PCR October 2009

PCR

This Month

ISSUE 73 OCTOBER 2009

HOW TO WIN A PCR AWARD Everything you need to know about next year’s event p21

COMPUTER & IT RESELLERS • RETAILERS • SYSTEM BUILDERS • DISTRIBUTORS • VENDORS

HARDWARE · SOFTWARE · CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

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COMMENT Issue 73 October 2009 Incorporating

“Retailers have a lot to lose if animosity towards Vista is allowed to carry on by proxy to Windows 7” FAIR TRIAL

PCR CONTACTS Editor

Andrew Wooden andrew.wooden@intentmedia.co.uk Staff Writer

Matt Grainger matt.grainger@intentmedia.co.uk Staff Writer

Nicky Trup nicky.trup@intentmedia.co.uk Editorial Production Manager

Helen French helen.french@intentmedia.co.uk Managing Editor

Lisa Foster lisa.foster@intentmedia.co.uk Executive Advertising Manager

Katie Rawlings katie.rawlings@intentmedia.co.uk Advertising Executive

Carly Bailey carly.bailey@intentmedia.co.uk Production Executive

Abigail Fanger abigail.fanger@intentmedia.co.uk Designer

Kelly Styles kelly.styles@intentmedia.co.uk Publisher

Stuart Dinsey stuart.dinsey@intentmedia.co.uk

Editorial: 01992 535646 Advertising: 01992 535647 www.pcr-online.biz

PCR - Total average monthly net circulation for January 1st to December 31st 2008: 12,766.

Intent Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Associations PCR is published 12 times a year by Intent Media - Saxon House, 6a St.Andrew Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 1JA Fax: +44 (0)1992 535648. © Intent Media 2007 No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owners. Printed by Pensord.

THE upcoming launch of Windows 7 can scarcely have escaped the attention of anyone with a passing interest in the technology industry. But while it's certainly on the radar, many people won't know a huge amount of the operating system's workings, save for those few hardcore fans who downloaded the beta version earlier this year.

This is partly because so much of the discussion over the forthcoming operating system has been pre-occupied with its predecessor.

Of course, a certain amount of comparison is inevitable. But the problem is, quite simply, that Vista attracted a lot of negative publicity, and that is always harder to shift than any positive sentiments it might have picked up. Even staunch defenders of Windows would have to admit the legacy of Vista won't be altogether positive in the eyes of the general public – and this is bound to have a residual impact on later versions. Retailers have a lot to lose if animosity towards it is allowed to carry on by proxy to Windows 7.

Whatever your views on the operating system, many vendors and distributors say the new version has the potential to boost sales across the board – meaning as well as revenue generated by early adopters of the software, component and related product sales should benefit indirectly from its launch. This has been true of previous Windows launches to some extent, but in the middle of a recession it should hold particular significance to the nation's retail base. For many businesses this could be a major benefit in the run up to Christmas – so ensuring customers don't unfairly judge Windows 7 for its predecessor is in the interests of everyone within the channel.

LOBBYING BEGINS Meanwhile, categories for the PCR Awards 2010 have been announced. The basic structure of the evening will be familiar to attendees of previous events, though we have made a few changes this year in order to reflect the changes in the industry and keep them as representative as possible. For information of how the PCR Awards work, ticket and sponsorship details turn to page 21.

Lobbying is open now, so make sure you send me your nominations in good time as we are expecting competition to be fierce.

Andrew Wooden, Editor andrew.wooden@intentmedia.co.uk

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Alternatively visit our website www.pcr-online.biz Subscriptions Manager: Hannah Short, Hannah.Short@intentmedia.co.uk

October PCR 3

incorporating

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PCR Contents

ISSUE 73 OCTOBER 2009

HOW TO WIN AN AWARD Check out our fool-proof guide to the third annual PCR Awards, including everything you need to know about lobbying and the judging process

News 7-11

Analysis

Appointments 12

Windows 7

Brigantia 86

PCR talks to director of consumer product management Parri Munsell as well as the wider channel head of the launch of Windows 7

Head of the Brigantia buying group Iain Shaw unveils plans for a new accreditation and outlines eight ways for independent retailers to make extra margin

TCA 88-89 Keith Warburton, president of the Technology Channels Association, talks about how EU legislation has changed the industry since the early days, while TCA director Robert Peckham makes an plea to Apple UK on behalf of independent retailers

ITACS/NASCR 90 The two trade bodies discuss the importance of setting standards in the industry and dealing with a negative public image

GfK analysis 50 GfK’s Christopher Kennedy-Sloane assesses the effect a potential economic recovery is having on the IT industry

21

32 15

FRONTLINE The latest hardware and software trends straight from the frontline

KINGSTON COMPANY PROFILE We talk to Kingston’s European marketing director about how the company managed to have one of its best years ever during the recession

34

Mystery Shopper

41

Storage Sector Guide

57

AVG Company Profile

61 73 77

PCR’s shopper heads to Dudley’s Merry Hill Shopping Centre to find a laptop suitable for storing and editing holiday photos

47

MARKETPLACE

79

A look at the lucrative digital storage sector, featuring interviews with the market segment’s key players

We talk to the security software firm about moving into new markets and what separates it from other vendors

Security Sector Guide An overview of the latest developments and analysis of some of the products on the market

Live Scribe The company tells us why smartpens are poised to be the next big tech category

Digital Cameras Sector Guide PCR checks out recent developments and new products

DSL PLUS Company Profile

94

We speak to the recently formed wholesale internet service provider about its plans for the future

SIGN UP FOR THE PC RETAIL NEWSFLASH SERVICE AT WWW.PCR-ONLINE.BIZ

NEWS

Categories announced for PCR Awards 2010 Lobbying now open for next year’s event Date set for Thursday March 25th at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London

THE CATEGORIES IN FULL

By Andrew Wooden

LOBBYING is now open for the PCR Awards 2010, and the updated categories can be revealed following the announcement of the event last month.

The ceremony will be held at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London, on Thursday March 25th 2010, and will once again provide the channel with an evening of entertainment and networking as key

face of the channel, including Gadget of the Year, and Campaign of the Year.

Lobbying for a finalist’s spot begins now, and all nominations should be addressed to Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk.

PCR will announce the finalists in the January issue. The winners will then be decided by a voting panel of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives.

“All the elements that have made the PCR Awards such a success over the

“All the elements that have made the PCR Awards such a success over the last two years remain, such as the transparent voting process and incorporation of every aspect of the industry” Stuart Dinsey, PCR publisher players in the UK trade are recognised for their achievements over the past year.

The basic format of the awards will stay the same, being split into Frontline, Distribution and Vendor groups. However a number of new awards have been introduced within these to better reflect the changing

www.pcr-online.biz

last two years remain, such as the transparent voting process and incorporation of every aspect of the industry,” said PCR publisher Stuart Dinsey. “For 2010 we have updated some of the categories to ensure we are properly reflecting the trade, and once again look forward to holding the event in the prestigious Royal Garden Hotel.”

FRONTLINE The Frontline Awards will recognise excellence in retail and reseller businesses, be they on the High Street, the internet, or focussed on supplying the corporate area. The winners of these awards will be those organisations that have best represented the UK technology industry to the wider public, be that in terms of support, advice, or sales.

The categories are: Independent Retailer High-Street Chain Online Retailer Store Manager Of The Year Service & Support Value Added Reseller DISTRIBUTION The Distribution Awards are designed to acknowledge the hard work put in by the unsung heroes of the channel – the distribution firms which are a vital link between vendors and retailers.

The categories are: Marketing and PR Team Sales Team Specialist Distributor Distributor Of The Year VENDORS These awards focus on the core of the industry – the manufacturers

and publishers that create technology products. Recognition will be given for innovation, commercial success and support of the trade.

The categories are: Hardware Manufacturer Software Publisher Specialist Vendor Gadget Of The Year Campaign Of The Year GRAND PRIX Awarded to a company which has made a conspicuous contribution to the channel during the previous year.

LOBBYING You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist. The deadline for nominating who you would like to see win a PCR Award is Friday November 27th.

TICKETS AND SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES A variety of sponsorship packages are available now. Contact Katie.Rawlings@intentmedia.co.uk to find out more. Table and ticket enquiries should also be made to Katie Rawlings, on 01992 535647.

October PCR 7

NEWS

Channel looks forward to sales spike following Windows 7 launch New operating system set to boost sales Microsoft says it has learned lessons from Vista launch

By Andrew Wooden

DISTRIBUTORS and vendors alike are looking forward to a sales spike across the UK industry, following the launch of Windows 7 on October 22nd.

With a UK retail base suffering from the recession, key companies in the trade believe hardware and software sales will get a shot in the arm as a result of the new operating system’s launch.

“We hope to see a strong sales surge for Windows 7. Off the back of this, I would also expect component sales to see a boost as consumers look to purchase new hardware to accompany their new Windows 7 operating system,” said Mark Lynch, product manager at VIP. Neil Handa, head of marketing at Gem, added: “The launch of Windows 7 is expected to enhance sales of

third party software and peripherals across the channel. We are planning for sustainable sales well into its launch.”

Vendors such as HP and AMD also commented on the boost Windows could offer to the business, claiming the collaboration between Microsoft and hardware manufacturers on the project will ensure the operating system’s a technical and commercial success.

Microsoft itself has maintained throughout the run up to launch that it has learned the lessons of Vista – which was unpopular with some end-users.

“First and foremost, before we even started working on Windows 7, we took a good look at how we launched the previous operating system, and tried to take some learning from that,” said director of consumer product

management for Windows, Parri Munsell. “We have been working very closely with our partners to make sure we have a very successful launch of Windows 7.”

“We have been working very closely with our partners to make sure we have a very successful launch of Windows 7” Parri Munsell

Centresoft snaps up Best Buy account BEST BUY EUROPE, the European division of the giant US electronics retailer, has strengthened its UK launch plans with the appointment of Centresoft to exclusively handle all gaming products.

The deal includes PC games as well as all console software and hardware – except Microsoft first party products, which are handled in the UK

by Gem. It is understood the deal does not incorporate other

8 PCR October

types of software, such as antivirus and utility programmes.

The first Best Buy megastores are due to hit the UK in the early part of next year. The European division that will oversee them is jointly owned by the Carphone Warehouse, which has been ramping up its interests in the PC space over the last year with an increased emphasis on computer and technology retailing within its existing network of stores.

“Besy Buy recently reported Second Quarter revenues of $11 billion – a twelve per cent increase, and has subsequently increased its fiscal outlook for 2010”

The move is widely expected to cause a stir among the UK technology retail market, due to Best Buy’s dominance in the US, and the sheer economic weight it can put behind the european operation.

Best Buy recently reported second quarter revenues of $11 billion – a substantial twelve per cent increase on last year, and has subsequently increased its fiscal outlook for 2010.

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NEWS

ZXxx

TCA extends reach following Management of UK trade body looks to increase influence with European Union and UK parliament

By Andrew Wooden

Keith warburton

THE Technology Channels Association is looking to expand its influence in the industry and with government, after taking on new CEO Adam Harris.

Former CEO Keith Warburton now becomes president, a move which he claims will allow the organisation to better lobby the UK government and EU on industry issues.

The trade body was formed earlier this year out of a union between the former PCA and the MTA – and is now looking to forge relationships with other organisations operating in

the UK channel, hinting at the possibility of further mergers.

“We are pleased to work with any organisation that feels it wants to, and is able to, work with us,” Warburton said. “Currently we have group deals

members, we are also happy to work with NASCR an ITACS and hope that we could provide some cost-effective benefits for their members as well. We certainly don’t want them to feel in any way hunted, but if they want to

"I am aiming to make the TCA the first port of call for legislators working on things that affect the digital channels – Adam and I want to make joining the TCA a must for any enterprise in our channel” Keith Warburton, TCA with Synaxon, NBG, Integra and FixItLocal, and on that basis we are happy to talk to Brigantia about a group deal. Having provided a safe haven for Mac Technology Association

talk, we’ll be happy to enter into constructive and progressive dialogue.”

Warburton said that he will also be looking to extend the visibility of the TCA outside the channel,

Mobile giant Nokia looks to connect a billion people with new PC business MOBILE phone manufacturer Nokia has said its incursion into the PC market is the next logical step in its evolution, as it looks to capitalise on the convergence between smartphone and PC technology.

The Finnish company has just launched its Booklet 3G, a device which, in terms of specification, sits somewhere between a notebook and a netbook. The firm is calling it a 'mini-laptop'.

The vendor is said to be focusing on its strengths in communications as the lynchpin of its PC operations, using its position as the worlds biggest mobile phone manufacturer as leverage.

“Whether it’s the latest Nseries or the Nokia Booklet 3G, Nokia is about ‘connecting people’,” a spokesperson told PCR. “We helped connect the first billion people and we will be there to connect the next billion. Our expansion into personal computers is a logical next step in Nokia’s

10 PCR October

evolution to become a true mobile solutions company.

“With Nokia’s heritage of mobility, and with many features of what has traditionally been known as a smartphone and a PC converging, the time is right to bring the Nokia Booklet 3G into the market.”

When asked about how Nokia will fit into the highly competitive world of netbooks, the firm responded: “We believe that there is a sizeable market opportunity in this business, so we are enthusiastic about the potential.”

The Booklet 3G is powered by Intel's Atom processor and features a ten-inch display, 12 hours of battery life, wi-fi and Bluetooth connections and a frontfacing camera for video calls.

“The time is right to bring the Nokia Booklet 3G into the market” Spokesperson, Nokia

Nokia’s Booklet 3G sits somewhere between a notebook and netbook in terms of specification

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NEWS

NewsBytes

restructure giving the trade a louder voice on legislative issues in Parliament and in the EU. “I am aiming to make the TCA the first port of call for legislators who are working on things that will affect the digital channels, and between us, Adam and I want to ensure that joining the TCA is an absolute must for any enterprise in our channel that is serious about business, and one of Adam’s initial tasks will concentrate on providing a superb range of member benefits,” he added.

PARENTS CONCERNED ABOUT MOBILE INTERNET PRICE Parents who worry about their children using the internet via mobile phones and games consoles are usually more concerned about the cost of the service than their kids’ safety, broadcasting regulator Ofcom has found.

Parents only named child safety as a primary concern once they were reminded of the risks of the internet, such as cyber bullying and grooming.

Adam Harris

PlayBite hits London SONY, SanDisk, Palm and Netgear were some of the biggest names in the technology channel to converge on the Congress Centre in London for mini trade show PlayBite last month.

The event is a compact platform for vendors to preview up and coming products to the trade.

Sony took the opportunity to exhibit the Vaio X Series, which at around 600g is the world’s lightest laptop. SanDisk was showing off its

new Extreme Pro CompactFlash card, and to celebrate the launch and prove the cards could survive ‘extreme’ conditions, several units were frozen in a giant camera-shaped ice sculpture – they were later chipped out and successfully used.

Palm’s Pre smartphone was on show ahead of its UK launch this month, while Kingston Technology, Fujitsu, Netgear and Hauppage also exhibited at the event.

FRENCH GROUP DEFENDS NET NEUTRALITY Citizens’ group La Quadrature du Net has sent a 22-page letter to French ministers in charge of the European Union’s telecoms reform package to ask them to protect internet neutrality in the EU. “We cannot afford to risk the EU's competitiveness and citizens' fundamental freedoms,” said INTEL REVEALS NEW PROCESSOR Intel used its Developer Forum to unveil the Core i7 Mobile Processor – a product specially designed to work with multithreaded software. The new processor carries more integrated components and can handle CPU functions, graphic support, video acceleration and memory control with one device.

Jérémie Zimmermann, spokeman for La Quadrature.

RED HAT REVENUE UP 12 PER CENT Red Hat has posted the financial results for Q2 of its current fiscal year, which ended on August 31. Revenue for the quarter was $183.6 million, a 12 per cent year-on-year increase, while subscription revenue stood at $156.3 million, up 15 per cent on the same period last year.

UK SMES RISK DATA LOSS 28 per cent of British small and medium enterprises risk losing company data by not backing it up, according to research by Buffalo Technology.

The study found that 34 per cent did not perform backups due to time constraints, 16 per cent because of security worries and 14 per cent because they were simply not concerned.

WESTCOAST TO PUSH INTO DIGITAL CAMERAS Distributor Westcoast is set to launch a digital cameras division early this month.

Commercial director Andy Dow said that with so many new products in the pipeline from vendors, there was a need to collate the brands under one dedicated division.

Key vendors signed up so far include Canon, Samsung, Toshiba, Kodak and General Imaging.

RETAILERS PREDICT SLOW RECOVERY A survey of 30 retailers including Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Next, John Lewis and BHS has found that two thirds do not expect a revival of the retail market before the end of 2009. A third believe it will not recover until 2011 or later.

APPOINTMENTS

Comet scoops new gaming category buyer Wilson signs up with Meroncourt Howard heads up CCI’s new division Aparicio joins Humyo

Azeem Sadiq

Laura Wilson

COMET Retailer Comet has hired AZEEM SADIQ as category buyer for gaming, reporting to audio and games manager ROSS EDWARDS. Sadiq has eight years’ retail

experience, having held buying roles at House of Fraser, MFI and online retailer CSN. “I am excited about joining Comet,” commented Sadiq.

assistance in her new role. “We see the appointment of Laura as a key part of our strategy for expansion,” said sales director STEVE WALSH.

CCI TONY HOWARD has joined Harrogatebased distributor CCI as project manager for its new professional storage division.

Howard has 30 years of industry

12 PCR October

David Papworth

TRUSTMARQUE

MERONCOURT Distributor Meroncourt has appointed LAURA WILSON as trade account manager. Wilson is expected to primarily focus on new accounts and system builder

Tony Howard

experience, including 15 in sales and management. He started his working life at BT and later developed his career working in the OEM manufacturing sector.

Software licensing firm Trustmarque has taken on two new staff members for its Enterprise Solutions Group – DAVID PAPWORTH as professional services manager and KEVIN GREEN as infrastructure solutions manager.

Papworth joins the company from HP, where he was a marketing consultant, while Green previously worked for Dell as

a senior solutions consultant.

“David is a highly driven, skilled individual with an in-depth knowledge of best practices,” said CEO of Trustmarque, SCOTT HADDOW. “Kevin has a proven track record of delivering on complex projects and will be pivotal to Trustmarque creating a real presence in the virtualisation and storage markets.”

HUMYO Online storage provider, Humyo, has appointed DAVID APARICIO as channel sales director.

Before joining Humyo, Aparicio held senior

management positions at various IT companies including BullGuard.

DAN CONLON, managing director of Humo said: “David’s experience within the IT industry will enable Humyo to build and grow a value-based channel.”

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ANALYSIS WINDOWS 7

Lucky number seven This month will finally see the launch of Windows 7. Here, Matt Grainger gives an overview of its unique selling points and talks to some industry figures about what they think it will do for the channel…

Microsoft’s Parri Munsell says Windows 7 has none of Vista’s performance issues

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MICROSOFT appears to be very bullish about the launch of its latest operating system. With pre-orders sold out and highly positive feedback from the release candidate, it’s easy to see why.

The vendor has been extremely busy over the last few months ensuring that the system is thoroughly tested and, most importantly, meets people’s expectations.

Being built on the Vista kernel, Microsoft has addressed many of the biggest complaints about its last OS, as well as introducing a wealth of new features.

The most sweeping changes to the Windows operating system have been made at an architectural level. Vista was often accused of being a resource hog, so with Windows 7 performance has been enhanced by the simple act of streamlining the code, vastly reducing the software’s impact on the PC’s hardware.

The start-up and shutdown processes have been significantly streamlined to offer a much faster boot time, memory protocols have been upgraded to offer improved search and indexing of local data and the extensive tweaks to the code base have resulted in a greatly reduced software footprint.

Software support called Direct Compute allows the system to utilise the processing power of a GPU to improve

performance across the board – not just in graphics or physics calculations.

“PC gamers out there make substantial investments in their hardware and they do things besides gaming,” Microsoft’s director of consumer product management, Parri Munsell, tells PCR. “Direct Compute allows the gamer to take advantage of that investment throughout their entire Windows experience. For example, one of the things it benefits is MP3 players.

It automatically translates different music file formats in a process called transcoding and starting with Windows 7 you can now do this.”

In addition to these performance improvements, the network driver database for the operating system is significantly larger than that offered by Vista, ensuring a broader range of compatibility with laptops, netbooks and devices, as well as other PCs on the network.

“If there is any hesitancy, perhaps we have people still back on XP because they had performance issues on Vista.

Those days are over – come in and join us on Windows 7. Consumers will see a broad level of compatibility on their PC, from a gaming level right down to anything else they might do on their

computer,” says Munsell. “Windows 7 is here. Game on.”

One of the most interesting additions to Windows 7 is touch support.

Although not designed with a specific function in mind, the support of a touch interface is hoped to make the system considerably more appealing for the young and the old, for whom the mouse and keyboard method may present too many complications.

“Windows 7 has touch built into its DNA,” continues Munsell. “Everything is touch enabled, whether you want to browse your desktop or surf the web. Of course you do need a multi-touch screen, but because Windows 7 has it built in, we are seeing a lot more PC and display manufacturers taking advantage of it. And as that ecosystem grows, more of those PCs are going to make their way into households.”

The inclusion of multi-touch support presents a unique sales opportunity to retailers. Due to the smartphone market, touch screens are not the novelty items that they use to be and so consumers are much more open to the idea of buying one. It may take a little while, but with this kind of software support, multi-touch interface could be in every household in the country.

October PCR 15

ANALYSIS WINDOWS 7

What the channel expects from Windows 7

Hyder Badami, Senior Sales Manager, Bluepoint:

Apay Obang-Oyway, Microsoft Product Manager, Ingram Micro:

Jon Atherton, Commercial Group Director, Enta:

Mark Lynch, Product Manager, VIP:

“The new OS is awaited eagerly by one and all in the industry and it should have a positive impact on sales. We should be able to improve our OS sales through the launch of Windows 7.”

“Windows 7 had some great reviews and stimulated channel enthusiasm since the beta version became available.

“The excitement about the new release is evidenced by the great uptake of our Windows 7 customer readiness events and the pre-register programme we have been running for a number of weeks. Windows 7 presents sales opportunities for standalone, attach, upgrade and services revenue.”

“Windows 7 is being very well received and, with the launch just days away, we are very excited and looking forward to distributing the new OS. “On the demos I have seen of this product and the firsthand experience I have had with it, you can clearly see Microsoft have worked very hard on giving the end user everything they want in an OS. These combined factors have created very high demand for the product.”

“The feedback we have received to date for Windows 7 has been much more positive than for Vista.

“We are confident that there will be plenty of demand on launch day and with that, we hope to see a strong surge of sales for Windows 7.

Off the back of this, I would also expect component sales to see a boost as consumers look to purchase new hardware to accompany their new Windows 7 operating system.”

Neil Handa, Head of Marketing, Gem:

Jo Kemp, Head of Software Sales, Koch Media:

Paul Cubbage, Managing Director, Target Components:

“I anticipate Windows 7 to be popular and successful and I am sure the channel is looking forward to its release. We are planning for sustainable sales well into its launch as Microsoft targets XP and Vista users.

“The launch of Windows 7 is expected to enhance sales of third party software and peripherals.”

“From what we are hearing from key retailers and independents, the response from the channel is positive. In turn we are already seeing opportunities being created for other vendors on both software and hardware. We have been working hard with all of our vendors to ensure they are Windows 7 ready.”

“There seems to be far more interest in Windows 7 than there was in Vista – the reception to the two OSs couldn't really be more different.

“We should see a bit of a spike in consumer demand, and I'm sure Windows 7 itself will sell well, although I don't see it having a significant impact on hardware sales.”

Iain Bristow, Technical PR and Component Product Marketing, Asus: “Windows 7 is a really great improvement and is the perfect companion to our P5QL and M3A76 series of motherboards. I’d certainly hope that it would stimulate sales in the wider industry. Windows 7 as a platform offers a lot to the consumer and opens up a lot of new options.”

Ben Perrins, PSG Consumer Business Development Manager, HP: Sasa Marinkovic, Senior Manager, EMEA Marketing, AMD

“With Windows 7, Microsoft paid special attention to performance, reliability, security, compatibility, and battery life. Together, we are on track to deliver a great experience that will allow customers to spend more time doing the things they want, without the operating system getting in the way.

“HP has helped guide Microsoft through the development of Windows 7, collaborating and offering unique insight and counsel on emerging technologies. Because of this early collaboration, HP has engineered truly innovative PCs – from our thin and light notebooks and high-performance desktops to our acclaimed TouchSmart PCs, providing advanced performance, compelling user experiences and more functionality overall.”

“AMD is really excited about the upcoming Window 7 launch – end users will love it. With a number of brand new features such as DirectX 11, user experience and innovation are at the heart of the OS.”

...the UK’s No.1 consumer computer security provider Source: Source Sour rce ce: Cowe owen en and Co Compan C ompan p y (ind ( dependent epende nden nt market market et an analysts alysts y )): IInffrastru raa ct e Softwa cture S ftwa w re, wa re e Decemb Decem cember embe ember mb m b r 20 ber 2008.

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Terms and Conditions Apply.

Sales: 0871 622 7500 www.vip-computers.com/uk Š Copyright VIP Computer Centre Limited. 2009. Information correct at time of publication E&OE

PCR AWARDS 2010 LOBBYING GUIDE

How to win a PCR Award The third annual PCR Awards were announced last month, and we have already received an enthusiastic response from the trade as the countdown begins to the big night on Thursday March 25th at the Royal Garden Hotel, London. Here’s your foolproof guide to the PCR Awards 2010, telling you all you need to know about the event itself, how to lobby, and who decides the winners…

THE FORMAT of the third annual PCR Awards will be slightly different from previous years. There are still 16 awards, but we have changed some of them and tweaked others to better reflect our fast-changing industry – much as we have done recently with the print publication. There are multiple prizes up for grabs within the Frontline, Distribution and Vendor categories, and the prestigious Grand Prix returns as the top prize of the night, rewarding one firm in particular which has achieved something special in the last year.

FRONTLINE AWARDS The Frontline Awards will recognise excellence in retail and reseller businesses, be they on the High Street, online, or B2B segments. The winners of these awards will be those that have best represented the UK technology industry to the wider public, be that in terms of support, advice, or sales…

www.pcr-online.biz

INDEPENDENT RETAILER Who’s eligible?

Any bricks and mortar computer retailer with less than ten stores.

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business.

Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product range • Customer service • Value for money

How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

HIGH STREET CHAIN Who’s eligible?

Any bricks and mortar computer retail chain.

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business. Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

October PCR 21

PCR AWARDS 2010 LOBBYING GUIDE

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product range • Customer service • Value for money How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

ONLINE RETAILER Who’s eligible?

Any computer retailer that is online only or the online element of a High Street store.

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business. Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product range • Customer service • Ease of navigation How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company

22 PCR October

or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

VALUE ADDED RESELLER Who’s eligible?

Business-orientated VARs and system integrators.

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business. Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product range • Customer satisfaction • Solution innovation How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

SERVICE AND SUPPORT Who’s eligible?

Any PC professional involved in the support and repair of PCs.

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business.

Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product knowledge • Customer satisfaction • Success rate How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

STORE MANAGER OF THE YEAR Who’s eligible?

Any store manager running a bricks and mortar computer retailer.

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded

www.pcr-online.biz

PCR AWARDS 2010 LOBBYING GUIDE

industry executives taken from all sectors of the business. Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product range • Customer service • Store layout

industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business.

Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business.

Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Visibility • Press relations • Channel relationships

DISTRIBUTION AWARDS The distribution awards are designed to acknowledge the hard work put in by the unsung heroes of the channel – the distribution firms which are a vital link between vendors and retailers…

How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

MARKETING AND PR TEAM Who’s eligible?

The communications arm of any IT distributor.

SALES TEAM Who’s eligible?

The sales team of any IT distributor.

SPECIALIST DISTRIBUTOR Who’s eligible?

Distributors that specialise in particular types of products.

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the

www.pcr-online.biz

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product knowledge • Delivery of service • Channel relationships How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

October PCR 23

Available now!

Time for

thinking business?

New Sage 50 Accounts 2010 The more complex your business, the more information you have to handle. Keeping track of costs for different departments, areas and projects helps you manage your cash Åow and ensure you’re providing the best service you can.

Reports offer great value to help you understand what’s going on in your business and lead your thinking.

But that value can be lost if they take hours or even days to put together.

We’ve developed new tools in Sage 50 Accounts 2010 to help you put together the reports you need, quickly and easily.

• New wizard to help you import information from multiple sources including Microsoft Excel • New reports selection – choose your most frequent reports and run them as often as you need • New barcodes Äeld option in reports • Easier to Änd, edit and run reports with a common report explorer screen across the Sage 50 family

For more information contact your Gem account manager on 01279 822822, or visit www.gem.co.uk

PCR AWARDS 2010 LOBBYING GUIDE

lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business.

Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product knowledge • Channel relationships • Innovation

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product desirability • Channel innovation • Visibility

How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

VENDOR AWARDS These awards focus on the core of the industry – the manufacturers and publishers that create technology products. Recognition will be given for innovation, commercial success and support of the trade…

SOFTWARE PUBLISHER Who’s eligible?

Any firm who produces PC software.

DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR Who’s eligible?

Any distribution firm that has performed particularly well overall in the last twelve months.

HARDWARE MANUFACTURER Who’s eligible?

Any firm that produces IT hardware, such as laptops, graphics cards, or peripherals.

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business. Members of the jury vote

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business. Members of the jury vote

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product knowledge • Channel relationships • Innovation

www.pcr-online.biz

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business.

Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product desirability • Channel innovation • Visibility

October PCR 25

PCR AWARDS 2010 LOBBYING GUIDE

How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

SPECIALIST VENDOR Who’s eligible?

Firms that specialise in one particular field.

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business. Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product desirability • Channel innovation • Visibility How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

GADGET OF THE YEAR What’s eligible?

26 PCR October

Any gadget or piece of consumer electronics, such as an MP3 player, mobile phone or GPS device.

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business. Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Product desirability • Channel innovation • Visibility How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR Who’s eligible?

Any vendor in the IT/technology sector.

How is this award won?

PCR will take soundings from the industry and consider any direct lobbying from retailers, suppliers, or general readers before announcing a set of

finalists in the January issue. The winner is voted for by the Judging Panel, which will consist of up to 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business. Members of the jury vote in confidence and are only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

Judges will consider the following criteria: • Channel relationships • Visibility • Commercial success How do I make my opinion heard?

You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

GRAND PRIX Who’s eligible?

Any company active within the UK PC channel that has enjoyed commercial and critical success, while showing the highest levels of support and efficiency at trade level. Finalists for this award are chosen entirely by the PCR team and are not revealed to anyone until the awards night on Thursday March 25th.

Judges will consider the following: • Commercial success • Marketing commitment and effectiveness • Customer service • Retail support • Commitment to driving the industry forward

www.pcr-online.biz

Widescreen monitors and TFT displays from your award winning distributor

22INCH

Enjoy the perfect image The W2261V widescreen display from LG is suitable for serious gaming and Blu-ray movies, as well as conventional Full HD 16:9 content with a 1920 x 1080 resolution.

The elegant, ultra-thin Samsung SMT220HD display comes fully equipped with the latest in LCD technology. It has a Full HD resolution and an embedded digital TV tuner.

* Stunning Full HD 1080p * 20,000:1 digital fine contrast ratio * Outstanding value

* Integrated DTV tuner * Full 1080p HD * 2 x HDMI

Only

£127 trade

Add a bracket VOGEFW6125 £42

Only

LGW2261V

£167 trade

Add a bracket VOGEFW6125 £42

SMT220HD

23INCH

Full HD multimedia

The iiyama ProLite B2409HDS display has a 2ms response rate for blur free video. Triple input support ensures compatibility with the latest installed graphics cards and embedded laptop outputs.

* Stunning Full HD 1080p * 20,000:1 digital fine contrast ratio * Outstanding value

* Rapid 2ms response * 20:000:1 contrast ratio * Triple input: analogue, DVI and HDMI

£149 trade

PHITFT230C1HSB

Add a bracket VOGEFW6125 £42

24INCH

Blur-free HD video

Experience brilliant performance with the stylish 230C1HSB Full HD 1080p display. This display has an HDMI input, powerful front stereo audio, a USB port and a blistering 2ms response rate.

Only

22INCH

The beauty of design

Only

£175 trade

Add a bracket VOGEFW6125 £42

IIYB2409HDS

Award Winning Enables you to be on any website, anywhere and still query www.midwich.com for competitive pricing and current stock levels.

Simply visit www.midwich.com/pricecheck and install your price checker now!

Order online 24/7 at www.midwich.com.

You can use your credit/debit card instantaneously on trade registration; however, if you'd like to order on your company credit account, just visit www.midwich.com/openonline to register today.

Midwich – the UK’s leading specialist AV distributor

Winner

For more information call our sales specialists on:

01379 649200 or visit www.midwich.com

Terms & Conditions. Prices are trade and exclude carriage & VAT. Prices are correct at time of publication, please confirm at time of ordering. E&OE. All transactions are in accordance with our full terms and conditions, a copy of which is available on request. All trademarks are the property of their respective manufacturers. Your calls may be recorded for training purposes Copyright © Midwich Limited 2009. Midwich Limited, Gilray Road, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4YT NM09-0124-Q4-09

audio visual • barcode solutions • consumables • consumer electronics • copy/print/scan/fax • digital imaging • digital signage • displays • hi-technology • interactive solutions • which lamps

Are your customers’ responses as quick as our TFTs?

PCR AWARDS 2010 LOBBYING GUIDE

Need to know When are the awards?

Thursday March 25th at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London.

When is the deadline for submissions?

The deadline for nominating who you would like to see win a PCR Award is Friday November 27th. You can nominate your own company or a customer now by emailing Andrew.Wooden@intentmedia.co.uk, telling us why the company should be considered a Finalist.

What is the judging process?

The winner is voted for by the Judging

Panel, which consists of at least 100 highly regarded industry executives taken from all sectors of the business.

Members of the Jury vote in confidence and the panel is only revealed after voting is complete. They cannot vote for themselves or associated companies.

Tickets and Sponsorship Packages A variety of sponsorship packages are available now. Contact Katie.Rawlings@intentmedia.co.uk to find out more. Table and ticket enquiries should also be made to Katie Rawlings on 01992 535 647.

Last year’s winners Last year’s event cemented the PCR Awards as the only ceremony to recognise every aspect of the trade and saw over 300 people, from AMD to John Lewis, turn up to enjoy the evening…

Novatech

John Lewis

Amazon

Bear IT

Geeks-On-Wheels

VIP Computers

EntaTech

Gem Creative

Target Components

BullGuard

Acer

TomTom

Microsoft

Kingston Technology

CK, YoYoTech

Grand Prix – Acer

CATEGORY: FRONTLINE High Street Independent – Novatech High Street Multiple – John Lewis Online Retailer – Amazon Value Added Reseller – Bear IT Best Technical Support – Geeks-On-Wheels CATEGORY: DISTRIBUTION Sales Team: Home – VIP Computers Sales Team: Business – EntaTech Sales Innovation – EntaTech Marketing & PR Team – Gem Creative Specialist Distributor – Target Components CATEGORY: VENDOR Sales Team: Home – BullGuard Sales Team: Business – Acer Marketing & PR Team: Home – TomTom Marketing & PR Team: Business – Microsoft Specialist Vendor – Kingston Technology Industry Achievement – CK, YoYoTech Grand Prix – Acer

28 PCR October

www.pcr-online.biz

RETAIL FOCUS

From the Frontline MEDIA-CENTRIC PCS LEAD THE WAY Once again, it’s no surprise that the desktop segment is suffering while the laptop sector flourishes.

Sales in the desktop segment still show a strong consumer preference for small-form, low-cost systems with mid-range performance but an emphasis on storage, streaming and connectivity. This month, the Packard Bell iMedia 2218 has jumped into pole position. This system offers a fairly robust media centre with a price tag of around £250, but is currently being offered bundled with a 19-inch monitor by DSGi stores.

Laptop sales remain pretty much the same as last month, except for the Compaq Presario CQ60-420SA, which has entered our lists in second place. This system offers pretty good performance for its price bracket, coming equipped with a two gigahertz dual core AMD processor and an Nvidia GeForce 8200M chipset. Not the ideal combination, but at £330, who’s complaining?

On the graphics card front, the Nvidia BFG 9400GT has come storming into the top of the list, but then it’s currently available at an astoundingly low price – as little as £35 from some retailers.

Having owned the top two devices on our mouse listings, I can say that they are both well placed. Logitech’s V150 wired laser mouse is simple, reliable and cheap. It’s perfect for home office use, but will not survive the rigours of an enthusiastic gamer.

The Wireless 5000 is more robust and accurate, with a variety of mappable extra buttons, but priced at around £20 it needs a little more selling. matt.grainger@intentmedia.co.uk

32 PCR October

This month Infinite FMS has surveyed 1,200 stores across the nation to find out what the latest sales trends are and to talk to the real grass roots retailers on the frontlines...

DESKTOPS 1

PACKARD BELL iMedia 2218

2

HP PAVILION SLIMLINE S3811

3

ACER ASPIRE X3200

4

PACKARD BELL IMEDIA SLIMLINE D3318

5

DELL STUDIO 540/6161

LAPTOPS 1

DELL 1545 T4200

2

COMPAQ PRESARIO CQ60-420SA

3

HP DV6-1240SA

4

ACER ASPIRE 5536-744G

5

ACER ASPIRE 7535G

GRAPHICS CARDS 1

NVIDIA BFG 9400GT 512MB Graphics Card

2

ATI SAPPHIRE RADEON HD4650 1GB PCI-E GRAPHICS CARD

3

NVIDIA PNY GM250 GTS GAMERS GRAPHICS CARD

4

INNO3D 1GB PCIE GTX260

5

ATI SAPPHIRE HD4830 512MB PCIE GRAPHICS CARD

www.pcr-online.biz

RETAIL FOCUS infinite FMS is a specialist field marketing provider delivering bespoke solutions purely for the technology sector. With over ten years experience, we understand how to support manufacturers with the execution of their below-the-line campaigns, ensuring brands are reinforced, product messages are effectively delivered and sales objectives are achieved. Our services include product training, compliance & data capture, promotion & demonstration activity, Mystery Shopping & Roadshows. To learn more about how we can support you, please contact us on 01793 686504 or visit our website @ www.infinitefms.com

Yes 67% QUESTION: DO YOU THINK WINDOWS 7 WILL BOOST SALES IN CHANNEL?

Don’t know 17%

No 16%

With a far wider base of respondents this month, it would seem that the prevailing opinion is that Windows 7 will boost sales.

Not surprising considering its well publicised multi-touch support, among other things.

KEY COMMENTS During the canvassing of retail store staff, we looked to obtain real honest feedback about key themes running through the IT industry, which may give us an insight into the mindset of retailers and their experience at the coal face of the industry. Below are the most frequent (and pertinent) comments that were made:

“Laptops outsell PCs at least ten to one”

“Customers are considering battery life more than ever on notebooks”

MICE 1

“The current focus around supplying mobile broadband with laptops means desktop PC sales are suffering”

LOGITECH V150 Wired Laser Mouse

2

MICROSOFT 5000 LASER MOUSE

3

MICROSOFT WIRELESS NOTEBOOK OPTICAL MOUSE 3000

4

LOGITECH LX8 CORDLESS LASER MOUSE

5

MICROSOFT B5W-00002 WIRELESS NOTEBOOK LASER MOUSE 6000

KEYBOARDS 1

MICROSOFT Comfort Curve 2000 Wired Keyboard

2

MICROSOFT WIRED KEYBOARD 500 WIRED KEYBOARD

3

MICROSOFT WIRELESS MEDIA DESKTOP 1000 WIRELESS MEDIA KEYBOARD AND MOUSE

4

MICROSOFT DIGITAL MEDIA 3000 WIRED KEYBOARD

5

LOGITECH ULTRA-FLAT WIRED KEYBOARD

UTILITY SOFTWARE - BACK UP 1

ACRONIS True Image Home - Easy Backup & Recovery

2

NORTON UTILITIES

3

NERO BACK IT UP & BURN

4

PERFECT IMAGE BACKUP & PROTECT SUITE- PROTECT YOUR FILES

5

AVANQUEST FIX-IT UTILITIES 9

www.pcr-online.biz

“Price is still very much driving purchases rather than product spec”

“Customers are spending more carefully and seeking more advice”

“Peripheral sales are rising, especially external hard drives”

“Mobile broadband and USB sticks continue to prove very popular”

October PCR 33

RETAIL FOCUS MYSTERY SHOPPER

Dudley Our mystery shopper visits the Merry Hill Shopping Centre in Dudley to find the best laptop capable of editing and storing holiday snaps...

HMV THIS WAS ONE of the larger HMV stores and it was predominantly filled with DVDs and CDs, making it difficult to see where the laptops were located. I spotted a member of staff to ask but he wasn’t sure and suggested we walk over to the electronics department where we found speakers, Blu-ray players and laptops.

The POS stated that each laptop had a screen no bigger than 12.1 inches, therefore technically classing them as netbooks. After explaining what I was looking for, the staff member told me he wasn’t familiar with this area, but that he would get someone to help who did.

After waiting a couple of minutes, an extremely enthusiastic member of staff came over to help.

However, he too had to seek assistance as he had trouble accessing a netbook. Once another member of staff came over, he recommended the Samsung NC20, priced at £329.99. It incorporates Microsoft Windows XP, Via Nano U2250, 1GB memory, 160GB hard drive and Bluetooth. He told me it would be ideal but I wasn’t so sure – even though he mentioned the different colours available, he failed to reveal its key features and benefits.

SCORE Overall, the customer service was great – they really wanted to help, yet I think further training is required to instil customer confidence in the sales process. Unfortunately, the limited range of products meant a solution to my request could not be delivered.

6/10

34 PCR October

www.pcr-online.biz

RETAIL FOCUS MYSTERY SHOPPER

Turn the page for more Mystery Shopper results

>>>

MARKS & SPENCER

CURRYS DIGITAL

UPON ENTRY M&S was clean and tidy. I made my way over to the laptop section where a staff member was cashing up, so I waited patiently until she had finished. After ten minutes it was clear that no-one was going to help me, so I decided to approach the assistant. She looked slightly distressed at my request and immediately called a colleague over to help.

I informed him of my need for a laptop good enough to edit photos and to store a growing catalogue of images. He showed me a selection of laptops that was rather slim on choice. However, upon second look they appeared more

AS I ENTERED the store, I was met by several members of staff who had all grouped together. They noticed my arrival but chose to engage with one another, rather than with a potential customer.

After five to ten minutes of loitering in the laptop section and playing with the equipment, I went to track down some assistance. I approached a member of staff who initially asked me a very bizarre question: “Are you paying with cash or do you require a finance agreement?” I was rather startled by his question, but when I asked why, he just said he needed to know.

“As an individual with limited knowledge, I was not given enough information to part with nearly £500.

I realised that if I wanted additional information on the products, then I needed to search elsewhere”

“The range they had on display was good – there were plenty of possibilities to look at – but like a number of other stores that I visited that day, he only recommended one product”

suitable for my requirements than most other netbooks I had been recommended that day.

He suggested the Sony VGN-NS2OE, with a 15.4-inch screen, Intel Pentium Dual Core processor T3400, 3GB memory, 250GB and Vista, priced at £489.00. Although the assistant was very factual, he didn’t go into detail on its features. The lack of explanation from the assistant made me reconsider my options. I wanted details on its benefits, but because they were not pointed out to me I felt I wasn’t getting the netbook’s ‘wow factor’, which made me not want to purchase the product.

Generally speaking, it was a disappointing visit to Marks & Spencer. I was not asked about my needs and wants beyond the initial explanation I gave. The assistant gave me a recommendation which, although delivered clearly, was an obvious choice given the limited product range. If I was knowledgeable in PC specification, then I might potentially have purchased the laptop, but as an individual with limited knowledge on the topic, I was not given enough information to part SCORE with nearly £500. I realised that if I wanted additional information on the products, then I needed to search elsewhere.

He then asked me what I was looking for and assessed my requirements. Once I had explained, he moved us along the display to a particular laptop and said that it was the best choice for me. The Acer Aspire 7535G ZM-82 included a 17.3-inch widescreen, 4GB memory, 500GB hard drive, ATI 512mb graphics, Windows Vista Home Premium and AMD Turion x2 Ultra Processor ZM82, priced at £599.99.

This wasn’t a bad choice, but I was expecting to be shown more. I waited to be made aware of alternative options, yet he didn’t suggest any. No further questions were asked and he didn’t even show me a more expensive sell-up option. The range they had on display was good – there were plenty of possibilities to look at – but like a number of other stores that I visited that day, he only recommended one product.

I told him I needed time to think about my purchase and all he said was “right” before walking off. I thought this was quite rude and unprofessional, as customers should be given time to consider their options.

SCORE Overall, the store had a good range of laptops, but this was unfortunately let down by poor customer service.

6/10

www.pcr-online.biz

4/10

October PCR 35

RETAIL FOCUS MYSTERY SHOPPER

CURRYS

COMET

PC WORLD

CURRYS’ LAPTOP AREA was nicely arranged and had its displays clearly labelled, making it easier for the uneducated shopper. Products were out of their boxes and powered up. The only letdown was the lack of friendliness from the staff when I made eye contact.

I spent about 20 mintues wandering around the laptop section before I finally went to see if there was someone available to help me. I approached the customer service desk and the assistant went on the tannoy and requested a staff member. I waited again – this time for seven minutes – before deciding to seek further assistance at the front desk, but, just like before, an announcement soon followed over the tannoy.

THE LAPTOPS were situated at the front of the store, which made them easy to spot.

Furthermore, they were all displayed out of their box and powered up.

The store was as empty as the Mary Celeste, with no staff visible on the shop floor. I made several laps of the store in search of assistance, but all I could see was a lady serving a customer in a glass room and another member of staff helping a man with a camera.

I waited patiently until a staff member was free to tend to my needs. However, when he arrived it turned out the assistant could not help me after all, so I had to wait for another member of staff to lend a helping hand.

I explained what kind of laptop I was looking for and was asked questions by the assistant about how big a screen I wanted, the amount of storage space I needed, if I required a dedicated graphics card, and so on. He then confidently suggested two laptops to me. The first was a Toshiba 17.3-inch L550113 screen, with a dedicated 512MB card, 500GB, Intel core duo processor and 4GB memory, priced at £699.99. The second recommendation was a Toshiba 16-inch widescreen – A350-12J, with a dedicated 512MB card, 250GB, Intel core Duo 2 T6400 and 4GB memory, priced at £599.99. Both laptops met my needs and desires perfectly. I would have liked a demo, but unfortunately it was not offered. However, this was a common theme with all the shops I visited that day.

All in all, despite having to wait to be served, I found the customer service was very good and the staff member appeared very knowledgeable and eager to help me with my search. The suggested products were good, he took his time asking me different questions to ensure I SCORE was given the correct information and showed me the pefect laptops for my requirements.

THIS STORE was nice and bright when I walked through the door, which was a refreshing sight.

The laptops were clearly visible from the entrance and were all neatly displayed, but some shelves and screens were dirty. I didn’t have to walk around for long before I was approached by a member of staff who asked if I required assistance. He couldn’t help me with my request, presumably because he had minimal knowledge of this subject, but he called for a fellow staff member who could help.

I was greeted by another gentleman who smiled as he spoke to me. He asked what I was looking for, why I wanted it and what possible extras I wanted with it. He was very thorough with his questions and extremely enthusiastic.

He walked around the laptops to make sure that he found the one he thought would be appropriate for me. He recommended the Acer Aspire and went on to explain in detail its specifications. The notebook included a 17.3inch widescreen, AMD Turion X2 Ultra dual core mobile ZM-82, Vista, 512MB dedicated card, 4GB memory, 500GB hard drive and a webcam, priced at £599.99. Furthermore, the sales assistant told me that it would be fantastic for editing pictures and storing images on.

He surprised me when he continued on and recommended the computer package Corel Paintshop Pro Photo X 2 (Ultimate version), priced at £58.28. I was very impressed as everything he suggested was available under one roof, making it very convenient and easy.

At the end of my shop, I thought the experience was great, as the assistant ascertained my needs and wants, and made sure that the right laptop and package was suggested to me. I left feeling immensely SCORE satisfied and confident with the store’s high level of knowledge and customer service.

“Currys’ laptop area was nicely arranged and its displays clearly labelled, making it easier for the uneducated shopper” Eventually a member of staff came over, who smiled and asked how he could help. I explained what I was looking for and stood there ready for more probing sales enquiries to ascertain my requirements. Unfortunately, the sales assistant didn’t seem very interested and just lifted his arm and pointed to the laptop right next to him, which he thought was ideal for me.

He recommended the HP 15.6-inch widescreen, with AMD Turion Processor RM 74, 4GB memory, 320GB hard drive and ATI 512MB graphics card.

By the end of my experience in Currys, I was less than satisfied. I hadn’t been asked any additional questions to fully discuss my SCORE expected use of the laptop and the sales assistant had only suggested one product.

5/10

7/10

9/10

This Mystery Shop was conducted by infinite Field Marketing Solutions, a leading provider of field marketing services to the technology sector.

The solutions provided include Training, Market Research, Mystery Shopping, Demonstration Days, Roadshows, Merchandising and Compliance & Data Capture.

Visit our website for details and to request a Case Study.

36 PCR October

www.pcr-online.biz

Cases t CPUs t Displays t Flash Memory t Hard Drives t Networking t Notebooks t Peripherals t Software t Video Cards

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Hardware PCR’s monthly look at recent developments in the hardware market

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

P 41

DIGITAL STORAGE A review of the lucrative storage sector

p 47

p 50

KINGSTON PROFILE

GFK ANALYSIS

Kingston’s European marketing director Richard Bull talks to us about the company and the ‘recession-proof’ memory market

GfK account executive Christopher Kennedy-Sloane examines the effect that operating systems have on the IT market

www.pcr-online.biz

October PCR 39

CONTACTS Gem Distribution: 01279 822 800 CCI Distribution: 01423 704 700 VIP Computers: 0871 622 7500 Ingram Micro: 0871 973 3000

HARDWARE DIGITAL STORAGE

[

STORE ALU SRP: £70

]

Billed as offering excellent price-performance, the StorE Alu is encased in aluminium and is available in 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch disk sizes.

The device offers a range of capacity options from 160 gigabytes through to 1.5 terabytes.

Distributor: Ingram Micro

C2000: 0870 060 3344

[

MY BOOK WORLD EDITION SRP: £210

]

Designed for families or households with more than one PC, the My Book World Edition has been created to centralise data and provide continuous back-up. WD says that this device offers an easy setup, back-up for any PC in the home, broad compatibility and iTunes streaming.

Distributor: C2000

[

STORE STEEL SRP: £72

]

The Steel has a minimalist design with a glossy, scratch and smudge resistant stainless steel casing. Customers can choose between a 1.8-inch or 2.5-inch disk size, which can hold 160 gigabytes and 500 gigabytes respectively.

Distributor: Ingram Micro

What’s in store With the growing popularity of digital media, the demand for external and portable storage is greater than ever before. Matt Grainger presents an overview of the sector and some of its latest products…

“People are downloading and creating a lot more digital content, and as the quality of it improves, so the demand for storage increases” Andy Connor, Iomega

www.pcr-online.biz

EXTERNAL STORAGE first impacted the consumer market a few years ago and since then has steadily grown to become an important and increasingly significant part of the IT segment.

The key driver for this development has been the growth of digital media among the general populace, who have embraced digital photography, online movies and formed digital music collections, while wishing to retain them in a portable state.

In addition to the growing popularity of digital devices, the medium itself is changing people’s habits. In the past, people would have a finite number of stills to use before

they had to change the film, so each still was usually of a different image.

These days, digital camera users will think nothing of reeling off a number of pictures to be sure that they’ve got the image right, or will take hundreds of stills in one day. In many cases, these files are stored on a PC or laptop’s hard drive.

“As consumer interest in digital content such as photos, videos and music grows, it’s obvious that end-users are increasingly understanding the importance of buying external storage devices,” states Gem’s head of marketing, Neil Handa. “Prices have also fallen, which has opened the doors for value-added bundles in retail.”

The permeation of digital media in everyday household is something that Iomega’s UK and Ireland country manager, Andy Connor describes as ‘the Digital Lifestyle’. He notes that in many cases, domestic households have multiple PCs under one roof, which means growing storage requirements.

“The last three or four years have seen an explosion in downloads and digital media,” Connor says. “People are downloading and creating a lot more digital content and as the quality of it improves, so the demand for storage increases, as higher quality means larger file size.

>>>

October PCR 41

HARDWARE DIGITAL STORAGE

[

STORE ART SRP: £64.99

]

Toshiba says its StorE Art device has been designed for customers looking for a robust, portable solution to back up large quantities of data. Available in three disk sizes – 1.8, 2.5, and 3.5-inch – the device is powered by USB and comes with a variety of stylish designs.

Distributor: Ingram Micro

[

QNAP SS439P SRP: £849.99

]

The SS439P delivers numerous functions for business users, including File Server, FTP Server, Print Server and includes Windows Active Directory. The device is a Quad 2.5-inch drive allin-one NAS Server with built-in phpMyAdmin, Joomla!, MySQL and SQLite, SMB and SOHO users can set up their own web and database server.

Distributor: CCI

[

SEAGATE FREEAGENT DESK SRP: £104.99

]

With 1.5 terabytes of storage, the Seagate FreeAgent Desk stores and protects files and information with transfer rates of up to 480 megabits per second. The device carries a five-year warranty, can automatically back up data and can sync content with other portable drives.

Distributor: VIP

[

IOMEGA HOME MEDIA NETWORK HARD DRIVE SRP: £109.99

]

Available with either 500GB or a terabyte of storage capacity, the Iomega Home Network Drive is a NAS that can be accessed by any PC on a home network. The device has been designed to send or stream files to games consoles, digital picture frames, networked TVs and any iTunes-enabled computer, to make it the hub for the digital home.

Distributor: C2000

>>>

“It all adds up to what we call the digital lifestyle – the growing presence of digital media in people’s everyday lives. Quite often the end user will simply leave their pictures or music on their computer, which not only slows it down but also can present complications when it comes to buying a new machine. Another spurring factor in the growth of external storage is the increasing popularity of portable computers, like laptops and netbooks, which often don’t have enough storage to host someone’s entire movie collection – this is where digital storage shines.”

42 PCR October

M2M Direct’s sales and marketing manager, Hitesh Kothary, also attributes the growth of this sector to the increasing popularity of digital media and steadily improving domestic internet connection speeds.

“The key reason why the digital storage and external hard drive market has grown so quickly is simply that real world drivers exist for this type of technology,” comments Kothary. “The UK marketplace has a huge demand for these types of products and it is continuing to grow with demand for faster, larger capacity, and more

efficient products. This demand is encouraging our manufacturers to innovate at great speed to satisfy customer requirements.

“Sales trends are again being driven by consumers’ growing the use of technology in their day-to-day environments. The trend is for them to archive, download, share, and record digital content. Therefore we are seeing bigger and bigger drives, and simple things such as a pen drive are now being requested at 64GB – until very recently this amount of storage was seen as the preserve of hard drives.

Consumers want to be able to plug external devices using a USB or FireWire connection, rather than by opening up their PCs.” The gradual reduction in retail pricing has also had a very positive effect on this sector. A few years ago, a 160 gigabyte external hard drive was considered the pinnacle of external storage and would cost the best part of £100; now a one terabyte device can be obtained for as little as £65, making these devices a lot more accessible to the general population.

>>>

www.pcr-online.biz

Storage

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HARDWARE DIGITAL STORAGE

[

SIMPLEDRIVE MINI BLACK CHERRY SRP: £64.99

]

The Mini Black Cherry offers a sleek, pocket-sized Pinanfara design that is durable and made for travel. As well as offering automatic local back-up, the device can also be covered with the Fabrik Ultimate Backup online storage service, with up to 2GB free of charge. It also features Joggle digital content management software.

Distributor: VIP

[

IOMEGA STORCENTER IX2 NETWORK STORAGE SRP: £164.99

]

The StorCenter ix2 has been designed for the secure storage of large volumes of data, and as such is equally at home in a small office as in a domestic household.

Available with either one or two terabytes of storage, this device features award winning EMC Retrospect Express back-up software and includes a high performance 400MHz processor, 128MB of RAM, SATA 2 drives and GbE connectivity.

Distributor: C2000

[

BUFFALO NANOSTATION USB 2.0 SRP: £69.99

] [

Just 6mm wide and weighing 60g, the Buffalo NanoStation is designed for the active professional. The device features easy-to-use back-up and sync software, mobile applications such as Firefox and Thunderbird for email and web browsing, as well as Buffalo’s Secure Lock Mobile software to prevent unauthorised access in the event the drive is lost or stolen.

SIMPLEDRIVE 1TB TURBO USB 2.0 SRP: £69.99

]

With a turbo USB 2.0 interface that offers transfer speeds up to 25 per cent faster than standard ports, SimpleTech claims that its 1TB drive offers affordable and reliable design. The drive automatically powers on and off with a PC, includes award-winning back-up software and is compatible with both PCs and Macs.

Distributor: VIP

Distributor: GEM

>>>

Although external hard drive and other portable devices are enjoying the most popularity with the consumer end of the market, there are other types of storage that are also seeing interest.

Network Access Storage (NAS) is something that will see an increasing presence in households, especially those that embrace the digital lifestyle.

“In terms of portable storage devices, most people are only going to need a certain amount of capacity for

44 PCR October

their day-to-day uses,” continues Connor. “For long-term domestic data storage, we anticipate that NAS devices will be the device of choice.”

“NAS drives are selling very well,” agrees Handa. “They are easy to use and affordable. Users also understand the need to back-up their content and access it remotely using streaming devices. This makes them a vital addition to a home network.”

Another growth area is the remote, or cloud, storage service segment. This

option allows users to store their digital information remotely, to be accessed from any place in the world that has an internet connection.

“Remote storage gives users instant access to their digital files without the hassle of carrying portable devices around,” says Dan Conlon, founder and managing director of remote storage specialist Humyo.

Although Conlon feels that currently users are still looking to physically carry their data around with

them, the technology behind cloud storage will develop to the point where it is the first choice for digital storage.

“Currently with internet speeds as they are, users are looking for the best of both worlds for their storage requirements, both online and offline,” adds Conlon. “In the future, once internet speeds increase through the growing fibre networks, users will predominately store, share and stream digital files of all kinds in one place – within the cloud.”

www.pcr-online.biz

Crucial Solid State Drives and the full range of Lexar and Kodak Flash Media cards available at M2M Ltd NEW! Crucial M225 SSDs available From 64 GB to 256 GB, up to 250MB/s the Crucial M225 series can improve boot and application load times. Tweak Town has rated Crucial M225 SSD at 89% (including a 95% performance!)

TWEAKTOWN “The new M225 is fresh, fast and for what could be the decision making difference, it is cheap(er). Yes, cheaper than the competition.”

HEXUS EXECUTIVE RECOMMENDED AWARD “The Crucial CT256M225 is a decent SSD at a (relatively) attractive price, and it's certainly worthy of recommendation if building a very high-end PC.”

BENCHMARK REVIEWS “The Crucial M225-series SSD is a high-performance Solid State Drive product recommended to enthusiasts wanting high performance at an attractive price.’’

Benchmark reviews scores it 9 out of 10 Final Score: 9.0 out of 10. Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

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HARDWARE KINGSTON COMPANY PROFILE

Good memories In spite of the economic downturn, Kingston has just had one of its best years ever. Nicky Trup talks to European marketing director Richard Bull about what makes memory products recession-proof and how the company plans to build on its success…

WHEN ENGINEERS John Tu and David Sun saw there was a shortage of surface-mount memory chips in the high-tech market, they decided to do something about it. So, in 1987 with a single product, Kingston Technology was born in Fountain Valley, California, where the company still has its global headquarters.

“They put their engineering expertise to work and designed a new single in-line memory module that used readily available, older technology, through-hole components and created a new industry standard,” says Richard Bull, Kingston’s European marketing director. He adds that the company’s focus has not changed much since then: “The products have developed but Kingston Technology

Turn the page for more

>>>

www.pcr-online.biz

October PCR 47

HARDWARE KINGSTON COMPANY PROFILE

Kingston has a range of over 2,000 products, including Apple-compatible memory and flash cards

has stayed true to its roots and expertise.”

“We are dedicated to the memory business – we haven’t diversified away from that – but at the same time there have been a number of developments in the memory industry, which we have followed,” Bull says. “We started in DRAM, but now we have NANDbased products, the flash-based products, which we’re selling through retail channels to consumers. That’s one diversification that still sticks to our core business.”

Kingston now has more than 4,000 employees worldwide and its range of over 2,000 products is produced at five factories in the US, Taiwan, Malaysia and China. While many businesses have struggled during the recession, Kingston has continued to flourish.

“When the economic environment is not so good, if you’re a lean and mean organisation, as we tend to be, and are set up to deal with the volatility of the memory industry, then you can also deal with difficulty from an economic point of view,” Bull says. “We continuously focus on improving efficiency and investing in new technologies to ensure that we can streamline operational costs without compromising on the quality of our products.”

The company reported revenues of $4 billion for 2008 – the second largest figure in its history – while year-on-year shipments of memory units were up 41 per cent. According to Bull, GfK statistics show that

48 PCR October

Kingston is now Europe’s leading USB drive manufacturer and second for flash cards, as well as being the global leader for RAMrelated goods.

“Memory products are appealing during a recession because they help customers extend and make use of the devices they’ve already got,” he says. “They don’t necessarily need to go out and buy a new PC or camera – through using memory products they make more use of the

product lines and offers a ‘good, better, best’ distinction. We’re able to customise products for them – to put customised inserts in products and put content onto some of the memory products. Retailers are very interested in these propositions at the moment.”

As well as making sure it is offering benefits to its retail partners, Kingston has also begun a drive to attract more consumers.

“The much newer business for us is the NAND-based products, the flash

“Memory products are appealing because they help customers extend the devices they’ve got. They don’t need to buy a new PC or camera – they make more use of the investment they’ve already made” Richard Bull, Kingston investment they’ve already made in those products.”

Another ingredient in Kingston’s recipe for success has been to form strong alliances with its retail partners, which has recently meant offering a helping hand through the economic downturn.

“We developed for our retailers a number of things that allow them to add value and take more margin out of the products,” Bull says. “We’ve developed packaging that makes a very clear differentiation between our

products, which started in around 2003 or 2004. It’s an area that requires us to develop new routes to market with the retailers and also to market to an area that we traditionally haven’t participated in, so we’re marketing increasingly to the consumer marketplace,” Bull says.

“Our photo and video products have now launched into retail outlets such as DSGi. Retail continues to be a growth area for us.”

As part of this new direction, the company launched its first consumer

website, www.Remember Kingston.com, at the end of August.

“We want to add value for the consumers. The Remember site is designed to be consumer friendly and not too technical, to speak a language that’s perhaps more accessible by the consumer and to help them tackle a number of things that might be of interest to them, whether it’s ‘How do I take better photos with my mobile phone?’, ‘How do I upgrade the memory in my PC’ and so on. They’re things that are challenging consumers and they’re reading the site to find information on them,” Bull says.

With the increasing popularity of Macs and other Apple goods, Kingston has found that there is high demand for compatible products.

“We recently launched our Apple retail SKUs to Apple premium resellers,” Bull says. “Apple computers are found in a lot of creative environments and are often utilised for intensive projects. Therefore the upgrade for memory is one of the most important aspects of performance improvement. Apple memory is a massive growth area for us.”

So what’s next for Kingston?

According to Bull, the only way is up.

“We will continue to focus on being at the forefront of memory technology and the number one memory manufacturer in the world,” he says.

www.pcr-online.biz

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HARDWARE ANALYSIS

Christopher Kennedy-Sloane

The graph shows a rise in sales of computers with more RAM at around the time of Vista’s launch in late 2006

Software’s the key to sales Businesses are hoping that new operating systems will be the solution to revitalise the PC market.

GfK’s Christopher Kennedy-Sloane takes a closer look at this and examines whether software is really the key to increased hardware sales...

“New products will be aided by word of mouth and a genuinely compelling product.

Assuming this can be produced, we could see a welcomed stimulus on the PC market come October” Christopher Kennedy-Sloane, GfK

WITH the traditional PC form factors in decline and the rise of the netbook eroding sales from the more lucrative notebook market, consumers and businesses alike are looking to the forthcoming launch of new operating systems to revitalise the market. With notebook computers showing a 0.9 per cent growth so far this year, against last year’s sales, and desktops showing a 13.9 per cent decline, are software releases going to buck the economic trend?

OPERATING SYSTEMS We are all familiar with the promise of an operating system release pushing the market into growth. While we have seen previous launches vary in performance, higher resource requirements for some operating systems have led to a boost in RAM, CPU and graphics cards sales from those looking to keep their systems running as usual. (See graph above.)

50 PCR October

Positive reviews surround the upcoming release of next generation operating systems and, with an OEM switchover promising to be as quick as in the past, there could well be a resurgence in the original stalwarts of the PC market. Those people who are holding off until October to see how the PC space develops after release, may well be surprised to see how much of a shift the market sees. Moreover, with new lower end SKUs in the pipeline there is potential that this could put an end to price-cut copies of the older editions of operating systems being installed on netbooks and micro PCs. QUALITY PRODUCTS Taking into account previous launches within the consumer space, any new product will be aided by word of mouth and a genuinely compelling product. Aassuming that this can be

produced, we could see a much welcomed stimulus to the PC market come October.

Taking a glance at other aspects of the market which saw positive growth, emerging markets, such as media gateways, continue to see greater than 100 per cent volume and value growth.

Another sector which is continuing to see year-on-year volume growth is the e-assistants market, where the ebook segment is slowing in growth, down to eight per cent growth this July against the same period last year.

Furthermore, additional peripherals such as multi-disc drives and mice are seeing growth year-on-year. This is especially true within the cordless mice segment. A potential explanation for this rise in add-on sales is due to the limited functionality that a netbook can provide, as they do not come with an integrated CD or DVD drive to install new software onto.

www.pcr-online.biz

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Software PCR’s monthly look at recent developments in the software market

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

p 61

P 57

SECURITY SOFTWARE

AVG

We take a look at the security software market, giving an overview of the latest developments and presenting some of the products that are available today

UK managing director Mike Foreman talks about being the most popular security vendor on the planet

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SOFTWARE AVG COMPANY PROFILE

Strength in numbers Over the past year security firm AVG has opened a new UK office, launched a channel recruitment drive, and moved into new markets across the globe. Furthermore, partly thanks to a free version of its software, the company claims to have the most popular programme on the market. Andrew Wooden talks to UK MD Mike Foreman about the firm’s history and future direction...

When, where and by whom was AVG set up?

The company was formed in 1991 and has more than 80 million users across 167 countries who use its security software.

In terms of its presence in the UK, AVG has its headquarters in Newark.

I ran a business with my father back in the 1990s, F1 Computer Services, when we started marketing AVG’s software. We found that there was very little out there in terms of internet protection at the time and the business grew as a result. AVG subsequently bought out F1 Computer Services and currently we have 60 people working out of the 18,000 sq ft offices in Newark, which includes a UK customer support contact centre, a warehouse and a training centre for UK PC resellers and partners.

How has the company changed in that time?

AVG has experienced significant growth in the last few years, becoming the world’s fourth largest vendor of anti-virus software, but also the most popular. Over 80 million people use AVG’s internet protection software.

The company has expanded globally and, with a new CEO and an expansion of the senior management team, we have a lot of experienced people on board. We are continuing to focus on resellers, as we have always done. However, we have also expanded our network and increased our resources with support from channel marketing.

What most separates you from other security software vendors?

AVG’s security packages protect over 80 million business and home computers from viruses, worms, Turn the page for more

www.pcr-online.biz

>>>

October PCR 57

SOFTWARE AVG COMPANY PROFILE AVG opened its new office in Newark, Nottinghamshire, earlier this year

spyware, spam and identity theft, allowing safe web-surfing, music downloads, video sharing and email.

The software is free and we have found that many of our users virally share it, which explains its popularity.

Our software provides real-time defences against real-time threats. So, rather than checking links on an existing database, your PC is scanned in real-time, meaning that you are protected from newly-infected web pages. Essentially, real-time protection is the only way consumers can stay protected against transient threats. In fact, 60 per cent of these threats last less than a day before moving on to another site, so an existing database is often out of date very quickly.

which prevents new and unknown threats from stealing personal information like bank and credit card details.

How has the last year been for AVG commercially?

The last year has been a busy one for us. We opened the Newark office and saw a recruitment drive for channel partners. We have opened up new markets globally, including an acquisition with Sana and the launch

We are also seeing a push into the retail market and, with the recruitment of Adam Gay as retail sales manager, we see this moving along at a fast pace.

High Street and in supermarkets. We aim to build new relationships with key retailers, while continuing to foster existing relationships with our distribution partners.

What’s been the biggest challenge over the past few years?

The biggest challenge we face is educating users that internet security is needed now more than ever. With the rise in social networking there is a greater risk of being targeted on

What impact do you think the launch of Windows 7 will have on the security market?

Windows 7 will definitely create a buzz, both in the channel and with consumers. Raised awareness of a new OS and improved security features can only be a good thing for protecting people and the internet.

Unlike AVG’s software, Windows 7 will not have the advanced features that AVG LinkScanner technology has for pre-checking websites in real-time, nor does it have advanced Identity Protection.

“AVG’s free, downloadable software allows users to have basic antivirus protection – they can then easily upgrade to greater levels of safety and defence when they are ready” Mike Foreman, AVG

You are one of the few firms to offer free anti-virus software.

What’s the key to striking the balance between offering a free service and making money from paid-for packages?

AVG’s free, downloadable software allows users to have basic anti-virus protection. They can then easily upgrade to greater levels of safety and defence when they are ready. Once upgraded, consumers can enjoy extra with the paid-for version – in particular, identity theft protection,

58 PCR October

of AVG 8.5 with IDP – identity theft protection – only three months after the acquisition, which was a huge success for the business.

We launched LinkScanner back in April, which is a free standalone product to protect users against random, invisible online threats. It works in real-time, protecting users from any malicious links they come across. With the rise in social networking tools, the need for this is paramount.

Twitter, Facebook and MySpace, etc.

We really need to educate people that prolific use of these social networking sites can open us up to hackers and phishing scams. The need to ensure our PCs and laptops are protected is of utmost importance.

What plans do you have for the next year?

As previously mentioned, we plan to expand into retail and establish the availability of AVG’s products on the

Where do you see AVG in five years time?

We are continually investing in R&D to ensure that AVG will always be at the forefront of protecting users. Our CEO recently talked about the iPhone and the threats we could face on mobile internet, so it would be a natural progression to look at mobile and the rise in mobile access to the web and how to protect consumers in this field.

www.pcr-online.biz

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Call security Security software vendors are constantly exploring new technology, from cloud computing to heuristics, in an attempt to keep up with increasingly intelligent cyber criminals. But how has the sector changed in recent months and what are consumers looking for in security products? Nicky Trup talks to the industry experts to find out...

“The security landscape has evolved from one focused on protecting against spam, spyware and viruses to one that’s also focused on the broader challenges of privacy and identity protection” Paul Lipman, Webroot

www.pcr-online.biz

WITH the number of online threats multiplying each day, it is becoming more and more difficult to keep PCs safe from viruses, spyware, worms, trojans and the like. And as malware becomes more sophisticated, so must security software.

According to the vendors, consumers are increasingly looking for packages that provide all-in-one protection, without slowing down their machines. “They are demanding that software is intuitive, easy to install, fast, light and protects against all threats from phishing attacks to viruses on a USB key,” says Con Mallon, EMEA product marketing director for Symantec.

Petter Lautin, managing director of Panda Security UK and Ireland, echoes this view: “Consumers are expecting

intuitive security software to provide protection without requiring high levels of user decision making or impacting on their computer performance.” He adds that many security software vendors, in an attempt to lessen the burden on the host PC, are choosing to move threat detection into ‘the cloud’ – an observation Paul Lipman, senior vice president and general manager of consumer business at Webroot, agrees with.

He explains: “This is being driven by three factors: the need for better performance – moving processing to the cloud frees up consumers’ PC resources; the need for better protection – multiple technologies can be used in the cloud, which provides instant updates and thus better security; and the need for a web-based solution to

manage consumers’ security in today’s multi-device environment.”

Cloud-based solutions are just one of the new technologies that have been developed in order to keep up with cyber criminals. Some vendors, including Symantec and Kaspersky, have created systems that collate information from users’ computers, keeping the software up-to-date with potential threats.

“If you are signed up to the community and you detect something on your machine that is deemed by our software to be a malicious application – a trojan, a virus, whatever it may be – it then communicates via a central hub with all the other machines signed up to the network neighbourhood to tell them to protect themselves from the same

>>>

October PCR 61

SOFTWARE SECURITY

[

AVG INTERNET SECURITY 8.5 DISTRIBUTORS: Koch Media, Micro-P SRP: £38.33 for a one-year licence

]

[

The latest version of Internet Security features new identity theft protection, which protects personal data such as online banking and credit card details. LinkScanner ensures links on search engines and web pages are safe, minimising the risk of accidentally visiting an infected site.

The package also checks all files, downloads, online transactions, emails, instant messages and P2P communications.

[

ESET SMART SECURITY VERSION 4 (BUSINESS EDITION) DISTRIBUTOR: Direct SRP: £113.85 + VAT for a one-year, five user licence

ESET’s new Smart Security package includes a self-defence system, which blocks attempts to delete, rename or corrupt ESET drivers and processes.

Other new features include warnings about critical Windows updates that have not installed and may leave machines open to attack, and the ability to block removable media such as USB keys and CD drives.

>>>

program,” says Simon Geach, consumer sales director of Kaspersky Lab UK. According to Lipman, the purpose of security software has changed in recent times. “The security landscape has evolved from one focused on protecting against spam, spyware and viruses to one that’s also focused on the broader

challenges of privacy and identity protection,” he says.

“We’re now sharing more sensitive information over the internet for activities like banking, shopping and social networking, and we’re doing this across multiple devices. The volume of personal information being shared through these channels provides a huge

]

These four packages include new detection technologies such as cloudcased remote heuristic scanning. Antivirus Pro is Panda’s entry level product, while Internet Security and Global Protection provide more advanced protection such as anti-spam and online content filtering, with the latter offering 5GB of online back-up to protect files.

[

]

PANDA 2010 RANGE DISTRIBUTORS: Blue Solutions, Micro-P, Northamber SRP: Antivirus for Netbooks: £29.99 (one 12-month licence), Antivirus Pro £39.99, Internet Security: £49.99, Global Protection: £59.99 – each for three 12-month licences, promotional prices available

BITDEFENDER 2010 RANGE DISTRIBUTORS: Interactive Ideas, Security IP, CMI Labs SRP: Antivirus: £19.95, Internet Security: £29.95, Total Security: £44.95 – each for up to three users

]

BitDefender’s three packages feature optimised scanning, which speeds up the process by skipping over files known to be safe.

Internet Security and Total Security provide options for parents to block inappropriate websites and limit the amount of time children are able to access games and the internet. Total Security also contains a file shredder, which permanently erases sensitive files from the computer’s hard drive.

target for financially motivated cyber criminals who churn out increasingly sophisticated security threats every day.”

Alan Case, BullGuard’s UK sales director, agrees: “Like their offline counterparts, online criminals follow the crowd.

“So if we all become obsessed with Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and at

the same time all start surfing away on our netbooks and smartphones, that is where the battles will be fought, lost and won.”

Despite the fact that malware is becoming more and more sophisticated, some bargain-hunting consumers have been opting for free security software in

>>>

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KASPERSKY 2010 RANGE DISTRIBUTORS: Koch Media, Enta, Gem Distribution, Ingram Micro, Spire Technology SRP: Internet Security: £49.99 (three users) or £39.99 (one user), Anti-Virus: £39.99 (three users) or £29.99 (one user)

[

[

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Webroot’s latest product contains integrated online backup and restore capabilities to protect files against virtually any kind of damage or loss, such as hard drive crashes, physical damage and accidental deletion. One GB of free online backup space is included as standard. Additional features include email monitoring, automatic updates and a gamer mode to keep the PC protected without interrupting games or movies.

>>>

an attempt to save a few pounds.

“As things get harder economically for people, they will look for cheaper or free products, but they’re free for a reason,” Geach says. “There’s only a certain amount of protection those types of products will afford you and people need to be more aware that they have to pay to get that better level of protection, in order to ensure they’re covered 99 per cent of the time.”

Mallon does not think paid-for packages risk being put out of business by their free counterparts just yet.

64 PCR October

“Consumers want the safeguard of professional and free support, which many of the free anti-virus software providers don’t offer,” he says.

ZONEALARM EXTREME SECURITY PUBLISHER: Avanquest DISTRIBUTOR: Open SRP: £48.93

]

With ZoneAlarm’s new hard drive encryption, data is jumbled up so that it cannot be deciphered unless a password is entered, keeping personal data private in case of loss or theft. Meanwhile, the improved firewall monitors changes within the computer to spot new threats that bypass traditional anti-virus software.

the months leading up to Christmas, “especially to accompany sales of new hardware”, says Gem’s head of marketing Neil Handa.

“f we all become obsessed with Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and at the same time all start surfing away on our netbooks and smartphones, that is where the battles will be fought, lost and won” Alan Case, BullGuard And distributors are still expecting a high demand for security products in

]

Norton’s latest range contains the vendor’s new Quorum technology, which identifies new threats by creating a ‘reputation’ for files and applications based on collated information such as age, download source, digital signature and prevalence. Users are kept informed of the security and performance impact of files and applications, including a list of what’s been downloaded when, and details of any threats encountered.

Anti-Virus 2010 and Internet Security 2010 use a ‘Host-based Intrusion Prevention System’ to assign a security rating to previously unknown malware, while the Kaspersky Security Network uses information from its subscribers to reduce response times to new threats. Other new features include a special mode for gaming, which delays alerts, updates and scans while games are being played.

WEBROOT INTERNET SECURITY ESSENTIALS DISTRIBUTOR: Gem Distribution SRP: £39.95

NORTON 2010 RANGE PUBLISHER: Symantec DISTRIBUTORS: Computer 2000, Ingram Micro, Bell Micro, Gem Distribution SRP: Internet Security: £49.99, AntiVirus: £39.99

“With strong sales promotions on offer and the ability to attach to strong

hardware sales, Christmas is a key time for security software and consistently performs as one of the highest sales periods of the year,” confirms Jo Kemp, head of sales at Koch Media.

“Most of the major software manufacturers have launched new versions of their software by now so there will be a strong demand from consumers in the coming months,” Handa concludes. “Security software offers retailers good margin opportunities, whether they are bundling the software with new equipment or as a standalone sale.”

www.pcr-online.biz

Consumer

Electronics PCR’s monthly look at recent developments in the consumer electronic market

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

P 73

LIVESCRIBE COMPANY PROFILE Senior director of marketing Eric Petitt talks about why smartpens are poised to be the next big tech category

p 77

p 69

DIGITAL CAMERAS

EXSPECT COMPANY PROFILE

With the sector going from strength to strength, we look at some of the latest digital and video cameras

We talk to commercial director Neil Meredith about the company’s recent success and plans for the future

www.pcr-online.biz

October PCR 67

SECURE SOLUTIONS nteractive Ideas caters for every oday’s homes and home sort of gamer, whatever their need. offices need solutions We offer classic games, headsets that can keep PCs running that plunge you into the thick of the efficiently, protected from all the action, joysticks and mice that put latest threats. Interactive Ideas you one step ahead of the opposition, offers a raft of affordable yet travel packs that keep you poweredcutting-edge identity, antivirus up on the move, and much, much and anti-spyware, back-up more. For gamers, the best ideas and maintenance products. For are interactive. complete peace of mind, the best ideas are interactive.

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CONSUMER ELECTRONICS EXSPECT

Onwards and upwards After signing up a hoard of new employees, opening new offices and signing a lucrative partnership with electronics giant Sony, Exspect is heading to the peak Christmas market with a positive outlook.

Andrew Wooden asks commercial director Neil Meredith what’s behind its recent success…

IT HAS been quite a year for Exspect so far. You’ve taken on 14 new staff members, acquired an office in Hong Kong, begun selling across the EMEA region, and moved to a new head office in the UK. What has driven this success?

It’s been down to a couple of factors really. Gem has been very clear in its investment objectives in the accessory space, and we have utilised that investment and desire to its optimum.

Without that investment and support we couldn’t have enjoyed the growth we have. That said, the people we have generate lots of opportunities that customers like so it’s a potentially low risk/high return investment. The changes in the market have generated lots of opportunities and customer demand has played a major part. Market conditions have generated a little bit of insecurity for some companies, which in turn has enabled us to capitalise on the opportunities that have presented themselves. Having a great team and access to money with exceptional logistics services has allowed us to grow very quickly. Within our division we are very fortunate that we don’t need senior people dealing with the bank or a warehouse manager because Gem takes care of all of that, so all of our time and attention is spent on customer development and business development.

So in that respect, we are pretty lucky.

Will you be looking to take on more staff in the near future?

We have a couple of new starters planned before Christmas, but outside of those I think we will have a pretty much settled team. Even so, we are always on the look out for talented people and our move to Stoke has helped us to attract better quality people due to its more central location. We seem to be the kind of company that good people are attracted to. We are secure, we are growing and we work hard and play hard.

www.pcr-online.biz

October PCR 69

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS EXSPECT

Not only has Exspect recently moved its headquarters to Stoke, it has also acquired an office overseas in Hong Kong

How will you be building on this over the coming months, in the run up to Christmas?

Our order book looks positive for this season. We have worked really closely with our key partners here and abroad, and our main priority is making sure that those loyal customers get a great service from us. The new Apple announcements have been great for our business because, as we have done for the last three hardware changes, we have worked closely with our channel partners to maximise the opportunity.

Mike and Danny have co-ordinated the activity really well with everyone throughout our supply chain and customers are delighted with what we have done.

Our Hong Kong office is playing a big role in our performance as it is helping us become more efficient in consolidating our export customers’ orders if necessary. I know it sounds simple, but it means product is getting to the market quicker, which can mean two extra weekends of sell-through which builds momentum and leads to bigger replenishment orders. If there is one thing we all feel confident in at Exspect it’s that if our products get on pegs in retail or our product images on e-tail websites, then it sells. We have

70 PCR October

been working really hard on speed-tomarket initiatives and its starting to pay huge dividends.

“Our Hong Kong office is playing a big role in our performance as it is helping us to become more efficient in consolidating our export customers’ orders. It sounds simple, but it means product is getting to the market quicker” Neil Meredith, Exspect

You’ve signed a partnership with Sony for the PSP range – will you be looking to sign more deals of this type with other vendors?

Yes. Licensing with household names has always been part of our strategy and that will continue. We have some exciting plans due to come to fruition, and we are looking forward to announcing that. That said, though, the key to licensing is to always make sure that it’s relevant and adds value.

We are therefore quite particular in who we try to develop relationships with. In Exspect we have a very strong trade brand so we do not want to do anything that dilutes that.

What have been the biggest challenges over the past year?

Just general growing pains really. Not having enough time to get done all that you need to, just the basics that every growing business faces. The global economy and foreign currency rates haven’t helped, but that’s the same for all our competitors so we just have to deal with it and constantly look at ways to differentiate

our offering on both products and services.

What do you expect the biggest challenges to be during 2010?

The accessories sector is always a tough, competitive market and when the economy isn’t good the market tends to turn to commoditising rather than investing and developing exciting products. Unless you are developing great products you have to work twice as hard to stand still due to price erosion, so our biggest challenge will be to continue to develop great products and educate our channel as to why our products will give them a better return on investment than other products from elsewhere. It’s been like that forever, so no change really.

Will you be looking to diversify into any other product areas?

This is a natural progression of the brand, but we must retain the focus on our successful sectors. In the iPod and Gaming space we have worked really hard to become a respected partner

and we will not lose sight of that, but a bigger part of my role going forward is to step outside of the day-to-day and look at acquisitions or partners in new markets, so I think there will be some developments in this area for sure. The obvious developments due to our success in the Apple sector would be iPhone accessories and expanding our notebook ranges. Trade and end user demand for a wider range of our headphones is really positive at the moment. You can definitely expect some new developments here.

Where do you see Exspect in a year’s time?

Still growing, still developing great products and still loving doing what we do. The team will have another year’s experience under its belt and will therefore be more knowledgeable and able to cope with the demands of the market. Our new strap line of Life and Soul is all about what we feel we stand for. We will continue to try and keep design-led accessories and having fun at the forefront of what we do.

www.pcr-online.biz

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS LIVESCRIBE

Get smart As communications and processor technology have become increasingly sophisticated, we’ve seen the emergence of brand new categories such as smartphones, netbooks and portable media players. Vendor Livescribe claims the next big segment will be smartpens. Andrew Wooden asks senior director of marketing Eric Petitt and UK GM Simon Lee what they think...

THE ‘SMARTPEN’ category is one that’s relatively unknown in the UK presently. Could you explain what the idea is exactly, and the technology behind it?

Eric Petitt: A smartpen combines all four modes of communication – reading, writing, speaking and listening – in the simple, low cost, and convenient format of pen and paper.

In contrast to digital pens – which are essentially PC peripherals that copy digital notes to a computer – a smartpen is a fully multi-modal, computer-in-a-pen.

In the case of taking notes during a discussion or lecture, the smartpen records the conversation and digitises the handwriting, automatically syncing the ink and audio. By later tapping the

ink, the smartpen replays the conversation from the exact moment the note was written. Notes and audio can also be uploaded to a computer where they can be replayed, saved, searched and sent, so users never miss a word. This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are additional applications on the smartpen too. For example, you can draw a piano that plays music or tap on a printed calculator to solve financial equations), and more will become available for download as our app store launches in Q4.

The Pulse smartpen is essentially a computer in a pen, and uses a sophisticated dot positioning system (DPS) to capture and synchronise audio with handwritten notes, to provide immediate access and recall

with a simple tap on the paper. The dot paper effectively acts like a computer screen.

Where does it sit as a product category between things such as netbooks and smartphones? What gap in the market do smartpens fill?

EP: We’ve created an entirely new category. The need is totally different.

Pulse addresses the problem of information overload, for any student or professional who spends considerable time in classes, lectures, meetings or interviews. Pulse captures the dialogue – both written and spoken – and makes it easily accessible, both through the pen and the desktop application, or via the web, enabling ‘total recall’ on the part of the user.

“Smartpen combines all four modes of communication – reading, writing, speaking and listening – in the simple, low cost, and convenient format of pen and paper” Eric Petitt, Livescribe

Livescribe’s Smartpen is a computer-in-a-pen, making both written and spoken dialogue easily accessible

www.pcr-online.biz

October PCR 73

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS LIVESCRIBE

“Since the official UK launch in August, interest has been high and is gathering momentum. We anticipate broad distribution both in-store and online, ready for a Christmas sales drive” Simon Lee, Livescribe

The net impact we’ve seen for a smartpen user is a more efficient, effective, productive and more successful student or business professional.

A great source of unfiltered customer feedback is available on Apple.com – go to the store page, scroll down to ‘staff picks’, and click on the Pulse smartpen to see reviews.

We launched with Apple a few weeks back and tripled its ‘best case’ sellthrough expectations so far. Also, check Amazon.com, and Facebook.com/Livescribe to hear what our users have to say.

Livescribe has already been around for some time in other territories – what has the reception been like there?

EP: In the US, Pulse (along with dot paper and accessories) is available at Target, Best Buy, Amazon.com, Livescribe.com, Apple.com, Staples, and select college bookstores.

Livescribe’s launch at US and Australian retail greatly exceeded

74 PCR October

partner expectations – we’re proud to be moving to a featured location at the front of the store in all Best Buy locations in the United States in October, and continue to see better than expected sell-through with our partners.

In a recent US national survey of 5801 registered Pulse smartpen users, 74.5 per cent said they were very likely to continue using it, 92 per cent have demoed the pen to a friend, while 73 per cent said “Pulse has changed my life”.

We also got a 54.2 net promoter score (recommenders minus detractors) – this puts us in an elite group of brands, alongside Apple and Southwest Airlines.

How big do you think the category as a whole will become in the UK? EP: As the category evolves, our vision is that in five years every student, professional, journalist and teacher will have access to a smartpen. Why

use a ‘dumb’ pen when you can have a smartpen to help you better capture, access and share important information in your day?

What is the target demographic for these products?

EP: University students are a key audience, because keeping track of their classroom lectures and discussions is so critical to success in school. A broad set of mobile professionals across multiple industries (such as journalists, lawyers and legal aides, salespersons, consultants, educators, and many other professionals) who spend much of their time in situations like meetings, lectures and interviews make up the other half of our users.

Are you expecting the products to be a big hit this Christmas, or will it take them a little longer to bed into the UK market?

Simon Lee: Since the official UK

launch in August, interest has been high and is gathering momentum.

Over the coming weeks our PR and marketing initiatives will generate considerable consumer awareness this autumn. We anticipate broad distribution both in-store and online ready for a Christmas sales drive.

Have you signed any deals with retail as yet in the UK? SL: The product is currently available at Amazon, Micro Anvika, So Connected, Harrods and Selfridges.

These is a great deal of interest from retail buyers and we will have a wider retail presence over the coming weeks.

Will you be planning any marketing to make the consumer and the channel aware of the new category?

EP: We’ve secured Edelman as our PR and marketing agency in the UK, and have a number of exciting activities in the works for the Christmas period to drive awareness of this category.

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CONTACTS

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS DIGITAL CAMERAS

Widget: 01438 842 362

[

VIP: 0871 622 7500 Gem: 01279 822 800 Direktek: 01494 471 100 Midwich: 01379 649 200

Veho Kuzo HD Distributor: Widget SRP: £129.99

]

The Veho Kuzo is a 1080p True HD five megapixel camcorder that features a three-inch touchscreen interface and 20x optical zoom. As well as taking video, the device can capture high quality still images and includes motion detection, video stabilisation and YouTube upload software.

The digital age The digital and video camera segment has enjoyed huge and still growing popularity among consumers in the last five years. Matt Grainger presents an overview of some of the latest products on the market…

LIKE MANY other digital technologies, the science behind the digital camera has existed since the mid eighties.

However, it wasn’t until the cost of production and therefore retail prices were reduced that the devices began to enter the public consciousness.

In the mid-nineties, when Kodak launched an aggressive marketing campaign behind its DC40, which took photographs at a resolution of 756 x 504 and cost over £700, the public finally began to see the benefits of digital cameras. Chief among these was the lack of any consumables, which vastly reduced the ongoing costs of photography.

The move was also aided by IT companies such as Microsoft, which helped develop digital image making software, and IBM, which collaborated in the creation of an internet-based image exchange

www.pcr-online.biz

network. Both of these developments helped spur interest in digital cameras to the point where they outsell traditional film cameras in the West.

“The digital camera market is performing well despite the problems presented by the current economic climate,” says Nikon’s group marketing manager, Jeremy Gilbert. “Here at Nikon, we have seen positive sales figures across our range of digital SLR cameras as well as the consumer Coolpix range.”

Veho founder Steve Lewis agrees that the digital camera market remains extremely vibrant despite a slowdown in consumer spending.

“Digital photography is a completely new area for us,” he tells PCR. “We have only just launched our new Kuzo range of HD camcorders and digital still cameras.

The small form Muvi HD camcorder

has taken off like a Spitfire in the Battle of Britain.”

A key factor in the ongoing development in the digital camera segment is the ever growing number of additional features that the medium brings. Unlike traditional film cameras, the digital devices are capable of bringing a host of peripheral functions that can serve to enhance the consumer experience and differentiate the product.

“We're starting to see that it is no longer all about pixels; brands are looking to include specific features and benefits that will spark the imagination of the consumer,” continues Gilbert.

“For example, Nikon recently announced the Coolpix S1000pj, a camera that has a built-in projector that allows you to share images instantly by projecting them onto a wall or surface.

[

Sanyo Xacti HD2000 Distributor: VIP SRP: £295.99

]

The HD2000 features a Xacti HD lens, a high-speed CMOS sensor and a new high-speed processor to capture high-resolution images. It also records clear and smooth 1920 x 1080p full HD video.

Please turn the page for more key products

>>>

October PCR 77

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS DIGITAL CAMERAS

[ [

Sanyo Xacti VPC-WH1 Distributor: VIP SRP: £184.99

]

Aiptek Pocket DV T300 LE Distributor: Gem SRP: £69.99

]

The Pocket DV T300 LE claims to be the smallest multi-function digital video recorder supporting video stabiliser and nightshot functionality.

The device features a five megapixel CMOS sensor, creating 11 megapixel still images maximum, and MPEG-4 video recording up to 720 x 480 pixels.

Waterproof to a depth of ten feet, the VPC-WH1 has been designed to work outdoors in any weather. Like the TH1, this device records in MPEG-4 format and offers 30x zoom with face chaser functionality, as well as taking two megapixel high quality stills.

[ >>>

“Cameras are also becoming easier to use. This is evident in the Nikon D3000, a consumer level digital SLR camera that teaches you how to improve your photography skills, thanks to its built-in ‘guide’ mode, which works like an integrated instruction manual but is digestible and user-friendly. This kind of innovation can really make a difference when pitching a product to the consumer marketplace.”

[

]

Nikon Coolpix S1000pj Distributor: Direktek SRP: £399

The key selling point of this device is that it carries the world’s first integrated ultra compact image projector, which can project images sized from five to 40 inches. The Coolpix S1000pj also takes images up to 12.1 megapixels, with a 5x zoom and a 2.7-inch high resolution LCD monitor.

As digital still photography progressed in terms of market share, it was followed by digital video – initially only available in fairly low resolution, but becoming higher and higher definition with each passing month.

“HD will feature heavily with more consumer awareness for the standard,” Lewis says, adding: “High definition cameras and camcorders will be the standard consumer item by the next fourth quarter.”

Although some might argue that the digital camera market is under threat from the mobile phone segment, many of which now come with integrated cameras, the simplicity of use and higher quality of the dedicated devices ensure that – for the time being at least – they remain the photographic instrument of choice for both domestic and professional users.

“Personally, I don’t think that the market is under threat from mobile

Aiptek Pocket DV AHD 200 Distributor: Gem SRP: £99.99 The AHD 200 shares many features with the AHD 100, including 720p high definition recording at 30 frames per second and night mode. The AHD 200 also carries HDTV, standard TV, 32GB SDHC card support, and includes a remote control that Aiptek says makes the device perfect for recording on the move.

]

phones,” says Lewis. “There’s just too much additional technology to cram in a phone, unless the customer wants a breeze block in their pocket.”

Widget’s chairman, Mark Needham, agrees that the mobile phone currently does not present a realistic alternative to the camera. “The features and usability of personal video camcorders are still several steps ahead of mobile phones. Try taking a video on a Flip camcorder, then trying

>>>

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS DIGITAL CAMERAS

[

Nikon Coolpix P90 Distributor: Direktek SRP: £275

]

The Coolpix P90’s main feature is its 24x ZoomNikkor lens, with a focal range from 26mm wide angle to 624mm super telephoto capacity. It offers 12.1 effective megapixels, image sensor shift, VR stabilisation and a three-inch vari-angle LCD display.

[

Olympus μ Tough-8000 Distributor: Midwich SRP: £227

[

]

Waterproof up to a depth of ten metres, the Tough-8000 as also shockproof to a height of two metres and includes a precision 3.6x wide optical zoom. Tap control allows the user to take pictures by tapping the body of the camera, and it offers Dual Image Stabilisation for sharp images even when at long zoom or shooting in low light.

>>>

to take the same scene on a mobile phone – typically the action is over before you have got the phone into video mode and shooting,” he says.

Gilbert, however, is slightly more forgiving of the mobile phone segment, believing that the devices can create an interest in the real deal. “If camera phones are sparking an interest

]

Olympus μ 9000 Distributor: Midwich SRP: £177

With a powerful 10x optical zoom and features such as face detection and ‘intelligent auto mode’, this is a camera that aims to ensure that all the action is captured. The device has a 2.7inch HyperCrystal 3 LCD preview screen and a TruePic 3 image processor for faster image handling.

in people taking pictures, that is positive as it is encouraging an interest in photography,” he concludes.

“However, if people want quality images they may find a camera phone is

limiting due to the physical size of the sensor, which is an element that determines quality images. To get the best images possible, there really is only one choice.”

The absolute dBs! hear what’s next

TM

80 PCR October

# Call: 0870 458 0011 # Mail: sales@euro-tech.co.uk

eurotech DISTRIBUTION

www.pcr-online.biz

>>> THE PLACE FOR BUSINESS

MARKETPLACE

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

ADVERTISER CONTACTS Agency Sales 01623 473 040

aslweb.co.uk

Bluepoint 0870 121 8001

bluepoint.net

Brigantia 01765 603 300

brigantia.com

Broadband first 0800 027 0346

broadbandfirst.co.uk

CD Writer 0208 293 0777

cd-writer.com

Computer gear 0121 503 0666

computergear.co.uk

Dane Communications 0844 412 0565 danecomms.com DMSL 01708 776005 Electronic Island 0208 767 1955

fixITlocal.co.uk/reseller

www.e-island.co.uk

Enet 07801 818 815

enetcomputers.net

Expodata 0870 077 0077

pctestpro.com

GEM 01279 822 822

www.gem.co.uk

Ideal Software 01767 689 720

idealsoftware.net

Interactive Ideas 0208 805 1000

interactiveideas.com

Keyboard Co 0845 205 5555

keyboardco.com

Laptops direct 0844 412 4513

laptopsdirect.co.uk

MSI 020 8296 7066

northamber.com

SDA 0161 819 1515

sdatrading.com

SJ Software 01282 865 500

sjsoftware.co.uk

TADL 0845 370 8668

tadlassist.com

VIP 0871 622 7500

vip-computers.com/uk

Wasp 0845 430 1971

waspbarcode.co.uk

Xpo IT Services 01952 608 908 www.xpoitservices.co.uk

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To advertise on these pages please call Carly Bailey: 01992 535647 carly.bailey@intentmedia.co.uk October PCR 83

MARKETPLACE NEWS

VIP teams up with Opal to offer its first service Distributor takes ‘natural next step’ in offering customers low-price B2B broadband packages SERVICES could soon form a major part of components and peripherals distributor VIP’s business, following the recent launch of its businessto-business broadband facility.

The Warrington-based company recently teamed up with Opal, the UK’s largest internet service provider, to supply its customers with B2B broadband internet – a customisable package which allows users to add extras such as unlimited peak time calls or free minutes.

“The convergence of IT and telecoms has continued to gain momentum, so B2B broadband could be considered a fairly natural next step to expand the VIP portfolio,” said Mark Lynch, Opal product manager at VIP. “We wanted to offer our customers the very best internet service at the most competitive price point, and to establish ourselves in this new sector – Opal gives us all of that,” he added.

The deal with Opal marks the distributor’s first largescale attempt to offer services, and although only launched last month, the £10-a-month broadband package has impressed VIP’s customers.

“We are really pleased with the positive response we have had so far, but in reality, with such a strong offering, we would be disappointed if it wasn’t,” Lynch said. “We are confident we’ll see an increase in take-up as our customers start to capitalise on it as a resell opportunity.”

84 PCR October

He added: “It is likely that VIP will offer other services in the future. With cloud computing and SaaS, servicebased offerings will make up a

much larger segment of the traditional IT channel and it is imperative that we continue to stay in touch and move with the times.”

“With cloud computing and SaaS, service-based offerings will make up a much larger segment of the IT channel” Mark Lynch, VIP www.pcr-online.biz

MARKETPLACE NEWS

NewsBytes

Avanquest adds new developers to range AVANQUEST has won two new contracts with leading casual games developers GameMill and Gogii Games – part of the software publisher’s efforts to bolster its Click and Play games portfolio.

The firm will be publishing some of Gogii’s best-known titles, including Escape the Museum, Adventure Chronicles and Private Eye – Great Unsolved Mysteries.

“Avanquest was the obvious choice when it came to choosing a republishing partner,” said George Donovan, president of Gogii Games.

“Its retail expertise and channel presence will ensure we enjoy maximum distribution of our new games titles.”

GameMill is best known for its Hidden

Mysteries series, including top performing games Buckingham Palace and The White House.

“We’re delighted to have teamed up with Avanquest for the retail release of our hugely popular Hidden Mysteries games,” GameMill CEO Gary Miller said.

“Avanquest has done a fabulous job with the Click and Play casual games range and we’re confident that it can replicate this success with our great new titles.”

Each title already in the Click and Play range has been a top ten hit in the online casual games charts.

In addition to the new deals, Avanquest has recently re-signed two existing licensors – iWin and MumboJumbo.

Ingres signs up Interactive Ideas Non-proprietary tech on the rise in recession OPEN source database company Ingres has signed up Interactive Ideas as its UK distributor.

The partnership is aimed at providing the channel with an enterprise-ready database that gives resellers and end customers an alternative to proprietary solutions.

“We have seen a rise in interest from organisations looking to move to a full-fledged open source strategy,” said Steve Shine, executive vice president of operations at Ingres.

“We are making proven, mature open source technology and leading edge developments available to enterprises through a wider channel.”

Interactive Ideas, which has also worked in partnership with Red Hat for over ten years, has witnessed a steady increase in interest in open

www.pcr-online.biz

Steve Shine

source technologies, particularly during the recession.

“The economic downturn has spurred innovation” said Mike Trup, managing director of Interactive Ideas. “As organisations look to reduce costs, open source has emerged as a vehicle for businesses to compete in the new economy.”

TRUSTMARQUE LAUNCHES NEW DIVISION Software licensing and management firm Trustmarque Solutions has launched a new professional services arm, Trustmarque Enterprise Solutions Group. The division will focus on software licensing services, information security, infrastructure optimisation and solutions and business intelligence. The company also recently opened its third office in Edinburgh.

CMI TO DISTRIBUTE NORMAN SECURITY SOFTWARE Norman Data Defence Systems has signed CMI Labs as a key UK distribution partner. CMI, which specialises in online distribution of security applications, will use its network of resellers, VARs and system integrators to provide Norman’s anti-virus solutions to consumers and corporations.

IMAGO NAMED ‘CHANNEL DEVELOPMENT DISTRIBUTOR’ Video communications distributor Imago Group Europe has been appointed a ‘Channel Development Distributor’ for Polycom in the UK, France and the Benelux countries.

To qualify, the company had to satisfy requirements including high sales figures and having five video conferencing engineers with an industry-recognised qualification.

WEBROOT TEAMS UP WITH NASSTAR Webroot has joined forces with Nasstar – a firm that provides cloud-based business solutions – to help the company establish itself as a volume operator. Webroot’s Web Security SaaS, including an email encryption service, will be added to Nasstar’s Hosted Desktop and Hosted Exchange services.

ENTATECH TO DISTRIBUTE TRANSCEND PRODUCTS EntaTech has partnered with memory vendor Transcend to distribute its products in the UK. Transcend, which manufactures products including USB memory sticks, flash cards and digital photo frames, is hoping to expand its presence in the UK market.

CENTURION GOES EXCLUSIVE WITH CODEWORK Codework has signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Centurion-Technologies, a US developer of drive image protection software. Codework will distribute C-T’s products – including corporate security package SmartShield – in the UK, Ireland, Europe and Africa.

INTEGRA BOOSTS MEMBERSHIP Buying and marketing group Integra Office Solutions has secured 40 new members. Integra’s members receive benefits such as preferential buying terms, free catalogues, access to free software and online solutions, as well as training funded by the group. New companies to sign up include Hetherington Office Supplies in Rochdale, Lancashire.

ASUS LAUNCHES DISNEY NETBOOK FOR KIDS Asus has collaborated with Disney Consumer Products to create a netbook specifically aimed at children. The device is based on the Asus Eee and features a reinforced mechanical design, along with a Disney user interface. Browsers and email have extra filters to allow parents to control online safety and content for their children.

The Disney Netbook will be available this month in two designs: Disney Princess Pink and Disney Magic Blue. The desktop can be customised with over ten different themes including Disney classic characters, WALL-E, Toy Story and Hannah Montana.

Various character icons can also be attached to email addresses.

October PCR 85

MARKETPLACE BRIGANTIA

Secret to success This month Brigantia’s Iain Shaw suggests eight ways for the independent retailer to make extra margin and unveils plans for a new accreditation...

CONTACT IAIN SHAW info@brigantia.com 0870 160 3215 www.brigantia.com Iain invites opinions from PCR readers and will respond though this column

WELL the mention of the existence of a Brigantia ‘flipping department’ in my column here last month has caused much comment, and my inbox from PCR readers has never been more full with some very humorous – and some very serious – emails. I would very strongly stress that independent legal advice is a wise move when considering employment and property matters.

Brigantia has arranged for members to have access to a free business and legal helpline provided by industry expert Croner, as well as associate service provider lawyers Shaw & Co, and property specialist Porter & Co. As a result of all the feedback I have received, it seemed a good idea to develop the theme this month and look at some potential new income streams, taken from our portfolio of associate members at Brigantia, that all indies could be offering.

EIGHT SIMPLE IDEAS 1. Why not outsource laptop repairs and earn extra margin? Or if you want to do laptop repairs yourself why not buy in spares? At Brigantia we recommend associate specialist Cambridge Laptop Repairs.

2. Why not look at offering an ink cartridge refilling service? We at Brigantia would recommend McCue Cartridge Expert as it has some excellent refilling equipment.

Alternatively, why not offer the range of reverse engineered JetTec ink cartridges? These products offer excellent value for money and high margins for resellers.

“These are just a few ideas taken from schemes offered to Brigantia members by associate companies” 3. If you have retail space that could do with being better used, take a look at the excellent range of low cost, high margin FSDUs from Vivanco or cables from Cables Direct. Like JetTec, these offer excellent value for money and high margins for resellers.

4. Why not ‘sell’ Ubuntu disks – bit of a lie actually! You give away Ubuntu as it is open source software but charge £10 admin for putting it on a disk and printing the sleeve.

5. Why not become a virtual ISP with the help of 123vISP or Entanet? This not only gives your company the appearance of a full ISP, it also brings steady ongoing revenue and who among us doesn’t find that idea attractive? Remember also that off the back of internet services you should be promoting remote backup and storage – a call to Vernon King at Bunker Backup or Joe Benning at Connect is well worth a few minutes of your time.

6. Make sure that you are on a scheme with an anti-virus vendor that pays you a share of renewals. It is wise to keep on top of this. We recently heard from a Brigantia member that had received a

86 PCR October

£5,000 annual renewal payment from Brigantia associate Bullguard.

7. If you do not already offer remote support, or even if you do, take a look at Centrastage or T2. Both these companies offer a remote computer management system designed to simplify IT support and the margins for resellers are excellent.

8. Finally, make sure that you have joined the reseller schemes of all your regular vendors and double check that you are receiving all rebates that they offer. A Brigantia member reported on the Forum recently that they had received a cheque from a vendor out of the blue for an annual rebate they had completely forgotten about, but the £500 was very much appreciated.

These are just a few ideas taken from schemes offered to Brigantia members by associate companies. Although open to all indies, Brigantia members have specially negotiated terms. Indies can become members of Brigantia for as little as £185 plus VAT in the first year and £60 plus VAT thereafter, with a turnover under £200,000. You can find out more by visiting www.brigantia.com and selecting the Join Brigantia option.

FROM FLIPPING TO CORCE There has been an ongoing debate within the Brigantia members Forum this month about the need to take the Brigantia Computer Experts accreditation scheme to the next logical level, with an externally governed registration process not only for member businesses, but also for individual engineers.

Many ideas have been put forward and next month I will use my column to open the debate more widely with specific reference to the foundation of an industry-wide body to be known as CORCE (The Council of Registered Computer Experts).

www.pcr-online.biz

INDIE PROFILE/EVENTS MARKETPLACE

INDIE PROFILE This month Roger Humm talks to David Hallows and Christopher Mellors of CD Computers…

CD Computers was founded in 1997 by business partners David Hallows and Christopher Mellors. In 1998 they opened Beccles’ first computer retail and repair shop. Since then they have moved to larger premises across the road and built a solid reputation for honesty, quality and expertise.

Hallows attributes this success to a high level of customer care, knowledge and a focus on good products. “We do all our repair work at workstations in full view, at the front of the shop, where our customers can see what we do,” he told PCR. “They can even sit on our sofa and wait if they wish; this gives our customers the confidence that we will look after them and their equipment. I suppose we are really a workshop rather than a retail shop, but we do keep a supply of consumables

FACT BOX Year established: 1997 Number of outlets: 1 Number of staff - 3 Regular vendor lines AMD, Antec, Asus, Genius, Kingston, Intel, Maxtor, Microsoft, Netgear, Seagate

and small computer parts in stock, while we are able to order in anything the customer wants for the next day.”

Although Hallows and Mellors told me that the retail side of their business has been flat during the recession, they reported an ever-growing repair and upgrade business. They said there was a great deal of interest from customers in the Windows 7 launch and even that some where putting off refresh until then. The partners have tested Windows 7 from the beta to the RC and have been pleasantly surprised, believing it the best OS offering from

Microsoft since Windows 95.

Of their business partnership, Mellors said: “David and I make a great partnership as we bring different skills to the business, while we are both able to do the repairs. Being friends before the business started helps; we are more like brothers and trust each other completely. There are a lot of partnerships that fall apart due to trust rather than the business failing, so when deciding to go into partnership, we both knew it would work.”

It would seem that the future is looking good for CD Computers.

Contact name and address – David Hallows 34 Smallgate Beccles Suffolk NR34 9AE Telephone: 01502 715715 Email: sales@cdcomputers.info Website: www.cdcomputers.info Roger Humm is Head of Membership Relations at Brigantia Computer Experts – roger.humm@brigantia.com

DIARY DATES 2009 The UK’s channel calendar is full of important events. Here are some upcoming highlights…

OCTOBER 2009

PCR AWARDS

STORAGE EXPO 2009 OCTOBER 14TH–15TH OLYMPIA, LONDON Storage Expo is the UK's leading storage event, with all the major names in the channel present.

Designed for both resellers and CIOs, Storage Expo is a melting pot of IT professionals, providing the ideal opportunity for resellers to not only find out about the latest products and developments in the channel, but also network with companies that are actively seeking a new storage solution.

The event has a number of educational programmes designed to boost your knowledge and understanding of the market, as well as provide an opportunity to discuss solutions with experts and peers.

LONDON GAMES CONFERENCE OCTOBER 27TH BAFTA, LONDON The London Games Conference will take place during the increasingly popular London Games Festival on Tuesday October 27th at BAFTA in Piccadilly.

Organiser Intent Media, which publishes PCR and MCV, expects up to 200 delegates. It is also introducing a different concept to previous games seminars. One key element of the London Games Conference is value for money, with the walk-up rate for the day being only £229. This is half the price of last year’s Games 3.0 conference. Members of the ELSPA and TIGA trade bodies will be able to gain a further discount, bringing the cost to under £200 per delegate.

MARCH 2010 PCR AWARDS MARCH 25TH 2010 ROYAL GARDEN HOTEL, KENSINGTON The third annual PCR Awards is set to be the social event of the year for anyone involved in the PC retail sector, and a well deserved celebration for the nominees.

Last year’s event saw over 300 retailers, resellers, distributors and vendors attending from across the British IT channel Details of the awards categories and how your company can enter can be found on page 21.

For information or booking details and sponsorship opportunities, contact Katie Rawlings on +44 (0) 1992 535 647 or email Katie.Rawlings@intentmedia.co.uk.

If you would like to promote your event, please contact: andrew.wooden@intentmedia.co.uk LGC www.pcr-online.biz

This information is believed to be correct, but potential visitors should confirm details with show organisers before making arrangements to attend

October PCR 87

MARKETPLACE PC NEWS

Times are

changing Keith Warburton, CEO of the Technology Channels Association, talks about how EU legislation has impacted the industry...

WE were recently contacted by a startup business, wanting to do the right thing by joining the appropriate trade association and asking if there were any special qualifications needed, or regulations to comply with, if they were to build and sell computers.

Back in the early days of PC assembling, when it was a major advance to be able to overclock an 80286 CPU, and windows were something you looked out of (daydreaming while your system worried away at a Lotus spreadsheet), it seemed that nobody paid much attention to regulations or standards.

It was quite common to see assembly workers handling components without taking anti-static precautions and most small businesses had only the faintest awareness of the British Standards Institute. Of course, today it is almost unheard of for a technician not to be tethered to his bench by an anti-static cable and most of the system builders and resellers have some awareness of the legislation. But awareness is one thing, conformance is another.

Because of the pace of change and the opportunities for relatively easy money and good margins, the PC marketplace was price-led. A customer who might have spent several months deciding what specification of computer they wanted, would very likely place their order with the lowest priced company advertising in whatever magazine they had to hand, notwithstanding that this was the first time the company had been seen, and that the ‘three-year guarantee’ wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on.

Things have changed a great deal over the years. The European Consumer Guarantees Directive was a major piece of legislation aimed at harmonising consumer laws in EU member states.

The PCA, forerunner of the TCA, was the only voice speaking out for our marketplace in the whole of Europe.

We were a consultee to the DTI, the House of Lords Select Committee and the EU. Had we not been, Europe would have ended up with a law whereby consumers would only ever have needed to buy one computer, because they would have had the right to demand – and receive – a replacement because of non-conformance every time the system hung.

I was also reminded of another piece of legislation we were involved in: the CE marking regulations, which are currently more honoured in the breach than in the observance. The CE mark indicates that the item conforms to European standards, including those relating to electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). It is the duty of the assembler to ensure that the equipment complies, otherwise they can be fined and/or imprisoned.

Individual elements of a system must comply, which is why you see the CE mark on PSUs. But just because the components conform, that doesn’t mean the system will. Or, as the guidance puts, it: “CE + CE does not = CE”.

TCA members can download a copy of the PCA’s EMC Handbook from the members’ area of the website; others can purchase it from us for a small sum.

Mature industries have trade associations, and responsible businesses join them.

“Back in the early days of PC assembling, it seemed that nobody paid much attention to regulations or standards” Keith Warburton, TCA

Keith Warburton is the president of The Technology Channels Association, email: keith.warburton@tcauk.org.

88 PCR October

www.pcr-online.biz

MAC NEWS MARKETPLACE

A letter to

Apple UK TCA director Robert Peckham makes a plea on behalf of independent retailers...

Dear Apple, Apple users as clients. The guys who do Firstly, I really, really want to say thanks more to directly promote and evangelise for reading my column, because it was the use of Apple computers than your only recently that I had it confirmed. I opening another shopping mall Apple know not everyone at Apple UK reads Store could ever do. me, but some of you do. I wish I’d heard I no longer see any evidence of you this directly from the source, but – and trying to talk to these guys; you don’t I’ll sing this in my best Cliff Richard invite them to Apple events, you don’t falsetto voice – I guess ‘we don’t talk offer them training or accreditations, anymore...’ and you don’t attend exhibitions to meet I know it’s been many months since I them at anymore. last wrote to you, If they’re big “The small local resellers enough, or their so apologies for the lapse in my business model do more to directly regular supports it, they can promote and evangelise apply to become communications. the use of Apple Saying that, it’s Apple Service been even longer computers than opening Providers or Apple since you wrote to another Apple Store Solutions Experts me and even then and then you’ll talk could ever do” it was only to to them. But even Robert Peckham, TCA moan at me about then, I keep getting something I’d told calls and emails one of your resellers, which they weren’t telling me you haven’t responded to supposed to know. phone calls, emails or letters asking you Oh, and you did ask me not to keep to start or progress their applications. telling dealers where they could buy And yet I call in to your Apple Stores Apple spare parts without getting them around the UK all the time, and I always from you, and I guess I did sort of ignore ask your staff if they offer a service to go that request, didn’t I? And you stopped out to their clients’ locations to sort out inviting me to Apple events sometime issues or offer training on-site. And they ago too, but I didn’t take it personally. always say no. And when I ask if they However, I do think we need to have know anyone that can, they always say no a chat. Why? Because I think you’re and refer me to your website where I can missing something rather important. look up the address of my local Apple You’ve made it very clear for some years Service Provider that might offer now that you really don’t think you this service. need small local resellers anymore. I’m Now, if we could get together and talk talking about the many dozens – about some co-operation here, I know it possibly hundreds – of small would work for the benefit of Apple UK independent Apple experts with their and Apple Computer users everywhere. ranks of personal and small business I look forward to hearing from you.

Robert Peckham is a director of The Technology Channels Association. email: robert.peckham@tcauk.org.

www.pcr-online.biz

The TCA is the recently renamed, not-for-profit trade body with membership made up of businesses from all parts of the channel.

Visit www.tcauk.org for more information

October PCR 89

ITACS NEWS

INDEPENDENT TRADE ASSOCIATION OF COMPUTING SPECIALISTS YOU CAN CONTACT ITACS ON 08445 763 760 OR VISIT WWW.ITACS.ORG.UK

Bad behaviour ITACS chairman Matthew Woolley explains the importance of setting standards within the IT industry...

LATELY, conversation within the IT trade has turned to the issue of standards and compliance. A recent debate within ITACS, as well as more general discussion from the trade at large, proves that the whole industry leaves much to be desired.

Despite the maturity of the computer business, a compliance scheme and its benchmarks has never been thrashed out. It’s not

As the market for IT sales has grown, the price at which it is sold has levelled out, while many service providers have joined the marketplace.

Highly skilled independent solution providers have struggled to compete against the marketing budgets of major IT supplying corporations and are constantly looking for a way to demonstrate an

“Despite the maturity of the computer business, a compliance scheme has never been thrashed out. It’s not difficult to find news articles about how staff at a variety of companies haven’t behaved too well – perhaps now is the time for a standard to be created and tested” difficult to find news articles about how staff at a variety of companies haven’t behaved too well, so perhaps now is the time for a standard to be created and tested. Perhaps it should involve the mystery shopper!

The domestic market, where acknowledged standards would strengthen the independent retailer, has accounted for a substantial proportion of sales only for the last decade.

Businesses meanwhile have required capable IT support for closer to 30 years, bound up in terms and conditions, professional relationships and sizeable budgets.

90 PCR October

edge to the public without competing on price. Equally, ethical indies also want to set themselves apart from the pirates and cowboys that seem to pervade the domestic market.

At ITACS we believe that setting standards for IT companies to adhere to would build better relationships with the big players.

They might just see that between us we are the largest supplier and supporter of IT in the UK. The debate has been about how to set those standards. What do you think is required? Exams?

Workshops? Experience? Good customer service? Let us know.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

MARKETPLACE

NASCR NEWS

Tarred with the same brush NASCR committee member Geoff Carr talks about dealing with public perceptions of the sector...

“In the present economic climate, some might do anything to put bread on the table, but the word always gets out when customers have been stitched up”

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SPECIALIST COMPUTER RETAILERS YOU CAN CONTACT NASCR ON 08456 440715 OR VISIT WWW.NASCR.ORG

OVER the last couple of months, computer retailers have been under attack by the media, even for things they haven’t done.

When the law on age ratings turned out to be unenforceable, it was suggested that games sellers would start selling inappropriate material to kids. And after Sky News did an undercover exposé on laptop repairers, PC Pro magazine ran even further with it, with a cover entitled ‘The High Street rip off’.

Our sector runs the risk of gaining the type of reputation used car dealers earned over many years. And we aren’t doing ourselves any favours in how we deal with it. In response to age rating worries, the Entertainment Retailers Association publicly stated that while its chain store members would never sell inappropriately, small indies might do it to make a quick buck.

In the present economic climate, some might do anything to put bread on the table, but the word always gets out when customers have been stitched up. There is a crooked dealer who has been pirating Windows on to PCs for years and getting away with it. Microsoft’s Michala Wardell did promise to clamp down on this sort of piracy yet nobody has ever investigated this case. But, while Microsoft may be too busy to worry about the thousands of licence sales it has lost over a decade because of a single shop, this one’s reputation with customers is now so bad, it couldn’t get any decent business if it tried.

Anyone in this trade long term must be a responsible professional – there is no room for those who aren’t. Responsible professionals should seriously consider joining NASCR, because together we can change public perceptions – something we badly need right now.

www.pcr-online.biz

MARKETPLACE

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October PCR 91

MARKETPLACE DSL PLUS

Get connected Newly formed wholesale internet service provider DSL Plus brings a new business model to the sector and is hoping to further build up its network of partners in the UK. Matt Grainger talks to channel director Jason Hamlin about what the firm has planned…

CONTACT Phone: 0844 412 0898 Web: www.dslplus.co.uk Email: info@dslplus.co.uk

94 PCR October

FOUNDED IN March this year, DSL Plus is a new name in the wholesale data connectivity segment, and is one of the first companies in that sphere to bring together experience from the telecommunications, data and IT industries – something that it claims will provide a strong asset to its operations.

Its current team carries over 15 years of combined experience with the technical, business, support and sales aspects of the connectivity market. The company’s channel director, Jason Hamlin, feels that this not only offers its partners a wealth of information to draw on, but it also means that DSL Plus can assist with marketing if required, or offer training schemes for staff.

“We have formed an experienced and extremely motivated team with an ethos to truly go the extra mile for our clients,” Hamlin tells PCR. “What this means is that we provide the most costeffective and suitable solution to fulfil whatever data and connectivity needs that our partners demand from us.”

DSL Plus is capable of supplying a broad range of internet uplink options, including BT IP Stream ADSL Max services, which are compatible with BT’s 21st century network wherever applicable, LLU-based ADSL2+ and ethernet connectivity.

“We also offer bespoke load balanced solutions for clients requiring specific amounts of bandwidth or bonded solutions – and of course we will give the advice needed to put the correct solution in place for our partners’ customers,” continues Hamlin. “We have access to all the major UK networks and can offer leased line solutions through a number of different suppliers – giving our partners access to some of the best pricing structures in the marketplace.”

The crux of the proposition is that all of DSL Plus’s products are available on a white label basis, with wholesale DSL provision forming the vanguard of their services. Its Virtual Internet Service Provider solution, ViSP, allows any of its partners to create their own broadband service under their own brand, while taking advantage of the experience and support that DSL Plus provides.

“Through the ViSP partnership we provide our business partners with access to a vast product portfolio of connectivity options, using business grade networks,” adds Hamlin. “This enables our business partners to offer any of the product range as either standalone products, or use them to supplement their own existing product or service offering to their own end user base.”

The aim of this model is to generate natural business growth for the partners and for DSL Plus, thus securing an ongoing revenue stream for all parties. Hamlin observes that in many cases business partners are not only able to build up a much closer relationship with their customers, but also find many more

www.pcr-online.biz

DSL PLUS MARKETPLACE

opportunities to cross-market more of their products and services back to their client base, increasing the value of these relationships.

“These days, businesses rely more on their internet connections to run their day-to-day operations than ever before,” says Hamlin. “Ensuring that their key services run effectively builds a relationship of trust with their supplier, and also gives that supplier the confidence that the installed equipment and services will meet both their expectations and those of the end user.”

DSL Plus recognises that if a flagship product or service is not working optimally, then the end user inevitably sees any issues as lying with the first point of contact. This is a key

www.pcr-online.biz

“With the fierce battle on price and the highprofile mergers of the past couple of years, there has been a noticeable drop in service quality, support and choice – we see the value in getting things right” Jason Hamlin, DSL Plus

source of contention among many of the businesses the company has spoken to.

As a result of this, DSL Plus partners are able to take direct control of the connectivity element themselves, enabling them to act quickly and decisively and ensure that their customer is fully satisfied.

The underlying belief in such a system is that by allowing partners a greater degree of control over functionality, they get more flexibility, which leads to reduced lead times for installations, fault diagnostics and resolution.

“Rather than adapting a supplier portal as many other ViSP’s have done, we have invested considerable time in the development of our own online ordering Reseller Management Portal,” Hamlin says. “The RMP provides our partners with one central portal incorporating ordering and monitoring from the point of order through to completion, usage information to aid with customer account management for the lifetime of the connection, the ability to disable access which can aid credit control and cash flow for nonpaying customers, and online line diagnostic tools.”

As the product is developed, DSL Plus intends to include access to all other product ranges including hardware, telecoms, domain registration and hosting and automated online backup solutions.

According to Hamlin, the aim of these plans is to ensure a close-knit network of partners and suppliers, with trust and communication acting as core components of the system.

“Once this is established you can not only build on it to sell more of your portfolio with quality assurance, but having multiple products from one supplier will also act as a barrier to other service providers churning your customers,” concludes Hamlin. “With the fierce battle on price and the highprofile mergers of the past couple of years, there has been a noticeable drop in service quality, support and choice, so we see the value in getting things right first time round.”

October PCR 95

YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO SERVICE COMPANIES

sourcebook WWW.INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK/SOURCEBOOK

creative and promotional SErvices 3DI Tel: 0845 4582898 www.threedi.net

Indigo Pearl Tel: +44 (0)20 8964 4545 www.indigopearl.com

The Audio Guys Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 1926 813546 www.theaudioguys.co.uk

AN.X Ltd. Tel: 020 7785 7156 www.anxagency.com

JR DESIGN Tel: +44 (0) 7824 506436 www.joeryandesign.co.uk

The Pixel Tel: 0800 043 1040 www.thepixel.com

Ark VFX Ltd. Tel: 0114 268 4999 www.arkvfx.net

Media Safari PR Tel: +44 (0)1225 471 202 www.mediasafari.co.uk

Über Tel: 0114 278 7100 www.uberagency.com

Barrington Harvey Tel: +44 (0)1462 456780 www.bhpress.co.uk

More Creative Tel: 020 7561 6010 www.morecreative.co.uk

gaming accessorieS

Bastion Tel: +44 (0)20 7421 7600 www.bastion.co.uk

Multiplay Tel: +44 (0)20 7100 1337 www.multiplay.co.uk

Gfk Chart-Track Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 20 8741 7585 www.chart-track.com

Parker Consulting Ltd Tel: 07771571639 www.parkerconsulting.biz

Dilute Recordings Tel: 01483 306834 www.diluterecordings.com

PMA Marketing Tel: 020 7483 0568 www.pmamarketing.com

Eye-D Creative Ltd Tel: +44 (0)20 7407 1440 www.eye-dcreative.co.uk

RAINBOW PRODUCTIONS Tel: +44 (0)20 8254 5300 www.rainbowproductions.co.uk

FEREF Tel: +44 (0)207 292 6330 www.feref.com

RealtimeUK Tel: 01772 682 363 www.realtimeuk.com

FINK Creative Ltd Tel: 01480 302350 www.finkcreative.com

Richard Jacques Studios Tel: 07831 756977 www.richardjacques.com

Fluid Tel: +44 (0)121 212 0121 www.fluidesign.co.uk

Shorewood.Blueprint Tel: 020 7183 9666 www.shorewood-blueprint.com

Freeform.London Tel: 020 7183 6664 www.freeformlondon.co.uk

Side Tel: +44 (0) 207 631 4800 www.side.com

Frontroom Tel: 020 7384 5400 www.frontroom.com

SKYSKRAPER® Tel: +44 (0)20 7252 3288 www.skyskraper.net

Game Frontier Ltd Tel: 0870 420 2424 www.gamefrontier.com

Studio CO2 Tel: +44 (0) 1483 414 415 www.studioco2.com

AntiGrav Media Ltd Tel: 01932 454929 www.antigrav-media.co.uk Hubb Accessories Tel: 01642 204343 www.playwithhubb.com Logic3 plc Tel: 01923 471000 www.logic3.com Pebble Entertainment GmbH Tel: +49 (231) – 477 927 0 www.pebble-entertainment.com/en Pinpoint Consumer Elec.

Tel: +44 (0) 1606 558 428 www.pinpointce.co.uk

international distribution ComputerLand doo Tel: +381 11 309 95 95 www.computerland.rs CURVEBALL LEISURE Tel: 01792 652521 www.thegamecollection.net Funtastic Tel: +61 3 9419 5444 www.funtastic.com.au GameStreamer, Inc. Tel: 001-813-527-0383 www.gamestreamer.net

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4-Real Intermedia GmbH Tel: +49 (0) 69809088 - 0 www.4-real.com

Orange Studio Tel: +39 051 588 04 50 www.orangestudio.it

Harbottle & Lewis Tel: +44 (0)207 667 5000 www.harbottle.com

Absolute Quality Tel: +44 (0)141 220 5600 www.absolutequality.com

Partnertrans Tel: +44 1753 247731 www.partnertrans.com

Marriott Harrison Tel: +44 (0)20 7209 2000 www.marriottharrison.co.uk

ANAKAN GmbH Tel: +49 (0) 30531420450 www.anakan.de

PlayableGames Tel: 020 7421 6487 www.playablegames.net

software development

Babel Tel: 01273 764100 www.babelmedia.com

Testronic Laboratories Ltd Tel: +44 (0)1753 653722 www.testroniclabs.com

Cenega Poland Sp.Zo.o Tel: +48 22 574 2578 www.cenega.com

Universaly Speaking Tel: +44 1 480 210621 www.usspeaking.com

Enzyme Labs Tel: +1 (450) 229-9999 ext.312 www.enzyme.org

U-TRAX Tel: +31 30 293 2098 www.utrax.com

ChaYoWo Games Tel: +1 917.650.0010 www.chayowogames.com Crytek UK Tel: +44 115 949 0808 www.crytek.com Data Design Interactive Tel: +44 0 1384 44 79 00 www.datadesign.uk.com xaitment GmbH Tel: +49 (0) 6897-600 80-0 www.xaitment.com

manufacturing services Arvato digital services Tel: 0121 502 7800 www.arvatodigitalservices.com

OK Media Tel: +44 (0) 20 7688 6789 www.okmedia.com

DISCHROMATICS LTD Tel: 01495 243222 www.dischromatics.co.uk

Technicolor Tel: 0208 987 7829 www.technicolor.com

MPO UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 8956 2727 www.mpo-international.com

The Producers Limited Tel: 0845 234 2444 www.theproducers.co.uk

Multi Media Replication Ltd Tel: +44(0) 1264 336330 www.replication.com

Total Console Repair Ltd Tel: 08719 181 721 www.totalconsolerepair.co.uk

uk distribution and logistics Discstribution Tel: + 44 (0) 845 4308735 www.discstribution.com EntaTech Tel: 0333 101 1000 www.entaonline.com Gem Tel: 01279 822822 www.gem.co.uk Meroncourt Europe Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 1462 680060 www.trade.meroncourt.co.uk

recruitment Aardvark Swift Tel: 01709 876877 www.aswift.com

Game Options Ltd Tel: +44 (0)1382 731909 www.gameops.co.uk

Amiqus Tel: 01925 252588 www.amiqus.com/games

Specialmove Consultancy Ltd Tel: +44 (0) 141 585 6491 www.specialmove.com

Trilogy Logistics Ltd Tel: 0845 456 6400 www.trilogy-uk.com

GUIDE PLEASE CONTACT: ROB.BAKER@INTENTMEDIA.CO.UK OR 01992 535647

MARKETPLACE

Asus gets Xtreme Vendor aims to raise the bar with new devices TAIWAN vendor Asus has launched a new branding drive for its range of motherboards, labelling all products introduced over the next 12 months with the ‘Xtreme Design’ tagline.

The firm will be highlighting its performance, reliability and safety aspects as part of the new push, citing features such as Xtreme Phase (for consistent voltage), Turbo V (for overclocking), EMI Shielding (for reducing interference) and Turbo Key (for boosting system performance).

“The Xtreme Design series of motherboards deliver exceptional system compatibility and reliability by managing and controlling core process operation within the PC,” said an Asus spokesman. “Drawing on two decades of engineering excellence, Asus believes that superior motherboard design will provide the winning formula to surpass current user expectations and industry

98 PCR October

benchmarks. Asus leads the industry with designs that optimise overall performance and reliability of PC hardware and in the new Xtreme Design series motherboards, Asus further raises the bar to become the peak of performance, reliability, and safe operation.”

The branding drive coincides with the launch of Asus’ new P7P55D series of motherboards. The products feature the Intel P55 Express chipset and support the latest LGA 1156 socket for Intel’s Core i7 and i5 Processors.

With the inclusion of hybrid processing, Asus says the boards allow superior over-clocking performance with the latest Intel CPU and the Asus Turbo V EVO, which functions like a second microprocessor. The interface is designed to allow both users to easily over-clock machines, which will be a key part of the firm’s marketing over the next 12 months.

The P7P55D features the Intel P55 chipset and the latest socket for i7 and i5 processors

www.pcr-online.biz

MARKETPLACE

Nokia says its new range of laptops will make the PC more social, helpful and personal

Nokia makes debut in netbook arena MOBILE phone vendor Nokia signalled its entrance into the PC market with the launch of the Booklet 3G. The device is powered by Intel’s Atom processor, and as you would expect from a mobile phone firm, Nokia is pushing the connectivity options as an integral selling point - it comes loaded with 3G/ HSPA and wi-fi. One

obvious benefit of having a netbook made by the same phone as your mobile is the access to Nokia’s suite of Ovi services, which hosts a broad range of connection options.

It also comes with a HDMI port for HD video out, a front facing camera for video calling, integrated Bluetooth, an SD card reader, a ten-inch HD ready

display and integrated A-GPS which, working with the Ovi Maps gadget, can pinpoint your position in seconds and open up a personalised map.

“A growing number of people want the computing power of a PC with the full benefits of mobility,” said Nokia executive vice president Kai Oistamo.

“We are in the business of connecting

people and the Nokia Booklet 3G is a natural evolution for us. Nokia has a long and rich heritage in mobility and with the outstanding battery life, premium design and all day, always on connectivity, we will create something quite compelling. In doing so we will make the personal computer more social, helpful and personal.”

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October PCR 99

MARKETPLACE

Samsungs unveils new netbook and notebook lines

The X-Series is comprised of the X520, X420 and X120

INDUSTRY-spanning vendor Samsung has launched a new line of notebooks called the X-Series, and introduced new models to its existing N-Series of netbooks.

The new X-Series is comprised of the X520, X420 and X120, which are all described as ultralightweight, and have a six cell battery delivering up to nine hours of battery life.

16:9 high-definition content is supported for games and video, while the machines can also be connected to TVs. The Samsung X120 will be available in September, with the X520 and X420 coming in October.

“The Samsung X-series range is a new move into an expanding market, which combines the light design of netbooks with the function of full notebooks.

“This new range has great potential for consumers who refuse to choose between style and performance,” said Phil Brown,

100 PCR October

general manager of Samsung’s notebook division.

Samsung has also added the N130, N140 and N510 to its netbook portfolio. All models are designed to be compact, while the latter has HD capability.

Powered by the Intel Atom, it offers built in Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR and wireless LAN, while all models boast an 11-hour battery life.

The LED displays are designed to perform even in sunlight, while the N510’s use of 16:9 High Definition aspect ratio ensures that any type of HD content is supported.

Speaking at the launch of the new model, Brown said: “This launch demonstrates Samsung’s commitment to the netbook market as a strategic priority for the business.

“Following on from the success of the current N-series, we see these stylish and lightweight models as a continuation of our growth in this category.”

www.pcr-online.biz

MARKETPLACE

ViewSonic bolsters Lenovo becomes laptop business multi-touchy feely VIEWSONIC has launched two new netbooks through its PC business.

The firm has only recently began producing full PCs after making a name for itself in the monitor and projector market.

The VNB100 is an entry level device for performing basic functions, featuring a ten-inch colour TFT Active Matrix LCD screen, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB RAM, 160 GB hard drive, integrated wi-fi and Ethernet connectivity, and Windows XP. ViewSonic says the netbook can become a mini-TV via the PCI-Express slot and also has on-board GPS. The VNB101 is a higher end model, and has a slim 25mm design and weighs 1.1kg. The device has a frameless screen design, an Intel Atom N280 processor, 1GB of RAM, 160GB

of storage and Microsoft Windows XP Home. It has an eight second boot-up time, and comes loaded with wi-fi 802.11 b/g, 10/100 Ethernet and Bluetooth connectivity, five hours of battery life, and a multiple touch control pad for image manipulation.

The VNB100 and VNB101 are now available with an SRP of £299 and £329 respectively.

LENOVO is pushing its ‘multitouch’ screen technology with the launch of the ThinkPad X200 Tablet PC and the ThinkPad T400s laptop.

The optional addition of multitouch technology on the ThinkPad X200 Tablet is being marketed towards the sales, healthcare and education markets. The model already supports what the firm calls ‘one finger touch’, but the new technology allows the use of two fingers in a variety of gestures, including pinching, zooming, tapping and flicking through documents, web pages and photos.

The addition of multitouch technology into the ThinkPad T400s laptop range allows four fingers to be used to manipulate objects, move images with two hands, or have two people use the screen simultaneously.

“We see now as the right time for multitouch screens on PCs,” said Sam

Dusi, vice president, worldwide ThinkPad product marketing, Lenovo.

“With touch screens increasingly becoming part of the devices we use routinely and continued improvement of the technology including the integration of touch in the upcoming Windows 7 operating system, the environment for making touch part of our Tablet PC and ThinkPad T400s laptop experience couldn’t be better.”

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October PCR 101

MARKETPLACE

Logitech points to the business sector New laser and interface devices aim to simplify the process of making presentations LOGITECH has launched two new presenters for the business market.

The R800, which retails for £69.99, is armed with a green laser designed to work on LCD screens and in well lit rooms, has a timer with silent, vibrating alerts, a range of 100 feet, and a reception-level indicator on the LCD. The USB dongle slips out from the back of the device to plug into the PC for wireless connection.

The lower end R400, which retails for £44.99, features a red laser which will be visible on the majority of backgrounds, and has a range of 50 feet.

Both presenters are plug and play, requiring no software to run.

“When you give a presentation, you want to engage with your audience, not the technology,” said Rory Dooley, senior vice president and general manager of Logitech’s Control Devices

business unit. “Packed with features that are designed to make you a better presenter, the Professional Presenter R800 and Wireless Presenter R400 eliminate the need to run back and forth to your computer or interrupt your PowerPoint presentation to tell your colleague to go to the next slide.”

“When you give a presentation, you want to engage with your audience, not the technology” Rory Dooley, Logitech

To advertise in

MARKETPLACE please contact Carly Bailey

Tel: 01992 535647 Carly.Bailey@intentmedia.co.uk 102 PCR October

www.pcr-online.biz

MARKETPLACE

Sitecom is living the smart life New easy-to-use range aims for the home network user with less technical knowledge SITECOM has launched the ‘Smart Living’ range – a series of connectivity and storage products designed to facilitate easy data sharing amongst multiple devices.

The firm is marketing the products as being particularly easy to set up and use for those that aren’t necessarily fluent in the latest technology, but would like a home network. The range includes routers, media players and storage devices.

The Home Storage Center and the Portable Storage Case hold video, image, audio and data files to be accessed by any PC or compatible device on the network.

The TV Media Player streams HD quality (1080p) video from any

connected source to a networked television. The Media Router is a dual-band router with five GHz frequency, while the Wireless Media Adapter 300N remotely connects the TV Media Player or a computer to a router.

The firm says the Smart Living concept consists of five applications: store, share, play, download and stream wireless.

Essentially, it’s a suite of products to facilitate the digital home concept, or more simply to connect a household’s worth of digital equipment together.

The Smart Living ranges will be available from the later part of this month through Meroncourt.

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October PCR 103

MARKETPLACE

104 PCR October

www.pcr-online.biz

MARKETPLACE

High Calibre graphics Sparkle bases latest GPU on Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 260 architecture SPARKLE has launched the Calibre X265 graphics card, based on the Nvidia GTX260 GPU. The Calibre range is the firm’s overclocked series of cards, offering boosted core clock, memory clock and shader clock speeds. They are also fitted with on-board cooling and have an extended threeyear warranty.

The Sparkle X265 card in particular is based on the 216 Stream Processor architecture of the Nvidia GeForce GTX 260, which sports both factory overclocking and nonstandard cooling.

The device has a core clock speed of 666MHz, a memory clock of 2304MHz, and a shader clock of 1476MHz. “Calibre by Sparkle is an exciting addition to our product range and we are excited to be able to bring overclocked products to the market. The X265 is an exciting and compelling offering that won’t leave users disappointed,” said Scott Fraser, managing director of Sparkle Europe.

The Calibre X265 is available exclusively from Target Components in the UK.

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“The X265 is an exciting and compelling offering that won’t leave users disappointed” Scott Fraser, Sparkle Europe

October PCR 105

MARKETPLACE RECOMMENDED

[

ASUS EEE PC 1101HA THE first pioneering netbook from Asus may seem aeons ago, but the Taiwanese manufacturer has kept busy since then.

The most recent addition to the huge Eee PC roster, the Seashell series, ditched the clunky, angular designs of old for curvier, slimmer profiles. This latest model, the 1101HA, is the biggest yet, boasting an 11.6-inch screen.

First impressions, as with the rest of Asus’ Seashell netbooks, are good. The glossy black finish covers the entire unit and looks sleek, albeit not as mature as the matte finish on the Samsung NC20. The gentle curves of the lid and base are also a vast step forward from the boxy Eees.

The keyboard is a highlight, with the larger chassis allowing for bigger keys than on the average nine or ten-inch machine. It’s well designed too – a double-height enter key, large backspace button and no unusual layout choices mean it’s easy to get up to speed. The typing action is good and although the keys don’t feel as nice as those on the Samsung NC20m, their soft and responsive action still makes for comfortable typing.

Elsewhere, there’s little surprise.

Intel’s integrated GMA 500 graphics aren’t up to any serious gaming, but connectivity is well handled by Bluetooth, Draft-N wireless and 10.100 Ethernet.

The usual selection of ports and sockets are scattered around the machine, with a trio of USB ports joined by an Ethernet socket, D-SUB output, a pair of audio jacks and a media card reader.

All in all, the latest Eee is a reasonable, if unoriginal, effort.

URL: www.asus.com SRP: £354

]

The 1101HA is the biggest in the Seashell series, with an 11.6-inch screen

DELL LATITUDE E2100

DELL has been on board the netbook express for a while now, but its products have had mixed success. We liked its first offering – the Mini 9 – with its dinky dimensions and curvy profile, but were less keen on the Mini 12, which we found sluggish to use.

Dell has now added to the line-up with the business and educationfocused latitude E2100, which takes about as different an approach as it is possible for a netbook to take.

Although the E2100’s matte-black plastic finish is far from luxurious, it does seem appropriate – we can imagine it being used in a classroom and still looking good after a couple of terms. And that robust feel extends to the rest of the chassis.

There’s an alternative to using the touchpad – the screen, which on our review model was touch-enabled. It’s fine for manipulating large buttons and icons, and we’re sure kids will take to it straight away. However, with no

106 PCR October

stylus, selecting, clicking and navigating through Windows Vista Basic’s menus and options screens can be a little fiddly.

The E2100 is more usable than the consumer-focused Mini 10, and its sturdy, rubber-coated chassis means it’s the most resilient netbook we’ve seen yet.

[

URL: www.dell.com SRP: £378

]

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MARKETPLACE

www.pcr-online.biz

October PCR 107

OUT OF OFFICE

THE IT CROWD

THIS MONTH: SCHD’s cricket tournament and Exspect’s hiking trip...

HOW’S THAT? SCHD recently arranged a 20 20 cricket tournament for partners at the famous Egbaston grounds.

IBM, Sun and HP were amoung the teams playing on the day, with HP/ETC winning overall.

Above: Grant Stephens from Sun Micro Systems (left), Tom Furr from Q Associates (middle) and Mark Hughes from Interface (right) Left: Joe Morris from Interface (left) and Richard Sullivan from European Electronique

GOING WALKABOUT Peripherals and accessories vendor Exspect went on a charity walk last month to raise money for the Donna Louise Children’s Hospice Trust.

“We have recently taken on a number of new recruits and we have even more staff than last year so its an excellent opportunity for us all to get to know each other a little bit better, while doing something useful,’ said commercial director Neil Meredith.

108 PCR October

ONE & OTHER Louise Barrett from Solwise climbed onto the fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square as part of the Antony Gormley ‘One & Other’ project, which encourages people to spend an hour on the plinth doing whatever they wish. She took the opportunity to raise the awareness of cot death.

MUSIC MAN Field marketing agency Channel Advantage booked up Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra to play at a recent event at Stonor Park for the company and 200 VIP guests, culminating in a lavish firework display in the evening.

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OUT OF OFFICE

Send your pictures to: andrew.wooden@intentmedia.co.uk

MINI RECORD ATTEMPT

e f i l e h t in y a d A ution l, Retail Distrib David Cornwel sky Lab UK er Manager at Kasp

“Mondays are usually hectic but essential to my preparation for the rest of the week, be it meetings with distributors, training or presentations” Kingston attempted to break the world record for cramming people into a Mini, in order to celebrate the launch of a new range of photo/video cards in Currys stores.

COMMON PEOPLE Kaspersky Lab has sponsored the Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic Expedition, which sets off in Nov ember.

“We are thrilled to be working with Kaspersky Lab Asia,” said expeditio n leader Felicity Aston. “Kaspersky Lab is an international group that recognises the importance of working across nations and cultures to tackle glob al issues – be that computer malware or the effects of climate change.”

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I spend a large proportion of my time off-site but I am usually in the new UK head office in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, on Mondays to catch up with the team face-to-face. I live near Norwich, so Monday involves a two and a half hour drive, which means a gruelling 5.30am start.

I use the quiet period before 9am to catch up with emails or any work from the previous week that needs my attention. Once the team are in we get together for our meeting with our sales director, Simon Geach. Mondays are usually hectic but essential to my preparation for the rest of the week, be it meetings with distributors, spiff days, product training or presentations.

My focus with distributors at the moment is the new Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 for ultra portables, and Kaspersky Mobile Security, which protects an essential part of my mobile arsenal – the smartphone.

Another key focus is recruiting retail resellers to the partner programme that was launched in September. The programme guarantees retail resellers positive margins, provides sales training and marketing support. It also allows Accredited Partners to offer customers a deeper level of support for our products, adding extra value to what we do.

Monday afternoons usually involve a catch-up with my colleague Jon Luker and I often work a bit later to prepare myself for the week, so I don’t need to make any unnecessary trips back to the office. I tend to leave at about 6.30pm and either head back to my home office, or drive to a hotel close to my next distributor office visit. This is often the case when I visit Enta Technology in Telford, or Spire Technology in Dorset – or further afield with TIS and Osmosis in Ireland.

Being a ‘home worker’ for Kaspersky Lab suits me very well. My wife and I are due to have a baby in the next few weeks, so the flexibility will be much appreciated in the future as well. It also means that an important part of my day in the office at the moment is making sure Jon is up to speed with business before I have my two weeks’ paternity leave!

October PCR 109

OUT OF OFFICE

In the

HOT SEAT This month, managing director of EuroTech Simon Leech opens up to PCR...

“

Quote

UNQUOTE “Basically, it had been accidentally programmed to have the same attitude as an affronted celebrity denied access to a posh night club (‘Don’t you know who I am?’).”

Tesco’s Nick Lansley explains in his blog why Apple rejected the supermarket chain’s ‘store locator’ application for iPhone.

“What people underestimate is the importance of good or bad products. And sometimes your products are good, sometimes the products are bad… I think Vista was a less good product for Microsoft.”

Microsoft’s general manager of corporate strategy, Charles Songhurst, tells New York’s Jefferies Annual Technology Conference what he really thinks of the company’s previous operating system.

Describe yourself in one word: Improving!

How do you relax away from work?

With the family, as my kids are hugely entertaining; running for my fitness and sanity; or playing on my bike.

What’s your favourite: Book – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time was really different and very memorable.

Film – It’s a Wonderful Life. I force my family and friends to watch it every Christmas Album – James, Fresh as a Daisy or Miriam Makeba, Africa, depending on my mood.

What was your first computer?

I vaguely remember playing Pong on an Atari, but I was more of an outdoors kind of kid.

What’s your best memory from working in the industry?

Loads, but it will certainly be from my time at Softsel/ Merisel in the early nineties, when the industry (and I) was a little less grown up.

Who’s the funniest person you’ve ever met?

My daughter. A close second was my friend, Karl, who considered it normal behaviour to jump off house roofs.

What did you want to do when you were younger?

Ride horses and compete in ‘three-day eventing’.

When were the ‘good old days’?

Wednesday night?

110 PCR October

“Sometimes products are good, sometimes products are bad. Vista was a less good product for Microsoft” “O bloody hell the digital inclusion office has been broken into and all computers taken.”

The Government’s champion for digital inclusion, Martha Lane Fox, writes on her Twitter page after the Digital Inclusion Team’s machines were stolen.

“Some dude in the front row pulled out his iPhone and Ballmer saw it. Hope he wasn’t wearing his blue badge clearly. You don’t pick up the CEO of Chevy in a BMW... just saying.”

Microsoft Silverlight team member Tim Heuer tweets about a colleague’s mistake of allowing Steve Ballmer to spot his iPhone at a company assembly. The Microsoft CEO interrupted his usual exuberant entrance to snatch the offending device and hold it aloft to a chorus of boos, before pretending to stomp it into the ground.

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