PCR 135 December 2014

FOR THE UK’S PC & TECH COMMUNITY • No. 135 • DECEMBER 2014

27 The tech of 2015 Which products and trends will make a big impact next year?

30 Ricoh’s retail push PCR speaks to IT distribution channel director Steven Hasting.

37 Open all hours?

All the tech distributors’ opening hours over the festive period.

No. 135 • DECEMBER 2014

In association with

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

WWW.PCR-ONLINE.BIZ

TOP 20 UK ACCOUNT MANAGERS REVEALED Resellers recognise their most helpful supplier partners…

23

THE TOP 20 account managers in the UK PC and tech industry have been named. More than 100 retailers and resellers nominated their most helpful account managers, from distributors and vendors who sell to independents, etailers, High Street chains and more. These account managers clearly go the extra mile to help grow their customers’ businesses. Has yours been included?

VIEW THE FINAL LIST ON PAGE 23

WWW.PCR-ONLINE.BIZ z WWW.TWITTER.COM/PCR_ONLINE z WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PCRMAG

CONTENTS & COMMENT

Follow us @pcr_online

MEET THE TEAM

CONTENTS

COMMENT

REGULARS Dominic Sacco Editor

06 Boot Camp North review 09 Top Christmas sellers

dsacco@nbmedia.com @Dom_Sacco

10 VIP helps indies 15 Number crunching 16 Appointments

Laura Barnes Staff Writer

18 Events 20 Opinion

lbarnes@nbmedia.com @roradrum

FEATURES 23 Top account managers Jade Burke Staff Writer

27 What will be big in 2015?

30 The big interview: Ricoh

jburke@nbmedia.com @JadeBurke77

34 PXS’ software shake-up 37 Xmas distie opening hours 43 News of the year Andrew Wooden Publisher awooden@nbmedia.com @pcr_online

RETAIL 47 Toys R Us tech makeover 49 Store of the Month 51 Retail Advisory Board on

Jennie Lane Senior Account Manager

Apple Pay

jlane@nbmedia.com

52 Mystery Shopper

@jennielane1

54 Counter Insurgent 54 Synaxon Member Profile Sarah Goldhawk Account Manager

PRODUCTS

sgoldhawk@nbmedia.com @sarzgoldhawk

56 Desktops and all-in-ones 59 Motherboards and processors

Alice Sanz Production Executive

63 Office equipment

asanz@nbmedia.com

67 New Apple iPads and Mac 68 Recommended products

Dan Bennett Designer dbennett@nbmedia.com

OUT OF OFFICE 72 PCR Boot Camp North

Editorial: 01992 535646 Advertising: 01992 535647 NewBay Media is a member of the Periodical Publishers Associations

‘Tis the season…

Incorporating

after-party pictures 73 Industry Tweets 74 The Last Word: Ebuyer MD ISSN: 1742-8440

CHRISTMAS is around the corner but I’ll be honest – I’m not feeling jolly. I’m still shaking off the office cold and I’m out of holiday dates.

But look beyond my selfish moaning and you’ll find there are plenty of reasons to cheer from a business perspective this festive season.

GfK’s Carl West told resellers at our first PCR Boot Camp North conference and expo in November (reviewed on page six) that tech retail is “on track for a bigger Christmas” this year, with durables spend up £1.4 billion compared to 2013.

Consumer electronics, appliances and office products are on the up, with products like tablet keyboards, wireless repeaters, networking devices and gaming peripherals set to shine this Christmas. Laptops are enjoying a resurgence and tablets are expected to sell well in the run up to the big day on December 25th. See page nine for a closer look at what’s going to be the biggest sellers this Christmas.

“Tech retail is on track for an even bigger Christmas this year, with tablets expected to sell well and laptops enjoying a resurgence.”

Sourcing enough stock can be a problem in December, so we’ve compiled a handy distributor Christmas opening hours pull-out on page 37 to help you get your orders in early.

January and February are typically tough following the rush of Christmas sales, but there is plenty to look forward to in 2015. I tried out the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset at Boot Camp North and was blown away by it. This will no doubt be great for drawing customers into stores and selling PCs to power it when it (hopefully) launches next year. Check out what else is on the horizon – including Steam Machines, wider adoption of DDR4, contactless payments and wearable tech – on page 27. We also take a look back on the major stories of 2014 on page 43, from the Dixons Carphone merger to KMS’ collapse.

From all of us at PCR we wish you a merry… oh sod it. It still doesn’t feel like Christmas yet.

See you next year.

Dominic Sacco, editor dsacco@nbmedia.com

In association with

Boot Camp North:

Show review

THE CONFERENCE THE FIRST ever Boot Camp North kicked off with a conference full of talks about what’s on the horizon for the industry and how to better your business.

Microsoft’s OEM channel sales lead Nicola Young opened the conference, where she spoke about how partners can build a profitable Microsoft business as cloud demand grows.

GfK analyst Carl West followed, and he gave the room of resellers, retailers and system builders a detailed look at the new product categories that are going to be important to PC and tech stores over the next few years.

PCR’s panel of experts – VIP Computers’ Richard Marsden,

6 | PCR December 2014

Overclockers UK’s Mark Purdy, Mad Catz’s Rachel Gordon and Pudsey Computers’ Steven Lightfoot Jnr. – spoke about how resellers and retailers can make money from gaming and system building.

Harley Street hypnotist Frank Deer took to the stage to give attendees some insight into his techniques for helping businesses become more successful at closing deals with customers.

Deer was followed by Kantar Retail’s director Himanshu Pal, who looked at the current state of the technology retail market and gave some insight into who retailers should be targeting.

He noted that retailers tend to focus on ‘millennials’ – those who were born in the period between the early ‘80s and early 2000s – but stressed that there are lots of customers either side of this age gap that need to be targeted.

Kevin Jefcoat from MDisc spoke about an alternative storage solution to cloud, which is based on new discbased and online technologies.

The event’s keynote came from Dell’s Sarah Shields, winner of PCR’s first Woman of the Year award, who spoke about the issues surrounding the gender gap in the tech industry and the threats and opportunities facing the retail landscape.

PCR Boot Camp opened its doors in the North for the first time ever on November 12th, welcoming over 100 dealers to the Royal Armouries in Leeds. Laura Barnes takes a look at the day’s events, including informative talks and panel sessions, an action packed expo, and a unique afterparty setting…

Kevin Jefcoat from MDisc (inset) and Nicola Young from Microsoft (above)

www.pcr-online.biz

In association with

Sarah Shields (inset) and PCR’s panel of gaming and system building experts (above)

Delegates put their driving skills to the test on Plantronics’ stand

THE EXPO THE AFTERNOON expo showcased the latest computing and tech products from a host of vendors and distributors, including Microsoft, Entatech, Northamber, Fortune Tech, VIP Computers, CompTIA, A One Distribution, Caseking, Mdisc, Plantronics, Brigantia, Network Group, GFI, Synaxon, Speech Processing Solutions, Thule and GfK. Plantronics ran a Formula 1 competition, giving away RIG Surround and RIG Flex headsets to the fastest times.

Caseking gave away a BitFenix Colossus M Mini ITX, a Raijintek Tisis Dual Element Extreme CPU Cooler, a SuperFlower Leadex GOLD 650W Fully Modular “80 Plus Gold” Power Supply, and a Xigmatek Aquila Micro-ATX Case in a series of prize draws on the day.

CompTIA offered Premier Membership for £87.50 excl.

VAT (normally £150 excl.

VAT) and CompTIA Premier Membership with a CompTIA Trustmark for £182

excl. VAT (normally £260 excl. VAT).

Delegates who placed orders with Northamber for between £300 and £500 on Edimax products by the end of that week received 25 per cent off.

GFI handed out a Sonos PLAY:3 Wireless Speaker, VIP gave away exclusive Razer Boot Camp bundles, Network Group handed out a free copy of Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and Speech Processing Solutions gave away a selection of prizes.

Microsoft gave away a free copy of Office 365 to every attendee

THE BREAKOUT SESSION AFTER THE conference, headline partner Microsoft ran a special breakout session dedicated to educating delegates on Office 365, informing them on how they can make

www.pcr-online.biz

more money from it, and offering them the chance to put questions to the team.

Those who took part were also given a free one-year subscription of the software, which

includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, as well as OneDrive cloud storage for up to five PCs or Macs, plus five iPads or Windows tablets and five smartphones.

AFTER PARTY THE EVENT was followed by an after-party where delegates were treated to a Samurai demonstration and had the chance to browse the historical weaponry exhibits, ancient armour and even take a selfie with a

war elephant. And those brave enough could volunteer to be hypnotised

by Frank Deer.

Turn to our Out of Office section on page 72 to check out more images from the day.

PCR December 2014 | 7

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ANALYSIS

What tech products will be under the tree this year?

Not everyone is dreaming of a White Christmas – some strong sales of PCs ticking over into the New Year would be the perfect present for many retailers. GfK’s business group director Carl West predicts this year’s top sellers…

WITH Christmas just round the corner we are seeing more predications on the top selling products.

Before discussing what those products may be, it is worth touching on the change in trends in the run up to Christmas Day. The durables market in 2014 has seen a recovery in many product categories compared to 2013, with consumer electronics, major and small appliances and office rebounding into value growth year-to-date.

IT value overall has been pretty flat so far largely due to the shift to media tablets.

With overall durables spend up £1.4 billion this year compared to last year, we are now on track for a much bigger Christmas.

“With overall durables spend up £1.4 billion this year compared to last year, we are on track for a bigger Christmas.”

Carl West, GfK Gifting is clearly a big focus in November and December, and with this there is normally a shift towards lower price point products compared to the rest of the year.

Disposable income is focused on decoration, food and gifts.

One thing that has been seen in our data over the last couple of years is the delayed spend, looking to deals and the extended www.pcr-online.biz

Carl West predicts that we will see a greater volume of computing hybrid products this Christmas

period of online shopping.

Delayed durables spend is usually due to the discounting that was seen late last year, plus Boxing Day offers, while the extended online purchasing running up to week 51 in 2013 is due to more efficient delivery and ‘buy and collect’ orders.

If we accept that major purchases have increased this year and consumers will be looking for Boxing Day deals, what can we expect with the run up to Christmas Day? Product areas that should be watched include headphones, wireless audio,

juicers, coffee machines, sound bars, device cases and even some hair curler products. Wearables will be in growth this Christmas but this will be focused on sports trackers and some smartphone companion products. 2015 will be the year of the wearables.

If we then look at the IT product areas, we will see an upturn in tablets, which have shown decline this year, plus growth in networking, tablet keyboards, laptops and gaming peripherals. Looking deeper into sub segments of the main IT product areas, we

will see greater volume of computing hybrid products, an increase in 8-inch tablets, growth in computing touch adoption, continued demand for wireless repeaters and powerline, plus, a gaming driven accessory market.

With the economy as it is, but with consumer confidence rallying to positive figures, tech spend in retail is facing real competition from the home improvement market.

I would expect a bumper Christmas break, with gifting moving strongly into an upgrade demand for big price ticket items in the sales.

HOT TECH z Tablet keyboards (up 90.7% in volume and 97.2% in value YTD 2014) z Wireless repeaters (up 74% in volume and 62% in value YTD 2014) z Tablets (down 4% in volume and 15% in value YTD 2014) z Laptops (down 1.2% in volume and 3.7% in value YTD 2014) z Networking and gaming peripherals PCR December 2014 | 9

GET THE LATEST STORIES SENT TO YOUR INBOX AT PCR-ONLINE.BIZ/EMAIL

ANALYSIS

VIP hands indies more credit Distributor pumps an additional £450,000 worth of credit across its indie retail customer base

by Dominic Sacco VIP COMPUTERS is giving indies a helping hand this festive season by providing them with extra credit.

The distributor put an additional £450,000 worth of credit across its independent retailer customer base in November. This will be split across its 204 VIP Club members – indies who are customers of VIP.

News Bytes JOHN LEWIS GRABS ASUS EXCLUSIVE Asus has announced the availability of its new MeMo Pad 7(ME572) exclusively from retailer John Lewis. The tablet runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and features a seven-inch Full HD IPS display with a resolution of 1920x1200.

CONSUMERS TURN BACK TO LAPTOPS spend with us, and they will see a benefit from it, without a shadow of a doubt.

“With peak season upon us, we wanted to make putting stock on shelves a little bit easier for indies. We want to make it easier for customers to buy from us. Stock cost is the biggest problem indies have – they don’t want to have £5,000 or £10,000 worth of stock just sitting on a shelf.”

Marsden says a range of up to 25 additional VIP Club benefits will launch on December 1st, including loyalty cards to additional credit terms, and Premium Plus members can also receive a consultation with a business coach.

Indies can get more back from VIP Club based on how much they spend with VIP. “We’ve put a lot of effort and money into our VIP Club programme,” Marsden added. “It’s another demonstration of our commitment to that sector.”

“It’s another demonstration of our commitment to indies.”

Richard Marsden, VIP Computers The move follows a £2 million additional credit investment it made across VIP’s entire customer base excluding major accounts in October 2013.

Richard Marsden, director at VIP Computers, told PCR: “As part of our commitments of VIP Club, every customer who signs up to it will get a guaranteed credit limit. It’s another demonstration of our commitment to the independent retail sector.

“What we tried to do is give them a month’s worth of

Who are the channel’s rising stars?

Consumers are turning to traditional notebooks, after tablet sales declined in Q3, according to Context data.

While much of the consumer personal systems growth last year and in the first half of 2014 had been driven by tablets, the third quarter of 2014 saw ‘a clear shift in consumer demand back to traditional notebooks’.

60% UNAWARE OF VAT CHANGES Nearly two thirds of smaller businesses are unaware of new VAT rules coming in from January 1st 2015, according to a KPMG survey.

“Six in ten small businesses (those with less than £10m turnover) are unaware of radical reforms to European VAT rules that will affect the supply of telecoms, broadcasting and electronic services, despite being just two months away from implementation,” says KPMG.

CHANNEL FIRMS’ TRANSFORMATION CompTIA has released the results of its State of the UK Channel Report at its 2014 EMEA Member and Partner Conference.

The report found that 70 per cent of the UK channel is undergoing business transformation to match its customer demand for new IT systems. 38 per cent said that cloud computing was a key factor for this change, while 49 per cent said that customer demand for different services and delivery was one of the main drivers behind this business transformation.

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB EXCLUSIVE TO EXERTIS PCR IS on the hunt for 30 of the brightest rising stars in the UK PC/tech industry aged under 30 years old.

Lobbying is now open for PCR’s annual 30 Under 30 feature, which highlights

10 | PCR December 2014

some of the most promising talent from retail buyers to account managers, marketing and PR executives and more.

Now is your chance to either nominate yourself, or someone up-and-coming at

your company (or within another company), so they can get the recognition they deserve.

To nominate, simply email dsacco@nbmedia.com with the person’s name, age,

company and job title, along with a high-resolution headshot of the person and a short explanation of why they should be included.

The deadline for entries is Friday, December 5th.

Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Tab Active will be exclusive to Exertis.

The tablet, which has been made specifically for the B2B market, will be available for six months from the distributor.

www.pcr-online.biz

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STATS

Number

crunching

A round-up of the most important stats and facts in the tech channel…

516 million

93%

516 million mobile users are set to use NFC contactless payment services like Apple Pay by the end of 2019.

(Juniper Research)

3D printers are expected to reach sales of 158,000 by the end of 2014, up 93 per cent from 2013.

(CCS Insight)

221 The average British smartphone user checks their device 221 times a day. (Tecmark)

50

Argos plans to have 50 ‘digital stores’ open by Christmas.

(Argos)

44 minutes

10% Sales of tablets will represent less than ten per cent of all devices this year.

(Gartner)

On average Brits spend 44 minutes comparing prices on electrical products online before they buy.

(Give as you Live)

www.pcr-online.biz

PCR December 2014 | 15

RECRUITMENT

Exertis bolsters team with two new members BullGuard gains new head of global sales z Nvidia appoints two vice presidents z Sennheiser reveals its new channel sales manager EXERTIS: The distributor has added two new members to its team.

NICK BEESLEY has joined the company’s mobile division as business manager for mobile devices, after working at EE within the retail trading team. He also previously worked at Dixons Retail.

In addition, LEO HASSETT has been appointed to the BULLGUARD: The company has revealed STEVE HICKS as its new head of global sales.

Hicks has had more than 20 years experience in the technology and consumer electronics industry in both Europe and North America.

He has also held senior sales and marketing positions with Panasonic, Philips and Optoma Technology. The

NVIDIA: Two new vice presidents covering Nvidia’s Europe, Middle East and India market have been announced.

JAAP ZUIDERVELD has been named vice president of sales and marketing while XOCHILT BALZOLAWIDMAN has been appointed vice president of consumer business for the region.

SENNHEISER: GRAHAM MELOY has been announced as the company’s new channel sales manager.

Meloy will be responsible for developing Sennheiser’s business relationships as well as recruiting resellers.

“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to play a key role in an important strategic focus for Sennheiser

Nick Beesley and Leo Hassett, Exertis

Steve Hicks, BullGuard

Jaap Zuiderveld and Xochilt Balzola-Widman, Nvidia

Graham Meloy, Sennheiser

position of supply chain services sales director.

Hassett has previous experience within the industry having worked across financial services, information and software, telecoms and energy efficiency sectors.

“This is a tremendous time to join Exertis as it sets the scene for its future,” he said. appointment of Hicks follows the addition of GEORGE MCDEVITT as chief financial officer earlier this year.

NEDKO IVANOV, CEO of BullGuard, said: “Our senior team has now been significantly boosted with the appointment of Steve, following the addition of George to the team previously.”

Zuiderveld will head Nvidia’s overall activities in Europe, the Middle East and India, including Russia.

Balzola-Widmann leaves her previous role at Amazon, where she was responsible for the company’s Kindle product line. She will now be responsible for driving Nvidia’s consumer channel business in EMEAI. and look forward to representing a quality brand,” said Meloy.

“With the quality of the products and support available to the resellers, I expect a positive response from the channel and I believe we will be well placed to introduce new revenue streams to the reseller channel in the near future.”

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF… NICK BEER, PRODUCT MANAGER, DYNAMODE GROUP AS IS becoming the norm these days, especially in the technology sector, I split my working week. I work from my purpose-built home office in rural Cambridgeshire, the European headquarters of Dynamode in Watford, and visit our clients up and down the country.

My wife and I come from a farming background, so the day starts early at around 6am. We have a fair amount of livestock, including horses and chickens, which all need tending to before the ‘real’ day kicks off.

Dynamode is a long established company, but unlike others we are not top-heavy, meaning a lot of us within the company have to multi-task – me included.

This might include testing and evaluating forthcoming Dynamode products, putting together product spec sheets together with keeping the Dynamode support website up to date with the latest drivers.

I like my job because it’s varied. Being a global company with manufacturing offices in the Far East and global sales offices means I get to deal with people with different customs or ways of doing things, as well as the pain of different time zones.

“When working for Dynamode not any two days are the same, it’s always varied and to be honest, that’s the way I like it.”

I often have to Skype employees in China, which means getting up extra early so work can be completed before they go home. Seeing clients and distributors in the UK is also a key part of my job and the miles soon rack up.

From my home in Cambridgeshire there are not too many clients, normally they are located in the North of England or West of London, but that’s IT for you.

Like most reps on the road, I plan ahead for any visits, which usually means a night or two away so I can make the most of the diesel in the car.

One thing I can say for sure is when working for the company, not any two days are the same, it’s always varied and to be honest, that’s the way I like it.

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EVENT PLANNER

Diary Dates

The UK’s channel calendar is full of important events.

Here are some highlights for upcoming dates…

JANUARY 2015

FEBRUARY 2015

CES 2015

DISTREE EMEA 2015

JANUARY 6TH – 9TH, LAS VEGAS, NEVADA As the biggest tech and computing event of the year, CES showcases more than 3,200 exhibitors.

More than 152,000 attendees from over 150 countries are expected to visit next year’s show to take a look at the latest innovations in technology.

The 2015 event will see its 3D Printing Marketplace double in size compared to CES 2014.

FEBRUARY 24TH – 27TH, GRIMALDI FORUM, MONACO Distree offers an opportunity for channel leaders across EMEA to meet and do business with their existing and prospective vendors. The event assembles leading technology distributors, tier one retailers and influential etailers from more than 75 countries with the leading technology vendors of the industry.

BETT 2015 JANUARY 21ST – 24TH, EXCEL, LONDON Bett provides a platform for showcasing the latest technology and software resources in the education sector. The show has been running for over 30 years and over 35,000 people are expected to attend this year’s event. As well as an expo, the event has a conference programme hosting innovative figures in the field of education technology, including Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and the UK’s education secretary Rt Hon Nicky Morgan, who will both be presenting keynotes.

MARCH 2015 CEBIT 2015 MARCH 16TH – 20TH, HANNOVER EXHIBITION GROUNDS CeBIT is back for another year. Boasting an IT show and a conference programme for professionals, CeBIT aims to define the latest IT trends and present talks by high-calibre speakers as well as host forward-looking panel discussions and showcase product innovations from all over the world.

CES (top) will take place in Las Vegas, while BETT (above) will be presented in London

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18 | PCR December 2014

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OPINION

Reduce IT down- Business apps time this Xmas of the future Alan Watson, MD of IT service provider Barron McCann, talks about how retailers can avoid unnecessary IT downtime over the busy Christmas period…

CHRISTMAS can be the most vital time of the year for many businesses, and can either be highly profitable, or highly damaging, depending on their success over the season.

Research shows that every minute of POS downtime costs a large chain retailer approximately £2,800, and that one third of all customers will leave a queue after a wait of more than five minutes.

Here are some useful tips that are often overlooked by businesses:

Human error is one of the major causes of hardware failures within businesses, and improperly training new staff greatly increases the threat of equipment being damaged.

3. Check your IT maintenance and repair cover It is worth communicating regularly with your IT supplier to answer any questions you might have about their operation over the Christmas period. It can be very useful to find out if they stock additional spares over the season to account for the 1. Review all hardware ahead increased demand, if they are aware of time of any events that may reduce their By performing simple checks on ability to get to reach the business, both in-use and or if there will be spare/overflow any increase in the hardware, the risk of field engineering anything going “Temporary workforce over wrong at a later date is greatly reduced.

Christmas staff are theIf period. their answers Provided these do not meet the checks are performed an essential far enough in resource for many requirements you are looking for, it advance, this allows businesses to help may be worth for any damaged or challenging their high failing hardware ease the stress practices, or even to be upgraded or that the period looking to change replaced before the your supplier peak period begins. brings.”

Alan Watson, altogether.

By ensuring IT 2. Train temp staff Barron McCann support is available Temporary Christmas throughout the staff are an essential Christmas season, businesses can be resource for many businesses confident that they will have a vital to help ease the stress that the safety net, should anything happen to period brings. go wrong.

While these team members are To ensure all areas are covered, essential for many businesses to businesses can download the full cope with the increase in customers version of Barron McCann’s free over the winter months, they will Christmas Checklist by visiting http:// not necessarily be familiar with www.barronmccann.com/downloadthe hardware that they will be free-checklist/ required to use.

Alan Watson is MD of IT service provider Barron McCann. www.barronmccann.com

20 | PCR December 2014

IT admins will know even less about the internal workings and performance metrics of tomorrow’s apps than they know about the apps of today, says SolarWinds’ Patrick Hubbard…

Adopt an app-centric ethos. IT APPLICATIONS are at the core of teams must ensure that the almost every business-critical application is front and centre for function, impacting business every critical network decision. performance in ways never Adopting an app-centric ethos can imagined just five or ten years ago. be challenging for admins with Companies that are successfully managing the application stack now years of positive network-first experience. As workplaces develop, are likely to thrive in the future.

However, to maintain competitive so must the IT pros’ priorities.

Virtualisation will become vital. advantage, companies should be From compute, to storage, to asking themselves what app networking and security, we’ll have evolution has in store. In order to fewer management interfaces but prepare for tomorrow’s apps today, greatly increased internal there are a number of key complexity as applications become considerations to keep in mind. increasingly vital to the success of Prepare to take a step back. a business.

When it comes to the apps of the IT pros with limited application future, IT pros will know even less experience will have about their internal to oversee workings and increasingly complex performance metrics than they “Companies that systems. As such, deep troubleshooting know today. This is skills will be more because companies are successfully critical than ever, with are increasingly managing the IT pros being relied moving to service upon to pinpoint and models where apps application stack run in virtual now are likely to resolve issues, either in house or by appliances or offthrive in the contacting the premise in the application provider. cloud. So when future.”

Knowledge is there is a problem, Patrick Hubbard, IT pros can’t dig SolarWinds power. While many IT pros are skilled in around for an specific disciplines, answer themselves, such as network or system they have to open a helpdesk ticket and wait for the application provider management, in the wake of new technologies the walls between to respond. these traditional IT silos are dissolving.

Increased app complexity means While many IT pros will likely still that even apps we’re familiar with excel in one area, in-depth, crosstoday will grow more complex and discipline training and flexible IT difficult to manage. In order to management styles will be crucial to succeed, we’ll need to step back an IT department’s ability to cope and trust application providers with the demands of an applicationto manage the apps that they centric infrastructure. have developed.

Patrick Hubbard is ‘head geek’ at management software vendor SolarWinds. www.solarwinds.com/uk

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TOP ACCOUNT MANAGERS

Account managers of the year PCR set out to find the most helpful and hardworking account managers in the UK PC and tech channel that really make a difference. We asked retailers and resellers of all sizes to nominate their best account managers at both a distributor and vendor level – here’s the top 20 they put forward, in no particular order…

LIZ BEECH, ACCOUNT MANAGER, TARGET COMPONENTS Liz Beech has been with Target since April this year, and has built her knowledge from scratch, and developed excellent relationships with her customers. Liz always starts her day with a smile and giggle, and is full of tenacity and enthusiasm. She works hard every day, mostly to earn enough to keep her beloved horse, Ada, with only the best accessories a horse can have.

Philip Griffiths from Chips Computers said: “Liz helps in every way possible. She will call to let you know what time orders will be arriving. If she does not know, she will get a response from someone who does. I’ve never had a problem and she always sounds happy.”

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NEIL BROCKLEHURST, ACCOUNT MANAGER, SALES, VIP COMPUTERS Having worked at VIP for more than 12 years, Neil (aka Brock) is highly experienced.

Utopia Computers’ Craig Hume says: “Nothing is ever a hassle for Neil. He understands his customers, goes above and beyond and is the most outgoing personality in the channel.”

Gavin Holder from GHI Computers adds: “Brock is different to the majority of account managers in that he takes time out to talk about the business, the employees and also keeps in contact outside of working hours.”

Another reseller says: “It’s about time Neil got the recognition for his services. He is a part of the team.”

MIKE BUCHANAN, COUNTRY MANAGER, UK & BENELUX, CORSAIR MEMORY Mike Buchanan has a proven track record within the IT distribution, etail and retail sales channel, spending more than ten years in a variety of roles. He is self-motivated with attention to detail, has strong teamwork skills, and according to himself has a real “passion for winning”.

Microsoft Store buyer and former Dixons PC gaming buyer Simon Urquhart says: “Mike is possibly the most ‘intune’ national account manager I have worked with – proactive, attentive, imaginative and a great guy.

He’s a strong reason why Corsair and Dixons have such a strong relationship on PC gaming.”

AMY CORCORAN, SALES EXECUTIVE, ENTATECH Amy Corcoran has quickly become a valued member of the Entatech sales team. She has meticulous attention to detail and has a tenacious approach to ensuring that all of her customers get the best service possible.

“Amy is a fantastic account manager,” says Intellect Computers’ Arian Nikkhah.

“She is friendly, extremely helpful and engaging and makes extra efforts to assist Intellect Computers.”

Nigel Fisher from Cymax Computers and Communications says that in the 18 years he has been buying PC equipment, Amy is one of the best account managers he’s dealt with.

MARK COWLEY, SALES EXECUTIVE, SPIRE TECHNOLOGY Mark Cowley has worked at Spire for two years now, and says the best things about working at the distributor are the working atmosphere and ‘Ben and Tim’s constant banter’.

It’s clear Spire has a comfortable working environment and that enjoyable atmosphere seems to rub off on Spire’s customers.

“Mark took an inactive account in Utopia and turned us into a top spending customer,” says Utopia Computers director Craig Hume. “He is great at vendor engagement, understands Utopia’s target market and is quick to react to new products and technologies.”

PCR December 2014 | 23

TOP ACCOUNT MANAGERS

PHIL DAVIS, SYSTEMS INTEGRATION MANAGER, SALES, VIP Several big system builders nominated Phil, including Vladimir Kuznetsov of DinoPC, and Chillblast’s buyer Ben Miles, who says: “We deal with pretty much every distie in the UK, but Phil is the best by far.”

Another says: “He knows everything there is to know about system integrators.”

TIM ELEY, SALES TEAM LEADER, TARGET COMPONENTS Having been at Target for over five years, Tim has grown strong relationships with customers.

Alan Hudson, director at Amy Computer Boost, tells PCR: “He is flexible regarding pricing and speaks properly and courteously. Tim comes across as both genuine and honest.”

WAYNE GEORGE, NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER, MAD CATZ Wayne George is responsible for the supply of mice, keyboards and more into mainstream UK retail.

Microsoft Store buyer and former Dixons PC gaming buyer Simon Urquhart comments: “Wayne is just a superb national account manager and is willing to explore opportunities.”

IAN HARBAR, SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE, CENTERPRISE Ian has over 15 years of experience in the IT sector.

Softcat’s James Bennett says: “Ian and I work together regularly on Panasonic opportunities and I can’t recommend him enough to my colleagues here at Softcat. He’s extremely knowledgeable and always goes the extra mile to help.”

NICK MCDONALD, ACQUISITION PARTNER ACCOUNT MANAGER, FUJITSU Nick McDonald received many glittering nominations for this feature, with resellers praising him for his top-class support, including the likes of Technology Means Business, AAG Systems and Resolution IT singing his praises. “I’ve never had support from a vendor like this before,” says one.

TIM MONAGHAN, SALES EXECUTIVE, SPIRE TECHNOLOGY Tim received the most nominations for this feature.

He has been described by his customers as “easy to get hold of,” “helpful with a sense of humour”, “indispensable” and “fairly unusual”. PCR also understands Tim has “good banter” as well, which is always a bonus, we suppose.

SCOTT NELSON, SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER, WESTCOAST Scott Nelson has worked as sales account manager at Westcoast since 2007.

“Scott always goes above and beyond to help customers, and will always offer competitive pricing whilst adding value to orders, to ensure we win business,” says Luke Fenton from NCS’ IT Division.

KAYLEIGH PETFORD, SALES EXECUTIVE, ENTATECH Kayleigh Petford has grown exceptionally well in her role at Entatech. PCR received several glowing nominations for Kayleigh. Adele Dressler at Westwood Associates says: “If we have problems she sorts them out straight away, orders are sent out swiftly with no issues and she always has a cheery disposition.”

RICHARD POWELL, ACCOUNT MANAGER, ENTATECH Richard Powell is one of Entatech’s more experienced account managers. Richard has introduced new products to clients, expanding targets.

“Richard is very helpful and enthusiastic about his role as our account manager, and has helped us with many issues,” explains Kikatek. com’s Sze Ming Tang.

CHARLOTTE SHONE, RETAIL ACCOUNT MANAGER, PANDA SECURITY Charlotte has been instrumental in getting Panda Security solutions well-placed in shops, etailers and TV shopping channels.

QVC consumer electronics buyer Paul Felix says: “Charlotte always goes the extra mile to support both QVC and our clients.” Enta also spoke highly of her.

TYLER DAVIES, ACCOUNT MANAGER, ENTATECH Tyler Davies has worked at Entatech for four years. He has focused on growing business with Enta’s larger etail customers. Utopia Computers’ Craig Hume says: “Tyler looks after his customers, is great at vendor engagement and has a fantastic track record of securing marketing support.”

KARL SLATER SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER, PSA PARTS Karl joined PSA in 2004 as a sales executive and now helps manage three other sales executives. “Of all the suppliers we buy from, nothing is ever too much trouble with Karl. He is always friendly and cheerful too. I would employ him if he were closer,” says Tim Ascherl from Astringo Commodities.

ELEANOR SOUTHWORTH, MANAGED ACCOUNTS EXECUTIVE, BT BUSINESS DIRECT Eleanor manages a portfolio of around 200 trade accounts and exceeds her targets by an average 140 per cent.

Empire Computers’ Mathew Fearn says: “Ellie has a great product knowledge and always puts loads of effort in to keep us happy.

Thanks Ellie!”

IAN EDWARDS, SALES EXECUTIVE, SPIRE TECHNOLOGY Having worked at Spire Technology for more than two years now, Ian Edwards has obviously made an impression with resellers.

CS Consultants’ Craig Sharpe says: “Ian is the most helpful and accommodating account manager as he gives me product advice and gets deliveries out rapidly.”

BRYAN WORRALL, ACCOUNT MANAGER, SALES, VIP COMPUTERS Bryan Worrall puts an incredible amount of effort into supporting customers.

Dominic Booth from Kiveton PC Repairs says: “Bryan has dedication to the job, when asked a question regarding a product he WILL get an answer, he’ll bend over backwards to help. He’s also an all round great guy.”

24 | PCR December 2014

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FUTURE TECH

What will be big in

2015?

From IoT and Apple Pay, to DDR4 and Windows 10, Laura Barnes asks the industry what trends will be dominating the IT and tech market throughout 2015 and speculates on what products will be big next year…

HP Sprout (left) and Apple Pay (right)

T

here have been a number of buzzwords that have dominated the tech industry throughout 2014. Notable examples include ‘3D printing’, ‘IoT’ and ‘wearable tech’.

While all three of these markets have been analysed, reported on and ventured into by companies big and small, it seems the industry believes 2015 will be the year that they will really make an impact in the channel and on the High Street.

While Gartner predicts that we shouldn’t expect 3D printing to really take off until 2019, a number of big names in the industry are already planning for next year.

HP recently announced a Sprout PC that works with its new 3D printing technology, which is ‘10 times faster than technology that’s already out there’. Printer firm Ricoh also told PCR that it is ‘keeping a

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close eye’ on the market (you can read more about that in our Ricoh interview on page 30).

Dan Ceiley, marketing executive at Spire Technology, believes 3D printing will be a significant area of growth for the distributor in 2015: “Spire is currently evaluating printers and engaging with a number of manufacturers in this area, but the stumbling block remains the quality versus cost argument.

“Low-cost solutions simply cannot deliver the quality people would expect at this point in time. However, continued innovation and evolution will soon enable manufacturers to produce affordable, quality 3D for the consumer market and we fully intend to introduce 3D printers to our expanding product range.”

IoT – The Internet Of Things – is another sector that has

“Innovation and evolution will soon enable manufacturers to produce affordable, quality 3D for the consumer market.”

Daniel Ceiley, Spire Technology

exploded over the past year, yet still has quite a lot of mystery surrounding it. It wasn’t too long ago that the idea of your fridge being connected to the internet seemed preposterous, now every startup seems to be focused on some sort of IoT offering.

Dominic Sunnebo, global strategic insight director at Kantar World Panel, tells PCR that although everyone seems to love the idea of IoT, many consumers still don’t really understand the tangible benefits.

“The idea of connected home/connected car has mass appeal, but to create a system which works smoothly requires huge investment and the vast majority of consumers are nowhere near making this investment. I suspect this idea will gain traction with high-end residential

developments over the next 12 months, but is someway from wider adoption,” says Sunnebo.

Despite this, a study from Accenture Interactive predicts that the amount of consumers that will own an IoT device for their home, such as a thermostat or security camera, will triple by the end of next year.

GET SMART Wearable technology is also set to make a big impact in 2015. Although there have been a number of smartwatches, fitness trackers and other wearable gadgets released throughout 2014, a fair amount of them have been in the second half of the year. With the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset due next year, and a smartwatch also on the way from Apple in 2015, it seems the channel PCR December 2014 | 27

FUTURE TECH is getting ready for the competition to really heat up.

“Wearable tech will be the hot trend for 2015, with VIP already securing a foothold in this space with the highly anticipated Razer Nabu,” comments Rich Marsden, director at VIP Computers.

Kevin Linsell, head of service development at Adapt, believes that while the current products from Pebble, Samsung, Sony, and Razer will continue to evolve and compete in 2015, the Apple Watch is likely to bring wearable tech into the mainstream.

“From a CIO perspective this will have impact from an internal security perspective as another form of BYOD,” says Linsell.

“If you have an online presence, it may require a further investment in development. Think back 15 years where everyone was developing online stores and e-commerce sites, then in the last five years the development of mobile apps.

Will it soon be a requirement to have a wearable based app also?”

Austin O’Malley, chief product officer at Ipswitch, agrees that WYOD (Wear Your Own Device) may cause headaches for IT departments throughout the new year: “Very few businesses are prepared for the impact that these devices will have on the corporate network.

“Businesses and organisations need to plan ahead for WYOD before it impacts on network performance and security.

The sheer volume of additional devices connecting to the network is likely to slow down performance.”

While smartwatches and fitness trackers are on the agenda for next year, some industry experts believe that 2015 will not be the year for Google Glass as many consumers will wise up to security issues.

“Even if consumers like the idea of Google Glass capabilities themselves, there would be huge worry about other people’s reaction to them wearing it and

28 | PCR December 2014

Windows 10 will be released next year with the iconic Start menu

perceiving they may be being filmed, snapped and tracked,” says Sunnebo.

“Retailers looking to appeal to the Apple demographic need to prepare themselves to support Apple Pay.” Kevin Linsell, Adapt

SOFTWARE CYCLES Windows 10 will be released in 2015. Microsoft’s next operating system promises to bring back the beloved Start Menu, as well as improved ‘enterprise-grade’ security, a better user experience and management capabilities.

With one million users signing up to try out the Windows 10 Technical Preview within the first two weeks of its launch, the new operating system is already off to a good start.

On the subject of new software, Linsell believes that 2015 will bring some new ‘end of life’ challenges.

“The IT department had fun in 2014 with the demise of Windows XP, Office 2003 and IE6 support. In 2015

Wearable tech is set to be the hot trend for 2015

this continues, most notably with Server 2003 and with it the last mainstream 32 bit server platform,” he explains.

Next year will also be an interesting one for PC hardware, not only are the highly anticipated Steam Machine gaming PCs set to finally make their way to consumers, but an increase in DDR4 sales are expected.

DDR4 promises faster speeds, more bandwith and greater efficiency over DDR3. Crucial’s product marketing manager, Jeremy Mortenson, tells PCR that the firm has seen some good adoption with a steady ramp of sales in both server and desktop DDR4.

“The analysts are saying late 2015/early 2016 for a possible crossover,” comments Mortenson.

“We expect additional

platforms to be released in 2015 and going forward.”

MAKING CONTACT Although contactless payments have been around for a while now, the announcement of Apple Pay looks set to heat up the competition next year.

Visa Europe predicts that 500 million UK contactless payments will occur in 2015 and Juniper Research predicts that 516 million people will use NFC contactless payment services by the end of 2019.

While Google Wallet actually launched back in 2011, the service saw its weekly transactions increase by 50 per cent after Apple Pay was unveiled.

Apple’s NFC-based payment service has already launched in the US with more than 220,000 stores and apps on board, and CEO Tim Cook has already warned retailers to ‘accept Apple Pay or risk alienating customers’.

“In Retail, the adoption of contactless payment methods has increased over recent years for low value items,” explains Linsell. “With Apple Pay launching in the US I would expect a UK launch to follow in the first half of 2015. Retailers looking to appeal to the Apple demographic need to prepare themselves to support this new transaction process.” www.pcr-online.biz

THE BIG INTERVIEW

30 | PCR December 2014

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

It’s Ricoh time From selling consumer ranges into retail for the first time, to sponsoring sports arenas and launching new AV products, print specialist Ricoh is on a mission to become a household name. Laura Barnes speaks to IT distribution channel director Steven Hasting to find out where the print market is heading and why Managed Print Services are about to explode…

H

ow has business been this year?

Within my division we’ve seen a 29 per cent increase in unit sales compared to last year. We are up on consumables revenue by around 25 per cent too.

What have been the big sellers for Ricoh?

For the first time we’re selling through some retail accounts.

So we’re actually selling on the High Street by retailers like Tesco, Argos, Ryman, Office Depot etc. This is a market sector that we have never sold into before.

We’ve always been known for SME/SMB copiers and printers and we made a decision last financial year that the range of entry level products we had, both monolasers and what we refer to as our gel-jet printers – a mid way between laser and inkjet – would be repackaged. We made them smaller, made the boxes more attractive to a general user, and that gave us the opportunity to work with new distribution partners.

We started working with Exertis at the beginning of this year with the intention of working with its retail division to start offering some of our products into a vertical marketplace that we’d never sold into in the UK or anywhere else in Europe.

Who are your other distribution partners?

Along with Exertis, we deal with Midwich, Northamber and DMC. Do you have any schemes or promotions for resellers?

We have an entire reseller partner programme that we’ve been running. There are three levels: Approval, Registered and Solutions.

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We are passionate about the education and public sectors.

Looking at a broad range of products across the company, about half the schools in the UK are currently using Ricoh.

What we’ve done over this quarter is introduce public sector pricing available to the reseller partners who are selling into that market.

What areas are you looking to grow?

For the remainder of this financial year, we’re looking to increase what we’re doing retail-wise.

“Soon the volcano will erupt and the lava of MPS will pour amongst us.”

Steven Hasting, Ricoh For next year we will be concentrating on SME/SMB partners and looking for more partners who are able to sell our mid-range equipment into an office space. And more importantly, having products that would be suitable for home office users.

You use Ricoh in your office because we’re a trusted business partner, so why compromise on that when you’re working from home?

Are there any new products you can talk about?

From my channel specifically, we’ve launched a whole range of AV products. We have the lightest, smallest, most flexible, ultra-short throw projector, which is only available from Midwich.

There are whiteboards

becoming available through the channel now and we have new printers that will launch next year.

HP has just announced that it is moving into 3D printing, what do you think of that market?

I think it’s a very interesting market and it’s something that we at Ricoh are paying close attention to. Personally, it’s a logical place to go.

As there are more people entering that marketplace, with some of those vendors being more consumer-based as well, it’s the service that needs to mirror what you’d get for buying any other printer. As the market evolves it will become more consumer-focused, and therefore the type of service and packaging needs to reflect that.

Do you think a ‘paperless future’ will ever happen?

I think logically there will always be a requirement to print. People’s expectations are to be able to print, whether that’s a business, school, or home user.

What we as a vendor need to do is offer a broad range of solutions that print is part of, rather than printers just being the be all and end all of everything. Print and hardware are part of the services and solutions that we offer. We’re not a hardware company that do solutions; we’re a solutions company that also has hardware in its portfolio.

What changes do you expect to see in the print market in the near future?

There’s the rumbling mountain called MPS [Managed Print Services].

Soon the volcano will erupt

and the lava of MPS will pour amongst us.

My opinion is that we will see more and more MPS contracts being signed when MPS is made available from a distributor. I feel at the moment there can be confusion right the way through the channel on the basis that an IT reseller is used to getting services and support from a distributor, but now they have an MPS contract yet still get the product from the distributor, whilst also speaking to the vendor to get the service. It’s confusing for people.

How has Ricoh Arena boosted business?

I personally feel Ricoh Arena has been very successful for us. It gets mentioned everywhere. More people are aware of Ricoh as a brand since us taking over the arena six or seven years ago.

You’ve refurbished your offices over the past year…

What we’ve particularly been doing over the past year is updating the style of our locations. It started with our Northampton office, then our Broadgate office, and we have a new office opening up in Staines in December. At these offices we can demonstrate a broad range of solutions. We encourage partners to come and work with us in these offices.

What’s next for Ricoh?

Broadly, it’s to continue on our path to be recognised as a solutions provider. For my channel, it would be very much about ensuring that Ricoh increases its market awareness, making sure people are embracing our technology and to be seen more as a competitor.

PCR December 2014 | 31

NEW

INTERVIEW

Shaking up

security software PXS Distribution has launched a new software download service and renewal programme offering revenue share for resellers. Dominic Sacco talks to PXS’ UK sales director Robert Hall about the evolving security sector…

I

N TODAY’S age of sophisticated computer malware, hacked passwords and nude celebrity photos, anti-virus security software is arguably more important than ever.

But the sector is evolving fast. Consumers are turning to digital downloads over boxed products; vendors are having to re-focus on providing a constantly updated service and annual renewals online.

This means it’s tougher for some retailers and resellers to take a slice of the pie.

However, PXS Distribution has devised a solution it believes will make it easier for businesses to make money selling security software: a download service that also offers retailers a cut of the revenue from each renewal.

The firm, which has been operating in the UK for around 12 years now, is owned by First Technology Holdings – a private IT company based in South Africa. PXS has made huge strides in the security software market in that region, and hopes to replicate this success in the UK with its vendor partners including 34 | PCR December 2014

Bitdefender, Webroot, new signing Kaspersky Lab (featuring both a boxed and download offering) and more.

“We’ve really grown our UK market share over the past two years, but we didn’t deal with a lot of resellers in the UK. We focused more on the likes of PC World and Amazon and kind of bashed our heads against those walls for a while,” says PXS Distribution UK sales director Robert Hall.

“So about two years ago we really started to focus on the channel. And what we found from speaking to resellers is the biggest thing they wanted from us was a renewal revenue programme.

“BullGuard has a very good reseller base and does well within the channel, but there’s no reason we shouldn’t be doing the same if not more, considering we’ve got a product in Bitdefender that tests better than BullGuard.

“So we refocused on the channel and in doing so we developed the POSA (point of sale activation) card system with Tribeca.”

These cards can be printed for resellers on demand and PXS can track the licences

“We’re the only distie able to apply the licences in ESD format and with the renewal revenue in place.

So it’s a very exciting position to be in.”

Robert Hall, PXS Distribution

CONTACT PXS Distribution 0844 879 4212 www.pxsdistribution.co.uk

supplied to each reseller. The cards can be bought by a customer in-store and activated when they get home, allowing them to download the security software. Resellers can log in and see all the licences they’ve allocated to their accounts and which are due for renewal.

When the consumer comes to purchase the renewal, the product links back to PXS’ site.

The customer enters their licence, pays the fee, downloads or updates their software online, and PXS then pays the reseller 25 per cent of the renewal purchase price.

“The nice thing is this covers all our software products: BitDefender, Webroot, Avast, G Data, Intego and now Kaspersky Lab,” Hall explains.

“This gives the resellers the flexibility to offer their customers choice and still get the renewal revenue.

“We’re the only distie able to apply the licences in ESD format and with the renewal revenue in place. So it’s a very exciting position to be in.”

PXS is also partnering with dealer services group

Brigantia to allow its members to access a reseller portal and order software on demand.

PXS dabbles in the consumer electronics sector too, with products such as iSaw action cameras and other accessories. It is also eyeing emerging categories like 3D printing and virtual reality, but is cautious of embracing too many, and says security software remains its ‘bread and butter’.

However, the firm is excited about future growth. “We’ve employed a few more people this year and there will probably be another five or six within the next year, but we don’t want to grow too quickly,” says Hall.

“We are now going to get some serious investment so we’ll be able to go after a lot of big vendors we may have been too small for in the past.

“But where we will have success with new signings like Kaspersky is on the ESD side, as that’s where the renewal programme comes in.

“We’re now in the market alongside four very big distribution businesses in the UK, and for us it’s exciting to be in that space.”

www.pcr-online.biz

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DISTRIBUTOR OPENING HOURS

Closed for

Christmas The holiday season is upon us once again, but when will tech distributors be open for business? Here’s PCR’s pull-out guide to suppliers’ opening hours over the Christmas and New Year period…

www.pcr-online.biz

A One Distribution

Advantage

Tel: 0161 763 3633 Web: www.aone.co.uk Closes for Christmas and New Year: December 23rd, 1pm Reopens: January 5th, 9am

Tel: 0121 506 9586 Web: www.advantagedistribution. co.uk Closes: Dec 23rd, 5.30pm Reopens: Dec 29th, 9am Closes for 2015: Dec 30th, 5.30pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Asbis

Avnet

Tel: 020 8538 1338 Web: www.asbis.co.uk Closes for Christmas: Dec 24th Reopens: December 29th Closed for New Year: Dec 31st Reopens: January 2nd

Tel: 01628 518900 Web: www.ts.avnet.com/uk/ Closes: December 24th, 5.30pm Reopens: December 27th, 9am Closed for New Year: December 31st, 5.30pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Caseking

Centerprise

Tel: 01782 444488 Web: www.caseking.co.uk Closes: December 24th, 5.30pm Reopens: December 27th, 8.30am Closed for New Year: December 31st, 5.30pm Reopens: January 2nd, 8.30am

Tel: 01256 378 000 Web: www.centerprise.co.uk Closes for Christmas: December 24th, 2pm (last shipping day is December 23rd) Reopens: January 5th, 9am

CentreSoft

CMS Distribution

Tel: 0121 625 3399 Web: www.centresoft.co.uk Closes for Christmas: December 23rd, 5.30pm Reopens: Dec 29th, 9am Closes for 2015: Dec 30th, 5.30pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Tel: 020 8960 6000 Web: www.cmsdistribution.com/ Closes for Christmas: December 24th, TBC Reopens: January 2nd

PCR December 2014 | 37

DISTRIBUTOR OPENING HOURS

Computers Unlimited Tel: 020 8200 8282 Web: www.unlimited.com Closes: Dec 24th, 5.30pm Reopens: Dec 29th, 10am Closes for 2015: Dec 31st, 5.30pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

DirekTek Tel: 01494 471 100 Web: www.direktek.co.uk Closes: December 24th, 12pm Reopens: December 29th, 9am Closes for 2015: Dec 31st, 12pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Contact Sales Tel: 01869 338 833 Web: www.contactsales.co.uk Closes for Christmas and New Year: December 22nd, 5.30pm (last orders by 3pm) Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Douglas Stewart Edu Tel: 01252 612806 Web: www.dstewart.eu Closes: December 24th, 5.30pm Reopens: December 29th, 8.30pm Closed for 2015: Dec 31st, 5.30pm Reopens: January 2nd, 8.30am

Dynamode

EET Europarts

Tel: 01923 244438 Web: www.dynamode.com Closes for Christmas and New Year: December 24th, 12pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Tel: 020 8421 0101 Web: uk.eetgroup.com Closes for Christmas: December 24th, 5pm Reopens: December 27th, 9am Closed for 2015: Dec 31st, 5pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Entatech

Exertis Business and Mobile: 01282 776776 (North), 01256 707070 (South) Closes: December 24th, 6pm Reopens: December 29th, 9am Closes for 2015: Dec 31st, 6pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am Exertis Retail: 01279 822822 Closes: December 23rd, 5.30pm Reopens: January 2nd, 8.30am

Tel: 0333 101 1000 Web: www.entaonline.com Closes for Christmas and New Year: December 23rd, 5.30pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Group Gear

38 | PCR December 2014

Tel: 01889 570156 Web: www.focusmm.co.uk Closes for Christmas: December 24th, 5.30pm Reopens: December 27th, 9am Closed for 2015: Dec 31st, 5pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Tel: 0121 503 0666 Web: www.groupgear.co.uk Closes: December 24th, 2pm Reopens: January 5th, 9am

Hama

Ingram Micro

Tel: 0845 230 4262 Web: https://uk.hama.com Closes for Christmas and New Year: December 24th, 2pm (subject to change) Reopens: January 2nd, 8.30am (subject to change)

Tel: 0870 973 3000 Web: www.ingrammicro.co.uk Closes: Dec 24th, 3pm Reopens: December 29th, 9am Closed for New Year: December 31st, 3pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

www.pcr-online.biz

DISTRIBUTOR OPENING HOURS

J&J Associates

Johnsons Photopia

Tel: 01752 336 465 Web: jj-associates.com Closes for Christmas: December 24th, 12.30pm Reopens: December 29th Closed for New Year: Dec 31st Reopens: January 2nd

Tel: 01782 753300 Web: www.johnsons-photopia.co.uk Closes for Christmas: Dec 24th Reopens: January 2nd

Koch Media

Kondor

Tel: 01256 385 200 Web: www.kochmedia.co.uk Closes for Christmas and New Year: December 23rd, 5pm Reopens: January 5th, 9am

Tel: 01425 284000 Web: www.kondor.co.uk Closes for Christmas and New Year: December 24th, 5.30pm Reopens: January 2nd, 8.30am

M2M Direct

Mentor Distribution

Tel: 020 8676 6067 Web: www.m2m-direct.co.uk Closes for Christmas: TBC Reopens: TBC Closed for New Year: TBC Reopens: TBC

Tel: 01462 814000 Web: www.mentor-distribution.com Closes for Christmas: December 24th, 12pm Reopens: January 5th, 9am

Meroncourt

Midwich

Tel: 01462 68 00 60 Web: www.meroncourt.co.uk Closes: December 24th, 3pm Reopens: December 29th, 9am Closes for New Year: December 31st, 5pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Tel: 01379 649 200 Web: www.midwich.com Closes for Christmas and New Year: December 24th, 12pm Reopens: January 2nd

Northamber

Peak Development

Tel: 020 8296 7000 Web: www.northamber.com Closes: December 24th, 6pm Reopens: December 29th, 9am Closes for 2015: Dec 31st, 6pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Tel: 01489 796979 Web: www.peak-uk.com Closes for Christmas and New Year: December 24th, 1pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Platinum Components

PSA Parts

Tel: 01202 203151 Web: platinum-components.com Closes: December 24th, 12.30pm Reopens: December 29th, 8.30am Closes for 2015: Dec 31st, 5.30pm Reopens: January 2nd, 8.30am

www.pcr-online.biz

Tel: 020 8685 6300 Web: www.psaparts.co.uk Closes: December 24th, 2pm Reopens: December 29th, 9am Closes for 2015: Dec 31st, 4pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

PCR December 2014 | 39

DISTRIBUTOR OPENING HOURS

PXS Distribution

Scan Computers

Tel: 0844 879 4212 Web: www.pxsdistribution.co.uk Closes for Christmas and New Year: December 23rd, 3pm Reopens: January 5th, 9am

Tel: 01204 474747 Web: www.scan.co.uk Closes: December 24th, 4pm Reopens: December 27th, 10am Closes for 2015: Dec 31st, 4pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Simms International

SJ Software Distribution

Tel: 01622 852 800 Web: www.simms.co.uk Closes for Christmas: December 24th, 3pm (last orders 2.30pm) Reopens: Dec 29th, 10am-4pm Closed for 2015: Dec 31st, 4pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

40 | PCR December 2014

Tel: 01282 865500 Web: www.sjsoftware.co.uk Closes: December 24th, 3pm Reopens: December 29th, 9am Closes for 2015: Dec 31st, 4pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Smithie UK

Spire Technology

Tel: 01256 844028 Web: www.smithieuk.com Closes: December 23rd, 6pm Reopens: December 29th, 9am Closes for 2015: Dec 31st, 4pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Tel: 01202 828 444 Web: www.spire.co.uk Closes for Christmas: December 24th, 1pm Reopens: Dec 29th, 9am Closed for 2015: Dec 31st, 1pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Target Components

Tech Data

Tel: 01977 739 300 Web: www.targetcomponents. co.uk Closes for Christmas: December 24th, 12pm Reopens: January 5th

Tel: 01256 788 000 Web: www.techdata.co.uk Closes: December 24th, 6pm Reopens: December 29th, 9am Closes for 2015: Dec 31st, 6pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Varlink

VIP Computers

Tel: 01904 717180 Web: www.varlink.co.uk Closes for Christmas: December 24th Reopens: December 29th Closes for 2015: December 31st Reopens: January 2nd

Tel: 0871 622 7500 Web: www.vip-computers.com Closes for Christmas: December 23rd, 5.45pm Reopens: December 29th, 9.30am Closed for 2015: December 30th, 5.15pm

Westcoast

Widget

Tel: 0118 912 6000 Web: www.westcoast.co.uk Closes: December 24th, 12pm Reopens: December 27th, 9am Closed for New Year: December 31st, 12pm Reopens: January 2nd, 9am

Tel: 01438 842350 Web: www.widget.co.uk Closes for Christmas: December 24th, 12pm Reopens: December 29th Closes for 2015: Dec 31st, 12pm Reopens: January 2nd

www.pcr-online.biz

285x53mm

285x112mm

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Dates correct at time of going to press

The PCR 2015 Wall Planner 117x112mm

117x112mm

312x112mm

117x112mm

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Put your brand in front of the whole IT/Tech industry, for a whole year 22/10/2014 11:16

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The benefits of being on the wall planner include: z Unrivalled low cost, all year round exposure z Proven to raise brand awareness to the whole IT industry z Constant reminder of your company and services

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NEWS OF THE YEAR

News of the Year It is nearly the end of 2014 already, which gives us the perfect excuse to look back at the biggest stories of the year.

Jade Burke reports on the tech execs that got a soaking, big mergers and more…

JANUARY THIS MONTH marked the end of trading for distributor KMS components. The firm was a supplier of several tech brands, including AMD, Asus, Microsoft, MSI, Samsung, Toshiba and more.

The casualty led to a loss of 34 jobs and debts with suppliers.

Deloitte directors, Richard Michael Hawes and Matthew David Smith, were appointed to handle the situation.

FEBRUARY After kids started to make in-app purchases (IAPs) spending their parents’ money on virtual iOS game goods, Apple has agreed to fork out $32.5 million (£19.9m) in compensation to 37,000 of its customers. Children were able to purchase a variety of apps without their parents’ consent, leaving many with a hefty bill.

Meanwhile CES, the consumer technology trade show, took place.

Valve’s Steam Machine gaming PCs made an entrance, while Sony announced plans to launch a cloud-based gaming service, which will allow users to stream a variety of PlayStation games on their TVs.

STEVE Ballmer announced his retirement in August 2013, so we were all waiting with baited breath to see who his successor at Microsoft would be.

This month Satya Nadella revealed that he would be the company’s new CEO. He was also previously the executive vice president of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group.

Ballmer first took on his role as CEO at Microsoft in January 2000,

taking over the position from Bill Gates. Gates also took on a new position as technology advisor within Microsoft, so the co-founder still remained a part of the company.

Ebuyer also expressed its interest in opening physical stores along the High Street, this month. The etailer told PCR it was open to a move on the High Street, after firmly establishing itself as one of the biggest PC and tech etailers on the market.

MARCH AFTER gracing computers since its release in 2001, the technology sector frantically tried to prepare for the impending Windows XP switch-off this month.

The operating system was 12 years old and the firm decided it was time to stop providing free security updates for XP. Microsoft dropped support for the OS on April 8th, however, businesses were told that they would be able to migrate easily after support for the OS ended. The

www.pcr-online.biz

firm also warned that those who remain on the old OS could face greater security risks due to its outdated software.

Microsoft also struck a deal with the UK Government to provide security patches for XP until April 8th 2015 for public sector workers.

In other news, Intel acquired wearable tech brand Basis Science for an undisclosed amount. Industry analysts suggested that the deal was worth a whopping $100 million (£60m).

APRIL VODAFONE revealed plans to invest £100 million into the High Street by opening up 150 new UK stores.

Customers were able to check out the new stores at Notting Hill, Fulham, Walthamstow, Wembley, Ilford, Perry Barr and Bicester first.

The CEO of Mozilla also stepped down this month, following controversy that he made a donation to an anti-gay bill.

Brendan Eich reportedly made a donation to the Californian gay marriage ban Proposition 8 back in

2008, which caused uproar within the tech industry.

In other news, Sony debuted the Xperia Z2, a smartphone that packs a huge 20.7-megapixel camera with support for 4K video recording. As well as this, the device can be submerged in freshwater for up to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, Microsoft finalised its acquisition of Nokia this month, taking on Nokia’s devices and services division. The acquisition cost Microsoft £4.6 billion.

PCR December 2014 | 43

NEWS OF THE YEAR

MAY

JUNE

DIXONS Retail and Carphone Warehouse confirmed plans to merge in a deal worth £3.8 million this month. The newly formed group, which was dubbed Dixons Carphone, will focus on connected devices and services.

Audio devices continued to remain a popular product choice among customers and now they have another vendor to select their latest products from as audio specialist Wavemaster landed in the UK. Distributor M2M signed a deal with the firm to get products such as the Mobi-2 available within the UK for purchase.

In other news, Apple acquired headphones firm Beats Electronics

MAPLIN, the electronics retailer, was sold this month to Rutland Partners in a deal worth £85 million.

Montagu, who has owned Maplin since 2004, hired PwC to lead the sale after the company was approached from interested parties.

Rutland Partners’ managing partner Nick Morrill told PCR that, following the acquisition, he was aiming to grow Maplin’s online offering. When asked about the competition Dixons Carphone might bring, Morrill said: “The product specification, the target market and the price point agenda is completely different.”

Amazon also revealed its Fire smartphone. The new device

for $3 billion (£1.8bn). The new deal marked Apple’s largest acquisition to date, which also saw the company absorb Beats’ music streaming service.

Rapper and producer Dr Dre and music producer Jimmy Iovine, who co-founded Beats, also joined Apple as part of the huge deal.

JULY

AUGUST

FOLLOWING the acquisition of Nokia, Microsoft announced plans to axe up to 18,000 jobs globally.

The shake-up was part of a restructuring plan, which aimed to simplify the organisation.

An email was sent out from Satya Nadella himself to employees, who were informed that the fate of their jobs might be at risk. This cut was one of the biggest in the firm’s history, with the 18,000 representing around one sixth of Microsoft’s 127,000 global workforce.

In other news, Acer reshuffled its team, making several senior staff changes. Luca Rossi was appointed president for Acer Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). In addition,

THIS MONTH marked a craze within the tech world and across Facebook, as tech professionals poured buckets of ice-cold water over their heads. Satya Nadella, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates all took to social media to post videos of themselves getting a soaking, which was part of a campaign to raise money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

After acquiring Beats Electronics earlier this year, Apple revealed that it was going to lay off almost 29 per cent of the current 700 Beats staff members.

In other news, Sony decided to abandon the worldwide e-reader market for the foreseeable future.

George Huang, one of the cofounders of Acer and board members was appointed as the new Acer chairman.

Further to this, Samsung expanded its smartphone portfolio with the addition of the Galaxy S5 Mini, the compact version of Samsung’s flagship smartphone.

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

THIS MONTH marked a sad day for some within the tech industry, as Phones 4U announced its leave from the market. The company said it was ‘forced’ into administration after Vodafone withdrew from its stores and EE turned its back on the retailer after the company decided not to renew its contracts with Phones 4U. The anticipated arrival of Windows 9 was expected this month, however, Microsoft skipped this stage and unveiled Windows 10, complete with a returning Start menu. The firm said it would launch in mid to late 2015.

In other news, Apple also unveiled its new line of products,

COMPETITION heated up between graphics card manufacturers Nvidia and AMD this month, after Nvidia unveiled its new Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 and 980 graphics cards.

Gaming system builders also experienced major stock shortages of the product.

However, after claims were made which suggested that Nvidia will own Christmas, AMD ran price promotions with its Radeon R9 290X, starting at $369.

Following the success of PCR’s Top 50 Women in Tech feature, PCR hosted its very first Woman of the Year event.

Around 100 execs from the likes of BullGuard, CompTIA, Intel,

44 | PCR December 2014

including a much larger smartphone and smartwatch. The iPhone 6, 6 Plus and Apple Watch were revealed at a press event in Cupertino, plus, the firm also debuted Apple Pay – a contactless form of payment using NFC (near field communication) technology.

Apple also unveiled the iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 3 and a new iMac.

features two new technologies developed by Amazon – Dynamic Perspective and Firefly.

Plus, other features flaunted include a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, which can capture video in1080p, a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 2.2GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and a 4.7-inch HD display.

Sony’s PRS-T3 will be its last, marking the end of the company’s trade in the e-reader sector.

Meanwhile, Dixons Carphone launched its very first stores. Seven stores-within-a-store were unveiled this month, with the company announcing further plans to open another 30 by the end of the year.

Novatech and Tesco arrived on the day, however, Sarah Shields from Dell received the debut award at Home House, London. Over 1,000 votes were made for the 50 women up for the award.

HP also split itself into two separate companies this month.

The company separated its personal computer and printer business from its corporate hardware and other services.

www.pcr-online.biz

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Retail Only Tech R Us

Retail News

Mystery Shopper

Comment

Store of the Month

Counter Insurgent

From trolley dash to tech den BACK IN PCR July 2014, our mystery shopper gave an unforgiving assessment of Toys R Us’ Peterborough store due to the store’s cluttered shelves and messy floors.

While this was disappointing, having worked on PCR sister title ToyNews, I knew that it was most likely a oneoff. Toys R Us still has a lot going for it with its wide range of categories, not to mention that classic Christmas ad jingle.

The chain has also just implemented a revamp of its tech and electronics sections in its stores, in a bid to make it easier for customers to find what they need. I

Toys R Us reworks store layout and embraces extra categories…

“Toys R Us has just embraced the kids fitness tech and Bluetooth speaker/sound tower categories.”

tablets), accessories, laptops, kids smartphones/cases, portable DVD and MP3 players, headphones, gadgets and more, plus new categories such as smart wearable kids tech, Bluetooth speakers as well as sound towers.

We snapped some pictures from the Brent Cross store.

RETAIL chain Toys R Us has refitted its UK stores with a revised and simplified tech section.

The chain has focused on clear and simple new layouts and signage to ensure kids and families can easily find what they are looking for.

Categories include tablets (both kids versions and Android

visited the retailer’s Brent Cross store and was surprised by the sheer variety on offer.

The first area that jumps out at you is the tablets section, where there are plenty of kids tablets available. Sections are now clearly marked and split into sections, rather than having a jumble of goodies that customers previously may have accidentally stumbled over.

The audio section particularly impressed me. Toys R Us has just embraced the kids fitness tech and Bluetooth speaker/sound tower categories, and also has sections for headphones and portable DVDs. With this wider variety of categories comes an increased opportunity – for tech vendors to get their goods in Britain’s biggest toy chain.

Dominic Sacco, Editor dsacco@nbmedia.com

PCR takes soundings from its Retail Advisory Board on the biggest issues in the industry. The current members are: RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD

Craig Hume, Utopia Computers

Phil Browes, HMV

Jason Eccles, SimplyFixIT

Phylip Morgan, Network Group

www.pcr-online.biz

Lorelei Gibb, Dolphin Upgrades

Vaughan Shayler, CompTIA

Mike Barron, Synaxon

Juliet Ward, Argos

Iain Shaw, Brigantia

Gavin Holder, GHI Computers

Duncan Rutherford, Dabs.com

Chris Innes, Micro Plus

Steve Ling, Overclockers UK

James Gorbold, Scan Computers

John Church, Shop Direct

Jonpaul Warren, Ebuyer

Will Fletcher, Toys “R” Us

Tim LeRoy, Novatech

David Chorlton, Maplin

Dean Kramer, Dixons

William Jones, John Lewis

CK, YoYoTech

Jat Mann, PC Pal

Vladimir Kuznetsov, Steven Lightfoot, Pudsey Computers DinoPC

PCR December 2014 | 47

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Premier Computers

Website: www.pcservices.org.uk

Taking the plunge and starting Premier Computers was a scary thought for owner Chris Loader, however, after winning five National IT Reseller Awards he now couldn’t be happier. Jade Burke finds out more…

How and when did the company begin?

It began in 2005, we started working from home and in 2006 we opened up our first shop in Leigh-on-Sea with just my wife and myself. I gave up work; when you start your own business and you’ve got a decent job and a wage it’s hard to do that, but we just took the plunge, gave up work and started the shop.

PC and laptop repairs, motherboard repairs, screen replacements and servicing.

We have got a retail shop, which we are doubling in size, it’s going to be our workshop and we’re increasing the retail aspect. This is pretty much everything you would expect: keyboards, mice, paper, ink and cables. The other half, which we’re expanding into, is going to have a dedicated PC and laptop showroom.

Was it difficult starting up your own business?

It was but it worked out very well. I think we earned £10 in the first week, but I think that was before we had the shop.

But it’s been good, and we moved to where we are now two years ago.

You just won five ShopTalk National IT Reseller Awards.

How do you feel about that?

Very good. I’m very critical about myself. I always think that I can improve, so it actually meant quite a lot to see that I’m doing things right.

What services and products do you offer?

Why do you think you won?

I think most of what we aimed

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at, which a lot of independent shops aren’t getting, is trying to get away from being a stereotypical, backstreet, nerdy computer shop. We’re

“We’re getting a lot more people shopping here who would typically go to PC World. ” Chris Loader, Premier Computers getting a lot more people shopping here who would typically go to PC World.

If others are thinking that they need to change their shops too, because the market has changed, then

hopefully it will give them the confidence to do it.

What plans do you have for the future after winning?

Certainly, if anything it’s going to push the expansion of our plans for this store, we’re desperately trying to get it done before Christmas and get this shop right and open up another.

You offer secure online backup. How important do you think backup and security is these days?

With online backup, I wish people would take it more seriously. As a repair place we do have the unfortunate times when we have to tell people that their hard drive’s died and they’ve lost everything, which can cost a fair amount of money. I think

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customer awareness is the number one security product we would sell if we could. It is something we have thought of since the awards, maybe doing a few sessions, whether it’s in the day or an open evening, where we can go through things like that with customers.

Do you have any advice for new start-up businesses?

Research into pricing. I know a lot of smaller shops that make the mistake of trying to enter the market and get a name for themselves by being cheap, but if your prices are cheap they’ll assume you’re not doing a very good job.

It’s also very hard to then try and put your prices up and justify them. Try and build a name rather than try and build pound notes in the bank.

Delivering Value in Distribution Sales Hotline 0871 622 7500 www.vip-computers.co.uk © Copyright VIP Computer Centre Limited. 2014.

Information correct at time of publication E&OE.

WORK HARD PLAY HARD

N R U T E R S D PCR AWAR

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For information on sponsorship opportunities please contact Jennie or Sarah on: jlane@nbmedia.com or sgoldhawk@nbmedia.com or telephone 01992 535 647

PCR RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD

Is Apple Pay the future?

Apple has launched its contactless payment service Apple Pay in the US, allowing users to tap their iPhone or Apple Watch onto a reader to pay for items in stores. CEO Tim Cook said retailers should accept it or risk alienating their customers – here’s what the PCR Retail Advisory Board thinks… ”I don’t think Russia will want to sign up! Tim Cook’s comments are very bold. I don’t think retailers will alienate their customers by not adopting Apple Pay – I think Apple are possibly alienating themselves by saying that. I can see big chains signing up and associating themselves with the brands, which looks good, but it takes some rolling out. As always I think these things should be more organic, so where payments naturally transition across to, rather than trying to force it to happen.

“Looking back at the days of the MP3 player, it kind of caught on, but when Apple brought out the iPod it just worked. There’s also a lot of new tech and software companies building themselves around this digital procurement model that uses NFC, so it’s certainly very interesting.”

STEVEN LIGHTFOOT JNR, Partner, Pudsey Computers

www.pcr-online.biz

”Well the concept has been there for quite some time, and it’s probably taken someone like Apple with their clout to really bring it to the attention of the wider public, rather than just IT people. So that’s a good thing.

“We don’t know the timescale in the UK, and it’s a bit odd because in the UK we’ve got chip and pin but in the States they haven’t rolled that out, so it will be quite a leap for them. But I think in the UK we’ll adopt it quickly because the contactless technology is used on the London Underground and in other areas. From the consumer’s point of view, I can’t wait for it to roll out, but does Apple really need to say businesses are going to get left behind? Do the means justify that? I don’t think it’s really that fair.

“Plus we don’t know how much it’s costing the retailers or the infrastructures they’ve got to bring in. This new technology should be quite

good fun, but it could be a burden to some businesses.”

JAT MANN, MD, PC PAL ”The fact that Apple has had more than one million activations of its payment service within the first week of launching, it shows that they have chosen a great time to move into the mobile payment marketplace.

“They certainly have an advantage over Google Wallet as they don’t store your card details on the cloud – security conscious consumers will see this as a major advantage. I don’t necessarily agree with the arrogance of Apple’s statement, however, I would like to think that Utopia is on trend with the latest technology innovations. We have accepted PayPal in store for quite a while now, so if our customers want to pay by Apple Pay, then Utopia will start to accept it.”

CRAIG HUME, Director, Utopia Computers

”Security is the most obvious issue. Hackers are becoming more and more sophisticated and are coming up with ingenious ways of getting around the multitude of security layers. Whilst Apple has probably the best security, I think the others have a way to catch up.

“Privacy would be an issue too. Customers are becoming more concerned about this – they do not want companies to know every aspect of their lives, for example where they are and at what time, what they are buying and how much they spend. If your business model was built on advertising, then this data would be very valuable.

“On the plus side, Apple Pay would make things much easier. I can seriously see this as the beginning of the end of cash and credit cards. It is so

easy to simply pull out your phone or maybe your smartwatch, and then place your finger on the device to authenticate the payment.

Why would you want to fumble around with counting your cash, digging out your credit cards or trying to remember your pin?”

MIKE BARRON, UK channel manager, Synaxon ”Apple’s new form of contactless payment is definitely a step towards the future. If it works well, this will also be a major step forward in the world of virtual payments overall. Only time will tell whether it has its drawbacks or not. Us at YoYoTech are currently looking into its implementation.”

C.KOHLI, MD, YoYoTech

PCR RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD PCR asks its Retail Advisory Panel –formed of buyers and experts – about the biggest industry trends and issues each month. To join, email dsacco@nbmedia.com

PCR December 2014 | 51

MYSTERY SHOPPER

Watford Famous for its local football club, Watford also boasts a large shopping centre and a busy High Street. However, is it the right place to find a set of portable laptop speakers with a budget of £50? Our Mystery Shopper finds out…

5/10 PC WORLD

CURRYS AFTER walking around the store for a few minutes, I couldn’t seem to locate the speakers for laptops.

I decided to ask a staff member for their whereabouts, and he pointed me in the direction of some speakers. That was the extent of his help at this point. After looking at the range for a few more minutes, I asked the same staff member for further assistance.

I told him I was looking for some portable speakers for my laptop, and he pointed to a pair of speakers for £6.99.

52 | PCR December 2014

6/10

Unfortunately he didn’t offer me any more options, so I had to prompt him about wireless speakers and whether Currys stocked any.

He then took me around to the front of the store where a range of wireless Bluetooth speakers were on display, including devices from Beats and Jam. The Jam Touch speaker for £24.99 was within my budget. After informing me I would be able to connect the speakers to other devices as most of them include a jack input, the assistant left me.

IT WAS very easy to find the speaker range within PC World. Disappointingly, when I got there the majority of staff members were busy with other customers.

After waiting a few minutes, a female assistant passed by and I asked her which speaker would be best for a laptop.

Her reply was very honest, as she told me she didn’t know a lot about speakers.

Instead, she did tell me that the higher the voltage was, then the better sound quality the speaker would have. She then proceeded to point out

which speakers would be best for me.

The assistant checked which speakers were in stock and unfortunately there were not many, so she whisked me over to the wireless range.

There was plenty on offer, including speakers from Beats, which were priced at £159, way out of my price range. There was also a portable Bluetooth speaker from Goji for £12.99, which was something I could afford.

With no pressure to buy, I was left to browse the selection on offer. www.pcr-online.biz

MYSTERY SHOPPER

STAR STORE

6/10 MAPLIN

9/10 JOHN LEWIS

I WAS greeted by a warm smile as I entered the store. I proceeded to wander around the shop floor looking at the different tech products Maplin had to offer.

I then asked one of the shop assistants to show me their range of laptop speakers. After informing me that the store didn’t have a very large selection, the assistant recommended the Logitech Z50 for £14.39 and the Logitech Z120 for £14.99.

The assistant explained that these speakers would work well with a laptop as they are

portable, plus she mentioned that she also uses these herself and revealed the sound quality was good.

Even though the assistant did praise the cheap pricing of each product, she did not pressure me into buying.

After showing me this selection of products, the assistant mentioned that there were a few Bluetooth enabled speakers, which she felt may be useful for a laptop since they had no wires and were a little more portable.

She then went off to help some other customers.

THE technology department was very impressive at John Lewis and I had no trouble finding the speakers.

I noticed a staff member and asked for some advice on the range, but he wasn’t sure what to recommend and asked another assistant to help me out.

The second assistant asked what laptop I had and whether I wanted something portable. He then showed me the Logitech range of speakers, which was within my price range, but advised that I may need something a

little smaller. He then showed me the Sony SRS-X2 Bluetooth NFC wireless speaker for £69.99.

He told me this had a battery built-in and that it would last longer, plus, I could connect it up to my laptop without the need of any wires. He then asked whether I would like to try it out and connected my smartphone via NFC so I could hear a track play.

After discussing the specs of the product (which was out of my budget), the assistant left me to decide.

SUMMARY

7/10 HMV THE STORE was bustling with energy as I walked in, with customers browsing the range of CDs and DVDs. The speaker selection wasn’t very crowded as I made my way over, although I did have to wait a while until the shop assistant was free to help me.

He asked me what speakers I was interested in and what I wanted them for. He then suggested that the Jam Classic would be a suitable option for £19.99 as it was in my price range. He explained that the speaker, in his www.pcr-online.biz

7/10 TESCO

opinion, was the top of the range for portable Bluetooth speakers, as many others sound quite tinny.

He then played a track on the speaker for me to hear and said that it would be very simple to sync the device up to my laptop via a Bluetooth connection. He also suggested that if I wanted to spend a little more, then the Jam Plus for £59.99 would be a suitable alternative.

After playing another track for me to hear, he asked if I needed anything else then left me to decide.

I THOUGHT that Tesco would have a great range of technology products and it didn’t disappoint. Once I found the laptop speakers, I waited until the shop assistant was free.

I asked him what speakers would be best for a laptop.

The assistant told me the Logitech Z313 for £39.99 would provide quality sound as the system includes a subwoofer, he also noted that a system wouldn’t be portable enough for a laptop.

He then suggested I have a look at the wireless range and

showed me the various speakers on offer.

After I told him that I was looking for something under £50, he started to browse the selection of products.

He suggested that Tesco’s own Bluetooth speaker for £16 would be suitable as it was in my price range. He also explained that I could take it home and listen to the sound quality and bring it back if I wasn’t satisfied.

He also pointed out the range of Jam speakers, which were affordable and available in a few colours.

PORTABLE devices are becoming more popular among customers as they take their laptops to work, a café or elsewhere, so I was pleased to see that each store stocked portable speakers.

The assistants from Currys and PC World were surprisingly the ones that knew least about laptop speakers, which was disappointing.

However, I was impressed with HMV’s store assistant’s knowledge and opinion, plus he also played some music on the speakers so I could listen to the sound quality.

Equally, the assistant I spoke with in Maplin offered me her opinion on which speaker to choose.

The store assistant I spoke with in Tesco took into account my budget and selected a low-priced device for me to try. I also appreciated the fact that he informed me of the returns policy, giving me the option to try out the speakers at home.

However, overall the customer service and knowledge the store assistant demonstrated in John Lewis was particularly impressive, making them this month’s star store.

PCR December 2014 | 53

COUNTER INSURGENT

Taxing Troubles This month our anonymous columnist discusses why they think honest tax paying businesses are getting a raw deal when it comes to selling popular consumer electronics likes Apple’s iPad… NON-VAT foreign registered sellers on eBay and Amazon are killing High Streets up and down the country.

I know this is a very bold statement, but in my opinion it is true.

Right now, one of these retailers is selling the iPad Air 2 16GB Wi-Fi, which has an RRP of £399, for £349.99 through a marketplace seller.

Those indies who dabble in Apple products are

fully aware of the margins available even when sourced from authorised distribution. The seller of this iPad also has a 10-15 per cent deduction made from the purchase price by the site and PayPal meaning the actual cost price must be around £255+VAT, which we know is impossible in the UK channel.

So how do they do it?

Well, eBay and Amazon

provide a platform for foreign registered sellers to operate out of the EU but utilise stocks in UK warehouses. By doing this, the seller doesn’t charge the buyer VAT. Surely this is illegal as the goods are shipped from one UK address to another UK address?

Despite this, it continues to happen across all platforms, creating an uneven marketplace for

honest businesses that pay tax, VAT, business rates, and provide jobs to the British populace.

This kind of trading costs the UK economy billions in lost VAT, tax and jobs as well as the associated

overheads of running a British business, yet eBay and Amazon somehow don’t pay their dues to the HMRC purse.

When will the Government take notice, step up and stop this practice?

Got a gripe you’d like to share with the industry?

Email Laura Barnes at lbarnes@nbmedia.com

SYNAXON MEMBER PROFILE about how the business is developing, and in order to fuel our continued growth we are looking to add to the team with talented and driven individuals.

UK IT Online UK IT Online’s owner Tom Watson talks about developing sub brands, working closely with vendors, and why it isn’t ‘just another VAR’…

How did the company start?

I saw an opportunity to launch a B2B e-commerce store, recognising purchasing habits were changing and clients wanting an easy and quick way of buying branded products.

So, UK IT Online was developed to provide a secure way of doing this, offering a portfolio of tens of thousands of discounted products, focused on vendors such as HP, Lenovo, Dell, Fujitsu and Microsoft.

The long-term plan was always to develop into a services and solution provider, and to help me achieve this I brought in key staff to help cultivate and shape my vision.

What products and services do you offer?

The business is now split into two divisions. UK IT Online and UK IT Corp – an IT services and solution provider with

54 | PCR December 2014

“We work extremely hard to stretch our customer budgets and support them at every stage.

Nothing is too much trouble.”

Tom Watson, UK IT Online

helpdesk, server monitoring, managed networks and consultancy services. This enables us to act as our clients’ IT department or with their IT manager to deliver specialist services to keep their critical business systems running.

We work closely with our vendors, and heavily invest in both our partners and staff alike to achieve our accreditations in order to provide our customers with the widest choice, best service and usually the best price.

How has business been?

The business has been growing

steadily since its inception, but with the additions of our new services and solutions to the portfolio, we are now seeing exciting growth. The pleasing thing is the number of referrals from our clients we now have.

What do you have planned over the next few years?

We will be looking to further develop some of our sub brands, such as UK IT Cloud and UK IT Secure as we see these are definite growth areas. We are really excited

What’s the best thing about what you do?

We like to think we aren’t just another VAR, as we work extremely hard to stretch our customer budgets and support them at every stage.

Nothing is too much trouble.

In fact our motto is: “The answer is yes, now what is the question?”

What are the benefits of working with an organisation like Synaxon?

Their EGIS procurement platform is a fantastic tool which simplifies purchasing, and together with the reduced carriage, it saves money as well as time. We are very much looking forward to engaging further with Synaxon and using their marketing tools to develop our business.

Contact: sales@ukitonline.com www.ukitonline.com

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SECTOR GUIDE

Desktops and all-in-ones With more customers looking for increased computing performance and higher specs, desktop PCs are becoming more popular as users turn away from tablets. Jade Burke picks out the latest models on the market…

SPIRE - INTEL CORE I34160 WITH WINDOWS 7

LG CHROMEBASE

MSI ADORA20 2BT ALL-INONE PC

ACER VERITON X2631G SFF

Distributor: Spire Technology

Distributor: Exertis

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Distributor: Northamber

Customers can choose from Windows 7 Professional or Home Premium for their desktop from Spire. It also features an Intel Core i3-4160 processor, an Asus H81M-E motherboard, and a full year’s licence of BullGuard Internet Security.

LG’s Chromebase comes with Google’s Chrome operating system, giving users access to Gmail, Drive, Search and Maps. It takes 10 seconds to boot up and features a 21.5-inch Full HD 1920x1080 IPS display.

With a width of 23mm at its thickest point, the MSI Adora20 has a 19.5-inch LCD screen, which features an anti-glare display. The all-in-one can also be equipped with an optional SSD.

The Veriton 2 series comes in different form factors and has an Intel Core i3 chipset with a processing speed of 2.40GHz. Its total hard drive memory is 500GB, while 4GB of DDR3 standard memory is also available.

Specs: Six USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports, 500GB hard drive, 4GB DDR4, BullGuard Internet Security.

Specs: 1920x1080 IPS display, 178-degree viewing angle, 1.3MP webcam, microphone.

Specs: Windows 8.1, LED backlight, Anti-Flicker technology, Intel HD graphics, 10-point touch.

Specs: Two USB 3.0 and four 2.0 USB ports, 4GB DDR3 memory, Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.

SRP: Professional £292.34, Premium £308

SRP: Around £279

SRP: £299.99

SRP: £358.33 excluding VAT

DELL XPS 18 PORTABLE ALL-IN-ONE

ASUS 23” ET2321IUTHB015Q ALL-IN-ONE PC

ACER VERITON M6630G TOWER

DELL XPS 27 ALL-IN-ONE

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Users will be able to take advantage of the five hour battery life in this all-inone and view content on its 18.4-inch Full HD display. It comes with 3rd Generation Intel Core processors and runs on Windows 8.

With a 4th generation Intel Core i7 processor and Intel Iris graphics, Asus’ all-in-one also has a 23-inch IPS panel Full HD display. It runs on Windows 8 Pro, however, other editions are also available for customers.

This tower from Acer features Intel Haswell technology in the chassis and includes an Intel Core i7-4770 processor. 8GB of memory is included within the form factor plus 1TB of storage and 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT620.

An 8M cache speed of up to 3.9GHz is available with the XPS 27 which comes with 4th Generation Intel Core i7-4770S processors. It runs on Windows 8.1 and comes with 16GB DDR3 memory, plus a 32GB mSATA Solid State Drive.

Specs: 1080p video playback, 18.5-inch screen, Windows 8, 3rd Generation Intel Core processors.

Specs: 23-inch IPS panel, Windows 8 Pro, 4th Gen Intel Core processor, HDMI ports, 10-point touch.

Specs: 1TB storage, 8GB memory, Nvidia GeForce GT620 1GB, Haswell technology, Windows 7 Professional.

Specs: 27-inch display, 4th Generation Intel Core i7, Windows 8.1, 16GB DDR3 memory.

SRP: TBC

SRP: £649.99

SRP: £683.33 excluding VAT

SRP: £1,529

56 | PCR December 2014

www.pcr-online.biz

SECTOR GUIDE

ASUS 27” ET2701IUTIB003K ALL-IN-ONE PC

ACER VERITON N4630G USFF

DELL XPS 8700 DESKTOP

ACER VERITON Z2660G

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Distributor: Northamber

Distributor: Exertis

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A 10-point touch screen and Windows 8 is available with Asus’ all-in-one, as well as 3rd generation Intel Core processors.

It can also be used as a second display by connecting other PCs or laptops via its HDMI input port.

The Acer Veriton N series comes with an Intel Core i3-413OT processor and 500GB of storage. It is compatible with Windows 7 Professional 64-bit and features 4GB of DDR3 memory.

Compatible with Windows 8.1, this desktop also comes with 4th Generation Intel Core processors. 16GB of RAM is included, plus users can also opt for Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 graphics and 2TB of hard drive storage.

With a swivel angle of 120 degrees, Acer’s all-in-one can also pivot from landscape to portrait. It can tilt from -5 to 35 degrees and its height can be adjusted by as much as 150mm. The Veriton also has a frame stand.

Specs: 27-inch display, 10-point touch, 3rd generation Intel Core processors, HDMI ports.

Specs: 4GB DDR3 memory, 500GB storage, Windows 7 Professional, additional form factor sizes.

Specs: Six USB 3.0 ports, optional 2TB hard drive, Windows 8.1, 4th Generation Intel Core processors.

Specs: 4GB DDR3 memory, 500GB storage, Windows 7 Professional, Core i3-4130T, LED screen.

SRP: £1,099.99

SRP: £383.33 excluding VAT

SRP: Starting from £729

SRP: £591.33 excluding VAT

DELL INSPIRON 3000 DESKTOP

HANNSPREE AIO PC

FUJITSU ESPRIMO Q520 MINI PC

ASUS 18.4” P1801-B098K TRANSFORMER ALL-IN-ONE

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Distributor: VIP Computers

Customers can choose between either Intel Pentium processors or 4th Generation Intel Core i3 processors for this desktop. It is also compatible with Windows 8.1 and features either 4GB or 8GB of DDR3 memory.

Hannspree’s monitor comes with a 27inch Full HD display and a 1920x1080 resolution. It features a Quad Core Intel CPU and is compatible with Windows 8.1. Plus, 2GB DDR3 memory is included, as well as 32GB of storage.

Mini PCs are good space-saving alternatives and Fujitsu’s has an integrated 90 per cent efficient power supply, which helps to cut users’ energy bills. It comes with a Zero Noise functionality for silent operation.

This all-in-one PC features an 18.4-inch Full HD display, which can be detached from the stand, giving users the opportunity to use it as a touch tablet.

It also runs on a 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processor.

Specs: Four USB 2.0 ports and two USB 3.0 ports, 4GB/8GB DDR3 memory, mic/ headphone jacks, Intel HD graphics.

Specs: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, 32GB storage, 2GB DDR3 memory, Windows 8.1, 10-point touch.

Specs: 4GB storage, two 3.0 USB ports and four 2.0 USB ports, Windows 7 Professional, Intel H81 chipset.

Specs: Windows 8, Android 4.1 option, Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, Detachable Full HD display.

SRP: Starting from £259

SRP: £299

SRP: £438 excluding VAT

SRP: £999.99

CONTACT

www.pcr-online.biz

Entatech ...................... 0333 101 1000

Midwich ........................01379 649200

Exertis (Basingstoke) . 01256 70 70 70

Northamber ................ 020 8296 7000

Exertis (Harlow) .......... 01279 822 822

Spire Technology .........01202 828444

Ingram Micro............... 0871 973 3000

VIP Computers: ........... 0871 622 7500

PCR December 2014 | 57

It’s not the perfect home until it’s the perfect home » That’s German attitude!

The new be quiet! Silent Base 800 PC case is simply the perfect home for your valuable components. It offers the perfect symbiosis of noise prevention and cooling performance, a good usability and an extensive capacity for high-end hardware.

The innovative construction and three pre-installed be quiet! Pure Wings 2 fans assure excellent cooling performance and perfect air circulation. Numerous sound insulation features contribute to a well-known whisper-quiet operation.

On account of tool-free mounting and generous space for hardware and cable management the case offers a comfortable, first-class usability.

Silent Base 800 is a truly superior case ideal for high-end gaming gear and for quiet systems.

For more information visit bequiet.com.

Entire be quiet! range available at entaonline.com

SECTOR GUIDE

Motherboards and processors With many components claiming to be the best on the market it is difficult to know which product may be.

Jade Burke rounds up a range of the hottest new motherboards and processors currently available…

GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD3-BK MOTHERBOARD

X99-DELUXE MOTHERBOARD

GIGABYTE 970A-DS3P REV 1.0 MOTHERBOARD

Distributor: Entatech

Distributor: Spire Technology

Distributor: VIP Computers

Gigabyte’s motherboard features SATA express support for 10 Gb/s data transfer and has a copper PCB design. Intel GbE LAN with CFOS internet accelerator software is included and supports 4th and 5th Generation Intel Core processors.

This motherboard supports Nvidia Quad-GPU graphics and AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX. It features five PCI express lanes, Wi-Fi 802.11 connectivity and supports dual frequency band 2.5/5GHz. Plus, 14 USB 3.0 ports and six USB 2.0 ports are included.

This motherboard is designed to deliver high-speed capabilities and transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps thanks to its onboard acceleration technologies. It features a USB 3.0 controller an AMD 970 chipset, plus, all USB ports benefit from a 3x power boost for better power delivery to USB devices.

Specs: 4th and 5th Generation Intel Core processor support, multi graphics support, SATA support, copper PCB design.

Specs: 14 3.0 and six 2.0 USB ports, Wi-Fi 802.11, USB BIOS flashback, DIGI+ Power Control, Crystal Sound 2.

Specs: AM3+ socket, AMD 970 chipset, DDR3 memory, 16 PCIe 2.0, on/off charge technology, SATA 6 Gbps support.

SRP: £142.99

SRP: £231.03 Excluding VAT

SRP: £53.99

INTEL CORE I7 4790K 4.0GHZ S1150 8MB PROCESSOR

ASROCK 990FX EXTREME3 MOTHERBOARD

AMD A10 X4 7850K CPU

Distributor: Ingram Micro

Distributor: VIP Computers

Distributor: Spire Technology

This processor from Intel combines an overclocking 4th Generation Core I7 processor with a 64-bit instruction set. It also features a maximum memory of 32GB, plus two memory channels and a maximum memory bandwidth of 25.6GB/s. Four cores and eight threads are also included.

This motherboard supports AMD Socket AM3+ multicore processors with up to eight native CPU cores. It features AMD Turbo Core Technology 2.0 and accelerates data transfer rates up to 5200MT/s via the HyperTransport 3.0 based system bus.

AMD’s CPU comes with 12 compute cores, four CPUs and eight GPUs, featuring AMD Radeon R7 graphics and AMD technology including TrueAudio.

This processor has a clock speed of 3.7GHz and a turbo speed of 4.0GHz, plus DDR3 memory is included along with a 95W and 4MB of cache.

Specs: 4 cores, 8 threads, up to 4.40GHz, 32GB memory, DDR3-1333/1600, Intel HD Graphics 4600, 16 PCI Express lanes.

Specs: 32Gb memory support, DDR3 memory, AMD 990FX + SB950 chipset, Socket AM3+, six USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports.

Specs: 4MB cache, 4 threads, 3.7GHz clock speed, 4.0GHz turbo speed, FM2+ socket, R7 series graphics.

SRP: Available for under £215

SRP: £79.99

SRP: £91.25 excluding VAT

www.pcr-online.biz

PCR December 2014 | 59

SECTOR GUIDE

GIGABYTE GA-Z97P-D3 MOTHERBOARD

GIGABYTE GA-H81M-S2H MOTHERBOARD

INTEL CORE I7 5820K 3.3GHZ S2011-V3 15MB PROCESSOR

Distributor: Entatech

Distributor: Entatech

Distributor: Ingram Micro

This Gigabyte 9 series motherboard supports 4th and 5th Generation Intel Core processors, plus built in AMD CrossFire support delivers clearer graphics for gaming. It comes equipped with LAN with high ESD protection as well as a Gigabyte Lan Optimiser.

This Gigabyte 8 series motherboard supports a 4th Generation Intel Core processor, which helps to deliver performance-enhancing caching technologies and improved audio. The HD4600 Intel processor graphics also provide high frame rates in DX11 3D game titles.

This processor from Intel features a processor base frequency of 3.3GHz and a max turbo frequency of 3.6Ghz. It is available with different memory types including DDR4-1333/1600/2133, plus the max memory bandwidth is 68GB/s. It has a maximum of 28 PCI express lanes and runs on a 64-bit instruction set.

Specs: 4th and 5th Generation Intel Core processor support, HD audio support, HDMI output, AMD graphics.

Specs: Intel H81 chipsets, HDMI, DVI, D-SUB port on rear panel, 4th Generation Intel Core support.

Specs: S2011-V3 CPU socket, turbo frequency 3.6Ghz, six cores, 12 threads, 64-bit instruction set.

SRP: £59.99

SRP: £39.99

SRP: Available for under £245

GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-GAMING G1 WIFI-BK MOTHERBOARD

ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO MOTHERBOARD

MSI X99S SLI PLUS MOTHERBOARD

Distributor: Entatech

Distributor: Spire Technology

Distributor: Entatech

This motherboard from Gigabyte supports both 4th and 5th Generation Intel Core processors, plus an onboard Creative Sound Core3D audio-processor is included. Dual DAC-UP USB ports and SATA express support for 10 Gb/s data transfer is included, as well as Cloud Station utilities.

Asus’ motherboard provides support to 4th and 5th Intel Generation Core processors and features an Intel Z97 Express Chipset with M.2 support. It also comes with data transfer speeds of up to 10Gb/s. It combines a KeyBot + TrueVolt USB for an instant keyboard upgrade and 5V USB supply.

MSI’s motherboard can support the Intel Core i7 processor Extreme Edition in its LGA 2011-3 socket, as well as Quad Channel DDR4-3333 memory. It features SATA Express USB 3.0 ports + SATA 6Gb/s and can support multi GPUs including Nvidia Quad SLI and AMD Quad CrossFire.

Specs: 4th and 5th Generation Intel Core processor support, SATA express ports, dual DAC-OP USB ports, water block thermal design.

Specs: Intel HD graphics, Nvidia Quad-GPU support, Intel Z97 chipset, 4th and 5th Intel Generation Core processor support.

Specs: Intel Core i7 processor support, USB 3.0 ports, Nvidia and AMD support, command centre.

SRP: £349.99

SRP: Around £128.73 excluding VAT

SRP: From £159.99

CONTACT

60 | PCR December 2014

Entatech: ..................... 0333 101 1000

Spire Technology: ........01202 828444

Ingram Micro:.............. 0871 973 3000

VIP Computers: ........... 0871 622 7500

www.pcr-online.biz

SECTOR GUIDE

Office equipment From printers and projectors to keyboards and conferencing equipment, Laura Barnes takes a look at the latest products available to offices of all shapes and sizes – ideal for small and medium-sized businesses...

ASUS 900MBPS WIRELESS ROUTER

VERACITY TIMENET ATOMIC CLOCK GPS

LEAP MOTION

FUJITSU SCANSNAP IX100

Distributor: Spire Technology

Distributor: Midwich

Distributor: Exertis

Distributor: Northamber

This two-in-one modem router comes with Ethernet WAN and DSL WAN. It offers more performance and flexibility for wired and wireless connections and allows file and printer sharing via two multi-functional USB ports.

Timenet provides accurate reference time signals for phones, printers and security devices. CCTV and digital video recorder (DVR) installations require accurate reference time signals, which can be crucial for evidential purposes.

The Leap Motion Controller tracks both hands and all ten fingers. Users can draw, paint and design, build 3D objects and flip through photos without touching a keyboard.

The ScanSnap iX100 can automatically detect Wi-Fi networks at home, in the office or on the go. It only needs to be set up once, after which any regularly visited network environment will be automatically detected.

Specs: 450Mbps max wireless transfer rate, 10/100Mbps max wired transfer rate, 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency.

Specs: Supports all NTP compatible devices, direct network interface, wall mountable, self-contained unit.

Specs: Minimum system requirements: Windows 7 or 8, Mac OS X 10.7.

Specs: Cable or battery powered, Wi-Fi, 600 dpi optical resolution, 260 sheets continuous scanning, weighs 400g.

SRP: £95.41

SRP: £675

SRP: £69.99

SRP: £183

CANON MB2350 MAXIFY PRINTER

OKI MC362DN PRINTER

EASYMEETING TWS

EDIMAX AC750 DUAL BAND WI-FI ROUTER

Distributor: Midwich

Distributor: Entatech

Distributor: Midwich

Distributor: Exertis

This all-in-one offers business quality colour printing for home offices. It features Wi-Fi and Ethernet, touch screen operation and smartphone and cloud connectivity, along with print, copy, scan and fax functions.

The MC362dn is a network ready multifunction product that brings extra capability and cost-savings to small businesses or workgroups, with colour print speeds of 22ppm and mono print speeds of 24ppm.

This video conferencing system is designed for easy deployment and can be used in any working environment. It delivers 1080p HD video resolution and high fidelity audio. The system also has a silent operation mode.

Featuring the latest 11ac standard for improvements in the speed and reliability of wireless communications, the AC750 is backwards compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n standards.

Specs: Mono print speed of 23ppm, colour print speed 15ppm, USB, network and wireless connectivity.

Specs: 1200x600 dpi, 60 second warm up time, 45,000 pages monthly duty cycle, 3.5-inch LCD.

Specs: Single or dual screen operation, quad-zone omnidirectional microphone pod.

Specs: 5-in1 router, high gain fixed antennas, guest network support.

SRP: £179

SRP: £382.14

SRP: £3,550

SRP: £69.99

www.pcr-online.biz

PCR December 2014 | 63

SECTOR GUIDE

MICROSOFT LIFECAM CINEMA FOR BUSINESS

MICROSOFT WIRED DESKTOP 400

DIGIUM D45 IP PHONE

PROPER CANTILEVER DESK MONITOR MOUNT

Distributor: Exertis

Distributor: Spire Technology

Distributor: Entatech

Distributor: DirekTek

The LifeCam Cinema for Business offers one-on-one audio and video conversations as well as instant messaging. Both PC and Mac users can join a Lync Meeting with the Lync Web App and sync between devices.

This desktop set combines a spillresistant keyboard and an optical mouse. It comes with a plug and play setup, Windows 7 features, Quiet Touch Keys and an ambidextrous mouse.

This gigabit-capable, HDVoice, PoE phone comes with two-line keys and plug-andplay deployment. Other features include a two-colour LED message waiting indicator, volume control and headset, speaker and mute keys.

This counterbalance mount features two arms with double extensions to offer increased flexibility to move a screen in all directions. It is suitable for all 13-inch to 23-inch computer monitors, LCD and LED televisions.

Specs: 720p HD video, auto focus, TrueColor, 360-degree rotation.

Specs: Three-button mouse with 800 dpi and scroll wheel, USB connection, wired.

Specs: Five volt DC power port, two switched 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet ports, six-key navigation controller.

Specs: Supports screens up to 9kg, universal VESA fit, 280mm arm extension, 360-degree rotation.

SRP: £69.99

SRP: £10.30

SRP: £114

SRP: £49

APPROX 2 PORT KVM SWITCH

PROPER UNIVERSAL FLOOR STAND

TRANSCEND SSD370 1TB 2.5-INCH SSD

PICO GENIE P100 LED PROJECTOR

Distributor: Meroncourt

Distributor: DirekTek

Distributor: Entatech

Distributor: Spire Technology

This compact KVM switch allows the user to access two computers from one keyboard, mouse and monitor. It is USB powered and supports SVGA, VGA and Multi Sync.

Designed for use in offices, shop floors and showrooms, this secure anti-theft tablet stand is compatible with iPad, Galaxy 9.7-inch and 10.1-inch, and most other tablets.

The SSD370 features the industrystandard 2.5-inch form factor, yet measures just 7mm in height and weighs 52g, which is best suited to thin and light notebooks, mainstream PCs and Ultrabooks.

The Pico Genie P100 is one of the only Pico Projectors that operates at its full 85 lumen brightness on battery as well as mains power. Designed for use with smartphones and HDMI gadgets, it will run for two hours from one charge.

Specs: Plug and play, up to 1920x1440 resolution, LED indicators, USB.

Specs: Detachable case, adjustable width, die cast aluminium base.

Specs: 1TB capacity, next generation SATA III 6Gb/s interface, supports DevSleep ultra low power state.

Specs: Built-in speakers, 854x480 resolution, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, HDMI, 12V, 3800mAh battery.

SRP: £37.99

SRP: £47

SRP: £369.99

SRP: £208.18

CONTACT

64 | PCR December 2014

DirekTek ....................... 01494 471 100

Exertis (Harlow) ............ 01279 822 822

Entatech ....................... 0333 101 1000

Midwich ........................ 01379 649 200

Exertis (Basingstoke) ... 01256 70 70 70

Meroncourt................... 01462 680 060

Northamber .................. 020 8296 7000 Spire Technology.......... 01202 828 444

www.pcr-online.biz

Call our specialist sales team 01279 822 822 exertis.co.uk/home exertis.co.uk/home/store

Recommended Dedicated monthly product coverage

The iPad Air 2 features an 8MP camera and an A8X chip

The latest tech Editorial Planner

The iMac has four times as many pixels as standard Mac models

The iPad Mini’s 7.9-inch display packs 3.1 million pixels

Apple’s new tech trio APPLE HAS unveiled its latest devices, including a new iPad Air, Mini and iMac. The iPad Air 2 has been designed with a thinner silhouette than before, which was completed by fusing the Retina display into one layer.

It has a 2048x1535 resolution and a 9.7-inch display, plus the screen features 3.1 million pixels, with 264 pixels per inch.

The iPad has been given a new A8X chip and features

64-bit desktop-class architecture, making it more powerful than its predecessor.

An iSight camera has also been included, which has an 8MP sensor with the ability to capture images in 3264x2448 native resolution and 1080p HD video.

The iPad Mini 3 is powered by an A7 chip and also features 64-bit desktop-class architecture, helping to deliver faster processing power to users. It features a

“Touch ID comes with both the iPad Air and Mini, and both will be available in an extra gold colour option.”

7.9-inch display with a 2048x1536 resolution screen and 3.1 million pixels, with 327 pixels per inch.

In addition a 5MP iSight and FaceTime HD camera has been included.

Touch ID comes with both the iPad Air and Mini, giving users added security with the touch of a fingerprint, plus, each variant will be available in an extra gold colour option.

Lastly, Apple unveiled its new 27-inch iMac with a

Retina 5K display. The computer has nearly four times as many pixels as the standard 27-inch Apple Mac. It also features a quad-core Intel Core processor available at up to 4.0GHz, AMD graphics and up to 20Gbps Thunderbolt 2 Bandwidth.

The new iMac also runs on OS X Yosemite.

The iPad Air 2 will retail from £399 while the iPad Mini 3 will start from £319. The iMac is priced at £1,999.

Contact: Apple | www.apple.com/uk | Price: Starting from £319 (iPad Mini 3), from £399 (iPad Air 2), £1,999 (iMac)

www.pcr-online.biz

PCR December 2014 | 67

RECOMMENDED

Acer shows off new Switch 12 ACER HAS expanded its notebook Switch series with the addition of the Aspire Switch 12 with a Full HD 12.5inch display.

It offers a kickstand design with a magnetic and latch-less detachable keyboard, which helps to transform the device into five separate modes including notebook, pad, display, tent and desktop.

The detachable keyboard can work connected or wirelessly, while users can also use the 10-point touch controls on a larger screen.

Plus, the optional Acer Active Pen can be used for writing or drawing.

Users can take advantage of the display and tent modes for viewing, while the dual front-facing speakers help to provide clearer audio.

The Aspire Switch 12’s display is built with next

“The display with IPS technology helps users to see the detail on the screen even in vivid sunlight.”

generation Corning Gorilla Glass and treated with an anti-fingerprint coating that helps to reduce smudges.

The 1920x1080 display, with IPS technology and Zero Air Gap direct bonding technology, helps users to see

the detail on the screen even in vivid sunlight.

The device is powered by an Intel Core M processor, which helps to deliver a reduction in its power consumption, allowing it to run for up to eight hours

during video playback. It features a fan-less design, helping to keep noise minimal, a USB 3.0, a USB 2.0 and micro HDMI ports.

It also comes with two antennas; the 2X2 wireless antenna technology

processes data at up to twice the speed of a traditional single antenna solution by forming a multi-input/multioutput (MIMO) setup.

The Aspire Switch will be available later in December with prices starting at £529.

laptop. It connects directly with the Alienware 13 through PCI Express lanes, allowing users to place any recent full-length dual-width PCR-Express x16 desktop PC graphics card in it.

It can house full length, dual-height graphics cards with up to 375 watts of power. Plus, four powered USB 3.0 ports are included.

Azor added: “The Alienware 13 combined with the

Alienware Graphics Amplifier enables gamers to choose both, with an amazingly portable and powerful laptop for mobile gaming and then simply plugging into a desktop-class gaming experience when you get home. This is gaming without compromises.”

The Alienware 13 has a starting price of £949 while the Alienware Graphics Amplifier will cost £199.

Contact: Acer | www.acer.co.uk | Price: Starting at £529

An Alien encounter DELL’S GAMING brand Alienware has developed its latest gaming laptop, which can be hooked up to a fullsize graphics card to boost performance.

The Alienware 13 features an Intel Core i5 processor and Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 860M graphics, along with 2GB of dedicated GDDR5 graphics memory.

It’s all been fitted into a redesigned chassis, constructed with aerospaceinspired carbon fiber composite surfaces.

The Alienware 13 features a 2560x1440 QHD resolution as well as touchscreen technology, plus IPS technology has also been

embedded to help create a clearer display.

It runs on Windows 8.1 OS and features 1TB of hard drive, while an extra 8GB of storage is included.

This gaming laptop is one of the manufacturer’s thinnest, measuring just one inch, and weighs 4.5 pounds.

Frank Azor, general manager at Alienware, said: “Until now, gamers have had to make some really hard decisions and compromises when they are looking for their next gaming system.”

The gaming laptop can also be connected to the Alienware Graphics Amplifier, which can be bought separately or alongside the

“This is gaming without compromises.”

Frank Azor, Alienware

Contact: Dell | 0844 444 3225 | Price: Alienware 13 (£949), Alienware Graphics Amplifier (£199)

68 | PCR December 2014

www.pcr-online.biz

RECOMMENDED

A sweet treat from Google The Nexus 9 (left) and Nexus 6 (right) run on the OS 5.0 Lollipop

GOOGLE has unveiled its latest line of Nexus devices, featuring a tablet, smartphone and media player, which runs on Google’s 5.0 Lollipop OS. The Nexus 6 is a smartphone made in partnership with Motorola, which has a six-inch Quad HD

display, dual front-facing speakers, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core 2.7GHz processor and an Adreno 420 GPU. The new device includes a 13MP camera with optical image stabilisation to help capture images in low light as well as daylight, plus users

“HTC and Google have partnered up to launch the Nexus 9 tablet with an 8.9-inch screen.”

can take advantage of the six hours of battery given by a 15-minute charge.

HTC and Google have also partnered up to launch the Nexus 9 tablet with an 8.9inch screen. It packs a 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor 2.3 GHz, an 8MP rear camera and a 1.6MP front camera.

A magnetic keyboard can also be attached to the tablet, allowing users to type from different angles. The Nexus 9 is available in both 16GB and

32GB variants. These devices are also the first to run on 5.0 Lollipop, Google’s latest Android OS. Lastly, Google debuted the Nexus Player, designed in collaboration with Asus. It includes an Intel Atom 1.8GHz Quad Core with a 802.11ac Wi-Fi connection.

It also allows users to play Android games on their TVs with a controller, as well as streaming media like movies and music.

Contact: Tech Data for the Nexus 9 | 01256 788 000 | Google for the Nexus 6 and Nexus player | www.google.com/intl/all/nexus/ | Price: TBA

HyperX mats and headset KINGSTON’S gaming brand HyperX has revealed its latest line of gaming peripherals, including a gaming headset and mouse pad.

The HyperX Cloud headset features a soft padded headband and memory foam ear cushions, as well as leatherette-padded cups to help keep users comfortable during play, which are also interchangeable.

The HyperX Cloud is Hi-Fi capable and delivers intense audio with clear low, mid and high tones, plus enhanced bass-reproduction.

The headset has been designed out of solid alluminium and features

53mm drivers. It is also aeroplane adapter capable and comes in both black and white designs.

A detachable mic is included, plus the headset is compatible with PCs, notebooks, tablets, mobile phones, aeroplane adapters and PS4 consoles.

HyperX has also developed the Skyn Mouse Pad, which is available in two different mouse pad textures.

Users can choose from the control surface for increased gaming accuracy or the speed surface for fast-moving action, as the mouse can glide easier over its surface. Both surfaces are anti-microbial to prevent

The HyperX Cloud headset is Hi-Fi capable

“The Skyn Mouse Pad is available in two different mouse pad textures.”

dirt and bacteria build-up and help to keep the mouse pads clean. Each mat is also paper-thin for a seamless transition between desktop and mouse pad.

They are also compatible with optical, wireless or laser PC mice.

An adhesive bottom lets each mat stick to most surfaces to help keep it in place during play, and lift off easily without leaving any residue behind.

Users can also choose to purchase each mat separately or in a dual pack.

Contact: Simms | 01622 852 800 | Price: HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset (£92), HyperX Skyn Mouse Pad (£12)

Pro Performance Unlocked. Unleashed. Uncompromised.

Intel® Core™ i7 5930K Extreme Processor www.pcr-online.biz

• Socket 2011-V3 • Compatible with DDR4 memory

• 3.50GHz hex-core processor • Cache 15MB

• Intel Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 VIP ORDER CODE: 110859

Delivering Value in Distribution Sales Hotline 0871 622 7500 PCR December 2014 | xx www.vip-computers.co.uk © Copyright VIP Computer Centre Limited. 2014.

Information correct at time of publication E&OE.

RECOMMENDED

Sound music from Dynamode

Microsoft’s fitness band MICROSOFT is breaking into the fitness wearable market with its new Smartband device.

Powered by the firm’s new cloudbased Microsoft Health tracking service, the band can operate for two days on a single charge.

It can track things such as heart rate, calories, stress and sun exposure, and it includes guided workouts, which have been curated by wellknown fitness experts.

The Smartband features dual 100mAh rechargeable lithium-ion polymer batteries, a haptic vibration motor, Bluetooth 4.0 LE connectivity and is dust and splash resistant.

A 320x106 resolution display is included that features a full colour display. It also has various smartphone functions and can display notifications.

Those who use the band alongside a Windows 8.1 phone will also have access to virtual assistant Cortana.

Contact: Microsoft | 0800 026 0329 | Price: £125

DYNAMODE has unleashed its latest range of Bluetooth-powered speakers, including a sound sphere and stereo sound system.

The S-118BT Rechargeable Chameleon LED Sound Sphere features an integral Li-ioN rechargeable battery that lasts up to six hours, a 3.5mm phono cable, USB connection and an alternating LED light.

Bluetooth technology allows the device to connect from 15 metres,

plus customers can choose from a wide range of colours available.

The S800BT Rechargeable Performance Stereo Sound System also features an integral Li-ioN rechargeable battery, which can last up to eight hours. The sound system can connect via Bluetooth from 10 metres, plus it features an FM radio and an integral memory card slot so users can playback MP3 tunes via the on-board control panel.

Dynamode | 0845 375 2023 | Price: Starting at £34.99 + VAT

Editorial Planner

A look at the biggest features coming up in PCR over the next few months...

January 2015

February 2015

March 2015

BRIT LIST SPECIAL

HOW TO GET AHEAD IN TECH

RETAIL SPECIAL

We look at the best of British manufacturers who are flying the flag within the computing industry, as well as the most influential tech execs.

We take a look at how to get ahead in the tech industry as well as highlight the top 30 young guns in the channel.

PCR’s Retail Special will focus on our annual retail survey and retail buyers guide.

We preview the upcoming technology trade show CES, taking place in Las Vegas.

Plus, we check out the latest networking products, security software and retailer services.

We will also be looking at the world of managed services, previewing 2015’s PCR Awards and checking out the latest wearable tech.

Advertising Deadline

Advertising Deadline

Advertising Deadline

December 4th

January 14th

February 12th

70 | PCR December 2014

www.pcr-online.biz

Sales: 0871 622 7500 Delivering Value in Distribution

Z3 PLUS Black Mid Tower Case

MobileAsset v7 Coming Soon!

Productivity Solutions for Small Businesses

Cool Under Pressure!

• ATX & Micro-ATX motherboard support

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• 1 x front USB 3.0 ports & 2 x front USB 2.0 ports • Multi-fan cooling system • Bottom PSU installation VIP ORDER CODE: 108847

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/vipcomputersuk @vipcomputersuk

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PC Gaming & Hardware Distributor Award Winner 2014

0845 430 1971

© Copyright VIP Computer Centre Limited. 2014. Information correct at time of broadcast E&OE.

The Kickr IV utilises EnerPlex’s patented Solar on Plastic technology to produce a tough, durable solar charger that is powerful enough to charge USB enabled devices at the same rate as a standard wall charger.

NEW& EXCLUSIVE

TO PEAK For more information, please get in touch! www.pcr-online.biz

01489 796979

sales@peak-uk.com

www.peak-uk.com PCR December 2014 | 71

OUT OF OFFICE

KINGS OF THE NORTH RETAILERS, resellers and exhibitors all joined at PCR’s first Boot Camp North conference and expo.

After the day’s proceedings, guests were able to mingle at the networking after-party and admire some ancient weaponry.

An enormous war elephant took center stage and a martial arts expert also demonstrated techniques with his samurai sword. He even let some resellers hold the weapon, much to his horror.

Hypnotist Frank Deer then put willing guests under his spell, where many were hypnotised with just a click of his fingers, including Caseking’s Steven Levitt who impressed with his ability to fall asleep so quickly.

For a full review of the event turn to page six.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU THE IT Marketing Agency, a specialist digital agency for the IT channel, has produced a 2015 movie themed calendar for charity.

The desktop calendar recreates scenes from iconic movies like Star Wars, Pulp Fiction and Jaws. And yes, that means the firm’s principal Gemma Telford dressed up as Princess Leia.

Each month is sponsored by an IT channel expert such as the MSP Marketing Academy and all proceeds go to Action for Children which raises funds for homelessness in the UK. You can buy a calendar from www. theitmarketingagency.com/ charity-calendar 72 | PCR December 2014

www.pcr-online.biz

OUT OF OFFICE

FUTURE DECODED MICROSOFT’S FUTURE Decoded conference and expo took place at London’s Excel in November and the firm’s CEO Satya Nadella took to the stage in his first ever UK appearance.

While Nadella’s talk focused on Microsoft’s ‘mobile first, cloud first’ offerings, attendees were also treated to something a little more old school.

The expo part of the event had a Back to the Future DeLorean time machine on display, which caused many a

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movie fan to geek out with awkward selfies (yes, that includes PCR’s own Laura Barnes).

As well as movie memorabilia, visitors had a chance to listen to Nadella praise the UK on how advanced it is when it comes to cloud adoption, as well as getting hands-on with a number of Microsoft’s device ranges, including its Lumia smartphones and Surface tablets.

OF NEWS AND VIEWS What the industry’s been tweeting about this month…

Mark Purdy, Overclockers @MarkPurdy1337 Great time yesterday @pcr_online #PCRbootcampNorth - thanks for inviting me to sit on the panel to talk about what I love.

AML Midlands Ltd @AMLMidlandsLtd Well done the Team @pcr_online and great Host @Dom_Sacco for the PCR Bootcamp held @Royal_Armouries in Leeds Today.

PC Friend @PC_Friend Great day at @pcr_online #PCRbootcampNorth A lot of information shared by all. Enjoyed networking and speaking to potential new suppliers!

It came from…

TOKYO STARTUP Logbar has created a ‘magic’ ring that can control devices with the wag of a finger.

JAPAN The wearable tech can be customised to let the wearer use a series of simple gestures to turn lights on

and off, control their music player, or even pay the bill at a restaurant.

Known simply as ‘Ring’, the device has up to three days’ continuous use time, 18 days’ standby time and comes in four different sizes.

Ring can be paired with an iOS or Android device and Logbar has an Open URL for developers who want to experiment with the gadget.

CROWDFUNDING CORNER THE SWIFTPOINT GT is a mouse that allows users to create touch gestures with their finger or wrist without the need for a touch screen.

Users are able to flick and pan straight to where they want within a document, thanks to its touch technology. Plus, users also have the option of swapping

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between touch and click mode, if they prefer more precision.

The Swiftpoint is compatible with Windows 7 and 8, as well as Android and Mac devices.

It connects via Bluetooth and, weighing just 23g, its wireless design helps to further improve its portability.

Carl West, GfK @Carl_GB @GfK_en at @pcr_online dealers, retailers, vendors and distributors. Good day so far. Up North Phylip Morgan, Network Group @phylipm Tablet sales in decline says @Carl_GB at #PCRBootCampNorth - I’d say he’s right based on pre-Christmas slashing.

Sarah Shields, Dell @sarahshields2 Looking forward to giving the keynote at #pcrbootcamp here in Leeds @pcr_online. pudseycomputers @pudseycomputers We’re looking forward to meeting everyone at the @pcr_online #bootcampnorth today in Leeds, taking a look at all the new products on show.

Brian Trevaskiss @BrianTrevaskiss Heading over to the @pcr_online #bootcampnorth today in Leeds - looking forward to it.

Craig Hume @CraigHume_ Network Group’s (@nbgltd) member @ stevenlightfoot represented independent retailers really well on @pcr_online’s Bootcamp panel session.

Network Group @nbgltd If you’re at #PCRBootCampNorth today don’t forget to check out #OculusRift at the @nbgltd stand with @CraigHume_ and. @phylipm.

PCR December 2014 | 73

THE LAST WORD

The Last Word: Do you have great customer service?

Tech companies who focus solely on customer review scores should take another look at their business and ask what they can do to offer a well-rounded customer experience, says Stuart Carlisle, MD of Ebuyer.com…

LET’S BE honest – in the past the electronics and retail sectors have taken a bit of a battering when it comes to customer service.

However, in recent years brands have recognised that consumers will simply not put up with being fobbed off by companies – they have taken back the power with customer review sites, seller ratings and social media. There are just too many other retail options available now.

highlighted the importance of not standing still and embracing changing customer expectations through all touch points, with some major brands dropping down the rankings because they struggle to offer a consistent customer experience.

Some companies have become obsessed with 100 per cent scores, throwing money and resources at chasing utopia, without dealing with the real issues causing negative feedback, like poor quality

“In recent years brands have recognised that consumers will simply not put up with being fobbed off by companies.”

Stuart Carlisle, Ebuyer.com Great customer service is key, however, a well-rounded customer experience through all touch points (web, in-store and phone) can set it apart from the competition.

Any company professing to excel in customer experience, no matter the size of business, will not only have invested time, money and effort in its staff, systems and processes, but more importantly have the customer at the heart of its culture.

This culture can only exist with full support from the top down. All the senior executives and department heads must buy into the ethos of providing an excellent customer experience.

A recent Nunwood Customer Experience Excellence survey

product, couriers or returns.

Before making any investment into customer experience improvements, any company must have a clear and robust method of success (or failure) measurement.

Good examples of this are independent review companies, where good and bad verbatim is collected and cannot be edited. Poor examples are store ratings that can be manipulated by staff and the ever-present internet trolls and keyboard warriors. Rate your supply partners in the same way your customers rate you.

Do they take ownership of problems, do they resolve issues promptly, and do they match your brand promise?

If the answer is no, find a partner who does.

Editorial: 01992 535646 Advertising: 01992 535647 Website: www.pcr-online.biz Twitter: @pcr_online PCR is published 12 times a year by NewBay Media - Saxon House, 6a St. Andrew Street, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG14 1JA. Fax: +44 (0)1992 535648. © NewBay Media 2014 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The contents of PCR are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems. Printed by Pensord.

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