PCR issue72, September 2009

This Month SECURITY REVIEW An overview of security threats across the globe p16

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

SEPTEMBER 2009 ISSUE 72

COMMENT Issue 72 September 2009 Incorporating

“Viruses and malware can be dismissed as a naturally occurring risk of running the internet - but they’re not” THE GREAT AND THE GOOD

PCR CONTACTS Editor

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

Ben Furfie ben.furfie@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 PCR Awards are heading into their third year now, and we feel we’re in a stronger position than ever to offer the trade a great evening of networking and celebration. While setting up the inaugural 2008 awards, we knew there was an opportunity for putting on the type of event we wanted to, and the sheer amount of positive feedback we received from the trade spurred us on to make it even better each year.

There are plenty of firms out there having a tough time of it at the moment, but there’s also a lot to celebrate. Fuelled by the proliferation of mobile devices, there is still plenty of growth in certain aspects of the industry, despite the economic climate. And for those who have done particularly well over the last year, there’s even more to smile about.

FEELING SECURE? The security market is a hugely important part of the industry, both in terms of profitability, and in ensuring our computers continue working properly and we don’t all have our identities stolen. While we can safely say that consumers and the industry are both sufficiently warned about the existence of these threats, we often neglect to look much further than the face value of them. Installing defence software is seen as akin to putting on sun cream. Viruses and malware can be dismissed as a naturally occurring risk of running the internet – but they’re not, no more than getting burgled is a naturally occurring risk of living in a house. It’s easy to forget that there are real criminals behind worms, trojans and all the other euphemistic terminology we employ, and they are getting more sophisticated in their methodology.

See page 16 for our look at how the global security landscape is changing, and what the threats of the future are likely to be.

THE FRONTLINE Elsewhere in this issue, we’ve introduced a new retail-focused regular feature called From The Frontline, giving you opinion, statistics, charts and analysis regarding the coal face of the industry. Turn to page 24 to take a look. We’d love to hear your feedback, so if you have any comments, as ever, feel free to contact me.

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

September PCR 3

incorporating

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PCR Contents

ISSUE 72 SEPTEMBER 2009

MALWARE: THE TRUTH We talk to a number of security experts about the growing threat posed by the global malware trade, and explore how it’s evolving in to more advanced forms

News 7-12

55

Facts and Figures

Appointments 12

GfK Analysis

16

50

Brigantia 92

KINGSTON Paul Leaman talks to PCR about the support that Kingston is providing for its retail and reseller partners

Head of the Brigantia buying group Iain Shaw talks about falling sales and the narrow profit margins that are putting many independent retailers out of business

TCA 94-95 Keith Warburton, CEO of the Technology Channel Association discusses the action taken after the recent furore caused by the Sky News rogue trader report, while co-op director Robert Peckham talks about the growing popularity of enterprise Macs

ITACS/NASCR 96 The two trade bodies cover the importance of joining a retail consortium and the changes to 0845 numbers proposed by the Government

Games PRODUCT FOCUS An analysis of some of the products available from Enta’s broad portfolio

13

4 PCR September

72

Our regular look at the most anticipated games released over the coming month, including Blood Bowl, Championship Manager 2010 and Resident Evil 5

“As Kingston is a channel company, we are committed to providing our partners with the best support” Paul Leaman, Kingston Technology www.pcr-online.biz

HMV’S LAPTOP PUSH Having recently announced its plans to move in to laptop sales, we talk to HMV about how it will differentiate itself, and its strategy for the future

22

28

Mystery Shopper

33

Gaming Laptops

63

PC Games

78

79

We take a look at this rapidly growing market segment, talk to some of the sector’s main players and showcase a selection of key products

With PC games providing much of the drive behind technological development and sales, we look at some of today’s best sellers

Veho Company Profile We talk to Veho about its history and plans for the future after its growth to become a key CE firm

81

MARKETPLACE

Our intrepid shopper travels to Warrington in Cheshire to find out what high spec LCD monitors are available for gaming and HD media

Gaming Peripherals While most users seems happy to use very basic accessories, gamers insist on ever more sophisticated equipment. We take a look at some of the latest products

CD WRITER Company Profile

100

As it makes its drive for reseller partners, we talk to CD Writer, which has built itself in to one of the UK’s leading duplication technology firms

AVNET/AMD COMPETITION 40 SYMANTEC COMPETITION 70

The number one independent memory manufacturer www.kingston.com/europe * iSuppli Corporation (2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007)

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September PCR 5

*

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

NEWS

PCR Awards return to Royal Garden Hotel for 2010 event Date set for Thursday March 25th Categories announced next month Lobbying starts September 30th

By Andrew Wooden

THE PCR Awards will return to the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London on Thursday March 25th 2010 – and will once again celebrate the great and the good from the UK IT trade.

Now in its third year, the event is the only ceremony of its kind to take in every aspect of the PC and IT industry, from vendor, to distributor to retailer and reseller.

This year’s event saw over 300 attendees from all areas of the industry gather in the lavish London venue to celebrate the achievements of the past year.

Acer stood out on the night, taking home the prestigious Grand Prix prize, as well as the Sales Team:

www.pcr-online.biz

“We were bowled over by the positive response we received from the 2009 and 2008 awards, and we're looking forward to putting together an even better night for 2010” Stuart Dinsey, PCR Business award. EntaTech also did particularly well, taking home two awards in the distribution category.

Retailers Novatech and John Lewis were celebrated on the night, while

BullGuard, TomTom and Microsoft all collected prizes in the vendor category.

“Bringing the awards back to the prestigious Royal Garden Hotel was an

obvious choice,” said PCR publisher Stuart Dinsey. “We were bowled over by the positive response we received from the 2009 and the inaugural 2008 awards, and we're looking forward to putting together an even better night of networking and celebration for 2010.

“The transparent nature of the awards, and the fact it takes in all the key elements of the trade, are the key to its success, and the reason it has proved so popular with trade figures from across the spectrum. We hope to see you all on the night.”

Categories will be announced later this month, along with details of early bird ticket sales.

Meanwhile, a number of sponsorship opportunities are available. Those interested should contact Katie.Rawlings@intentmedia.co.uk

September PCR 7

NEWS

AMD plans aggressive price drive Vendor prepares to undercut rivals with wave of new products Increases emphasis on overclocking capabilities and affordable performance Matt Grainger

CHIP giant AMD is gearing up for a slew of product launches in the latter half of this year, and says it will be taking an aggressive stance on pricing when they hit the UK market.

An increased emphasis on flexibility and compatibility for its latest and most powerful 45nm products is to be supported by a drive to keep costs down, in an attempt to grab a larger share of the vast majority of today’s customers for whom budget is a key consideration.

“We’ve been very aggressive with our positioning,” AMD’s EMEA channel director

Andrew Buxton told PCR. “We’ve got great products coming out that are extremely competitive with an excellent price performance ratio.

They’re always going to be priced well, with no changing prices or temporary discounts.

We feel that this is something that the market – and the channel – needs.”

The firm will also be aiming to make upgrading machines easier, and again asserting the idea that creating powerful PCs needn’t cost the earth.

“We want customers to be able to have the flexibility to upgrade whenever they want, without having to overhaul their entire system,” added

“Why should a customer pay more for a high-end CPU, when they can buy a mid-range one and overclock it?”

Andrew Buxton, AMD Buxton. “If customers want to upgrade their motherboard, for example, they should be able to keep their old CPU and graphics cards and just drop them in to the new system. We’re aiming to help customers get the most out of their purchases. Why should a customer pay more for a highend CPU, when they can buy a mid-range one and overclock it? We can offer the guidance to help do that.”

Smartpens poised to be the next big thing?

“Smartpens will be one of the fastest growing product categories” Helen Thomas, LiveScribe

8 PCR September

THE FLEDGLING ‘smartpen’ sector could soon become as large as digital cameras and smartphones, according to vendor Livescribe.

The Californian start-up is gearing up for the UK launch of its Pulse smartpen after a year of success in the US and elsewhere around the world.

The Pulse, to be distributed in the UK and Ireland by

Gem, is an ink pen with an internal computer that captures handwritten notes, while simultaneously recording and synching audio with them.

According to Livescribe’s vice president and general manager of international operations, Helen Thomas, the category has the potential to grow at an exponential rate in the UK. “Smartpens will be one of the fastest growing product categories following smartphones, digital cameras, video devices and so on,” she said. “The reason is that whatever you write and record on the smartpen can be captured, accessed and shared seamlessly. When we have the next generation smartpen, the speed and performance will be even greater.”

Now available in 25 countries, Livescribe’s product has proved popular with consumers and the media alike since its launch in July 2008 – a track record the company hopes to live up to.

“After the successful launch in the US and Australia last year, Livescribe is entering the European markets, with the UK as the first entry. We expect

great successes as we have already had good responses from online first adopters in the UK market, and great interest from retailers as well,” Thomas said.

LiveScribe says smartpens will be one of the fastest growing product categories in the near future

www.pcr-online.biz

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NEWS

ZXxx

US legal decision on Microsoft Word could affect Office sales in the UK US patent infringement case for MS Word could have far reaching effects on Office sales across the globe “As we’ve maintained throughout this process, we believe the evidence clearly demonstrates that we do not infringe and that the i4i patent is invalid” Kevin Kutz, Microsoft

By Matt Grainger

SALES of Microsoft’s hugely lucrative Office software could be effected in the UK, due to an unresolved legal dispute in the US. A patent infringement case against Microsoft has resulted in a $290 million fine for the company and a ban on all sales of Word in the States – a ruling that Microsoft says could force it to stop selling the Office suite altogether, of which Word has been a primary component.

If upheld by the European Court, the ban could spread to the UK as well. However Microsoft is adamant that is has not infringed the patent.

“Today, Microsoft filed a motion with the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to seek an expedited review of its appeal and to stay the permanent injunction while the appeal is pending,” said Microsoft spokesman Kevin Kutz. “These filings are not unusual in patent cases. As we’ve maintained throughout this process, we believe the evidence clearly

demonstrates that we do not infringe and that the i4i patent is invalid. We look forward to filing our appeal and to Court of Appeals review.”

The case was brought after Microsoft incorporated XML, which had been developed by Canadian company i4i and is used to control embedded tags, in to the 2003 and 2007 versions of Word. A Texas court ruled that by doing so, Microsoft had violated i4i’s patent and called for a halt to sales until a final judgement can be reached.

Meroncourt makes sweet music DISTRIBUTOR Meroncourt is moving into a number of new product categories, including DVD and digital music players, following a deal with Spanish vendor Energy Sistem Soyntec – the latest in a slew of European product lines that the company has introduced to the UK recently.

Soyntec has established itself on the continent as a market leader in digital consumer electronics and peripherals, with a focus on design that is common to many European manufacturers. As well as its media portfolio, the firm also produces PC accessories and peripherals.

“This was a conscious decision,” sales director Steve Walsh told PCR, when asked about Meroncourt’s acquisition of a number of European partners. “We’re always looking to broaden our product base and bring new ideas in to the UK. Soyntec has some very funky designs, which coupled with the quality of their products gives us an edge. This is certainly a new horizon for us and we’ve been very impressed so far."

10 PCR September

Meroncourt has also revamped its online presence, and the site can now integrate XML feeds. This means partners can now download product information and images directly from the Meroncourt website for incorporation in to their own – a service that had previously only been available on request.

“We’re always looking to broaden our product base and bring new ideas in to the UK” Steve Walsh, Meroncourt

Like many mainland European manufacturers, Soyntec’s products feature a strong emphasis on design as well as performance

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NEWS

NewsBytes INTEGRA SIGNS SQUARE 1 Buying group Integra has struck a deal with Cisco distributor Square 1 to give its members access to its range of networking products and services. The deal also encompasses the distributor’s range of add-on services, such as installation, marketing support and finance packages.

TEENS SPEND FOUR MONTHS A YEAR WITH TECH A survey by power company nPower has found that on average, seven to 16 year-olds spend a third of the year in front televisions, computers and games consoles.

The results suggest that today’s youth have integrated technology into every aspect of their lives.

WOW CATACLYSM UNVEILED Blizzard has announced the third expansion pack to its hugely popular World of Warcraft series.

Titled Cataclysm, it sees the introduction of two new races, the

Kaspersky launches partner programme THE UK’s fastest growing security firm, Kaspersky Lab, has launched a new programme to provide training, technical support, and savings to its retail customers.

The Green Team Partner Programme allows credited partners to receive rebates for each unit sold, and points that can be exchanged for cash

or prizes through the loyalty scheme.

New partners each receive discounts on distribution, as well as a free marketing starter kit and free Kaspersky Lab protection for their own internal use. A dedicated support team is available to assist with technical training and sales queries, including promotional pricing support.

MAC GETS OUTLOOK Microsoft has announced that the next version of Office for Mac will come with Outlook as its email client, replacing current incumbent Entourage.

According to the vendor’s Mac Business Unit, the move was prompted by calls from its customer base to bring the market leading software to Apple’s platform.

raising of the level cap to 85 and a re-working of the game world. It is anticipated to be released in the second half of 2010.

APPLE NAMED MOST RELIABLE BRAND Apple has been named the most reliable computer brand available on the market according to consumer magazine Which? The vendor beat Dell, HP and Sony to claim the accolade, after the magazine polled its members to rate their computer for reliability, support and satisfaction. Apple topped all three areas, with 91 per cent of readers saying that they are satisfied with their purchase.

COMET WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE Comet has signed a deal with ITV to sponsor primetime quiz show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

The sponsorship is intended to promote the retailer’s ‘expert knowledge and advice’ to its customers. The deal runs from the beginning of September till November 3rd 2009.

MFD SHIPMENTS SLIP Shipments of multifunction printers dropped by a quarter during the first half of 2009, according to figures from Gartner. The analyst found that the recession had hit the market hard, with demand dropping across both the consumer and business sectors.

Brits refuse to give up tech A report by Ofcom has found that Britons are unwilling to cut back on technology, including PCs, mobile phones, internet access and televisions despite the recession cutting disposable incomes.

According to those who took part, they are more likely to cut holidays, dining and DIY than technology.

Sony is redeveloping the Blu-ray platform to host a number of interactive features

Sony launches next generation Blu-ray watcher and chat about it using an instant messenger-style service.

SONY Pictures Home Entertainment Certain releases have the option of has added a number of new creating a playlist using songs from interactive features to its Blu-ray the soundtrack, which can be formats, allowing viewers to access a emailed to friends, while other discs wealth of data as contain music “Movie lovers can they watch. video editing dive in to constantly applications or MovieIQ presents updated information, trivia quizzes. information about including “We know many production facts people interrupt the movie they are and soundtrack their movie watching without details, on the watching leaving their sofa” screen during experience to look Lexine Wong, particular scenes in up the filmography Sony the film. Users can of an actor or to also search through the cast and crew find out more about a song playing for a list of other films and TV in the background,” said Lexine programmes they have worked on.

Wong, senior executive vice It is the latest addition to the Sony president of worldwide marketing at BD-Live portfolio, which was Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. launched in summer last year and “Now through MovieIQ, movie now attracts over 100,000 unique lovers can dive in to constantly users each week. updated information about the Other features that appear on movie they are watching without Sony’s BD-Live discs include leaving their sofa.”

CineChat, which allows viewers to MovieIQ will feature on all new synchronise their film with another Blu-ray releases starting this month.

By Nicky Trup

APPOINTMENTS

PCR bolsters editorial team Trup joins magazine’s team as staff writer Handa promoted to head of marketing at Gem Dick Williams takes the helm at Webroot Mayflex expands northern operations INTENT MEDIA PCR has strengthened its editorial team with the appointment of NICKY TRUP, who joins as staff writer.

Trup will work across all facets of the print title and the website, including news, features and analysis, providing a key boost to the brand as it continues to

grow online and begins preparing for the third PCR Awards next year.

“Trup’s editorial experience and knowledge of the technology industry will prove invaluable to PCR – we’re delighted to welcome her aboard,” said managing editor Lisa Foster.

GEM Harlow-based distributor Gem has promoted its marketing manager NEIL HANDA to the newly created position of head of marketing.

Handa will continue to head up the firm’s award winning Creative division, and will be responsible for the expansion of the department in the future.

“Neil has made significant contributions to Gem and its marketing over the years and his new position will allow us to engage new relationships with key vendors and customers as we grow the Gem Creative division,” said Gem managing director Chris Peacock. “I am very happy to be appointing Neil as head of marketing.”

WEBROOT Security software vendor Webroot taken on new president and chief executive officer DICK WILLIAMS. WILLIAMS has over forty years experience at several channel firms, such as IBM, CA and Novell.

“Dick has consistently delivered innovation and accelerated growth for companies that emerge as leaders in their category. His experience and strong leadership will be a tremendous asset to Webroot,” commented Webroot’s chairman, Eric Spivey.

MAYFLEX Mayflex has appointed IAN IRVING as regional sales manager for the Midlands and North for Infrastructure Products.

“Having competed against Irving many times over the years we are delighted to be bringing him on board; his proven sales, customer relationship skills and winning attitude are just the qualities we demand in our business,” commented Mayflex managing director Andrew Percival.

GENX GenX has announced the appointment of two new sales staff. MATT DAVIES has joined the firm from BigRed Solutions, while MALCOLM JAMES previously worked as UK sales manager at MRV Communications.

“I’m delighted to welcome Matt and Malcolm on board and I know we will benefit from their considerable channel experience,” commented MD Alan Gould.

12 PCR September

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September PCR 13

CONSUMER PRESS

The Press Office Your guide to what the consumer press is telling the general public to buy...

CUSTOM PC

PC PRO “The separate inks allow for superbly crisp text and solid colours in documents, while photo quality earned top marks, ahead of all the other home devices”

“One of the few fans of this size that can move a decent quantity of air. This is the fan for an old midi-tower case or a small form case with 80mm fan mounts”

Canon Pixma MP620

Scythe Kama-Flex SA0825FDB12L

Product Reviews and Features

Product Reviews and Features

Home all-in-one printers Labs Winner: Canon Pixma MP620 Best Value: Canon Pixma MP190

Fans Premium Grade: Scythe Kama-Flex SA0825FDB12L Premium Grade: Revoltec RL042 Premium Grade: Sharkoon Silent Eagle 1000 120mm Premium Grade: Antec Big Boy 200 Crazy But Cool: Delta FFB1212EHE Approved: Scythe Gentle Typhoon D1225 C12B4AP-14

Office all-in-one printers Labs Winner: Canon Pixma MX860 Best Value: Epson Stylus Office BX310FN Portable hard drives Labs Winner: Iomega eGo Ruby Red PS

Best Value: LG External HDD XD2 Desktop PCs Recommended: Chillblast Fusion Katana Displays Recommended: Eizo Foris FX2431 Recommended: Iiyama ProLite B1906S

Sound Cards Approved: Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3 Slim SATA II SSD Cards Premium Grade: Patriot Torqx 128GB Power Supplies Premium Grade: Corsair HX850W

Price: £4.50 Pages: 130

Price: £4.99 Pages: 178

PC PLUS

COMPUTER SHOPPER “Battery life, at almost four hours, is very good and provides plenty of time to use this laptop around the house.

It’s light enough to make the occasional journey, too”

“This ultra-mobile PC can withstand a drop of 1.2m. If you can live with the tiny 5.6in touchscreen and the shrunken keyboard, you’ll get a seriously tough PC for your money”

Asus K50IN-SX025C

Panasonic Toughbook CF-U1

Product Reviews and Features

Product Reviews and Features

Laptops Best Buy: Samsung N120 Best Buy: Asus K50IN-SX025C Best Buy: Sony Vaio FW41E/H Budget Buy: Hannaspree Hannsnote SN10E1 Budget Buy: PC Nextday Versa 81-2200

Best Buy: Linksys WRT320N Best Buy: Linksys WAG160N-UK Budget Buy: Buffalo WBMR-HP-GN

Internet Search Engines Editor's Choice: Google Performance Award: Bing

Wireless IP Cameras Best Buy: Linksys WVC54GCA

Mother boards Value Award: MSI X58 Pro

Powerline Networking Adapters Best Buy: D-Link DHP-303 Best Buy: Solwise Piggy6

Smart Phones Editor's Choice: Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB

ADSL Wireless Routers Ultimate: Billion BiPAC 7300N Price: £4.99 Pages: 164

Price: £5.99 Pages: 130

Nettops Acer Aspire Revo – 3/5 Rugged devices Panasonic Toughbook CF-U1 – 4/5 Getac PS535F – 4/5 Monitors Samsung SyncMaster LD190 – 4/5

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FEATURE SECURITY

The truth about

cyber-crime The IT industry is good at warning the wider world that threats exist from malware and internet fraudsters, and at supplying defence against it through security software. We often preach that it’s no different to ‘real’ crime – but the difference is there is rarely discussion on what these threats actually are, what dark forces control them, and how the perpetrators fit in wider society. Andrew Wooden talks to the experts to uncover what lurks behind the world’s malicious software…

THERE are some terms that are thrown around so much that the actual meaning is sometimes forgotten. The term computer virus is very old, and if you think about it, it’s not the most accurate of phrases to describe what we now understand a malicious piece of code to be. Does it act like a biological virus? Perhaps the analogy held more weight in the mid-nineties, when self replicating programmes would very obviously make a computer ‘ill’ in the sense that it would stop working and ‘infect’ others that came into connected contact with it. And much like a virus, it didn’t really have any purpose other than to reproduce itself.

These days the dangers we’re warned about are far less overt. Unlike viruses, most of today’s malicious programmes are symptomless (any programme created to cause harm will be designed to be as undetectable as possible) and they now have a mission statement above self-replication – usually to gather information about the host and send it back to the creator.

It’s just an example – but it highlights a wider issue. As an industry we are generally very good at warning the wider world that there is a danger presented by malware (itself a term which is unlikely to be very transparent to the layman), and indeed reminding people that it’s just another form of crime. But unlike other forms of crime, we rarely see a discussion as to who the perpetrators are, why they do it, if the problem is getting worse, and if we are doing enough to stop it.

UNDERGROUND ECONOMY The common misconception regarding the roots of these programmes is probably that virus and malware come from a mischievous teenager acting alone in a basement somewhere. This was probably something close to the truth 15 years ago, however

16 PCR September

WORLDWIDE Petter Lautin, MD, Panda Security UK & Ireland A recent Panda study about the leading sources of spam showed that in the first quarter of 2009, the United States was the leading source, accounting for 11.61 per cent.

The Worldwide Crime Web: Some of the development centres for malware – and their preferred targets – can clearly be seen here

“The ultimate goal of cyber-criminals is to profit from their malware” Petter Lautin, Panda Security

organisations tasked with tracking and combating malware liken the perpetrators to something more like a professional crime ring – a tier system, with programmers, distributors, card fraud specialists and money launderers all working as part of a balanced underground economy. It sounds like something out of a mafia report. The key difference is that unlike a tightly knit real life crime ring, those involved in cyber-crime usually never know or even communicate in any real sense with who they are collaborating with.

www.pcr-online.biz

FEATURE SECURITY

CRIME WEB Leslie Forbes, Technical Manager for UK and Ireland, F-Secure.

We know that by far the majority of Banking Trojan software originates from Brazil.

David Harley, Director of Malware Intelligence, ESET West Africa remains well-represented on advance fee fraud.

David Emm, Security Researcher, Kaspersky Russian malware authors remain trendsetters. They have continued to push the envelope using the malware 2.0 model: using different malware modules for various specialised functions, communication between different modules, protecting control-and-command centres and data transmission channels against penetration.

Roger Thompson, Chief Research Officer, AVG The most interesting aspect of the online malware economy is that most of the innovations are coming from a group of Chinese college students who like to play World Of Warcraft. They are constantly developing new ways of stealing the user IDs and passwords of others players, thereby enabling them to snatch their virtual possessions. But whilst these security exploits are originally designed to steal virtual possessions inside the game, other online criminals subsequently adapt them to target real bank accounts.

Nick Billington Country Manager, Bit Defender One of the most important threats for the average email user, phishing attempts witnessed a dramatic rise over the past six months. Primarily targeting English-speaking and less tech-savvy web surfers, phishing attempts can dramatically impact on users’ banking balance. During the last six months, phishing messages reached an alarming threshold of seven per cent of the spam messages sent worldwide. As expected, the most receptive countries in terms of phishing are the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

“There is, without question, an underground malware economy,” says Roger Thompson, chief research officer at AVG. “The processes used to develop malware are interesting to track, with our research uncovering several groups building and selling exploit kits, just

like legitimate software development shops. These kits allow unskilled webmasters to launch online attacks, just by installing some pre-packaged software. These threats are fairly easy to detect, because they are the same every time. However, they do work and are

effective on computers that are not adequately protected.”

David Harley, director of malware intelligence at ESET adds: “Much of it is negotiation between freelancers, but Continued on page 18

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>>>

Kevin Hogan, Senior Manager Symantec Security Response We observed an average of 32,188 active bots per day in the EMEA region in 2008, a 47 per cent increase from 2007, when 21,864 active bots were detected. Spain was the top ranked country in EMEA for bot infections in 2008, with 15 per cent of the total. Lisbon was the top city for bot infections in EMEA in 2008, accounting for five per cent of all bot infections in the European region.

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FEATURE SECURITY

>>>

cooperation often roughly mirrors free economy models. In general the top tier ‘service provider’ either rents access to a botnet to a ‘customer’ or stages attacks for them in return for a fee.”

We’re often told of the dangers of identity theft, in ‘real’ terms and online. While it’s well known an unprotected PC can easily become subjected to a Trojan stealing the info, the processes of turning that information into hard cash are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

“The ultimate goal of cybercriminals is to profit from their malware,” says Petter Lautin, managing director, Panda Security UK and Ireland. “While Trojans are adept at stealing information, this stolen information must still be turned into hard cash and cyber-criminals must find innovative methods to accomplish this. Enter fake antivirus programs.

These applications pass themselves off as antivirus products, and claim to detect hundreds of threats on their victims’ computers. When users try to eliminate the threats with the application, they are then asked to purchase a corresponding licence.

Users, naturally worried about the supposed infection, will often buy the licence. Once they have handed over the money, they will no longer hear from the ‘vendors’ and the fake antivirus will remain on their computers, for possible later use, such as false renewal charges.”

It’s notoriously difficult to track down an actual perpetrator at any of these levels, since the anonymity of the web makes it very easy to hide your tracks if you know what you’re doing.

Since there is no real central authority, and those tracking it are corporations working independently, there is also some disparity as to where the main threats originate geographically – however China, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the United States are frequently mentioned in security reports (see The Worldwide Crime Web)

CYBER-TERRORISM While there seems to be a consensus on the existence of sophisticated criminal organisations working behind malware, security firms are divided as to whether entire states and

18 PCR September

According to many security firms, hackers have developed from oft-parodied computer nerds to serious networks of organised criminals

“It’s clear from recent comments by the UK Government and others that governments are becoming aware of the potential risk to national systems from a cyber attack” David Emm, Kaspersky Labs governments are orchestrating activities of this kind, though there have been rumours.

“It is difficult to give a yes or no answer since this is usually state classified information and very few have access to it. Still, for the rumours and speculations, probably the best examples are to be sought in the last year’s conflict in the Republic of Georgia, and last month’s alleged attacks on Twitter and Facebook,” states Bit Defender country manager Nick Billington.

With the lack of any substantial evidence, one retort to these rumours is that often individuals can act in nationalistic, but isolated, ways – much like standard terrorism – which provides a possible explanation for the activity monitored during the conflict between Russia and Georgia. What is taken more seriously, however, is state defence against these sorts of attacks.

Western authorities and governments in particular are increasing their defence and intelligence towards these – in this respect the IT industry is crucial to keeping important

mainframes protected and officials educated. Experts are divided as to the existence of ‘cyber terrorism’, but it’s certainly something governments are increasingly looking into.

“It’s clear from recent comments by the UK Government and others that governments are becoming aware of the potential risk to national systems from a cyber attack, and they’re clearly looking at ways of defending against possible attacks,” says David Emm, Security Researcher at Kaspersky.

FUTURE SHOCK Most experts agree that in the future malware will continue to get more sophisticated and nefarious. Things like fake anti-virus software and businesses will rise, while older types of malware, such as worms and Trojans, will continue to evolve and get better at staying undetected.

Meanwhile, older viruses and worms will be resurrected, as they will find it easier to get under the radar of security software looking for more advanced threats. As computer usage grows in emerging markets, and as

developed economies increasingly see houses with multiple computers, as well as smartphones and umpteen other connected devices, it would seem logical to suggest that there will be more opportunities for cybercriminals, despite increasingly powerful protection. Some have suggested an effective way of combating future threats would be a greater degree of collaboration between security companies, as well as governments and police organisations.

“Changes in the current threat landscape – such as the increasing complexity and sophistication of attacks, the evolution of attackers and attack patterns, and malicious activities being pushed to emerging countries – show not just the benefits of, but also the need for increased cooperation among security companies, governments, academics, and other organisations and individuals to combat these changes,” says Kevin Hogan, senior manager at Symantec Security Response.

We may be some way off from a more formal degree of cooperation between security firms, since they’re nature is entrenched in rivalry.

However, a drive towards tighter cohesion between the IT industry as a whole and government, police and wider industry would seem to be beneficial to tackling the security threats of the future.

www.pcr-online.biz

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INTERVIEW HMV

New kid in town Following a recent move into the laptop arena for it’s Oxford Circus Store, HMV’s technology and books product manager, Ricky Gordon, tells Andrew Wooden about the early signs of success, future plans, and HMV’s history in the consumer electronics arena…

“No other retailer occupies such a threedimensional position in the entertainment space – that’s our USP” Ricky Gordon, HMV

How much interest has your trial laptop department attracted so far?

It’s still early days and too soon to say – I always feel you really need the best part of six months to a year to truly understand what the opportunities and any issues might be. However, we’re encouraged by what we’ve seen so far.

that we have been gradually diversifying and extending our product mix away from the more traditional areas of pre-recorded content, though without compromising its integrity.

Within this trend it’s possible to see technology products playing an increasingly important role.

How many more will you be looking to roll out, and where?

We can’t really say until we’ve had the opportunity to fully digest and assess the impact of the trial. But if it goes well, as we hope, then, obviously, we will look to extend it to key stores that enjoy a high technology profile.

Why did HMV decide to move into the PC area?

On the one hand, demand for our traditional core products of music and film, is changing – particularly in the way that people consume it. We’re doing our best to be a part of this change, and to respond to the needs of our customers, but this also means looking at new product areas that are still part of entertainment and popular culture, and changing our mix a little.

Technology products definitely fall into this category for us.

We’ve also been encouraged by our success to date with technology-related

How large a part of your business could this become, if successful?

I think it could potentially become an interesting element within our overall technology business. But, again, it really is too early to give any strong indications right now. All I can say is

22 PCR September

products – for example, we’re one of the leading retailers of Apple accessory products, so, naturally, we’re keen to see what other products would appeal to HMV customers.

What will set you apart from other retailers going forward, and are you attracting a different kind of customer to your rivals?

We feel we’ve been carving out quite an individual role for ourselves within the retail environment over the last couple of years – partly by following our own brand-led strategy, but also as a result of some of our direct competitors falling by the wayside which has kind of left us as the ‘last man standing’.

We feel we can be unique in developing a true 360 degree offer for our customers that is fully multichannel and draws on our stores, our online and digital platforms and on the live venues we now own. No other

www.pcr-online.biz

INTERVIEW HMV

everything’s going full circle, and in stocking iPods and netbooks, today’s modern day equivalents perhaps, we have gone back in order to move into the future.

What sort of approach do your staff have to the technology? Will they use lots of technical terms or keep the descriptions simple?

Whilst we have many customers who visit our stores because they see us as a

specialist, we do also get a lot of custom from what might be termed mainstream shoppers. So it’s important not to blind anyone with science – and to explain our products using everyday language that the ‘layman’ shopper can understand.

There’s a huge potential audience out there of casual purchasers, especially for gifting periods, and we’re well placed to tap into this.

Do you see HMV becoming a more holistic technology and media retailer in the future?

I can see us becoming a more ‘holistic’ retailer, covering everything from live concert and ticketing to downloads and artist merchandising.

Technology and media products also play a role in this.

PCs, especially netbooks, are managing to keep their head above the water in a time of economic strife. What do you attribute this to?

I think people are cutting back spending on superficial or luxury items that they don’t really need, and, along with essentials and basics, are instead focusing their needs on items that add value to their lives. Netbooks and technology products would appear to fall into this category.

Would you say the growth of netbooks is specifically down to the price or is it indicative of a wider portion of the population wanting to get online and engage with new technology?

Price can never be dismissed as a factor, but there’s clearly more than that going on here. I think there’s enough evidence to suggest that a growing number of consumers do want to engage with new media and technologies, which often cut across their domestic, social and work lives, and to invest in products that fulfil this aspiration.

In decades gone past, HMV had much more of a consumer electronics focus than it does today, so the addition of netbooks is really a return to its roots

retailer occupies such a threedimensional position in the entertainment space, and it means we can appeal to an increasing number of customers and offer them a growing range of products. I think that’s our USP. Ironically, if you go back a few decades, from the Twenties to the Sixties, we stocked not just recorded music, but technology products also.

To begin with it was just gramophones and related items, but then we played a key role in popularising new electronic items such as radios and TVs, and we even got into white goods at one point. So you could argue

RETAIL FOCUS

From the Frontline VALUE FOR MONEY SHINES THROUGH A look at this month’s top sellers reveals a theme that will be familiar to many retailers across the country.

Despite the ongoing recession, there is still demand for IT products, but customers are looking to maximise the value of the money they spend.

In the security segment, Norton is the top seller, closely followed by the multiple user version of Kaspersky’s anti-virus suite. A key point here is that Norton 360 can often be found bundled with other products such as Microsoft Office or as an add-on to laptop sales, while the value of multiple install is self evident.

With peripherals, the popularity of bundles is obvious, where the top selling stand alone keyboard is Microsoft’s bog-standard Wired 500.

Ergonomic models perform well but still take second place to simplicity and value. Mouse sales buck the trend slightly, but show a prevalence of mobile mice – often the only additional purchase required when buying a mobile PC. Elsewhere, the mid-range ATI HD4650 performs very well, not surprising given its reputation for good performance at a low price point, while Nvidia’s GeForce 9600 still competes well despite being a couple of years old now.

The most popular laptop, Dell’s Inspiron 1545 can be found on special offer at the moment for as little as £350, while most of the other listed devices can be bought for less than £500.

Interestingly, the desktop segment shows a trend towards sub-£500, small form media-centric PCs. No wonder laptop sales are doing so well. matt.grainger@intentmedia.co.uk

24 PCR September

This week, Infinite FMS has surveyed 300 retail outlets across the UK to gain real ‘grass roots’ feedback and opinion on the best selling products in-store and issues affecting the industry...

SECURITY SOFTWARE 1

NORTON 360 V3.0 All-in-one security

2

KASPERSKY ANTI-VIRUS 2009 (3 USER)

3

MCAFEE TOTAL PROTECTION 2009

4

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5

NORTON INTERNET SECURITY 2009

MICE 1

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2

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3

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4

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5

MICROSOFT ARC WIRELESS LASER MOUSE

KEYBOARDS 1

MICROSOFT Wired Keyboard 500

2

LOGITECH S520 CORDLESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE BUNDLE

3

MICROSOFT COMFORT CURVE WIRED 2000

4

LOGITECH WAVE WIRED

5

MICROSOFT WIRELESS MEDIA DESKTOP 1000 KEYBOARD & MOUSE BUNDLE

www.pcr-online.biz

RETAIL FOCUS ‘infinite FMS is a specialist field marketing provider delivering bespoke solutions purely for the technology sector. With over 10 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 <http://www.infinitefms.com> ’

Yes 72% DO YOU THINK WINDOWS 7 WILL BOOST SALES IN CHANNEL?

Don’t know 7%

No 21%

Microsoft is extremely bullish about the launch of Windows 7, and it would seem that so are you. 72 per cent of the retailers that Infinite surveyed expected sales to be boosted by the launch of the new operating system. Compare this with the indifference that surrounded the launch of Vista...

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 experiences at the coal face of the Industry. Below are the most frequent (and pertinent) comments that were made: “Mobile broadband is really helping to drive laptop sales” “We are experiencing lots of enquiries and preorders for Windows 7” “There is a lot of interest in the forthcoming Apple Tablet PC and a lot more people are considering moving from Windowsbased machines”

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www.pcr-online.biz

“Netbooks and laptops are outselling desktops by four to one” “Families are buying a laptop per person, rather than one PC for the household” “Laptops and Netbooks are continuing to gain momentum; consumers after an entry level PC tend to leave store with a laptop instead” “A lot more consumers are researching products, specifications and prices before they visit stores” “Many consumers are more price sensitive with lower cost accessories and peripherals selling well” September PCR 25

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Hardware PCRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monthly look at recent developments in the hardware market

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>>>

GAMING LAPTOPS As the sector sees unprecedented growth, we talk to some of the key figures in the gaming laptop segment...

P 33

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MYSTERY SHOPPER

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Our Mystery Shopper heads to Warrington in search of a high spec LCD monitor

PCR looks at one of the gaming sectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most important components

The distributor discusses its best seven months ever

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HARDWARE MYSTERY SHOPPER

Warrington Our Mystery Shopper went to the Chesire town in search of high specification LCD monitors for gaming and watching HD movies...

STAPLES I ENTERED the warehouse-styled store, which was stacked from floor to ceiling with various products, and walked over to the PC section, where I started to look at the monitors that were on display. I had only been there for a couple of minutes when a man approached, smiling, and asked what he could do to help.

After I told him what I wanted he pointed to the 19-inch LG M1994D for £159.87, with a saving of £20 and then suggested the 22-inch LG M2294 model for £199.28, which had a saving of £25. “These two models have both got inbuilt Freeview and HDMI,” he said. It was obvious that he was getting this information from the ticket on the shelf – when I asked what the resolution was he simply read it all again and told me that he didn’t know.

I asked him if there was any literature I could take with me and was told that there wasn’t anything, “I’m just going to write down the information so I don’t forget,” I told him.

Before I found a pen he said: “If you need anything else let me know.” And with that he walked away.

SCORE I was far from blown away by the customer service or product range that Staples offered. Overall the service was friendly, but I could tell that more product training was needed by the staff members. I left feeling that I didn’t get enough information on the products recommended.

7/10

28 PCR September

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HARDWARE MYSTERY SHOPPER

Turn the page for more Mystery Shopper results

>>>

COMET

CASTLE COMPUTERS

ON SETTING foot into Comet, I noticed it felt more closedin than other Comet stores, which tend to have a larger floor space on entry. There was a small counter area to my left with a lady serving a customer. A member of staff headed back to behind the till area and looked in my direction. “How can I help you?” he asked. I told him what I was looking for and he walked me to the back of the store, where a selection of monitors was displayed.

The assistant pointed to the 22-inch HP 2159M. “That would be the best for you,” he said triumphantly, but gave me no reasons why, or any other type of information. “Why

I WENT into the small, clean and tidy store and saw different computers and peripherals in glass cabinets dotted around the place. “I won’t keep you one minute,” said the shopkeeper. He was smartly dressed, with a branded Castle Computers shirt on.

I looked around the store and less than a minute later he approached me asking how he could help. I said that I wanted an LCD monitor and explained it was for gaming and watching HD movies.

First a 22-inch AMW Multimedia VGA HDMI DVI was suggested, costing £162.15. I was surprised as it was the

“After reading the page he left out for me, I looked at the other monitors on display. The assistant stood there silently, making me feel uncomfortable.”

“I was happy with the overall customer service – the assistant was friendly and helpful – but it was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t see or touch one of the monitors in person.”

is that?” I pushed after a while. He then pointed to a sticker which said HDMI in the top left corner, “It’s HDMI, so it’ll be better quality resolution.” I asked if it was 1080. “I don’t think so,” he said, and started to read the ticket information.

“Oh yes it is – it’s 1920 x 1080 – this is the best monitor for the price. The next size up, the 24-inch, is exactly the same but bigger and it’s £329.99. The resolution is actually better on the 22-inch screen for almost half of the price.”

I asked if there was any literature I could take home with me and I was told straight away that there was nothing available. Then he said: “We’ve got a Computing Buyer’s Guide, but they won’t be in it.” He walked over to the end gondola, grabbed a booklet and began to flick through it.

“Oh, they are in here!” he exclaimed and passed it to me.

I took the booklet and thanked him. After reading the page he left it open on, I began to look at the other monitors on display. The assistant stood there silently, which made me feel a bit uncomfortable, so I thanked him for his time and left.

I was happy with the overall recommendation for my needs, but felt that more training was needed for store staff on both SCORE product knowledge and selling skills.

The product range was decent with quite a variety, which was all on display on two bays.

5/10

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second cheapest monitor the store stocked; I could see that he wasn’t just trying to sell me the top of the range model.

“Is that going to be the best for what I need? I would prefer quality over price,” I said.

“In that case I would recommend one of the two Viewsonic models,” he replied, pointing to the sheet, showing me the 22-inch Viewsonic VX2260WM 2 MS LCD Multimedia Wide Screen Monitor DVI/HDMI 1080, costing £213.28, and the 24-inch Viewsonic VX2433WM 2 MS LCD Multimedia Wide Screen Monitor DVI/HDMI 1080, costing £241.02. “The resolution is 1080, so that will be high definition, which means better picture quality. You get a really good three-year warranty with the Viewsonic ones as well.”

I asked him if I could see one, but unfortunately they did not have any demo models on the shop floor. However, I was given the sheet to take home with me. As I was on my way out an older gentleman came through the back door, also with a Castle Computer’s shirt, and shouted ‘goodbye’ to me.

I was happy with the overall SCORE customer service – the assistant was friendly and helpful – but it was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t see or touch one of the monitors in person.

8/10

September PCR 29

HARDWARE MYSTERY SHOPPER

TESCO EXTRA

PC WORLD

CURRYS

THE PC section in this Tesco Extra was actually quite small and there were only two monitors on display; both were covered in dust and sat on a small shelf.

I looked around trying to get some attention, but it was not forthcoming so I decided I would have to find assistance instead. I saw an electrical service desk where one lady was serving a man buying a PS3 game and while I was waiting there another lady approached me.

I told her my plight and she walked me over to the two monitors which I had already looked at.

“This is all we have,” she said. I asked her if they were LCD. “I’m not sure,” she replied, as she turned the screens around and read the back of them. “This one is,” she said, pointing to the 18-inch Acer X193HQB for £79.00. It was by far the smallest, dirtiest monitor I had seen. I asked about the 22-inch LG WZZ34SBN for £139. She told me that she would take the ticket and find out more about it.

After about five minutes of waiting she came back. “We’ve sold out of those ones. The best thing to do is to get our Tesco Direct catalogue at the front of the shop – there will be a bigger range in there. We can then order one in-store for you.” I thanked her for her time and went to get a catalogue.

After a good five minutes of looking I couldn’t find them, so walked to the greeter at the front of the store. He helped me search again, but it turned out that the shop had run out of catalogues and no one knew when more would come in.

This was disappointing as this store didn’t have what I wanted and the advice and recommendations I got could not be fulfilled.

The service was friendly enough, but I felt as though I had wasted my time, especially as I SCORE couldn’t find a catalogue to look at. I would not go to a supermarket to get PC monitors.

THIS was an average looking PC World, and as I walked up its central aisle a staff member also walked towards me. He smiled and asked how he could help me.

I said I wanted an LCD monitor and he told me to follow him, asking a few questions on the way as to my monitor needs and what I would be using it for the most. I felt as though he was genuinely trying to find out my requirements instead of just trying to sell or make recommendations without listening to what I needed.

He suggested the 22-inch Widescreen Asus PG221H for £149.97, with a saving of £50 and the 22-inch Widescreen HP 2159v for £149.99.

He went through the main advantages of both.

“The ASUS has HDMI connectivity, so even though the resolution is not high definition (1680x1050) the picture will still be great. The HP has got a resolution of 1920x1080, but has no HDMI connection; it is only VGA.” I asked him if there was any literature I could take away with me and was told there wasn’t, but he could print off the details. He wrote down the numbers and said he wouldn’t be long. Less than five minutes had passed before he was back with both print-outs. As I was looking at them he told me that with the 2ms response rate of the Asus, compared to the 5ms response rate of the HP, along with better speakers (which I would notice more while watching movies) the best choice for me would be the Asus, plus there was £50 off the price.

Overall, this was a very pleasant shopping experience, from the layout of the store to the smartly turned-out staff. There was no hard sell approach and the conversation was very informative without getting bogged down with too much jargon.

There was a good SCORE product range as well, although I would expect this from PC World.

AS I walked into the store a man was standing not far from the entrance. He smiled, greeted me and asked what I wanted. I explained my reason for being in the shop and he shouted for a girl to come over. He asked: “Can you take this lady to the PC monitors? She wants an LCD monitor.”

The assistant led me to a gondola end with six monitors squeezed on it and the only question she asked was what size I wanted, so there was little establishment of my requirements. I asked her which ones were LCD. She read the ticket information, then walked over to the original member of staff for advice.

She came back and told me that the 22-inch Samsung P2250 and the 22-inch Samsung T220 were the best ones, but gave me no reasons why. I asked her if they were going to be good for playing games and watching HD movies. She read the ticket information again and said: “You don’t get an HMDI connection, but if you go for the one with a higher resolution, you get 1920x1080 on the P2250, whereas the T220 only has 1680x1050, so the picture and sound quality won’t be as good.”

I asked her if there was anything I could take with this information on it and she said that she would print it off for me. She reappeared a few minutes later with the two print-outs. “If you need anything else let me know,” she said and left me looking at the papers.

I was a bit disappointed with the overall product knowledge of the assistant. I felt that the greeter could have selected a member of staff who knew more about monitors. They clearly had better product knowledge and yet had passed me on to her. On the plus side, there were more monitors in Currys compared to some other stores that I’d visited, but my SCORE shopping experience fell short and most likely would not have resulted in a sale.

5/10

9/10

6/10

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.

30 PCR September

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CONTACTS

HARDWARE GAMING LAPTOPS

Micro Anvika: 020 7467 6050 Dell.com: 0844 444 4699 Ingram Micro: 0871 973 3000 Micro P: 01282 776 776 Novatech: 0871 222 2812 VIP: 0871 622 7500 C2000: 0870 060 33 44

[

HP HDX X18-1300 SRP: £1,499

]

This premium notebook offers a 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and can support up to eight gigabytes of RAM. The machine comes with 500GB of storage and an Nvidia GeForce GT130M graphics card. It also includes a Blu-ray disc player and Altec Lansing speakers with an integrated sub-woofer.

Distributor: Micro Anvika

Portable Power As mobile technology has advanced, the gaming laptop segment has grown by leaps and bounds and now threatens to overtake the gaming desktop sector in terms of sales. Matt Grainger investigates this flourishing area of the business and talks to some of the UK’s key players…

“Interest in gaming laptops is growing.

Whether you’re a hardcore gamer, or a tech enthusiast who wants the latest and greatest, there are more choices than ever for performance laptops” Brian Joyce, Dell

www.pcr-online.biz

THE gaming laptops segment has seen unprecedented growth over the last year, spurred by technological innovation and a growing emphasis on mobility within the PC market in general.

In fact, this growth has not been solely specific to the gaming segment.

Analysts around the world have recorded an unprecedented expansion in the laptop segment, at the expense of sales in the desktop sector.

One of the main reasons for this growth is price point. At this time, there is not a huge difference in price between a laptop and a desktop base unit of comparable power. However, the desktop requires a range of

peripherals that can cost hundreds of pounds on top of the initial purchase.

Another reason for the growth of the gaming laptop has been the progression in technological development spurred by the popularity of netbooks – which in many ways are a product of the recession. These devices have reached a wide range of consumers, who usually require them to be low cost, but capable of handling modern media content.

This demand was well anticipated by the likes of Intel, which has seen massive demand for its Core i7 mobile processor, but has also been aided by the greater availability of small form

lithium ion batteries, the lowering of manufacturing costs for solid state memory and the proliferation of LCD flat screen panels.

These innovations have significantly narrowed the performance gap between the laptop and desktop segments, making the gaming laptop a far more viable alternative than ever before.

“The performance difference is no longer a barrier,” confirms Asus’ marketing specialist Iain Bristow. “If you look at our W90 for example, it can compete with most of the high-end systems around at the moment. Whilst it’s not ultra-portable, it’s still a

>>>

September PCR 33

HARDWARE GAMING LAPTOPS

FOR A WORLD WITHOUT LIMITS!

[

ALIENWARE M17X SRP: £1,699

]

Dell recently won the legal right to call this laptop ‘the most powerful 17inch laptop in the universe.’ Obviously it carries a 17-inch screen, but also comes with an Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core overclockable processor and can be pre-configured with dual 1GB Nvidia GeForce 280M graphics card.

Distributor: Dell.com

[

ASUS G60 SRP: £1,449

]

This device features an Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 processor with and Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M, which includes a gigabyte of dedicated DDR3 RAM. The RAID configured dual hard drives give a total of 640GB of storage, and the machine includes four gigabytes of DDR2 800 RAM.

When fiction meets reality you need to be able to rely on your memory for ultimate Performance.

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Distributor: Ingram Micro

Specifically engineered to deliver high speeds and low latencies for gaming systems.

>>>

lot more portable than most desktops, especially when you factor in the monitor and peripherals you’d need to take to a LAN party for example.”

The mobile segment is an area that is a focus for many of today’s key developments, which increasingly focus on small form, low power consumption and low temperature.

As mentioned, sales of mobile PCs are quickly outgrowing sales in the desktop segment and consequently they are seeing a greater degree of research and development.

www.pcr-online.biz

“It is true that in the old days a laptop was never in the same performance class as the traditional tower or desktop but over the last two years the gap has been closed down,” comments Novatech’s commercial director Kriss Pomroy.

“We see many performance breakthroughs appearing on our mobile gaming stations before it reaches the traditional desktop. If you look at HDMI, E-SATA and SSDs, they were all available on our laptops before they were available on our PCs.

>>>

www.kingstonpartnerprogram.com

© 2009 Kingston Technology Europe Ltd, Kingston Court, Brooklands Close, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex,TW16 7EP, England.Tel: +44 (0) 1932 738888 Fax: +44 (0) 1932 785469. All rights reserved.

All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

HARDWARE GAMING LAPTOPS

[

ASUS-LAMBORGHINI VX5 SRP: £1,999

]

This design collaboration between Asus and car manufacturer Lamborghini includes an Intel Core 2 Quad-Core Q9000 with four gigabytes of DDR3 RAM, up to a terabyte of hard disk storage and an Nvidia GeForce GT 130M with a gigabyte of dedicated GDDR3 VRAM. Distributor: Ingram Micro

[

ACER ASPIRE 5935 SRP: £699

]

Combining high-end multimedia performance with portability, the Aspire 5935 includes an Intel Core 2 Duo T6500 processor, four gigabytes of RAM and 320 gigabytes of storage memory. It has a 15.6-inch screen and carries and Nvidia GeForce GT 130M with 3G Dolby Home Theatre surround sound.

Distributor: Ingram Micro, Micro P

[

ACER ASPIRE 8935 SRP: £1,399

]

With an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a dedicated ATI Radeon 4670XT graphics card, the Aspire 8935 has been created to build on the success of the 18.4-inch Gemstone Blue series. It features an 1080p edge-to-edge 18.4-inch screen, an integrated Blu-ray drive and 500GB of storage memory.

Distributor: Ingram Micro, Micro P

>>>

“However, that is not to say that the PC is in any way flagging, as our data tells us that all our laptop customers also own equally kickarse PC rigs. What it tells us is that the laptop is no longer the PC’s poor cousin – more like an energetic younger brother snapping at its heels.”

There are, however, examples of the ‘energetic younger brother’ competing with – and beating – its kin in the desktop sector. A fully specced, high end gaming laptop can outshine all but the best among desktops, with the added bonus of portability.

36 PCR September

“Gaming laptops today contain the latest in high-end components, providing extreme performance and graphics capability,” adds Dell Europe’s senior merchandising manager, Brian Joyce, who cites the Dell-owned Alienware M17x as an example.

“This can include components up to an Intel Quad-Core Extreme overclockable processor, and dual nVidia GeForce graphics cards.

Consumers who want the power of a desktop, but the portability and convenience of a laptop, will find that a gaming laptop like the Alienware

M17x will be sufficient for even the most demanding gamers.”

Although laptops in general are performing relatively well, much of this growth can be attributed to netbook devices, which exploded in to the consumer market supported by low costs and promotions by mobile network operators. For the PC gaming consumer, performance is essential and worth paying the extra price tag for.

“Our laptops have performed fantastically over the last year or so,” confirms Pomroy. “We have seen the volumes of our mid to high end

laptops increase quarter on quarter.

“Whilst the entry level market has proved to be a blood bath for all involved and a very difficult market to compete in, we feel our brand is extremely hard to beat in the performance and enthusiast market place. Both industry and our own data clearly shows us shipping more highend laptops than any other UK industry player and we continue to go from strength to strength.”

It’s obvious that the mid to high-end gaming laptop space is potentially very lucrative for those who can operate in

www.pcr-online.biz

HARDWARE GAMING LAPTOPS

THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR MORE...

[

X70 GTX SRP: £1,399

]

This machine can come equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 mobile processor – or the P8800 with the Pro model. It features parallel dual 2GB DDR3 RAM, up to 500GB of hard drive storage and comes with a integrated DVD and Blu-ray reader.

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that sphere, not just because these machines can offer great gaming performance but because they represent the cutting edge in PC technology and, as such, are attractive to gamers, media lovers and PC enthusiasts alike.

“Interest in gaming laptops is growing,” states Joyce. “Whether you’re a hardcore gamer, or a tech enthusiast who wants the latest and greatest, there are more choices than ever for performance laptops.”

“Gaming laptops have been a successful product for us over the last

www.pcr-online.biz

year,” concurs Bristow. “They’re not just being bought for gaming either, but by people who want a PC that they can use day to day but have the option to run the latest games when they want to.”

With continued investment from manufacturers ensuring faster machines and more innovative technology, it seems possible that gaming laptops could see the continued and growing popularity among consumers that has been seen over the course of the last year or so.

>>>

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HARDWARE GAMING LAPTOPS

[

PACKARD BELL IPOWER GX SRP: £1,499

]

Weighing 4.2kg, this machine is powered by a 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P7450 processor, with 320GB of hard drive storage and four gigabytes of DDR3 RAM. Its 17-inch display with diamond view is supported by an Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTS graphics card.

Distributor: Micro P

[

[

X90 GTX SRP: £2,499

ASUS G71 SRP: £1,849

]

This device features a 17-inch backlit LED display, supported by an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 processor and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M graphics card. Dual RAID configured hard drives offer a terabyte of storage memory and the device carries four gigabytes of DDR3 RAM.

]

Distributor: Ingram Micro, VIP, C2000

Representing the peak of Novatech’s gaming line, the X90 can carry three 500GB 7200rpm drives or three 64GB SSD hard drives in RAID 5 configuration, four gigabytes of DDR3 RAM, a DVD and Blu-ray multi burner, and an Nvidia GTX 280 graphics. It also includes a variety of connectivity options including 802.11n wireless LAN. Distributor: Novatech

>>>

The segment will certainly receive sustained interest from those customers for whom space considerations and portability are important factors in purchasing a new machine.

“As gaming grows in popularity, more consumers will be interested in gaming systems that not just perform well, but also fit their home environment and usage needs,” asserts Joyce. “There will always be a place for gaming desktops, but for those who are constrained for space, or require portability, a gaming laptop is a logical

38 PCR September

choice. Also, as the industry matures, and as technology also advances, you’ll find more power in smaller form factors, even better performance and graphics capability with more efficient cooling mechanisms.”

The importance of technological development cannot be understated when talking about PC gaming. The sector has advanced at such a rapid pace since its inception that each passing year brings a new level of interactivity and graphical quality.

“The future is full of excitement for the gaming laptop, with technology

enabling better performance and a more immersive customer experience on every level,” concludes Pomroy.

“We are now moving into a world of new possibilities with the inclusion of LED screens and lithium polymer batteries extending the charge life. SSD technology is further improving battery life whilst massively boosting the boot times of the PC and its applications.

The i7 mobile processor has surpassed expectations and we eagerly await the next evolution of the mobile chipset code named Capella – the future is closer than you think.”

“The future is full of excitement for the gaming laptop, with technology enabling better performance and a more immersive customer experience on every level” Kriss Pomroy, Novatech

www.pcr-online.biz

CONTACTS

HARDWARE GRAPHICS CARDS

CCI Distribution: 01423 704700 Entatech: 0333 101 8888 M2M Direct: 0208 676 3030 Target Components: 01977 739300 Realtime Distribution: 01480 435881 VIP Computers: 0871 622 7500

[

PALIT GEFORCE GTS 250 2GB Price: £114.99

]

Based on Nvidia’s popular 9800GT series, the GTS 250 chipset is a mid-range solution that gives gamers a lot of kick for the their money. Palit’s version of the card also goes beyond the standard 512MB and 1GB set-ups, boosting the on-board memory to 2GB. Distributor: VIP Computers

Pick a card Graphics cards are arguably the most important part of the modern gaming experience. Ben Furfie delves into the market to find out what impact Windows 7, netbooks, and the ongoing rivalry between AMD and Nvidia are having on the industry…

“We will begin to see mainstream applications starting to harness the power of the graphics card as well as the CPU” Richard Marsden, Realtime Distribution

www.pcr-online.biz

ALONGSIDE the CPU and the motherboard, one of the most important components in a decent gaming PC is the graphics card. The speed and power of it will dictate how well games look and play, and as such many users are prepared to shell out big to get the best product going.

However, performance is often affected by external factors like coding, compatibility and operating system.

Despite a major push at its launch, Windows Vista was criticised by many gamers for being heavy on resources with little actual benefit over XP. “DirectX 10 was the last main industry-wide development, but with the poor uptake of Windows Vista many gamers haven’t really experienced the benefits of it,” comments CCI category manager Cliff Cheetham.

“Steam’s July 2009 Hardware Survey showed that less than 30 per cent of gamers were using DirectX 10.”

Conversely, many of the compliments directed at its successor Windows 7 have been around its more efficient use of resources. Part of this is down to the next generation of DirectX, dubbed Compute. “We’re about to see the launch of Windows 7, which will introduce the world to DirectX Compute,” says Realtime Distribution’s sales director Richard Marsden. “This is a huge development in the graphics market as we will begin to see mainstream applications starting to harness the power of the graphics card as well as the CPU.” “DirectX 11 will be huge for graphics,” adds VIP product manager Matt Parrish. “It’s included in Windows 7 and having a compatible graphics card will soon be essential for gamers.

Expect to see new DirectX 11 ready graphics cards released over the Christmas period.” However, Zotac Northern Europe sales director Darren

Roberts warns that it is important to manage customers’ expectations of what this new technology will mean for gaming. “Like in the past, the new graphics features will take some time to be implemented by game developers.”

LEARNING TO SHARE Another of the major developments that DirectX Compute will bring in is greater capacity for sharing workloads between the CPU and the GPU. “GPU Computing – using applications that take advantage of the massive amount of computation power in a graphics chip – is revolutionising the industry,” says Nvidia’s Northern European sales manager Louis Belcuore. “Video can be encoded on to your portable player many times faster that it could ever be done on a CPU.” Such practices were initially met with confusion from some

>>>

September PCR 43

HARDWARE GRAPHICS CARDS

[

[

PALIT NVIDIA GTX 275 SRP: £199.99

]

[

SPARKLE 9400 GT SRP: £39.99

]

Coming packed with 896MB of GDDR3 memory and support for CUDA, PhysX, SLI and 3D Stereo, the latest card from Palit is certainly a powerful solution for anyone looking to upgrade their graphics card.

Perfect for the budget gaming system, Sparkle’s 9400GT 1GB low profile VGA card packs enough of a punch to power the latest in gaming, but is quiet at the same time so it won’t overpower the action.

Distributor: VIP Computers

Distributor: Target Components

SWEEX GEFORCE 8400GS 512MB SRP: £54.99

]

[

GALAXY RANGE SRP: £149.99

]

Pitched as the ideal discrete graphics card for those upgrading from integrated graphics, the Sweex 8400GS is based upon Nvidia’s chipset of the same name. It packs plenty of power for some of the most played games, including World of Warcraft and The Sims 3.

German vendor Galaxy is looking to shake up the UK market with its range of Nvidia-based GPUs. Aimed at the over-clocking market, its cards benefit from Nvidia technology, but also come with specialist software designed to help users get the most from their gaming systems.

Distributor: CCI Distribution

Distributor: Target Components

>>>

quarters. Long before the announcement of DirectX Compute, Nvidia began toying with the idea of distributing processing between the CPU with the GPU. The result was CUDA. “People thought Nvidia was crazy when it first started extolling the potential benefits of a system like CUDA and using the GPU for parallel processing but it’s now been proven right,” says Parrish. “Even Windows 7 will take advantage of the power of a graphics card with DirectX Compute.”

However, unlike DirectX 11, gamers will not have to wait long to see the

44 PCR September

benefits of Compute. “Since Nvidia has done a lot of base work with developers on CUDA, hundreds of applications already exist using the GPU for Compute applications,” explains Roberts. “These can utilise DirectX Compute immediately.”

IT’S ALL IN THE BALANCE Anybody who has been in the position of building a PC on a limited budget will have come across the decision of whether to go for a balanced system, or to skew the power in favour of the CPU or graphics card. Opinions were

mixed among the experts we spoke to.

“Graphics is by far the most important component of a gaming PC,” argues Marsden. “If you were to spend an extra £100-£200 to increase gaming performance, you’d be far better spending that on the graphics card over any other component.”

His comments were echoed by many of his contemporaries. “Graphics cards aren’t just important, they are probably the key component in a gaming system,” says Parrish. “There has been a perception ingrained into users over the years that as long as you had an

expensive CPU then the rest of the parts did not matter, but this idea is outdated. The CPU is still very important, but for a gamer it’s nothing without a good GPU too.”

“Graphics cards are the determining factor for performance in a gaming PC,” adds Roberts. “The best performing CPU platform can be easily killed with a low performing or lowfeatured graphics cards.”

However, not everyone believes that a top-end graphics solution is absolutely necessary. “High end cards are still hugely

>>>

www.pcr-online.biz

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Unsurpassed safety standards are incorporated in the Xtreme Design series of motherboards for safe operations.

ASUS follows stringent Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) testing practices that are 30% more rigorous than any other industry benchmarks. The new motherboards have exceptionally low EMI emissions and together with a low Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) and the Q-Shield I/O bracket, EMI is significantly reduced to prevent any negative health impact and potential damage to components.

Xtreme Design features the innovative Stack Cool3+ to enhance motherboard component longevity and reduce temperatures.

It is a feature that was re-engineered from the original cooper cooling innovation of the ASUS P5E64 WS motherboard introduced in 2008. It also features top quality VRM components, which include: Low RDS (on) MOSFETs, Ferrite core chokes and high quality, Japanese made conductive polymer capacitors.

Power efficiency is important to us and saving energy has so many positive outcomes it should be important to you to.

Using 16 Voltage Regulation Modules or VRM’s, our motherboards can correctly modulate power flow and can reach a power efficiency of up to 96%. Combining this efficiency with out heat dissipation technology, we can ensure this is done whilst keeping the motherboard as cool as possible. Not only do you save power, but your motherboard will last longer. Using 100% Japanese made high quality conductive polymer capacitors, our 16-Phase VRM design ensures a longer component life, minimum power loss and higher stability when overclocking!

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HARDWARE GRAPHICS CARDS

[

ZOTAC ION SRP: £174.99

]

Based on Nvidia’s new ION technology, the Zotac ION has enough power to allow netbooks to play some of the industry’s most popular games competently, including The Sims and World of Warcraft. It also has the potential to revolutionise new, smaller PCs that could compete directly with consoles.

[

Distributor: Realtime Distribution

ZOTAC GEFORCE GTX 275 SRP: £229.99

]

With 1798MB of video memory and an ultra-wide 448-bit interface, the Zotac GeForce GTX 275 has been designed with gamers in mind. It intended for those who want power, without breaking the bank. Zotac is also bundling a full copy of Codemaster’s Race Driver: GRID with each card.

Distributor: Realtime Distribution

[

BFG GEFORCE GTX 285 H2O+ SRP: £329.99

]

This BFG graphics card is based on Nvidia technology and has been designed for those who want a water-cooled system, but don’t have the confidence to install a professional-grade system themselves.

[

SAPPHIRE HD 4890 VAPOR X SRP: £119.99

]

Distributor: Realtime Distribution Based around the quiet, but powerful, vapour cooling technology – originally developed for blade servers – the HD 4850 Vapor X offers huge overclocking potential and enough power for the latest in gaming.

Distributor: Realtime Distribution

>>>

important. However we are finding that the need for the absolute highest products isn’t always necessary,” says Entatech product manager Richard Dolman. “Examples of this being Nvidia’s GTX 260 – while a hugely fast card, it has been available at sub £200 for some time now.”

“It all depends on what you play,” adds Cheetham. “For FPS and RTS games that handle the ever-complex 3D graphics and real world physics, you will need faster and more powerful graphics cards, while the MMO market generally requires lesser power.

46 PCR September

“PC gaming would be a tiny proportion of what it is currently if gamers were only found at the top end of the market” Glen Rhodes, Target Components Generally speaking, graphics cards and lots of RAM are more important than high end CPU’s at this time.”

However, AMD’s senior manager for EMEA marketing Sasa Marinkovic feels that it is important not to view the graphics card as a standalone device, but one that works in harmony with

the rest of the PC: “We strongly advocate a balanced PC. The performance of a gaming PC isn’t just down to the graphics card. To get the best possible gaming experience requires a balanced system comprising CPU and graphics cards – as they work complementary to each other.”

IS THE PRICE RIGHT? It’s often assumed that PC gamers only purchase expensive, high-end components in their quest for ever smoother gaming, while maxing out the graphics options. However, not everyone in the channel agrees with that viewpoint.

“PC gaming would be a tiny proportion of what it is currently if gamers were only found at the top end of the market,” states Target Components product manager Glen Rhodes. “The majority of gamers are well enough

>>>

www.pcr-online.biz

GAMING FOCUS

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Enta is committed to the development of gaming, bare bone and the home entertainment areaâ&#x20AC;?

The original TruePower set the standard for stable, high-performance PSUs, and now the 7UXH3RZHU 1HZ VHULHV LQWURGXFHV DGYDQFHG IHDWXUHV IRU LPSURYHG V\VWHP HIĂ&#x20AC; FLHQF\ stability and reliability.

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Iain Gillogaley, Gaming & Retail Channel Manager

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With the continued growth of console and PC gaming along with the convergence to home media systems, we are able to offer a range of products to resellers allowing increased foot fall, additional margin and brand awareness, along with UK backed RMA service.

Shuttle offer a selection of quiet, sleek and stylish barebone and small form factor PCs ZKLFK FDQ FDWHU IRU D YDULHG UDQJH RI FXVWRPHU QHHGV ! 7KH . VHULHV LV EDVHG DURXQG WKH ,QWHO &KLSVHW JRLQJ XS WR WKH 6; + ZKLFK LV GHVLJQHG DURXQG WKH ODWHVW [ FKLSVHW 7KH . VHULHV LV SHUIHFW IRU JHQHUDO KRPH RIĂ&#x20AC; FH XVH ZKLOVW WKH 6; + LV LGHDO IRU WKH KLJK HQG JDPHU ! 7KH ; $OO LQ RQH 3& DQG WKH PLQL ,7; VROXWLRQ WKH ; ' DUH ERWK GHVLJQHG DURXQG WKH ,QWHO 'XDO &RUH $WRP &38 DQG FDQ EH XWLOLVHG ZLWKLQ WKH KRPH RIĂ&#x20AC; FH 7KH ; ' LV LGHDO DV D KRPH PHGLD 3& Reseller Programme! (QWD7HFK DUH RIIHULQJ FXVWRPHUV UHEDWH DQG PDUNHWLQJ EHQHĂ&#x20AC; WV when they become part of the shuttle reseller programme.

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HARDWARE GRAPHICS CARDS

[

XFX HD 4870 X2 SRP: ÂŁ369.99

]

Based on AMDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most powerful solution, the XFX HD 4870 X2 is a CrossFire-enabled board that is at its base, two HD 4870 1GB cards strapped together to give a huge boost to performance.

Featuring a large heatsink, the card has been designed to provide huge graphical performance, without any risk of overheating to your PC. Distributor: EntaTech

[

HIS HD 4890 SRP: ÂŁ199.99

]

[

Designed for gaming, HISâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; latest card comes packed with the latest technology to make games run fast and smoothly. With 1GB of GDDR5 memory and a double slot cooling, this is the ideal card for the latest gaming systems.

SAPPHIRE HD 4870 X2 SRP: ÂŁ274.99

]

With 2GB of GDDR5 memory, this is a serious card, packing 2.4 teraFLOPS of GPU power thanks to its dual processor design. Add to that dual mode CrossFireX and this card can give much more expensive competitors a run for their money.

Distributor: M2M Direct Distributor: Realtime Distribution

>>>

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informed that they can see a significant cost saving for an insignificant performance drop by considering what the mid end graphics card market has to offer.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gaming is a massive growth market, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not just talking about the high-end of the market. Adding a lower end card priced around ÂŁ30-ÂŁ50 will

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still make a big difference to the gaming experience,â&#x20AC;? notes Marsden, adding that some of the top titles donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require high end cards.

However, some feel that the perception of gamers only splashing out hundreds for their latest graphics cards is a misconception. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gamers certainly do have a hugely influential

part to play in the development of new and faster graphics cards,â&#x20AC;? comments Sapphireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Northern European sales manager Neil Spicer. Regardless of the past prestige of gamers, Spicer says that the games consoles from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have had a major impact on the landscape of the games industry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we are learning

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quickly is that the stereotypical image of a gamer has changed. Gameplay is now reaching out to a variety of people thanks to consoles, which in turn is developing the PC gaming side.â&#x20AC;?

However, he adds, â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a hardcore level of enthusiast gamer that can have a genuine influence on the development of technology.â&#x20AC;?

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HARDWARE ANALYSIS

Written by SEAN FELLOWS 0870 603 8218

GfK shows six areas that have experienced volume growth since this time last year

Is the worst behind us yet?

Low interest rates have begun to help reduce inflation levels, highlighting a change for the UK’s economic climate. GfK’s Sean Fellows assesses the effects on the IT market and a possible recovery...

“Things are looking better than they have been for some markets.

If one positive aspect is taken out of the current climate, it is that it has shaken up the IT market” Sean Fellows, GfK

50 PCR September

WITH more than half of 2009 over, it is impossible to escape the fact that the UK has experienced one of its most challenging periods in a long time.

However, there are some signs that a recovery could be on its way. The maintained low interest rates have helped reduce inflation. Recently inflation levels finally fell below the target of two per cent for the first time since 2007. In addition to this, both Euro and US exchange rates are starting to rise, which could potentially lead to lower priced products if they are purchased abroad. This saving could then be passed on to the consumer, luring them back into the shops.

June also brought with it a reassuring sight in the GfK consumer confidence index, which rose this month to nine points higher than this time last year. Taking all this into account, just how is the IT market faring this June?

Within the IT market there are six products which have experienced volume growth compared to the first half of 2008. It will come as no surprise

that netbooks is one of these categories.

But in addition to this, media gateways, communication devices, digital photo frames, software and multi-functional printers have all managed to see volume growth at varying degrees.

Things are even rosier when focusing on the retail segment, with nine products experiencing value growth.

Unfortunately, this picture is not maintained when looking at the business sector. Overall the business segment is still experiencing bleak times, with a half-year decline of 25 per cent and 30 per cent in volume and value respectively compared to 2008.

Delving deeper into the markets, analysis highlights that the projector market has experienced year-on-year declines of 29 per cent in volume compared to June 2008. This is a result of recent price increases and declined uptake within businesses that would normally renew their existing projectors every two or three years.

Given the current climate, budgets have been cut, and businesses are making do with what they have,

sticking to the ‘if it isn’t broke don’t fix it’ mentality. On the other side of the spectrum, communication cards remain on ten per cent growth compared to this month last year, due to the continued popularity of the mobile broadband dongles, which are being pushed with numerous attractive offers to entice the consumer.

Furthermore, MFDs have grown due to an increase in sales of wireless and photo specialist printers.

So could it be that the worst is over for the UK IT market? In my opinion things are looking a little bit better than they have been for some markets.

Some sectors have been more resilient to the conditions than others.

Nevertheless, there is still further to go before we can say that the worst is over.

If one positive aspect is to be taken out of the current climate, it is that it has shaken up the IT market.

Manufacturers have to ensure that new innovations are available on the market and costs are lowered to offer both consumer and business customers value for money.

www.pcr-online.biz

HARDWARE KINGSTON’S CHANNEL PROGRAMME

Kingston of the Castle Memory vendor Kingston has just unveiled its new sales portal across EMEA, in a bid to expand its presence in the region. Matt Grainger asks European retail director Paul Leaman to discuss with PCR the significance of the move…

FOUNDED in 1987 with just one product in its portfolio, Kingston Technology has grown over the last two decades to become one of the world’s leading independent memory manufacturers.

It is this global presence that has enabled Kingston to initiate its new partner programme, which aims to increase its reseller base across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Kingston has created an interactive portal, available in six languages throughout the EMEA region, where resellers can interact with their sales representatives, and sign up to a variety of training programmes through the Kingston Technology Academy.

“As Kingston is a channel company, we are committed to providing our partners with the best support,” states Kingston’s European retail director Paul Leaman. “Our new channel programme facilitates greater access to tools to help distributors and resellers access crucial material to benefit their

www.pcr-online.biz

sales and marketing programmes.”

As part of the launch of the freshly revised programme, Kingston has created a section of the website that is dedicated to its retail partners. The creation of this dedicated area helps

for pricing (RFQ) directly through the website. This tool drives Kingston’s sales team to quickly provide a competitive quote specifically for them for their named distributor.

“Our aim is to be as efficient as

“As Kingston is a channel company, we are committed to providing our partners with the best support” Paul Leaman, Kingston Technology support its drive to become more focussed on the customer, and aims to help drive sales for its retail partners.

“This new section is designed to provide retailers of all sizes with the tools they need to successfully and profitably sell Kingston Technology products,” adds Leaman.

Kingston aims to differentiate its proposition through the addition of specalist features, such as a sales tool that allows users to submit a request

possible in providing all the information that all our resellers need, regardless of size,” continues Leaman.

“This is ideal for our smaller partners.

Within the retail section, partners will be able to find all the information they need and can contact us to discuss our value-added services such as category management, custom products, planograms and more.”

The website has been undergoing extensive testing since May to ensure

that its reseller and retail partners have access to the support that they require to drive sales.

“We have always had a partner offering, but our commitment to being the number one global manufacturer of all memory products means we have to continue to develop and deliver the right tools to the right resellers,” Leaman elaborates. “We don’t believe that one size fits all, so we extended our partner programme to include retail resources. These are tools specifically designed for retailers to help them maximise their sales potential and increase margins.”

Kingston is encouraging its partners to work closely with it and its new portal as it evolves. “We will continue to develop the programme, making sure that we offer the tools and rewards to ensure that our retail and reseller partners keep on growing their business successfully in collaboration with Kingston Technology,” concludes Leaman.

September PCR 55

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P55-GD65

SPIRE TECHNOLOGY

MICRO P a DCC SerCom Company

HARDWARE TARGET COMPANY PROFILE

Exceeding Targets Despite the economic turmoil, Target has just had its best seven months ever. Ben Furfie talks to managing director Paul Cubbage to find out what is behind the distributor’s continued success...

You’ve had some very strong results recently. How would you describe your year so far?

Very good. We’ve made no secret of the fact that things are very good.

Revenue is up by about 38 per cent for the year to the end of July. July itself was up about 47 per cent year-on-year, and June was up at about 61 per cent as well. In fact, the first seven months of this year have been the best seven months we’ve ever had.

We’ve changed a lot as we’ve developed over the past two or three years. A lot of it is down to customer feedback. Many of the products that we’ve added are because our customers have asked us to stock them.

If I had to pin that success down to one thing, I would say it is because we’ve improved our feedback systems.

About 99 per cent of what customers tell you disappears: it’s not retained,

www.pcr-online.biz

it’s not written down, it’s not passed on to the people who can make a decision about it, so we’ve made a conscious effort over the past couple of years to make sure that we do use the feedback that we get.

The turnout for your Open Day was very good. How important are events like that for getting feedback?

It is our best opportunity of the year to speak directly to our customers. It’s all part of ensuring that customers can interact with us; we’ve introduced the customer focus group and so on, but this event really is the pinnacle of that feedback programme. After all, we don’t have 300-plus resellers here every day of the week.

It’s a fantastic opportunity to gain feedback; everybody has a story, a way for us to improve – the more we speak and interact with people, the more

ideas we get, and the better we can help to solve their problems. An example of this are the three innovations that we launched at the event, which were developed and designed because of feedback we have had from our partners.

Is there any particular part of the business that is performing well?

We’ve seen the increase across the board – July for example, year-on-year we dealt with 35 per cent more customers; orders were up 35 per cent and the daily gross profit was up 47 per cent. We’ve introduced a lot of new areas, we’ve changed the status on some of the brands – Biostar for example has become exclusive to us, and we’ve got other exclusive brands such as Galaxy and Watts Clever.

A lot of these things are additional, but if we look at the number of

“The more we speak and interact with people, the more ideas we get, and the better we can help to solve their problems” Paul Cubbage, Target Components

Turn the page for more

>>>

September PCR 57

HARDWARE TARGET COMPANY PROFILE

customers we’ve had orders from, it’s growing across the board. This is partly down to bringing in new areas, or expanding the range in areas we already had, but perhaps weren’t that strong in before. This approach has brought in customers who haven’t worked with us before, because we did the things that they most wanted.

All that is despite the recession.

Normally, you’d expect to see a dip in one or two things, but I don’t think we have seen any areas that have fallen away or failed to go forth. We’ve not seen any impact, whatsoever, from the recession in any aspect.

You’ve taken on a lot of new vendors – how important has this been and will it continue?

The rationale on taking on new vendors has been and always will be: if there is a demand from our customer base for a certain type of product or a certain brand, then we will seek to acquire that product or brand.

However, we don’t have a policy of attracting brands for the sake of it, we have a policy of attracting the right brands if we think they will add value for our customers.

We also do a lot to help our customers to market their products

“If there is a demand from our customer base for a certain type of product or a certain brand, then we will seek to acquire that product or brand” Paul Cubbage, Target Components I think that is down to a lot of our customers being service providers.

They offer value-added services to customers – support and so forth. This gives them the flexibility to sell during good times and service during the bad.

Have you seen a shift in the type of products that are being bought?

We’ve always focused on the components, peripherals and consumer business. This type of stuff sells whether it is for builds or whether it is for repairs, so we haven’t really seen any great swing, apart from the new product areas that we’ve brought in and really taken off.

A key launch last year was mobile broadband. How is that performing and has it meant that you have gained a foothold in telecoms with businesses who you might otherwise not have dealt with?

There’s an element of convergence, so for example, people who repair laptops also tend to repair mobile screens and so on. We’re starting to see a bit of a convergence anyway, even at an independent retail level. The products offered by 3 have brought in a number of end-users who are basically telecoms customers who also have a demand for computer products. So it fits in with the ethos of everything else: the more attractive products you supply to people, the greater the range of people you appeal to.

58 PCR September

and their business. The more that we do along those lines, then our customers end up effectively marketing our products for us. It means that there will be new opportunities for them, selling things that they may not necessarily normally stock, and can make new value through.

Are you going to be moving into any new areas soon?

There will be a couple of announcements in the coming months. I can’t really go into it at this time, but we think they are very exciting because they add a little extra for our customers.

Target prides itself on giving its partners the tools they need to maximise profits

What are your plans for the next 12 months?

To continue the growth that we’ve seen.

We have an expansion plan in place, which we are relatively early in the process of implementing. We’ve also got very big plans in terms of the number of customers that we’re dealing with and so forth. We want to be the distie of choice, which is why we need to do as much as possible to deal with Target and ensure that it is as easy as possible for our customers to be successful.

To be the distie of choice, we want to be head and shoulders above everybody else. We believe that we do more to help our customers in the channel than anybody else, and we have genuine innovations that genuinely affect their business.

www.pcr-online.biz

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For more information on becoming a reseller, call us on 0845 838 0836 or visit www.eset.co.uk/partners.

Antivirus Antispyware

© 2009 ESET. All rights reserved.

Trademarks used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of ESET.

2009 2009 Partner Partner Conference Conference Make the most of being in the family Leeds: Thursday 22nd October 2009 Telephone 0845 838 0836 or email marketing@eset.co.uk

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

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// P 63

PC GAMES The gaming segment is one of the channel’s key sales drivers. We present some of today’s best selling titles

p 68

p 72

PRODUCT FOCUS

NEW RELEASES

We take a look at Kaspersky’s Mobile Security Suite and McAfee’s 2010 range

A round up of the biggest gaming releases on the radar

>>>

Time for

Available to order from September

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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

SOFTWARE PC GAMES

Fair game While stocking up on high-end gaming components and accessories is a sure way of making the most of the lucrative market, there’s also plenty of money to be made from the games themselves.

Andrew Wooden rounds up some of the current best sellers…

THE SIM 3

THE SIMS 3 EA EA’s people simulation series has not only proved to be one of its hottest properties, but has arguably done more than any other series to widen the spectrum of gamers. A combination of cutesy graphics and simple, addictive gameplay has proved popular across the globe, and the main titles have spawned numerous add-on packs. Gameplay revolves around managing the life of a person living in a virtual world, and interacting with the population in practically any way you like. The Sims 3 is still selling well months after its release and is sure to be around for some time yet.

WOW: THE WRATH OF THE LICH KING Activision Blizzard IF The Sims is the talisman for the ‘casual’ gaming sector, then WoW is the WARHAMMER

www.pcr-online.biz

WOW

EMPIRE; TOTAL WAR

hardcore market’s flag bearer. Wrath of the Lich King is the latest add-on to the game, which shows no signs of abating in popularity. It’s a multiplayer game, in which a large numbers of users can play in a shared area, interacting with each other and cooperating on missions.

Wrath of the Lich King adds new worlds, new characters, and new challenges to the fantasy landscape, providing a shot in the arm to the franchise.

EMPIRE: TOTAL WAR Sega DEVELOPER Creative Assembly has made a name for itself with the Total War series, which started with Shogun: Total War in 2000. The blend of epic real-time battle scenes and turn-based empire management has made it one of the most critically acclaimed series in the genre. The latest addition is set in the 1700s, capturing a time when European nations were stepping up their imperial

ambitions. Players use riflemen, artillery and cavalry units to demolish enemy forces, while research and diplomacy are the key to success in the empire management screen. WoW received astronomical reviews upon its release, and continues to stay high in the charts.

WARHAMMER 40,000 DAWN OF WAR 2 THQ BASED on the popular tabletop dice game, DoW is set in a universe where there is only war. Biologically enhanced humans, roving Ork tribes and mystical Eldar squads are locked in perpetual conflict. Players control a group of heavily armed Space Marines as they traverse an alien world, going nose to nose with the insect-like Tyranids.

Gameplay is markedly different from the original, being more squad-based, but has proved popular with consumers and the specialist press alike.

COD WORLD AT WAR Activision Blizzard THE fifth outing for the first-person shooter franchise transports players back to World War II, where they face off with kamikaze bombers and banzai charges from the Japanese army. Both US and Russian forces are available to control, with an array of new weapons including flamethrowers and heavy assault weapons. Praised for its immersive cinematics and high-octane action, CoD has a loyal fan base, with many considering it the definitive firstperson shooter series on the market.

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2009 Sega WITH the football season in full swing, plenty of punters are looking to prove that they can run a team better than the professionals. While there are a few football management titles on the market, Sega’s

>>>

COD WORLD AT WAR

September PCR 63

SOFTWARE PC GAMES

SPORE

>>>

offering can claim to be one of the more established franchises, thanks to its Championship Manager heritage. Players control all aspects of managing a football club, from training to team selection, and attempt to win trophies in various competitions. Up-to-date player and club stats are provided with this version, which have always been key to games of this type. Strong sales can be expected throughout the year.

SPORE EA ONE of the more unusual titles to emerge in recent times, Spore invites players to mould the fortunes of an entire species, from early, brainless roots, through various stages of LEFT 4 DEAD

FOOTBALL MANAGER

evolution and ultimately as an intelligent, space-faring race. Once creation is complete, universes can be uploaded for others to see and explore.

It is perhaps the multiplayer interaction aspect that has kept this Kris Rodolf game riding high in the charts nearly a year after its release.

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV Rockstar SET in fictional Liberty City, the ever controversial Grand Theft Auto series returns for a fourth instalment of carjacking, gun fights and dodgy deals.

The hallmark of the series has always been its open world feel, and the freedom that comes with having no linear mission structure – players can just explore the massive city scape for LEFT 4 DEAD

GTA

hours if they like. A massive hit for the console market, the game received a decent port to the PC and remains one of the best selling games at the moment.

LEFT 4 DEAD EA DEVELOPER Valve is hailed as the king of fine-tuned, perfectly balanced multiplayer first-person shooters, such as the celebrated Team Fortress. With Left 4 Dead the team has brought its talents to the zombie shooter genre, inviting players to team up with three others to try and survive waves and waves of zombie hoards. The critically acclaimed title was an instant hit across all platforms it was released on, with the promise of updates keeping demand strong.

ON A BUDGET If you’re looking at stocking games, it can be worth considering lower-priced, casual or children’s titles, as well as fullprice blockbusters. Avanquest’s ‘click and play’ games retail for just £9.99.

Hidden Mysteries – Buckingham Palace and Hidden Mysteries – the White House take players on a virtual tour of the historic buildings, with a series of puzzles to solve along the way. The publisher is also promoting Jewel Quest Mysteries: Curse of the Emerald Tear. Meanwhile, Focus has been riding high in the budget charts with Hidden Expedition: Amazon, Mystery Case files: Ravenheart, and Mystery in London: Jack the Ripper.

roxio

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SOFTWARE PRODUCT FOCUS

Kaspersky Mobile Security 8.0 New version provides smartphones with PC-level protection against cyber-crime and blocks stolen devices WHEN mobile phones first became popular in the 1980s, no one could have predicted how far technology would come in 20 years. Phones are now our address books, diaries, internet access, music libraries and photo albums rolled into one. We keep a wealth of personal data on our phones and more and more products are emerging to protect it.

Kaspersky Lab Mobile Security 8.0 comes with an SMS Block feature allowing users to remotely bar access to their device by texting a codeword.

Similarly, SMS Clean can wipe all your personal data from the phone and its memory cards by the same method.

But what if a new sim card is put in the lost or stolen phone? SIM Watch sends a secret text or email notification to the device’s owner, containing the

new number and allowing them to wipe or block the phone.

SMS Find can track down the device (if it has GPS) and pinpoint its location on Google Maps, a feature that could prove invaluable for lost phones or parents wanting to locate their children.

Parents also have the option to restrict the sending and receiving of unsuitable content, such as adult or other paid-for services, to their child’s phone. Premium rate or international numbers can also be blocked.

Kaspersky Mobile Security 8.0 also performs the same functions as a traditional antivirus package. With an automated firewall and in-built antispam filter for messages and calls, the package scans incoming files, including through Bluetooth connections.

“SMS Find can track down the device (if it has GPS) and pinpoint its location on Google Maps, a feature that could prove invaluable for lost phones or parents wanting to locate their children”

McAfee 2010 Range Speedier antivirus software and extra family features provide protection from security threats and cyber bullying

68 PCR September

MCAFEE’S 2010 range is designed to provide varying levels of protection without slowing computers down.

Anti-virus 2010, Internet Security 2010 and Total Protection 2010 all run silently in the background and are quicker to start up, shut down and perform scans.

Emerging threats are analysed and blocked within milliseconds, while the Quickscan function checks for threats in the most vulnerable areas of the PC. If installed on a notebook, users can select optimisation settings that delay scheduled scans until the computer is plugged in, or set it to shut down automatically once the scan is complete, extending the laptop’s battery life.

Both Internet Security and Total Protection include a professional quality spam filter to defend inboxes against phishing and other unwanted emails, and also allow parents to filter search engine content to ensure it is appropriate for all the family.

For extra child-friendly settings, McAfee’s Family Protection can be used to complement all major brands of antivirus. The software filters up to 35 types of inappropriate website and provides usage reports so parents can review their children’s online activity.

Users can choose to receive emails or text messages if their children attempt to access blocked websites.

Instant message conversations can be recorded, so that parents can monitor their children’s chat history for signs of cyber bullying or inappropriate conversations with strangers.

The package can also record if personal information, profanities or sexual language are used on social networking sites, and set time limits on how long can be spent on the internet.

McAfee’s unique technology also blocks unsuitable YouTube videos from being viewed, while still allowing access to appropriate content.

“Emerging threats are analysed and blocked within milliseconds, while the Quickscan function checks for threats in the most vulnerable areas of the PC” www.pcr-online.biz

Tough on threats. Easy on you.

arket share m r e m u s n UK Co

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SOFTWARE GAMES

Games Releases This month finally sees the launch of Resident Evil 5 on PC, as well as the release of Colin McRae Dirt 2, the latest Championship Manager installation and the gore-filled fantasy sports title, Blood Bowl...

GAME OF THE MONTH RESIDENT EVIL 5 Publisher: Capcom Centresoft: 0121 506 9585 Available: September 18th Price: ÂŁ29.99 THE FIFTH instalment of the longrunning, zombie shooting series is released this month, this time taking gamers into the heart of Africa. The action follows hero Chris Redfield, as he tears around the plains blasting at the infected populace, alongside partner

TITLE

Sheva Alomar foiling a bio-terrorism attack somewhere on the continent.

The title is hinged around a new coop function, which will add a breath of fresh air into one of gaming's oldest franchises. The title also brings the franchise out of its gloomy, night time setting into the blazing sunshine.

Previous games in the Resident Evil franchise have performed well in the marketplace, which should bode well for sales of this title.

GENRE

PUBLISHER

TELEPHONE

DISTRIBUTOR

DATE

Brain College 3

Self-Improvement

City Interactive

0845 362 7769

Trilogy

Brain College 4

Self-Improvement

City Interactive

0845 362 7769

Trilogy

September 4 2009

Champions Online

MMORPG

Atari

0121 506 9585

Advantage

September 4 2009

September 4 2009

Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition

Action

Mastertronic

0845 234 4242

Open

September 4 2009

Section 8

FPS

South Peak

0121 625 3388

Centresoft

September 4 2009

Colin McRae Dirt 2

Racing

Codemasters

01279 822 800

Gem

September 11 2009

Stronghold Crusader Extreme

Strategy

Mastertronic

0845 234 4242

Open

September 11 2009

Blood Bowl

Sports

THQ

0121 506 9585

Advantage

September 18 2009

Constellation Professional

Simulation

Just Flight

0845 234 4242

Mastertronic

September 18 2009

Dogfighter

Simulation

Kalypso Media

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Advantage

September 18 2009

Need For Speed: Shift

Racing

EA

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Centresoft

September 18 2009

Raven Squad

FPS

South Peak

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Centresoft

September 18 2009

Red Faction: Guerrilla

Action

THQ

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Advantage

September 18 2009

Resident Evil 5

Survival Horror

Capcom

0121 625 3388

Centresoft

September 18 2009

The Humans

Puzzle

Deep Silver

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Koch

September 18 2009

Aion

MMORPG

Ncsoft

September 25 2009

Brain College 5

Self-Improvement

City Interactive

0845 362 7769

Trilogy

September 25 2009

Brain College: Lost Cities Of The Amazon

Self-Improvement

City Interactive

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Trilogy

September 25 2009

Clueless

Casual

505 Games

0121 506 9585

Advantage

September 25 2009

Invasion Over Europe

Action

City Interactive

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Trilogy

September 25 2009

Premier Manager '10

Simulation

Zushi

01279 822 800

Gem

September 25 2009

Stoked

Action

Zushi

01279 822 800

gem

September 25 2009

3 Simulation Pack

Simulation

Excalibur Publishing

01869 338833

Open

September

Championship Manager 2010

Simulation

Eidos

0121 625 3388

Centresoft

September

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

Action/Adventure

Ubisoft

0845 362 7769

Trilogy

September

Crane Simulator

Simulation

Excalibur Publishing

01869 338833

Open

September

Delta Force Xtreme 2

FPS

Mastertronic

0845 234 4242

Open

September

Digger Simulator

Simulation

Excalibur Publishing

01869 338833

Open

September

Eurofighter V2

Simulation

First Class Simulations 01869 338833

Open

September

Heroes Over Europe

Action/Adventure

Ubisoft

0845 362 7769

Trilogy

September

Airshow Pilot

Simulation

Just Flight

0845 234 4242

Mastertronic

Q3 2009 October 2 2009

Chronicles Of Mystery: The Tree Of Life

Mystery

City Interactive

0845 362 7769

Trilogy

FIFA 10

Sports

EA

0121 625 3388

Centresoft

October 2 2009

Risen

RPG

Deep Silver

0870 027 0985

Koch

October 2 2009

*ABC-certified distribution 102,010 Jan-Dec 05

ON THE RADAR

Colin McRae Dirt 2 Publisher: Codemasters Gem: 01279 822 800

Blood Bowl Publisher: THQ Advantage: 0121 506 9585

Championship Manager 2010 Publisher: Eidos Centresoft: 0121 625 3388

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Consumer

Electronics PCRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s monthly look at recent developments in the consumer electronic market

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

P 78

VEHO COMPANY PROFILE After just three years of operation, Veho has grown to become one of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading consumer electronics suppliers. We talk to its founder Steve Lewis and UK sales director Ben Vallance...

p 76

p 81

EXSPECT

GAMING PERIPHERALS

The Gem subsidiary has released a range of accessories aimed at the iPhone and iPod market. We take a look at them...

With gaming driving high end sales, we outline some of the products available to the discerning gamer

www.pcr-online.biz

September PCR 75

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS EXSPECT

Great

Exspect-ations Gem-owned peripherals company Exspect has launched a slew of new accessories aimed at the iPod and iPhone market. Nicky Trup takes a look at the new lines…

“Following the success of its universal touchpen, Exspect is also launching a luxury leather wallet made specifically for the iPhone 3GS, which includes the pen in an incorporated holder”

76 PCR September

WITH the recent launch of the iPhone 3GS and a drop in the price of the iPhone 3G, Exspect is cashing in on the expected high demand for both devices by adding to its line of peripherals and accessories.

Exspect’s first full range of ‘Works with iPhone’ and ‘Made for iPod’ FM transmitters are due to be launched this month. The EX154 can be used with any FM radio and is powered by the iPod, a mini USB cable or an in-car charger. The EX156, which is compatible with the iPhone and all iPods, is designed specifically for use in a car, with a steering wheel control function and RDS technology to display the current track on the car stereo. Both transmitters have large LCD displays, autooff functions, and can store up to two presets.

Following the success of its universal touchpen, Exspect is also launching a luxury leather wallet made specifically for the iPhone 3GS, which

includes the pen in an incorporated holder.

The touchpen is designed to make writing emails and notes easier, and the EX282 and EX283 wallets are available in black or red.

The EX108 Gaming Grip is ergonomically designed to recreate the experience of playing on a handheld games console. Made from silicon, it improves the user’s grip of the iPod Touch 2G and iPhone 3G while games are being played. The Grip is contoured to fit the palm of the hand while keeping the touch screen completely accessible. With a screen protector included as standard, it also doubles up as a protective case when not being used for games.

The firm’s popular iPhone slipcases are made from Nappa leather with a soft inner lining to protect the screen and contours of the phone. With a snug-fitting design, the EX044 – 055 cases come in black, red, brown and

pink, with a pull-release ribbon mechanism to remove the phone.

The EX100 – 104 protective cases have many of the same features, but have a flip front for a full view of the touch screen and quick access to all the phone’s ports. Available in four colours, the cases have a hard polycarbonate shell and leather covering with a soft interior.

Exspect’s EX705 – 709 flip cases are hand-stitched with a magnetic fastening. Designed especially for women, the leather cases come in animal print motifs including zebra, snake, crocodile skin and leopard.

www.pcr-online.biz

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS VEHO COMPANY PROFILE

Finding a niche Veho has made significant headway in the last couple of years in carving out a profitable niche for itself in novel consumer electronic products. Nicky Trup talks to founder Steve Lewis and UK sales director Ben Vallance about the firm’s history and plans for the future…

“The best time to develop new products is in a recession” Ben Vallance, Veho

78 PCR September

STEVE Lewis founded Veho three years ago in Eastleigh, Hampshire.

After working his way up from the shop floor of an electrical retailer to the central buying office for white and brown goods, he ran his own Londonbased electrical product replacement company, which he sold to fund Veho.

He says his aim in starting the company was to fill a gap in the market that wasn’t catered for by existing brands.

“In terms of consumer electronics it seemed there was either cheap junk directly imported from China or toptier brands such as Sony, Toshiba and the like,” Lewis says. “I wanted to bring to market quality gadgets and new technology products without the expensive price tag. We seem to live in an ever-increasing gadgetry world and none of the top brands seem to cater for this.”

Since 2006 the company has grown from four members of staff to 25. With

offices in the UK and Hong Kong, Veho also has agents in the US, Taiwan and New Zealand and its products are manufactured in the UK, mainland Europe and Asia.

According to UK sales director Ben Vallance, Veho has been going from strength to strength; year-on-year sales more than tripled in 2009 and the worldwide turnover forecast for this year is £20m. Although the company’s core client base remains in the UK, where its products are sold through 14 distributors to retailers including Amazon and Play.com, it is seeing a growing demand in the US and Asia Pacific.

“We are a young, dynamic and enthusiastic team of people who have a genuine interest in the products we decide to manufacture and bring to the global stage,” Vallance says.

“We like to think that we bring something different to the table in terms of the products that make Veho

stand apart from other brands. We are focused on developing a strong brand identity and continuing to deliver value for everyone in the channel, as well as consumers, without compromise to product quality, aesthetics and packaging.”

Vallance believes there have been benefits to operating as an independent company during the recession. Waiting for parent company approval can slow down the product development process, and Veho prides itself on creating cutting edge technology.

“We feel the best time to develop new products is in a recession when the rest of the market may postpone product releases,” he says. “Our independence has been part of our success as it has allowed us to identify and target niche products and bring them to market quickly.”

“We are committed to remaining dynamic and agile to cope with all market conditions and perhaps where

www.pcr-online.biz

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS VEHO COMPANY PROFILE

this year the big guns have found market conditions difficult, we have continued to expand and flourish.”

While rival manufacturers might be looking to maximise their own margins during the poor economic climate, Veho has found that passing the saving further down the line has its benefits.

“We continue to attract distributors and resellers because we can offer margins that are more attractive than the margins on offer from more mainstream brands. Why wouldn't anyone want to make 40 per cent margin selling a Veho HD camcorder?”

Vallance says. “We bring fresh exciting products to the table and allow resellers to make a decent margin in an ever-shrinking channel.”

“This is what the channel really wants, especially at the moment,” Lewis adds.

Another key to Veho’s success has been to offer a diverse selection of products. Initially the company focused on non-mainstream electronics, which are still a valuable part of the business.

“The flagship product that really got Veho going was the film scanner, which gave us the global recognition that allowed us to develop new, more exciting, gadget-type products,” says Vallance. “Our strategy is to bring unique innovative products to market and this generates demand even in tough market conditions, because there is little or no competition.”

“We work hard on marketing and PR to let the consumer know there is a new exciting product out there. This benefits everyone and has driven our business forward.”

As well as niche market devices, which range from the film scanner to USB microscopes and a night vision unit, Veho also makes more mainstream products such as video cameras, memory cards and notebooks.

In the past year the company has launched a number of successful consumer goods, including the Muvi Micro DV Camcorder, which, at just 55mm long is the world’s smallest digital video recorder. It has been the company’s big hit of the year and exceeded their expectations.

“Although we released this product as a consumer action camera we have been pleasantly surprised by the sales

www.pcr-online.biz

Veho’s Muvi is the world’s smallest DV camcorder

in the commercial sector,” Vallance says, adding that the company now intends to cash in on the Muvi’s success by expanding the range to include accessories and limited edition models.

The response from the mainstream media has also been extremely positive, with the Muvi featuring on TV programmes including BBC1’s Click and Five’s Gadget Show as well as in a number of consumer magazines.

The latest addition to the company’s range is the Mimi Three PC entertainment console, which as well as working like a traditional PC, is portable and can also be connected to a TV and used as a Blu-ray player.

“We have developed a sleek, wallmounted PC that has both consumer and commercial viable markets,” Vallance says. “We showcased the Mimi at this year’s NEC Gadget Show exhibition and the feedback was very positive.”

Although the company’s recent success has shown that Veho is capable of competing with older, more established brands, Vallance believes it occupies its own space in the electronics market.

“We are relatively unique in our product range so it difficult to aspire to being the next Samsung or Toshiba, but our ultimate goal is to be recognised as a household name in consumer electronics and gadgets worldwide,” he says.

“I wanted to bring to market quality gadgets and new technology products without the expensive price tag – none of the top brands cater for this” Steve Lewis, Veho

Steve Lewis

September PCR 79

CONTACTS

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS GAMING PERIPHERALS

CCI Distribution: 01423 704 700

[

Entatech: 0333 101 8888 Gem Distribution: 01279 822800

LOGITECH G-SERIES Distributor: Gem SRP: £149.99

]

Logitech might be better known for its range of regular peripherals, but it has used that expertise to craft a series of high-end gaming products. Among them is the G19 Gaming Keyboard, which comes with the ability to backlight certain keys, a tilting display screen that can show game stats, system information and more, and 12 programmable keys. It can also be put into a game mode, which disables the Windows/Context buttons, avoiding unwanted visits to the desktop.

Interactive Ideas: 0208 805 1000 Meroncourt: 01462 680060 Target Components: 01977 739300 VIP Computers: 0871 622 7500

On the periphery While gaming rigs bring in a lot of cash, some of the biggest margins are still to be made on peripherals and accessories. Ben Furfie finds out about the latest developments in the sector…

IN the general PC market, the price of a mouse or keyboard is often the most important factor, since ultimately one brand will do the job in much the same way as another.

This can mean there is a limited margin to make on these items. The gaming peripherals market is different, as it is much more focussed on performance than price, which means higher margins to be had.

“From our resellers’ perspective, the normal peripherals market is much more price focused, purely because the specifications tend to be very similar across brands,” says VIP product manager Mark Lynch. “Therefore, the main differential is the price point. In

www.pcr-online.biz

comparison, if we look at the gaming peripherals market, the products that fall within this category are driven by performance.”

FOR THE LOVE OF SPORT That desire for performance means that gamers are willing to pay for any advantage over their rivals. Much of this focuses on features such as increasingly sensitive mice, more tactile keyboards and pin-sharp sound surround headphones.

“Gamers – particularly high-end gamers – always find the money to support their sport,” comments Meroncourt sales director Steve Walsh.

“Even things like mice and keyboards,

which retail over £100, still find a very good market. I’m not saying it’s completely recession proof but it doesn’t seem to suffer as much as other peripheral areas.

“High level, competitive gaming is now at a stage where there is always demand for good-looking, great performing peripherals.”

It’s a point echoed by Lynch, who says that gamers – especially professionals – will pay large amounts for the latest peripherals if they feel it will give them an advantage over the competition.

The idea of gaming as a sport is one that has been scoffed at, but a growing number of people both within and outside the industry are

“High-end gamers always find the money to support their sport” Steve Walsh, Meroncourt

Please turn the page for more key products

>>>

September PCR 81

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS GAMING PERIPHERALS

[

NVIDIA 3D GLASSES VIP SRP: £119.99

]

These 3D glasses are set to spearhead the next major revolution in gaming graphics, claims Nvidia. Designed to work with the latest GeForce graphics cards, these glasses already work with hundreds of PC games, movies and digital photos.

[ [

RAINBOW VIBRATION FORCE JOYSTICK Interactive Ideas SRP: £19.99 The joystick is an integral part of PC gaming’s history, but is still vital today.

Ideal for flight sims and beat-em-ups, Rainbow’s Vibration Force Joystick is analogue-based for maximum responsiveness, and has force feedback to take gamers even further into the experience.

beginning to acknowledge that it does have the potential to be put in the same bracket as tennis, shooting and other sports where reactions are vital.

“We recognise that gaming is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and are fully aware of the fact that just as Tiger Woods, David Beckham or an athlete competing at any other level tend to have very high demands for the

82 PCR September

These small speakers are wi-fi enabled with a range of up to 300m. Both stylish and functional, they can be grouped with up to 20 others to bring users the ultimate in surround sound.

]

]

[ >>>

VEHO WIRELESS MIMI QUBE WI-FI SPEAKER SYSTEM Target SRP: £44.99

right sports equipment, so do gamers,” says Casper Mejlholm, marketing manager at Steel Series.

WHAT RECESSION? Though it would seem logical that expensive, high-end peripherals would be one of the areas of the market to suffer hardest during a recession, the whole gaming market – from consoles through to components – has proved

STEEL SERIES XAI LASER MOUSE Interactive Ideas SRP: £69.99

]

Used by professional gamers, Steel Series’ XAI laser mouse is at the forefront of PC peripherals. Designed to be ambidextrous, it has pro-performance, and advanced programmable buttons to ensure the player can concentrate on the game, rather than which button they need to press.

surprisingly resilient to the current economic crisis.

“The serious gamers will still be dedicated to buying the highest quality peripherals no matter what the cost, so in that area there is more chance that there will be many more serious gamers born during this recession,” explains Interactive Ideas’ Andrew Miles.

However, Walsh explains, the sector hasn’t escaped unscathed: “We’ve seen

some vendors struggle to move their high-end products due to a larger number of users cutting back on their luxury purchases. In response, we’ve seen a drop in price on a lot of these peripherals, which has helped to improve sales figures.”

Aside from a reluctance to cut back on competitive gear, there is also an element of people shifting their spend from other forms

>>>

www.pcr-online.biz

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS GAMING PERIPHERALS

[

EMPREX FALCON PROFESSIONAL LASER GAMING MOUSE Target, CCI Distribution, Entatech SRP: £12.99

]

[

[

]

Created especially for use by professional gamers at crowded and busy LAN events, Roccat’s Kave headset comes with 5.1 surround sound and a noiseblocking design – ideal for knowing where the enemy is when you can’t use normal speakers. It also comes with an integrated microphone for team play.

>>>

of entertainment, such as going out, towards gaming.

“There is a lot of evidence to suggest that consumers are staying in more and investing in home entertainment related products, which provides better value than going out,” comments head of marketing at Gem, Neil Handa.

“The gaming market as a whole is probably not suffering as much as other business areas due to it benefiting

84 PCR September

through an increase or similar level of sales as before to individuals and families seeing an investment in games and accessories for staying in being more value than going out,” agrees Miles.

OF MICE AND GAMERS Of all the peripheral categories, mice are singled out as the devices seeing the most growth at the moment. Features such as programmable buttons,

]

Emprex’s latest gaming keyboard has a number of advantages over its predecessor. The biggest is the addition of the gaming wheel, which places the important QWE/ASD/ZXC keys separate from the rest of the keyboard, surrounded by 17 programmable buttons. It also features a unique backlight that changes the key colour depending on how often it is used, to aid the finding of oft-used buttons.

Emprex’s first gaming mouse was designed with the mission statement of providing decent performance, without charging a fortune. It is equipped with a 2,000DPI laser, which can be quickly switched between resolutions, two programmable buttons and an 180-degree turn button for fast reactions. It also comes with a gold-plated USB stick to ensure minimum interference.

ROCCAT KAVE GAMER’S HEADSET Meroncourt SRP: £79.99

EMPREX CHEETAH PROFESSIONAL GAMING KEYBOARD Target, CCI Distribution, Entatech SRP: £54.99

[

ROCCAT VALO GAMER’S KEYBOARD Meroncourt SRP: £99.99

]

This huge keyboard has been crafted around gamers’ needs. With a huge number of macro-keys, special rubberised coating for extra grip, and internal memory to store macros for up to 20 different games, the keyboard is also illuminated, ideal for finding keys in the dark, but also showing off to fellow gamers.

increased accuracy and improved grip and movement have had a major impact on the importance of the mouse, argues Mejlholm. “It is close to common knowledge that you can get an edge over your competitor if your mouse allows a couple of more macros.”

“More than anything, gamers need a mouse that works for them and enhances their performance,” adds Walsh.

GROWING MARKET The lucrative nature of gaming peripherals has meant a growing number of companies moving into the sector. But could the market reach a saturation point where the number of brands damages it? Handa thinks not: “Each brand offers a point of difference so I think there is room for growth especially where they are offering something new for the consumer."

www.pcr-online.biz

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS GAMING PERIPHERALS

[

RAPTOR GAMING MOUSE Meroncourt SRP: £89.99

]

Raptor gaming is among the top pro-gaming brands. The latest addition to its stable of pro-level mice is the M3 Platinum. Designed around feedback from pro-gamers, the mouse has a number of features designed to aid play, including up to a 3200 dpi laser, six programmable buttons, a 2m USB cord and a removable wrist rest.

[

MICROSOFT XBOX 360 PAD Gem SRP: £29.99

]

One of the major weaknesses within PC gaming peripherals has always been pads. However, that has changed, thanks to the launch of the Xbox 360 pad, which Microsoft enabled to be used either wired or wirelessly with Windows.

[

SAITEK CYBORG X Gem SRP: £39.99

]

Saitek’s range of joysticks is renowned within the gaming fraternity for attention to detail and suitability for flight games. The latest version has dual-throttle sticks, allowing the gamer to split it between engines, or assign it to another feature, such as elevator trim. It also allows the gamer to tilt and adjust the controller’s 12 buttons.

The absolute dBs!

hear what’s next

TM

86 PCR September

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

eurotech DISTRIBUTION

www.pcr-online.biz

RAISE YOUR GAME nteractive Ideas caters for every sort of gamer, whatever their need.

We offer classic games, headsets that plunge you into the thick of the action, joysticks and mice that put you one step ahead of the opposition, travel packs that keep you poweredup on the move, and much, much more. For gamers, the best ideas are interactive.

I

FOCUS

RAINBOW STEEL SERIES

PAIR AND GO TURTLE BEACH

AVANQUEST

DOWNLOAD our latest magazine FREE Find out more about our award-winning range of products www.interactiveideas.com/corporate/CONSUMER_RETAIL

SOFTWARE AND PERIPHERALS FOR EDUCATION, ENTERTAINMENT AND BUSINESS Tel: 0208 805 1000 email: sales@interactiveideas.com web: www.interactiveideas.com

Authorised distributor for:

Pair &

GO

For a full list of publishers and manufacturers that Interactive Ideas represent, visit www.interactiveideas.com

>>> 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

fixITlocal.co.uk/reseller

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

Kaspersky 0871 789 1632

kaspersky.co.uk

Keyboard Co 0845 205 5555

keyboardco.com

Laptops direct 0844 412 4513

laptopsdirect.co.uk

MSI 020 8296 7066

northamber.com

Realtime 01480 435 881

realtimeonline.co.uk

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

www.pcr-online.biz

To advertise on these pages please call Carly Bailey: 01992 535647 carly.bailey@intentmedia.co.uk September PCR 89

MARKETPLACE NEWS

PC sales up for European disties However, revenues down as competitive pressures continue to exact toll on ASPs “It’s too early to draw long-term conclusions, but at least the signs are pointing in the right direction” Kathleen Roach, Context

EUROPEAN distributors saw unit sales increase by 4.2 per cent year-on-year during July, according to Context.

These latest figures from the market analyst show that sales were also up on June’s results by 12.9 per cent, despite initial worries that distributors might experience worse sales figures.

However, the sales increase was accompanied by an overall decline in PC revenues. According to Context, revenues were down 10.4 per cent, though this represented the smallest decrease since April.

Mobile computing continued to dominate distributors’ PC sales, accounting for 72 per cent of all unit shipments and 69 per cent of revenue during July.

There were positive signs here too, with unit sales up by 13.5 per cent year on year, and by six per cent compared to June. Netbooks also continued to provide a confidence boost to distributors, with the devices accounting for 24.3 per cent of all mobile computer sales.

However, revenues were down as average-selling prices continued to come under

pressure. Overall revenues for mobile computers were down 5.6 per cent, while the laptop segment was down 11.8 per cent year-on-year.

“Obviously it’s too early to draw long-term conclusions, but at least the signs are pointing in the right direction,” commented Context account manager Kathleen Roach.

“Unit sales grew in June with slower revenue declines.

Revenues are up 11 per cent sequentially, and things didn’t get worse in July as some had feared, despite the difficult start to the month.”

Target to add new vendors Distributor attributes product acquisitions to demand from its customers DISTRIBUTOR Target is preparing to take on a new set of vendors in its portfolio – but is insisting it is not doing so for the sake of simply boosting numbers.

Managing director Paul Cubbage said that the partners it has signed during the first seven months of the year were a result of customer feedback, and had helped it to see double-figure growth despite the ongoing recession.

“There will be a couple of announcements in the coming months that I can’t really go into at this time, but we think they are very exciting, because we think it adds a little extra for our customers. The

90 PCR September

rationale on taking on new vendors always will be: if there is a demand from our customer base for a certain type of product or a certain

brand, then we will seek to acquire that product or brand.

“Here at Target, we don’t have a policy of attracting brands for the sake of it, we

have a policy of attracting the right brands if we think they will add value for our customers.”

Target Components has recently experienced its best few months ever

www.pcr-online.biz

MARKETPLACE NEWS

NewsBytes INGRAM LAUNCHES WINDOWS 7 CAMPAIGN Ingram Micro has launched a major marketing campaign in the run up to the release of Windows 7 this October. Dubbed ‘Wonders of Windows 7,’ the campaign includes a number of reseller incentives, such as the chance to win a trip to one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

VIP BOLSTERS E-SHOT MARKETING VIP has stepped up its partner marketing activities with the launch of free, unbranded, marketing materials. The new service, which is an extension of the distributor's existing daily e-shot, gives its reseller partners access to unbranded templates of its e-shots.

The templates are available in a variety of formats including InDesign and JPEG. TRANSCEND SIGNS HAMMER Memory vendor Transcend has signed a distribution deal with specialist storage distributor Hammer as it looks to take on the market leader Kingston. Hammer will offer the vendor’s full portfolio of memory products, including USB flash cards, flash cards, card readers, card adaptors and external hard drives.

Kyocera targets third party rivals PRINT manufacturer Kyocera has launched a channel programme intended to discourage distribution and retail partners from stocking third party inks and toners.

The Consumables Direct Partner Programme has been created to reward those partners who stock and actively promote genuine Kyocera consumables. It’s hoped that it will rally resellers to remove third party inks and toners from their shelves.

“We believe by implementing these programmes, Kyocera is successfully tackling the issue of third party toner head on,” commented Kyocera’s consumables and spares manager, Charlotte Elmer.

www.pcr-online.biz

“We have a strong process in place to deal with non-genuine product and the companies associated with this trading. We hope by getting partners on board, we can continue to sell genuine toner and see a growth in our consumables business in the forthcoming quarter.”

A number of distribution partners have signed on to the programme.

The vendor has also promised strong support for those resellers choosing to join the partner programme.

SAINSBURY’S UPS ITS STOCK The UK’s third largest supermarket has stepped up its presence in IT retail after it unveiled a major revamp to its online store. The move sees over 4,500 non-food items added to the retailer’s website. It also includes a dedicated ‘Computing and Gaming’ section. Sainsbury’s said this meant it could offer customers a wider range of products that might not otherwise fit into its stores.

SAMSUNG GOES EXCLUSIVE WITH MIDWICH Midwich has signed intentions to increase its grip on the audio-visual market after it signed a deal to carry Samsung’s range of plasma displays exclusively. The deal also sees the specialist distributor take on Samsung’s visualiser portfolio, alongside its existing deals for flatscreen televisions and printers.

MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES WINDOWS 7 SRPS Microsoft has announced the suggested retail price for its Windows 7 Family Pack ahead of its October 22nd release. The pack, which will allow users to install Windows 7 Home Premium on up to three PCs, has had its SRP set at £149.99. However, the vendor has warned the channel that supplies will be limited.

MICRO-P WARNS ON CONVERGENCE Micro-P believes that IT resellers and telecoms dealers must diversify if they are to thrive in the future. Managing director Gerry O’Keefe said that convergence between the IT and telecoms channels was being driven by the changing expectations of SME customers and their desire to purchase a whole solution from one provider.

September PCR 91

MARKETPLACE BRIGANTIA

Secret to success This month Brigantia’s Iain Shaw talks about the drop in sales and the nonexistent net profits that are causing many indies to go out of business...

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

92 PCR September

LOOKING at the number of indies that have gone out of business during 2009, I can see two closely linked and overriding common factors – falling sales and nonexistent net profits. A former CEO of a Footsie 100 company once told me that where there are regular sales, profit will always follow provided that basic business principles are adopted. This remains true, however it’s only so far one can cut costs after the correct business principles have been adopted, and sales have fallen due to a general economic decline.

I know I have preached from this column and elsewhere, for many years, that indies needed to develop repair businesses and to embrace any service offering that will provide ongoing residual income, however I now think it’s time for indies to consider flipping their businesses further.

By this I mean thinking outside the box, and moving out of the comfort

zone of past experience. Indies need to take a long hard look at their businesses. The areas that are generating sales and profits need to be kept, but anything that is no longer contributing must be axed. The axe must be further taken to the cost base, and it should be remembered that in these times even the costs that you thought historically were nonnegotiable may just be negotiable.

There’s nothing to be lost by telling your landlord that you are paying

“Areas that are generating sales and profits need to be kept, but anything that is no longer contributing needs to be axed”

monthly rather than quarterly, and key staff may be prepared to accept a 12month 20 per cent pay cut, knowing that there is seven per cent and rising unemployment. If your members of staff accept a pay cut, you could even demand a similar concession from your landlord. Like your staff, who value their continued employment, your landlord may not want a void he would find impossible to fill at the current time.

So thinking outside the box, you have premises you are committed to and you have a business that is producing say 60 per cent of what you need from it. Let us use a good example of a typical indie that is keeping the wolf from the door. The repair business is well established and any add-on or refresh sales off the back of the repair base are being maximised.

You know that you are turning the sausage machine handle as fast as you can and that you are maximising returns. Any spare funds for marketing are being deployed appropriately. All those working in this part of the business are doing their bit. So now, what can we do to flip the business?

The typical indie I have just described might have 300 business customers that it touches in one way or another, and guess what – they are all in the same boat whether they are solicitors, accountants, timber merchants, butchers or candle stick makers. They all need to reduce costs, increase sales and maximise profits to survive. Funnily enough, we know that they are making do, while you are doing more repairs and less refresh business. Indies are generally reactive rather than proactive to those business customers on the books.

At Brigantia we have been looking very closely at how we can develop and change our business and over the coming months we hope that our members, and their customers through them, will benefit from what we have been doing in our flipping department!

www.pcr-online.biz

INDIE PROFILE/EVENTS MARKETPLACE

INDIE PROFILE This month sees Roger Humm visit Roger Johnson of R&Y Business Services in Preston…

R&Y was established in 1985, primarily as a small software development business for mainframe computers. In 1992, owner Roger Johnson began developing PC business software, building applications using the foundations of mainframe database techniques.

Over the last few years, Johnson has worked on a number of exciting software developments, including the digital pen. Over 200 pens are currently in operation, which allow the client to enter and print fully validated invoices, typically in ten seconds. This mostly benefits the service industry, but can also include inspection certificates, contracts maintenance and stock reconciliation and requisition.

Branching out into the PC sales and repair market, the first shop was opened in 1996 and then moved into

FACT BOX Year Established: 1985 Number of Outlets: 1 Number of staff: 3 Regular Vendor Lines: Acer, AVG, HP, Epson, Microsoft, Netgear, Toshiba, Belkin, Nvidia

larger premises in Bamber Bridge, Preston, in 1999.

Talking about the development of the business, Johnson said: “We seldom need to advertise our services.

During the last 24 years we have been privileged to serve thousands of satisfied customers, most of whom have found us by word of mouth. We are genuine computer enthusiasts rather than high pressure sales people – we sell products because we believe in them.”

As well as a loyal customer base in the home user market, R&Y also

continues to support a number of local businesses. Offering remote access solutions, on-site support for software and hardware, and peripheral services such as web hosting and design, R&Y can respond quickly to enable their customers to do what they do best – run their own businesses.

When asked about the future, Johnson said: "Over time the business has changed but our core values of providing the very best service possible has remained and is undoubtedly the key to our longevity and future success.”

Contact name and address: Roger Johnson R&Y Business Services 165-167 Station Road Bamber Bridge Preston Lancashire PR5 6LA Telephone: 01772 321355 Email: sales@rybusserv.co.uk Website: www.rybusserv.co.uk

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

STORAGE EXPO

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 discuss solutions with experts and peers.

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATION 2009 FORUM October 18th-21st Arizona Grand Resort, USA The 2008 CEA Industry Forum is a four-day conference designed to inform and connect leaders in the consumer electronics industry.

The Industry Forum offers a chance to network with over 400 of the industry’s top executives and decision-makers from retailers, manufacturers, vendors and service provider companies.

The event offers the opportunity to participate in membership meetings, learn about the latest market research from the Consumer Electronics Association and attend specialist programming designed to keep you up-to-date on the latest issues affecting the consumer electronics industry.

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.

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

September PCR 93

MARKETPLACE PC NEWS

An eventful

month Keith Warburton, CEO of the Technology Channels Association talks about expelling Laptop Revival from the group, and explores EU producer liability laws...

IN JULY not only did we become the Technology Channels Association, but our first action under that name was to very publicly sack a member following their starring role in a Sky News ‘rogue trader’ style story.

If you haven’t already caught up with this story, one of the technicians at Laptop Revival in Hammersmith was recorded as he copied a customer’s data including bank details and personal photographs onto a USB memory stick, and attempted to access the bank account concerned. That was the worst of the behaviour, but equally worrying and potentially damaging to resellers is that Laptop Revival also then intended to rip off the customer by saying that the computer needed a new motherboard, when in reality all that was needed was for a memory chip to be re-seated. Yet more shocking was the fact that two other businesses, including a major High Street retailer apparently attempted similar rip-offs.

Laptop Revival had joined the PCA in February of this year and as soon as we saw this report we acted immediately, first to suspend their membership and then to expel them. A few days later we went to visit them and, no surprise, they were still displaying their PCA Confidence Assured window sticker. We removed it with no further ceremony. They seemed to still be doing plenty of business though, proving that not all consumers watch Sky News. However, in accordance with our membership rules, we have sent a copy of our press release covering their expulsion to the local newspaper for the area.

CONSUMER GUARANTEES The last issue of PCR covered a topic that is close to the TCA’s heart, that of the Consumer Guarantees directive (CG). We’ve been banging the drum about this for many years – indeed we were a consultee to the DTI as well as the European Commission and gave evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee. We have held various briefings for the channel and we also carry advice and guidance on our website, and I’ve previously written about it in PCR. But the element of it I’d just like to pick up on is that of Direct Producer Liability. As I highlighted in this column a couple of months ago resellers are currently caught between consumer law and suppliers’ terms.

There was provision in the CG directive for the EU to formally make manufacturers directly responsible to consumers for product failure. Back in 2007 it called for views from member states. A significant number of responses were in favour, a few were against, but the Commission declined to submit any proposal for regulation at that time ‘to explore the issue further’.

The question I’d ask readers is this: should the TCA push the EU and UK Government for a direct producer liability regulation? This needn’t mean your customer having to send a faulty product back to the supplier, but simply make the supplier legally responsible for putting things right without any cost to the reseller. Do let me know your views, and if we get enough support we’ll investigate some more and consider taking the matter further.

Left to right: Robert French, Robert Peckham and Keith Warburton

“As soon as we saw this report we acted immediately, first to suspend their membership and then to expel them” Keith Warburton, TCA

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

94 PCR September

www.pcr-online.biz

MAC NEWS MARKETPLACE

A new

dawn TCA director Robert Peckham touches on the merger of MTA services with the TCA’s, and discusses the growing popularity of Mac’s in enterprise...

“The company he works for evidently learned some time ago that Mac hardware with Apple’s Bootcamp software does run Windows faster and more reliably than equivalent specification PCs” Robert Peckham, TCA

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

www.pcr-online.biz

HERE GOES my attempt at creating this first ‘Mac-focussed’ column for the Technology Channels Association, and I really have to start by saying thank you for all the emails and voicemails of support I’ve received from resellers and dealers, members both past and present, and even quite a few non-members.

Most of the messages did express some concern about what will happen to the services that the Mac Technology Association has been providing under the new combined organisation, and the simple answer is really very little – they’re all going to continue as before. I have joined the new association as a director with the specific brief of ensuring that the Apple channel is correctly serviced and supported as it was previously under the Mac Technology Association.

So panic not – the Mac-dealer directory will be merged with the new website, as will all the services listings.

MAC TO BUSINESS A couple of months ago I made a mention of the growing reputation that Macs are getting for running Windows faster than standard PCs. This statement is coming back to me with alarming regularity, and in some unusual places.

I returned from holiday just before starting this month’s column, and while I was away I met and spent some time in conversation with a senior project manager for one of the really large multinational IT suppliers, who services huge clients in telecommunications, military, health, government, retail and all areas of manufacturing. When he heard what I did for a living, he was very interested; he’s worked for his company for almost

15 years, and until last year had never been called on to specify Apple hardware for any of the clients he supplies.

However this has rapidly changed, as his company has supplied around 1,000 Macs this year alone. While this is a very small percentage of his company’s total sales, all of these Macs have gone into application areas previously fulfilled by Windows PCs. When I asked the reason, I expected the usual responses of superb design, lower cost of ownership, build quality, and so on. But I was surprised when he said ‘mainly the performance’. He went on to explain that all of the Macs they are supplying are installed to run Windows XP or Vista as the primary OS, along with a host of Windows-only applications, many of them specialist or customised; the Mac servers they are supplying are running Windows, Linux or a combination of both under virtualisation. OS X doesn’t even feature.

The company he works for evidently learned some time ago that Mac hardware with Apple’s Bootcamp software does run Windows faster and more reliably than equivalent specification PCs, and they are actively communicating this advantage to their very large blue-chip clients; what’s particularly interesting is how many of these large companies are then prepared to pay the premium of buying Mac hardware with the additional cost of Microsoft licencing on top, even in the current economic climate.

Looking ahead, I wonder how many of these companies will investigate running Mac OS X or OS X Server instead of the standard Microsoft offering?

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

September PCR 95

ITACS NEWS

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

Why do we need trade associations?

ITACS chairman Matthew Woolley talks about the importance of being part of a consortium if you want to build a brand...

BY yourself you are just one person in a very large crowd who is easily ignored, misrepresented or taken advantage of. Whereas a trade association is hard to ignore because it carries the weight of its membership.

This projects a strong message thanks to established relationships with customers, suppliers, the media and the Government.

in your business. The public need to know that high quality, reliable, affordable, friendly and local support is available. It’s important for ITACS to appear in the media because it’s a kind of advertising. We need to work together to build a brand for our members which is worth something.

Would you consider appearing on a TV show to talk about your work,

“Think about hot coals in a fire – together they are powerful, but even the strongest coal when removed from the fire will cool down and go out. Once a large national membership is established, almost anything is possible.

Open your eyes and see the opportunities” During the last year, for instance, a complaint about Microsoft was sent to its head office in the US, and because of this there will probably be changes to Windows 7. Also, our work with WEEE has reduced costs across the industry and is respected by the UK Government and the EU. ITACS has even been on BBC national radio several times, representing both our industry and our members.

Being a member of an association demonstrates that you are serious about your work. It increases the confidence and trust the public have

96 PCR September

or perhaps have your company mentioned in a national newspaper?

It takes time to establish relationships with editors and producers and ITACS has already achieved some success in that area.

Think about hot coals in a fire – together they are powerful, but even the strongest coal when removed from the fire will cool down and go out. Once a large national membership is established, almost anything is possible. Open your eyes and see the opportunities this creates. The more members we have, the more we prosper.

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MARKETPLACE

NASCR NEWS

Your number’s up NASCR committee member Geoff Carr talks about Ofcom’s suggestion to replace 0845 numbers...

“Between now and 2012, it seems an awful lot of people may be denied internet access because 0845 numbers will lose the ability to generate money”

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

IT SEEMS to me that Ofcom’s revamping of Number Translation Services (like 0870 and 0845 numbers) flies directly in the face of the recent Digital Britain report.

0845 numbers are used for PAYG dial-up internet access in order to pay ISPs, but Ofcom wants them ditched because they no longer cost the same to the consumer as a local rate call. There are five million internet users who regularly connect using dial-up and they’re not all out in the sticks.

ISPs are saying dial-up is so slow nobody wants it any more. Yet I have dial-up customers who can’t switch to broadband. Collectively, they can’t be contacted because they didn’t sign a contract, so they can’t be told how to change to a new number.

I quite like the term ‘not spots’, which Digital Britain coined to identify a massive 11 per cent of the population who can’t achieve a 2Mb broadband access. The not spots are to be addressed by a Universal Service Commitment which promises to get them up to 2Mb speed by 2012. That’s a great promise, and I’m not getting into whether it is deliverable, however it leaves a long gap for those five million whose means of internet access is by dial-up.

Between now and 2012, it seems an awful lot of people may be denied internet access because 0845 numbers will lose the ability to generate money. However, Ofcom says it’s okay to use 0844 numbers instead to provide payment for an ISP. Now this is getting silly – why should they change? Ofcom doesn’t like 0845 because its charging confuses people, so we’ll have to move them to 0844, which works exactly like 0845 did. Replacing these numbers doesn’t fly in the face of Digital Britain; it slaps it round the chops with a soaking wet comedy red herring.

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MARKETPLACE CD-WRITER COMPANY PROFILE

The write way After ten years of operation, CD-Writer can claim to be one of the UK’s leading providers of CD and DVD production and duplication systems. With a reseller drive currently underway, managing director Nic Ranshaw tells Matt Grainger about his business and his plans...

CONTACT Phone: 08707 605 737 Web: www.stordigital.com Email: support@stordigital.com

100 PCR September

CD-WRITER was formed at the dawn of the commercialisation of the internet. And in the decade since its incorporation, it has grown to be one of the UK’s market leaders in the development and production of CD and DVD duplication technologies.

Much of the company’s initial success can be attributed to its founder Nic Ranshaw, who was quick to recognise the potential of digital duplication. Having spent the late nineties working with multimedia, including roles at Channel4.com and agency.com, he became head of internet at the music publishing house Ministry of Sound.

It was there he noticed music downloads increasing in popularity among young people, and so invented a CD production device for the consumer market.

“I thought we could have a licence agreement with one of the music download sites. We went to them with the proposition back in 1999, but the technology had evolved so fast that it very quickly became an unviable business model,” states Ranshaw.

After a review of the options, it was decided that it would be better to offer CD and DVD production solutions at an enterprise level – something that remains the core of CD-Writer’s business today.

“We were at the forefront of an emerging new market, so we were able to capitalise on the skills and tools that I had as a web developer to bring the product and the brand to market. As we were one of the first online stores in the UK, we got a hell of a lot of traffic, which gave us a competitive advantage.”

As the internet developed and became a new marketplace, the company was able to develop an excellent web presence and became the go-to destination for anybody looking for CD duplication technology. Ranshaw describes this visibility, along with the development of its own in-house brand, as key to CD-Writer’s growth.

“The main reasons for our success have been good internet presence, a focus on a niche product and the development of our in-house brand,

StorDigital,” confirms Ranshaw.

“Essentially, we benefitted by concentrating on that and building a level of expertise within the company that customers could relate to and feel secure that they’re getting the products and services they need.”

Like many other companies, CDWriter has felt the sting of the current recession. However, it has seen good growth in new markets, such as education. Nonetheless, Ranshaw believes that now is a good time for strong companies.

“From our perspective, the economic climate has acted as a leveller, where the companies with the weaker propositions and products are generally going under and being forced out of business. Those that have the service model in place to support and sustain their customer base, should come out of it strong and in a better position.”

Naturally, Ranshaw counts CDWriter among the second category, and

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CD-WRITER COMPANY PROFILE MARKETPLACE

is keen to stress the strengths of his business model. It’s clear he considers the exploitation of internet technology to bring products to market as a great advantage. CD-Writer has a portfolio of over 150 websites that help generate interest and ensure a good internet marketing strategy.

“Equally, differentiation through branding – establishing StorDigital as the name in duplication – has been a great benefit to us,” adds Ranshaw.

“Our diligence in ensuring excellence in customer service has helped retain business, and our product innovation has always kept us ahead of the trend.

“We put a great deal of work in to monitoring new trends and researching new techniques to help bring cutting edge products to market.”

Another of CD-Writer’s strengths is the versatility of its products, which can be used for digital distribution for segments of the population who don’t necessarily have access to high speed download facilities.

www.pcr-online.biz

“The main reasons for our success have been good internet presence, focus on a niche product and the development of our in-house brand, StorDigital” Nic Ranshaw, CD-Writer

“In terms of markets, education is always strong, as is the public service sector,” elaborates Ranshaw. “Our products are heavily used by the legal services for distributing digital evidence; one for prosecution, defence and the archives.

“There are also a lot of unexpected areas, for example churches are quite big for us because they distribute the sermons to their congregation, or we can do remote duplications of DVDs for people on day trips or events. As digital media has filtered in to every aspect of our lives, so too have the applications and the necessary distribution methods.”

It’s with this kind of versatility in mind that CD-Writer has initiated its drive to grow its reseller base.

Previously, it has operated without an official distribution channel, preferring to work with those resellers who offer value proposition.

“We’re going to be supporting more online resellers that are looking to sell off the page,” comments Ranshaw.

“We produce live data feeds that’ll keep them up to speed on what’s available, in terms of pricing and stock, and just generally keep them informed with training and product knowledge to a level that we’ve traditionally done with our end users.”

This drive is already under way, and Ranshaw hopes to have doubled the current reseller base by the end of the second quarter of 2009.

“We recognise that visibility is key,” adds Ranshaw. “We can’t use our own D2C channel for every market. There are a lot of resellers out there who operate in their own niches, they’ve got their own web development in hand and we’re in a unique position where we can help to deliver them clean data.

“Many might not have considered that our products can offer them additional margin or extra value to their proposition. We’ve got a portfolio that ensures a good margin for the reseller. They’ve extended warranties, free training and support, direct shipping and all the things that make back-to-back ordering not just easy but profitable, and encourage repeat sales.”

September PCR 101

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: 01225 731 388 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

LO

TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS

In association with

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LOCALISTATION QA AND TESTING

legal services

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

Dell unveils desktop replacement Inspiron 17 is aimed at those who want a laptop that can perform all the tasks their old PC did DELL is targeting at the desktop replacement market with its new Inspiron laptop range.

The Inspiron 17 comes with a huge 17.3-inch multimedia display, as well as a chipset designed for almost any kind of use. Pitched as completely customisable, the user can choose what goes inside the laptop, as well as on the outside.

As well as the 17.3-inch 16:9 WLED display, it comes with a full sized keyboard with numeric pad, Intel Celeron, integrated Intel graphics and wireless G

and Bluetooth as standard. Options include a 1.3MP integrated webcam, face recognition software, a variety of HD displays, Intel Dual Core and Core 2 Duo processors, up to 500GB HDD, up to 8GB RAM, and a 256MB or 512MB ATI graphics card.

Customers can also opt for Blu-ray over the standard DVD drive. The new model has been designed to look stylish, as well as being powerful enough to replace a desktop, with a range of seven different glossy colours available for the chassis.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Inspiron 17 comes with a huge 17.3-inch multimedia display, as well as a chipset designed for any kind of useâ&#x20AC;?

104 PCR September

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MARKETPLACE

Acer launches

M series Vendor announces new M series desktop PC range for high-definition gaming and entertainment use

The glossy black Aspire M3300 has been designed with a number of easy-access USB and audio ports

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ACER has launched the new M series of desktop PCs, which it is positioning as a high-end entertainment rig.

Powered by AMDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Phenom II range of processors, the new M5300 and M3300 desktops have been designed to deliver HD entertainment, high end gaming, as well as perform more serious multitasking projects. The device also incorporates an AMD chipset with integrated ATI Radeon graphics that supports a variety of high-end graphics cards.

Storage-wise, the two models are equipped with high capacity SATA HDDs with up to 1.5TB of space, while

the three internal disk bays allow for significant upgrades in the future.

The M5300 has a brushed metal finish, and features transparent vertical side strips with coloured LEDs. The device also includes an integrated multiin-one card reader that slots away at the top of the desktop stack.

The M3300 on the other hand comes with a glossy black case, and has a number of USB and audio ports that are designed for easy access.

The M series comes with Windows Vista Home Premium as standard, but is available in a number of different versions of Linux.

September PCR 105

MARKETPLACE

Gigabyte ships gamer-friendly motherboard Vendor claims world first as its P55 chipset launches without integrated graphics GIGABYTE has unveiled what it claims is the world’s first motherboard without integrated graphics.

The GA-P55M-UD2 motherboard has been designed specifically for gamers and other individuals who have no intention of just using integrated graphics in their computers.

According to Gigabyte, the decision was made after a number of its customers said that they wanted a

106 PCR September

“The board brings in new features such as triple-channel DDR3 RAM, Gigabyte’s Dynamic Gear power level switch and Dynamic energy saving technology”

board that didn’t have any unnecessary extras, things that either would not be used, or might slow down data transfer.

The vendor also confirmed the trend would not be restricted to this new board.

The GA-P55M-UD2, which is set to launch next month, is based on the Micro-ATX form factor and brings in

a number of new features such as triplechannel DDR3 RAM. It is also VRD1.111 ready, ensuring compatibility with Intel’s upcoming range of processors. The GA-P55MUD2 is packed with a number of other features, such as Gigabyte’s Dynamic Gear power level switch and its Dynamic energy saving technology.

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MARKETPLACE

BFG launches graphics duo New cards designed for those who want watercooling, but without the heavy price tag BFG has launched two graphics cards that come with its ThermoIntelligence Advanced Cooling Solutions.

The BFG GeForce GTX 285 H2O+ and GeForce GTX 295 H2OC graphics cards are based on Nvidia’s technology and have been designed to provide solutions for customers who want to integrate a professional grade watercooling system into their PC, but don’t want to spend a fortune doing so.

“We’re very excited to be the first company to bring this type of professional grade advanced cooling solution to PC enthusiasts,” said senior director of marketing for BFG Technologies, John Malley.

Both cards have been designed to bring all the benefits of their respective chipsets, with the added bonus of water-cooling technology. They have also been designed to be as maintenance free as possible and easy for customers to install.

“The BFG ThermoIntelligence Advanced Cooling Solutions provide customers with a way to get all of the benefits of liquid cooling right out of the box, without having to install a stand-alone liquid cooling system that requires a complicated assembly process, filling, and challenging maintenance from time to time.”

“The BFG ThermoIntelligence Advanced Cooling Solutions provide customers with a way to get all of the benefits of liquid cooling right out of the box” John Malley, BFG Technologies

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September PCR 107

MARKETPLACE

Asus takes aim at entertainment market Latest display series performs dual function as a television and PC monitor thanks to built-in tuners ASUS is hoping that its latest range of monitors can cross the divide between the study and the living room with its built in TV tuner.

The T1 series comes in three sizes – 22, 24 and 27-inches – and has been designed to perform the function of a PC monitor, or a high definition television. The integrated tuner can receive both DVB-T digital and analogue (PAL/SECAM) signals, making the device completely ready for the digital switchover.

All three models also come with a pair of integrated seven-watt speakers,

as well as a wide range of connectivity ports, such as HDMI, SCART, composite and earphone sockets.

The series comes with an intelligent remote control unit that can be used to control the television side of the monitor, and also to adjust settings in a much more natural way.

They also sport a number of pre-set modes designed for both the visual and audio sides, including four sound options and a game mode, which boosts the brightness and contrast of dim, hard-to-see areas, while leaving bright areas perfectly exposed.

“The integrated tuner can receive both DVB-T digital and analogue (PAL/SECAM) signals, making the device completely ready for the digital switchover”

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PARTFINDER can search by description, part codes and supplier; it even has a few more subtle search tools to allow you to refine the results from our more than 100,000 SKUs listed.

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NEW LOOK, SAME SOLID VALUE. 108 PCR September

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MARKETPLACE

...still the best in CPU liquid cooling

Watts Clever unveils new energy saving brand name Supplier aims to unify disparate power saving technologies under a single moniker WATTS CLEVER has launched a range of energy saving products, which have been designed to bring the broad range of disparate solutions together under one brand.

The range covers a variety of product categories such as solar power chargers, automatic standby plugs and energy monitors.

The solar chargers have been designed for the dual function of providing an emergency means of

leaving products on standby – convenience. Rather than ask people to turn off their television, computer or music equipment at the wall, Watts Clever’s range of standby chargers turn off the supply of electricity at set times, for example, between 6pm and 8am.

“While none of these products are unique, it is the first time they have been brought under a single brand that can provide retailers and resellers

“A single, clear and consistent brand doesn’t just help retailers make their shelves look nicer; it genuinely helps remove a lot of the confusion that customers have traditionally had around these products”

Over 40 awards

Legit Reviews “The performance of the Domino A.L.C simply blew me away like no other cooler has for years”

Driver Heaven “CoolIT have created an affordable, flexible and easy to use product which performs better than top performing air coolers”

Mark Mortimer, Watts Clever recharging mobile devices such as phones, PDAs and MP3 players, but also aim to introduce a new way of powering them up without the need to plug them into the mains electricity and add to the bills.

The standby charges have been designed to directly tackle the main issue of persuading people to stop

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with a consistant message for their customers,” Watts Clever founder, Mark Mortimer told PCR. “A single, clear and consistent brand doesn't just help retailers make their shelves look nicer; it genuinely helps remove a lot of the confusion that customers have traditionally had around these products.”

exclusive to

Call 01480 435 881 | sales@realtimeltd.co.uk September PCR 109

MARKETPLACE

Best in PC Cabling Your One Stop Shop for all your Needs!

Logitech debuts unified wireless receiver Device designed to free up USB ports by removing need for six different dongles

“We’re always looking for ways to make life easier – now you can pick and choose the mouse and keyboard that work best for you” Rory Dooley, Logitech

110 PCR September

LOGITECH has unveiled a device that it claims will end the clutter of wires trailing from computers, as well as freeing up valuable USB ports.

The Logitech Unifying receiver can be paired with up to six compatible mice and keyboards.

The compatible devices are Logitech’s K350 and K340 wireless keyboards, the M505 wireless mouse and the Logitech Marathon Mouse M705.

The other unique aspect of the device is that it is based upon the design of the vendor's Plug-andForget nano receiver, and only protrudes from the laptop or PC by 8mm.

“We’re always looking for ways to make life easier,” said Rory Dooley, Logitech’s senior vice president and general manager of the control devices business unit.

“With this unique new receiver, now you can pick and choose the mouse and keyboard that work best for you.”

“Having the right keyboard and mouse for the right situation is important,” added Logitech’s regional director for UK and Ireland, Yehia Oweiss. “Now Logitech gives you a choice – with the Logitech Unifying receiver.

Whether you’re in the office or at home, on the road or at a hotel, you’ll have the right computer accessories for the task at hand.”

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To advertise in this section, please contact Carly Bailey

Tel: 01992 535647 Carly.Bailey@intentmedia.co.uk www.pcr-online.biz

MARKETPLACE

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September PCR 111

MARKETPLACE

Sony launches low light cameras The TX1 and WX1 come with a 10.2MP sensor, as well as several other high end features SONY has launched two new compact The TX1 has a Carl Zeiss lens, with digital still cameras into its Cybershot a 4x optical zoom and an extra large, range, intended wide three-inch for use in low-light LCD touch-screen environments. on the back of its “Both the TX1 and Both the TX1 14.1mm thick body.

WX1 are slim and and WX1 cameras The WX1 comes designed to appeal boast 10.2MP with Sony’s own Gto users who want Exmor R CMOS Lens technology, a sensors and 5x zoom, 24mm small cameras that BIONZ image wide-angle lens are powerful and processors to give (24mm-120mm), flexible” users large images with a maximum with minimal aperture of f/2.4. noise. Both are The cameras also slim and designed to appeal to users have a high definition film mode, who want small cameras that are giving users even more flexibility in the powerful and flexible. way that they use the devices.

112 PCR September

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MARKETPLACE

Apple updates pro software Latest versions of Final Cut Studio and Logic Studio see hundreds of updates and new features LOGIC Studio has seen major updates to both its Logic Pro and Mainstage applications, as well as the addition of over 200 new features.

Logic Pro has seen the addition of the new Amp Designer and Pedalboard plug-ins; these features allow users to create new virtual guitar amps and stompbox effects.

The new version of Final Cut Studio has received a ‘significant’ update, according to Apple. The latest edition features over 100 new features and new versions of Motion, Soundtrack Pro, Colour and Compressor, as well as Final Cut Pro 7. It also has a number of new collaboration features, including iChat Theatre integration.

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“The latest version of Logic Studio is ideal for professional musicians, live performers and GarageBand enthusiasts who want to take their music to the next level,” said Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, Philip Schiller.

“With 1.4 million users and 50 per cent of the market, Final Cut Pro is the number one professional video editing application,” added Schiller.

“The new Final Cut Studio includes more than 100 new features and dramatically expands Apple’s ProRes family of codecs so editors can work in the studio with the highest quality video or on location at low bandwidths.”

September PCR 113

MARKETPLACE RECOMMENDED

[

NOKIA N97 NOKIA is a giant in the mobile phone world, but it has never embraced touch screen technology with any gusto. In fact the N97 is only Nokia’s second phone to have one.

You can see why, for where the nontouch screen E71 and E75 handsets are a joy to use, the Nokia N97 is a huge disappointment. Neither were we impressed with the new, customisable home screen.

Elsewhere, the N97’s list of capabilities is immensely impressive. There’s a good quality 5MP camera with duel LED flash, a huge 32GB of onboard memory, a 3.5mm headphone jack and good quality sound and smooth video from the phone’s usable media player. You also get an FM transmitter that allows you to play your tunes through the speaker of any handy radio – excellent for an impromptu party, or playing music through a car stereo.

Plus there’s the usual smorgasbord of smartphone technology, including

Distributor: Fone Logistics Contact Number: 0870 7877 007 SRP: £499

]

The N97 features a front-facing camera for video calls

GPS, 3.6Mb per second HSDA, Bluetooth, wi-fi, an RDS FM tuner and a front-facing camera for video calls.

An ambient light sensor automatically dims and brightens the screen, while the proximity sensor allows you to silence a call by flipping the phone over, and an accelerometer rotates the screen orientation without

lag. You can even use the camera to shoot 30fps VGA video; just don’t expect Flip Mino-rivalling results.

However, the N97’s mid-range look and feel mean it isn’t challenging the likes of the iPhone or HTC’s best handsets.

APPLE IPHONE 3GS

RATHER than dominate its rivals in all departments, Apple’s policy to driprelease features such as 3G, GPS and turn-by-turn sat nav has allowed challengers to jam an ugly boot in the door. With the new iPhone 3GS, however, the door has been firmly shut.

With the introduction of iPhone OS 3, Apple has removed most of the previous phone’s annoying limitations.

Chief among these is the ability to run third party sat nav software.

While we’re on the subject of mapping, the 3GS now has a built-in digital compass – a handy addition that makes pinpointing your position much easier using Google Maps.

There are other long-overdue additions. The iPhone can now do MMS messaging and shoot video at 640 x 480 and 30 FPS. The stills camera has also been improved from 2 to 3MP. Then there’s the cut and paste function. Finally, you can highlight

114 PCR September

text, cut or copy it, and paste it somewhere else. The facility works just as well for plain text as it does for sections of web pages – simply hold your finger to the screen, tap select and drag the onscreen handles to highlight a section, then tap cut or copy. Quite why it took Apple so long to come up with such a system is beyond us because it works like a dream.

There remain some annoyances with the iPhone 3GS, such as its inability to download certain attachments, and the fact that you can't edit Microsoft Office documents out of the box, but with the App Store ready to come to the rescue in many cases, it’s now very hard to find a reason not to buy one.

[

Various Distributors Contact Number: 020 8218 1000 (Apple UK Head Office) Price: £440

]

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September PCR 115

OFF THE RECORD

THE IT CROWD

THIS MONTH: Target Components’ Open Day and Exspect’s fund raiser...

ON TARGET

Paul Cubbage, Target MD, talks to a custom er in the main marquee at the Open Day

TARGET HOSTED its annual Open Day at its Castleford headquarters last month, attracting a large number of guests comprised of both partners and customers. The event, which saw a turnout of over 250 guests, allowed vendors to display their latest product lines to potential customers and provided an ideal opportunity for face to face meetings. The Open Day culminated in a raffle that raised over £1,000 for charity.

JENNINGS IS 30 Far right: Bullguard’s Sarah Wood announces the winners of the raffle, which raised over a thousand pounds for the Prince of Wales Hospice in Pontefract

116 PCR September

BRADFORD-BASED Jennings Computer Engineering has celebrated its 30th anniversary by tracking down a genuine collectors item in the form of the Superbrain, the first PC the firm sold after it started trading in 1979.

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OFF THE RECORD

Send your pictures to: andrew.wooden@intentmedia.co.uk

INGRAM MAKES IT FUNKY

SENIOR BUSINESS manager Louise McCrystal, SME team manager Mark Bowdery, campaign managers Caroline Thom, Renee Rothchild and Vicky Luxford, and marketing assistant Michelle Neve get in a seventies groove at the Ingram Micro fancy dress barbecue

EXSPECT GREAT THINGS...

THE EXSPECT team are getting toge ther for another fund raising even t this summer, this time for a local char ity, the Donna Louise Children’s Hosp ice Trust. Last years event took the form of a gruelling 15km hike around the Lake District, which raised over £3,0 00. The team are hoping to do the same again this year, visit the website at www.justgiving.co.uk/exspect2 009

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A day in the life Ann Keefe on s Director, Kingst le Sa nd la Ire & K U

“My retail survival skills really are well developed enough to earn a PhD in Modern Retail Consumption” 6:00 AM and it’s another fine morning in my world, until two steps into my day, I trip over my very handsome but awkwardly placed shetland sheepdog.

After a shower and brush up it’s time for a healthy and nutritional breakfast of porridge and prunes – I can hear you laughing now, but you won’t be laughing when I’m in my eighties and looking like I’m in my forties.

After the morning car journey down the M3, I arrive at the office and get the parking space near the door, which is like leaving your coat on the chair at night – people think you’ve been in the office since the crack of dawn!

The project today is retail products – exciting new developments in Kingston technology. My retail survival skills really are well developed enough to earn a PhD in Modern Retail Consumption. I meet with the team to discuss retail strategies and our plans at the weekend, when we will be stuffing at least 24 people in to a Mini without killing them!

In order to facilitate the Kingston retail launch we’re building a micro-site, which is fun as we can shed some of our corporate image just a little and start to ‘show a bit of leg’ so to speak, but all ideas for a bungie jump in a mini remains on the shelf for now.

After an espresso lunch – no, not just a coffee lunch, a lunch that I barely noticed as it came and went – I meet with the account managers to discuss the quarterly business plans for our accounts. Our aim is always to improve sales by arming our partners with all the tools necessary to increase their business and ours.

The day at work ends with me planning to meet my friends in Soho in the evening for drinks. Clearly the 45 minute run that my personal trainer says I should be doing every day is going to have to wait till tomorrow, or possibly Friday if the drinks are good again. I may even introduce them to Kingston Black brandy. You should try it!

September PCR 117

BACK PAGE

In the

HOT SEAT This month, Steve Walsh, sales director at Meroncourt, opens up to PCR...

“

Quote

UNQUOTE “We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the EFnets and darknets, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our internets, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the Baywords.org... and on the Digg, we shall fight in the courts; we shall never surrender.”

The Pirate Bay ‘crew’ makes a comeback just hours after the file sharing site was taken down by its ISP, with a blog parodying Winston Churchill’s famous 1940 speech.

Describe yourself in three words Progressively follicly challenged How do you relax away from work?

For the past two years I’ve been developing a vegetable patch – very Good Life, but the results so far indicate year three will see a return to the supermarket.

What’s your favourite game/book/film/album?

Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies – a real classic which, if you haven't read, you should do now.

What was your first computer?

ZX Spectrum. It was great for Space Invaders, I don't think it did anything else.

What’s your best memory from working in the industry?

Reaching Meroncourt's 10 years in the industry, then getting to our 15th.

Who’s the funniest person you’ve ever met?

A work mate at my first job, Rob Ashe, completely mad – all his bloodline were missionaries in Africa and the gene pool was somewhat confused.

What did you want to do when you were younger?

Join the SAS. I had a preliminary interview with two officers, one had a broken leg, the other a broken arm.

They said there had been some problems with parachutes on a recent exercise. When I left I thought a Research Chemist sounded like a good idea.

When were the ‘good old days’?

I never thought they existed, until I got past 50. Now I'm pretty sure it was the ’60s.

118 PCR September

“We shall defend our internets, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall never surrender” “The white head and black hand actually symbolise interracial harmony. It is supposed to show that a person can be white and black, old and young at the same time.”

A Photoshop Disasters blogger comments on a Microsoft advertising gaffe, which saw the face of a black man replaced with that of a white man for the company’s Polish website, without changing the colour of his hand.

“The chances of meeting, say, a priest, brother or a sister – it is not as common as it used to be 30 years ago. If we are to meet the millennial generation, we have got to be there where they are, and that is on the internet... We took the secular concept of Love Match or eHarmony.com and applied that to religious life.”

Brother Paul Bednarczyk, one of the founders of Vocationmatch.com – a website that matches people considering taking religious vows with the right order for them – tells the Baltimore Sun about the site’s unlikely inspiration.

“If the rest of the world can invade their privacy, then why shouldn’t I?” The Daily Mail’s Jane Gordon justifies ‘stalking’ her children on Facebook and Twitter.

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