a part of a healthy and green society tomorrow. Simmtronics is taking steps to accelerate this trend by introducing a full range of VIA-enabled ‘green' PCs and mainboards in India,” said Simmtronics Managing Director Indrajit Sabharwal.

Acer drops to No. 3 mobile PC maker in Q4

Taiwan's Acer dropped to third place among mobile PC makers globally in the fourth quarter of 2010, while Apple surged to the top spot thanks to strong sales of its popular iPad, a research firm said Sunday.

Acer's global market share slid to 14 percent in the fourth quarter of last year from 16.5 percent in the previous quarter, which pushed the company into third place behind Apple and Hewlett-Packard, with 17. 2 percent and 15.6 percent market shares, respectively, according to a report released by DisplaySearch.

Dell and Toshiba remained in fourth and the fifth places in the rankings, respectively, posting 9.9 percent and 8.6 percent market shares.

Acer's mobile PC shipments, including components from its Chinese alliance, Founder Technology Group Corp., decreased to 8.4 million units in the fourth quarter of 2010 from 9.1 million units in the third quarter, the report said.

The top player, Apple, shipped 10.2 million mobile PCs in the fourth quarter compared with 6.3 million units in the July-September period of 2010, when it took the No. 3 position with a 12.4 percent market share.

"While we anticipate increased competition in the tablet PC market later this year with the introduction of Android Honeycomb-based tablets, Apple's iPad business is complementing a notebook line whose shipments widely exceed the industry average growth rate," said Richard Shim, senior analyst at DisplaySearch.

In the fourth quarter of 2010, worldwide mobile PC shipments -- including notebooks and tablet PCs -- reached 59.6 million units, up 8 percent from the third quarter and 17 percent from a year ago. It was the highest volume since DisplaySearch first began to track the segment in 1999.

However, notebook computer shipments in the fourth quarter, excluding tablets, increased only 4 percent from the previous quarter and recorded a year-on-year growth of just 1 percent.

Transcend launches digital audio players

Transcend has announced the launch of its new MP330 lineup of digital audio players (DAPs).

MP330s support FLAC playback, along with MP3, WMA, WAV and WMA-DRM10 protected files. The players also feature seven EQ presets and a user-customizable setting as well.

The compact players come in pink colour and are equipped with a removable sport clip that gives users more flexibility to match their listening habits.

MP330 comes in three capacity variations -– 2GB, 4GB and 8GB -– which are priced at Rs 2,500, Rs 2,599 and Rs 3,415 respectively.

Sony Rolls Out Sandy Bridge Laptops in many Colors

With Intel's next gen chipsets back on the right track, Sony is wasting little time announcing laptops showcasing the new technology. The S-series, which was announced earlier at CES 2011, will have a second-generation Core processor and AMD graphics. If you fancy bold colors, the C-series is Sony's latest attempt to win over the younger demographic with neon-colored mainstream laptops.
For those who don't have the budget for the Sony VAIO Z series, there's the S-series. Though there's not a single trace of carbon fiber on this unit, the S-series is made from the same magnesium alloy metal found in ruggedized business laptops. The 13.3-inch widescreen is as large as its pricier sibling, though its resolution tops out at 1,366-by-768 (the Z can scale to 1,600-by-900). It has a full size keyboard with backlights, and two design options—wavy black or white.
The S-series gets the Intel Core i5-2410M processor, which is based on Intel's Sandy Bridge technology. Switching graphics is done manually between processor graphics and the AMD Radeon HD 6470M GPU. For SMB customers, Windows 7 Professional and a dock option will be available as well.
The C-Series is broken up into the 14-inch CA-Series and 15-inch CB-Series. Their designs have glowing, see-through attributes and are best described as intensely bright and bold. No, they don't actually glow, but the way the acrylic top catches ambient light makes it seem that way. These laptops are aimed at students and teenagers, giving them an assortment of colors (orange and green among them) from which to choose.
There's more to these laptops than their daring colors. The CA- and CB-series will have backlit keyboards, options for a Blu-Ray drive (CB only), USB 3.0 ports, and a 720p HD webcam. They will be equipped with Sandy Bridge-based Core i5 processors and switching graphics with the AMD Radeon HD 6630M.
The C-Series will be available for pre-order on March 13, starting at $880.

Lenovo's new Thinkpads with better battery back-up

Lenovo on Tuesday announced the first ThinkPad laptops running Intel's latest Sandy Bridge chips, which help make the PCs faster and more power-efficient than older models.
The company's new ThinkPad T, L and W laptops run on Intel's latest Core i3, i5 and i7 processors, which were officially announced earlier this year. The power-efficiency features on Intel's Sandy Bridge chips, combined with Lenovo's new power-saving features, have helped prolong battery life on the new laptops, said Preston Taylor, ThinkPad product marketing manager at Lenovo.
The ThinkPad T420, which includes a 14-inch screen, delivers up to 15 hours of battery life with a nine-cell battery, better than the 11 hours of its predecessor, Taylor said. The ultra-thin T420S, which also includes a 14-inch screen, offers six hours of battery life on a six-cell battery, but users can extend that to 10 hours by plugging an optional battery in the optical bay. The ThinkPad T and W laptops provide a 33% battery performance improvement over previous models.
The battery life of laptops is also boosted by Intel's Turbo Boost 2.0 chip feature, where inactive cores can be automatically shut down to preserve power. Performance on the processing cores can be dialed up in case extra performance is needed for tasks like video rendering, Taylor said.
Some laptops are also bundled with Intel's Core VPro hardware and software platform, which enables IT managers to remotely manage and secure laptops. Intel's anti-theft technology, which is bundled in VPro, allows IT managers to remotely disable stolen or lost laptops over wired, Wi-Fi or 3G networks. The laptops can be later reactivated through a code provided by the IT department. A GPS capability in the anti-theft feature also allows laptops to be tracked, and establish boundaries so laptops are kept within specific confines.
The new ThinkPads will become available worldwide in March and include dual- and quad-core Core i3, i5 and i7 processors running at clock speeds between 2GHz and 2.7GHz.
The ThinkPad T420 and T420S are priced at $1,029 and $1,399, respectively. The T520 comes with a 15.6-inch screen and is priced starting at $999. The laptops will support up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 320GB of hard drive storage.
The ThinkPad W520, which includes a 15-inch screen, is priced starting at $1,529. The desktop replacement laptop weighs 5.95 pounds (2.7 kilograms), and supports up 32GB of memory. The laptop includes USB 3.0 ports and multiple storage options.
The new lineup also includes the L420 and L520 laptops, which are priced starting at $899.

Mobiles for emergency calls in New Zealand

Telecom New Zealand and Vodafone have both issued statements asking people to only use their mobile phones for emergency calls after a massive earthquake hit Christchurch.
Phone lines have been congested as people try to reach their relatives.
Much of Telecom's network was working off of backup power, the company said, but it was attempting to add extra capacity to the mobile network.
Vodafone also tweeted that people should stick to text messages and short calls if at all possible.
Telecom said that those with landlines should use analogue phones as cordless phones will not work due to the loss of power in homes.
Free calling is now available from payphones around Christchurch.

Kingston India To Restructure Distribution in india

Memory products vendor Kingston revamped its distribution structure for its flash products. The company has reduced its distribution partners from seven to five and will implement the changes from April 2011.

Kingston with a market share of 43 percent in flash drives is looking at expanding its market share and reach in India. The company is now appointing product specific distributors. It has added a new distributor- Avent India that would work along with existing distributors Compuage Infocom, HCL Infosytems, and ShreePati Computech to drive Kingston’s flash drives, along with regional distributor Sunrise Infosolutions. Transtek that had been doing flash distribution has been dropped from flash drive distribution. In SSD segment Neoteric will now on distribute only SSDNow, Kingston’s range of the SSD drives. Earlier Neoteric also distributed DRAM products.

With the new distribution in place, the company would focus on new geographies and new verticals. Kingston would focus on the B2B and corporate segment from where it claims to have received a good response. It is also looking at smaller cities where Kingston has billing centers. At the moment Kingston has billing centers at 47 locations. 

The focus for Kingston in 2011 would be SSDNow. “In 2011 our focus would be the SSD technology which is new in India. We see a lot of traction in the corporate sector. The strategy would include not just push through channel but also a lot of pull from masses which shall be created by awareness drives through media like road shows, retail and online demo cum contests, exhibitions and events,” said Nidhi Sethi, Sales Director, Flash-India at Kingston.

Corsair Launches New Series for Power Supplies

Corsair, a worldwide designer and supplier of high-performance components to the PC gaming hardware market has launched the Enthusiast Series TX V2 power supplies.

The Enthusiast Series TX V2 is the successor to the award-winning Enthusiast Series TX power supplies, which have won dozens of awards worldwide and received widespread critical and customer acclaim. The TX V2 PSUs offer improved energy efficiency, with 80 PLUS Bronze certification and European Commission Energy-Related Product (ErP) directive compliance.

The improved efficiency results in lower noise levels than the original TX PSUs under typical usage conditions, and a new DC-to-DC converter design provides tighter voltage regulation, with measurably lower ripple and noise. Features carried over from the acclaimed TX PSUs include the use of Japanese capacitors, enthusiast-grade performance, and a comprehensive fixed cable set that accommodates tall PC chassis and multiple-GPU installations.

\\\"For years, the Enthusiast Series TX PSUs have been a favorite of gamers, high-performance PC enthusiasts, and anybody who requires reliable, low-noise power delivery,\\\" said Ruben Mookerjee, VP and General Manager for Components at Corsair.

TX850 V2 is priced at Rs.7,500 and TX750 V2 is priced at Rs.6,500 while TX650 V2 is priced at Rs.5,500.
The Corsair Enthusiast TX V2 power supplies Series will be available from Corsair-authorized storefronts from March onwards and it comes along with five years warranty.

Fujitsu to launch Windows 7 business tablet

Japan's Fujitsu will soon launch a tablet PC for enterprise users that packs security features not available in most consumer machines.

The Stylistic Q550 will get its official unveiling at next week's Cebit trade show in Germany and has a fingerprint reader, smartcard slot and trusted-platform module (TPM), the company said. (See video of the tablet PC on YouTube.)

The computer will run Windows 7 Professional and uses an Intel "Oak Trail" Atom processor. It has a 10-inch LED touchscreen. Unlike previous Stylistic tablets that required a stylus, the touch interface on the new model also works with a finger.

Other features include front and rear cameras, a 32GB or 64GB solid-state disk (SSD) drive, an optional 3G module and a USB port.

Fujitsu says a combination of the low-power processor and LED-backlit screen have helped extend the battery life to around eight hours.

It should appear in Europe in April.

The security features in the tablet PC could answer the demands of some enterprises, but it remains to be seen if tablet computing will take off among corporate users. Tablet PCs have been tried several times in the last decade and have failed to find widespread adoption each time.

Fujitsu Introduces au's T006 Mobile Phone

 

Sparkling waterproof slide phone featuring decoration mail and self-portrait capabilities

Fujitsu today announced that the new T006 mobile phone from Fujitsu Toshiba Mobile Communications will be available beginning February 18, 2011, from KDDI Corporation and Okinawa Cellular Telephone Company in Japan.

The T006 features vivid illuminations that sparkle in 36 different ways when receiving incoming phone calls or e-mails, while also allowing users to enjoy composing e-mail messages using 4,010 types of preset emoticons⁽¹⁾—the most of any mobile phone from au. Moreover, the new waterproof slide phone is equipped with a high-speed 1GHz Snapdragon™ CPU and supports au's Wi-Fi WIN and WIN HIGH SPEED services⁽²⁾, making it quick and effortless for users to read e-mails or browse the Internet.
Amid an increasingly diverse landscape of mobile phone user needs, the younger generation of female users place emphasis on the mobile phone's design elements, such as sparkling illuminations, as well as its fun e-mail communication and camera features, when selecting a mobile phone.
With the T006's decorative e-mail illumination feature, the mobile phone automatically scans the text of an incoming e-mail message and sparkles in one of the 36 different light variations that best expresses the mood of the message's sender. In addition, the new mobile phone comes with 4,010 different kinds of preset emoticons, the most from au. When selecting decoration emoticons, users can enter them using predictive text input or by inputting the text that represents the emoticon's meaning. A registration feature also allows emoticons to be recorded under customized names, making it easy for users to quickly locate the right emoticon from among thousands and fully enjoy writing image-filled messages.
The mobile phone is equipped with a 12.2 megapixel high-resolution exterior camera and, with its blog upload feature, can instantly post captured photos to a blog. Furthermore, its high-speed Snapdragon™ CPU enables smooth operations. As the T006 is compatible with au's Wi-Fi WIN and WIN HIGH SPEED services, sending and receiving e-mail messages is also quick and effortless. The mobile phone supports the LISMO! streaming music service, LISMO WAVE, and by utilizing the phone's FM transmitter, users can enjoy music in a variety of settings.
With its vividly-sparkling illuminations, the T006 is a waterproof slide phone that makes e-mail communications, camera photography, and listening to music an even more enjoyable experience. The mobile phone is available in three color variations: LUXE WHITE, BEIGE PINK, and INDIGO BLUE.

Samsung introduces the thinnest smartphone in the whole world

Samsung has also shown off what it says is the thinnest smartphone around - the 8.49mm thick Samsung GALAXY S II. Sony Ericsson claims the title for thinnest phone, but that is due to its curved shape - the overall thickness is wider.

The dual-core Android 2.3 based smartphone also supports HSPA+ with peak download rates theoretically reaching 21Mbps on supported networks.
The GALAXY S II also delivers seamless multitasking, switching between applications instantly. The Samsung GALAXY S II has been equipped with an 8MP, high-profile camera and camcorder with 1080p full HD recording and playback.

Nokia's cheapest 3G mobile phone with 3.2MP camera

The new Nokia C2-01 is the Cheapest price 3G mobile phone from Nokia . It is an elegant design mobile phone and looks somewhat like the Nokia 2730 3G mobile phone .The other key features of the new Nokia C2-01 is the 3.2 mega-pixel camera and expandable memory up to 16GB . The first Nokia C2 series mobile phone , the Nokia C2-00 , was a Dual SIM GSM mobile , but the new Nokia C2-01 is a single SIM GSM mobile phone .
Nokia C2-01 mobile key features :

• 3G for fast web search and browsing
• 3.2 Mpixcamera with video recording
• Large and bright 2-inch QVGA screen
• Nokia Messaging with email and IM
• Conversational messaging
• Access and share on Facebookand Flickr
• Great selection of apps and gamesfrom OviStore
• OviMusic –available from OviStore
• OviLife Tools (selected countries)
• FM radio with RDS and music player
• Nokia Xpress Audio messaging
• 3.5mm AV connector
• Large phone book up to 2000 contacts
• USB charging Standard

Nokia C2-01 mobile phone specifications  :

• Quad band GSM
• 3G HSDPA
• Display : 2-inch TFT , 240 x 320 pixels
• Dimensions : 109.8 x 46.9 x 15.3mm
• Weight : 89gm
• OS : Symbian Series 40 operating system
• 3.2 MP camera
• Nokia Messaging for email and instant messaging
• GPRS/EDGE/WAP
• Java MIDP 2.1
• Music player : MP3/WMA/WAV/eAAC+
• Video Player : MP4/H.263
• FM radio with RDS
• 3.5 mm audio-jack
• Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR
• Memory
  • Internal Memory : 46MB
  • Memory card up to 16GB
• BATTERY : Li-Ion 1020 (BL-5C)
  • Stand-by Up to 396 h (2G) / Up to 456 h (3G)
  • Talk time Up to 8 h 40 min (2G) / Up to 4 h 30 min (3G)

You will get following accessories along with the new Nokia C2-01 mobile phone :

• Nokia Compact Charger
• Nokia Battery BL-5C
• Nokia Charger AC-3
• User guide
• Nokia Stereo Headset WH-102

Nokia C2-01 Price in India : The new Nokia C2-01 mobile phone price will be around Rs.4,000

JVC Introduces The World’s First Full HD 3d Camcorder

After completing a trial run during the course of last year, 3VOD will be launching a new service in Italy, with other countries following. Subscribers to the service will not need a satellite or cable connection.
The service works by allowing a user to choose a film which is then downloaded slowly over a 24 hour period, and then copied to the STB’s hard drive. (A set-top box (STB) or set-top unit (STU) is a device that connects to a television and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.)
Once the chosen move has been downloaded, it can then be viewed at any time, in 3D. Currently, the service is available to users of Motive’s BESTV set-top boxes. The company is aiming to set up similar services in Europe and South America. In these countries, OTA broadcasting, also known as Over-the-air programming, is still more popular. It is hoped that this service will generate even more interest in 3D television in the countries it will be operating in.
In another world first, and very much on the same topic as 3d Television, JVC announced the world’s first consumer camcorder which offers 3D recording in full HD. The camcorder incorporates a newly developed high-speed processor which produces two simultaneous Full HD images.

Panda launches Antivirus Pro 2011

Panda Antivirus Pro 2011 assures protection against all kinds of viruses, spyware, root kits, hackers and online fraud, claims the company.

The key features of Panda Antivirus Pro 2011 include antivirus and firewall protection. In addition to this the solution also showcases a Multimedia and Gaming Mode, Home Network Manager plus a Safe Browser to surf the internet without any worries.

Speaking on the launch of the product, Yoke Mon Chin, Marketing Director, APAC Panda Security says, "The cyber-crime black market, which was traditionally centered on distributing bank and credit card details stolen from users around the world, diversified its business model in 2010, and now sells a much broader range of hacked confidential information including bank credentials, log-ins, passwords, fake credit cards and more.

But, Panda's Antivirus Pro 2011 assures safer and faster use of internet through its Collective Intelligence Technology".

Lenovo's third-quarter profit grows 25%

Chinese PC manufacturer Lenovo has reported a 25% increase in profits for its third fiscal quarter.
Net profit reached $99.65m (£61.91m), up 25% from $79.5m in the same period last year. Sales for the period ending 31 December 2010 were $5.81bn (£3.61bn), an increase of 22% compared to $4.78bn.
Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing said, "Looking forward, we will invest in building our global brand, driving more product innovation and creating an even more efficient end-to-end business model. Based on this, we are confident we can continue to outgrow the market and deliver strong results across our business."

The PC maker said its worldwide shipments were up 21% in the quarter with an increase of 52% in mobile shipments.

The latest PC sales figures, released by analyst Gartner, showed Lenovo increased its market share by 31% between 2009 and 2010, the strongest growth among the top five PC suppliers worldwide. Its market share in China reached 32.2% at the end of December, with strong growth in large enterprise businesses and all-in-one desktop PCs, said the company.

Dell increase profit by 177% for Q4

Dell saw profits leap by 177% to $927m (£577m) in the three months to January 2011, compared to the same quarter in 2010. Sales at the company grew 5% to $15.7bn during the same period.
CEO Michael Dell (pictured) said he was pleased with the company's strong performance in its commercial businesses.
"We remain focused on developing and acquiring new technologies and capabilities, and our IT solutions portfolio has never been stronger. Customers are now seeing Dell in a fresh light, and we're heading into the new year with strength and optimism," he said.

Profitability improved notably in the second half of the year driven by solid supply-chain performance, lower input costs and improved product quality, said the company.
Fourth-quarter server revenue increased 16%, while EqualLogic storage sales grew 49%. Combined sales to enterprises, public sector, and small and mid-size businesses were up 9% to $12.4bn, while revenue for commercial laptop and desktops rose 10%.

IDC on Indian PC Market: Desktop, Laptop Sales Slump

IDC India's quarterly PC sales marker for the quarter ending October - December 2010 suggests Indian PC market bouncing back from the effects of the global recession, year on year growth compared to 2009. But the overall desktop and laptops sold in Oct-Dec 2010 was lesser in total than PCs sold in Jul-Sept 2010, according to an IDC report.

The IDC trend points to a recovery in Indian PC sales. At 24.9 lakh units, desktop and laptop sales grew by 26% in Oct-Dec 2010 compared to 19.7 lakh units in Oct-Dec 2009. Desktop sales accounted for 14.9 lakh units whereas a total of 10.4 lakh laptops were sold in India in Q4 2010.
Here's what Sumanta Mukherjee, Lead PC Analyst at IDC India, has to say, "2010 has been an impressive year of recovery for the India PC market after a dismal 2009. While consumers have been the main architects of this recovery, it has been ably supported by renewed buying sentiment displayed by the SMB and government segments."

HP was the leading OEM in India for Q4 2010 PC sales, increasing its market share with 17.3-percent of overall sales, followed closely by Dell (14.2-percent) and Acer (11.5-percent). HP also topped laptop sales in India during Oct-Dec 2010, accounting for 26.2-percent market share -- Dell and Acer came in second and third, respectively.
However, PC sales shrunk in Q4 compared to Q3 2010
Despite impressive year-on-year growth for Q4, desktop and laptop sales still fell in Oct-Dec 2010 compared to the previous quarter i.e. July-Sept 2010. Only 24.9 lakh PC units were sold in Q4 compared to 27.9 lakh units in Q3 2010 -- a fall of 11-percent. High inflation and low industrial growth during the end of the year was to blame for the downward spiral, according to an IDC executive.

"It [PC Market] was still able to return an impressive year-on-year growth, indicating the inherent strength of consumer and commercial demand", stated Anirban Banerjee, Associate Vice President, Research, IDC India."

HCL plan to triple channel reach

HCL Infosystems has made plans to grow its channel reach by over 300 percent over the next 12 months. Apart from a renewed focus on its PC business, the vendor has set up separate teams to manage the consumer and SMB channels.

The IT major is betting on its lifestyle electronics and mobile phone distribution business to augment its IT products and services business. The vendor represents brands such as Nokia, Kodak, Kingston, Sandisk and Plantronics. “HCL enjoys one of the biggest channel networks which has been the strength of our distribution business. We reach more than 11,000 towns and over 93,000 retail outlets. We have 27 warehouses spread across 24 states, and over 700 stockists,” informed George Paul, Executive Vice President, HCL Infosystems.

HCL presently has around 3,000 channel partners with a reach of around 600 towns for its PC business. This includes 500 partners selling to small offices and the SMB market. “We will now leverage on the infrastructure and channel reach we have built for our lifestyle electronics business and grow our IT channels. Our plans are to reach to over 1,500 towns in the next 12 months, and address close to 9,000 resellers,” revealed Paul.