A grumpy 78-year-old man, an eager boy scout, a talkative dog, an elusive giant bird and ten thousand helium-filled balloons attached to a house are the ingredients for the most fantastic journey of a lifetime in Pixar’s tenth, and arguably greatest, animated comedy adventure UP, available on Disney DVD and 3-Disc Disney Blu-ray^TM Combo Pack, 13 January 2010. The Combo Pack includes a Feature and Bonus Blu-ray Disc plus a DVD copy of the film in a single package. 

In a beautiful tale about living out your dreams, Carl Fredricksen (voiced by ED ASNER) is a lonely and miserable old man desperately holding onto his house and the memories contained within it. With new building construction going on all around him and developers anxious to get their hands on his property, Carl makes one final mistake and falls prey to their plans to have him moved to a home for the elderly. 

But what they don’t realise is the journey of Carl’s life, his boyhood fantasies and his passion to fulfil his promise to his precious wife Ellie, to one day make it to Paradise Falls in South America. With Ellie’s passing, there’s nothing now worth staying for, so Carl takes the leap of his life and ties thousands of balloons to his house, successfully floating away just like his boyhood hero, adventurer Charles Muntz (voiced by CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER). 

But soon after his glorious take off, Carl discovers an unwelcome visitor; 8-year-old boy scout Russell (voiced by JORDON NAGAI) a young wilderness explorer eager to earn his final scout badge by assisting the elderly, is holding on tight to the porch. 

Too late to turn back, Carl and Russell manage to land after surviving a terrible storm, miraculously with their actual destination in sight. Like a man refusing to lose the weight of his failures, the unlikely companions embark on a journey across the mountains to Paradise Falls dragging the house behind them.   

But trouble is never far away as they come into contact with a giant chocolate-addicted bird, aptly named Kevin the Snipe. What they don’t realise yet though is that finding Kevin is the same quest of Carl’s hero Charles Muntz who took off for Paradise Falls many years ago and never returned.    

With Muntz now hot on their trail, but still determined to fulfil his hopes of reaching Paradise Falls, Carl is faced with the possibility of having to let his dream go to rescue Kevin and her chicks from Muntz and his evil army of speaking dogs. 

Befriended by a lovable and hilarious golden retriever named Dug, and with Russell loyally by his side, Carl must decide whether to let go of the past so he can rediscover what it is to again sacrifice to make life truly worthwhile.  

Only on Disney DVD and Blu-ray can you view the amazing special features including the hilarious and heart-warming ‘Partly Cloudy’ theatrical short, exclusive ‘Dug’s Special Mission’ short, alternate scene, director commentary and an ‘Adventure is Out There’ feature documentary. 

The Blu-ray release additional bonus feature disc within the Combo Pack is not released to DVD and includes bonus material an Easter egg, global guardian badge game powered by BD Live™, documentary features, promotional montage, trailers and a ‘Married Life’ alternate scene.    

An inspiring adventure filled with lots of heart and humour that everyone will enjoy UP is a truly amazing DVD experience. Don’t miss your chance to own one of the most successful and creative films ever made, when UP is released to Disney DVD and 3-Disc Disney Blu-ray^TM Combo Pack, 13 January 2010.

Lenovo Delivers on Vision for Greener Computing with New ThinkVision Monitors

ThinkVision L2251x Wide Monitor First in Industry to Achieve TCO Certified Edge  

Sydney, Australia – 11 November, 2009: Lenovo today unveiled five new ThinkVision monitors that advance green design and usability while providing an unmatched, visually-rich experience. The new line-up includes Lenovo’s flagship ThinkVision L2251x Wide monitor, the company’s most environmentally-responsible monitor for its use of recycled plastics, low power consumption and first PC monitor to be TCO Certified Edge. As Lenovo’s greenest monitors yet, the new ThinkVision L1711p, L1951p Wide, L2250p Wide, L2251p Wide and L2251x Wide extend Lenovo’s commitment to creating exceptionally engineered and environmentally friendly products. All the new monitors are TCO Certified, EPEAT Gold Rated¹ and are more than 50 percent more energy-efficient than previous models, exceeding the Energy Star 5.0 criteria.²

“By establishing high standards for environmental responsibility and usability for PC monitors, TCO Certified Edge is helping encourage manufacturers to produce and customers to adopt greener technology,” said Otto Ruettinger, Business Manager, Desktops and Monitors, Lenovo, Australia, New Zealand. “TCO Certified Edge products like the ThinkVision L2251x Wide monitor illustrate how designing for energy and materials efficiency helps the environment and customers’ IT budgets.”

Reduce

As the first TCO Certified Edge monitor, the ThinkVision L2251x Wide meets the strictest levels of ergonomics, safety and environmental attributes. For example, it uses only 21 watts of power during operation, which is significantly lower than the average 49 watts of power consumed by monitors in this class³. The ThinkVision L2251x Wide features an ambient light and proximity sensor to further lower power consumption in addition to the standard low-voltage white LED display in all the new models. If the monitor industry standardised on white LED technology, a total of nearly 30 million tonnes of CO2 could potentially be avoided by 2013.⁴ To help conserve even more power, proximity sensors on the L2251x Wide turn the screen off when a user steps away, helping to save up to an additional 10 percent of power consumption a year.⁵ 

The ThinkVision L2251x Wide reduces sensitive materials by using a mercury-free panel and low halogen components.⁶ Lenovo has also reduced packaging materials by up to 44 percent on select models.⁷ 

Reuse

The L2251x Wide chassis parts are made of 65 percent post consumer recycled plastics with no virgin plastics. With this achievement, it contains the highest amount of post consumer recycled plastics for monitors listed in the EPEAT registry⁸. The new monitor is shipped in more than 90 percent recycled packaging, and for the first time, Lenovo is including a reusable protective bag as part of the packaging to further reduce plastics use. 

Recycle

Lenovo provides a number of PC recycling options worldwide. Lenovo also offers Asset Recovery Services for business customers that provides computer take-back, data destruction, refurbishment and recycling. Additional Asset Recovery services include inventory, value assessment, on-site de-installation and data encryption. 

Visual-Rich Performance

The new monitors present vivid images fast by offering up to 1680×1050 screen resolution, a 1000:1 contrast ratio and a five millisecond response time. DisplayPort compatibility on select models⁹ also lets users easily work on their laptop or desktop via the monitor. The ThinkVision 2551x Wide features a built-in webcam for clear video conferencing and up to four high-speed USB ports for added flexibility and expansion. 

Pricing and Availability¹⁰

The Lenovo ThinkVision L1951p Wide, L2250p Wide and L2251p Wide monitors will be available for AUD$349.00, AUD$429.00 and AUD$499.00, respectively.  The Lenovo ThinkVision L1711p monitor will be available for AUD$369.00, and the ThinkVision L2251x Wide monitor will be available for AUD$899.00. The new Lenovo ThinkVision monitors will be available from mid-November through Lenovo business partners and www.lenovo.com.au. All prices quoted include GST. 

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 0992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building exceptionally engineered personal computers. Lenovo’s business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centres in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.au

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Bring your umbrellas, knives, forks and a hearty appetite down to IMAX Melbourne Museum for a delicious storm of unusual proportions. On November 26, audiences will embark on a mouth-watering adventure unlike any other when Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3D opens at IMAX Melbourne Museum for a limited three week season. Inspired by a bestselling children’s book, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3D follows inventor Flint Lockwood and a brainy weathergirl as they attempt to discover why the rain in their small town has stopped and food is falling in its place. Meanwhile, lifelong bully Brent relishes in tormenting Flint like he did when they were kids and Mayor Shelbourne schemes to use Flint’s latest invention — a device designed to improve everyone’s lives – for his own personal gain. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3D will be the most delicious event since macaroni met cheese!

Release Date: November 26 – showing for a limited three week season

Tickets: $22.50 adults, $18.50 concession, $16.50 child, $68.00 family (2 adults & 2 children) 

Avatar 3D

Witness James Cameron’s latest masterpiece, Avatar 3D, on the world’s third largest screen at IMAX Melbourne Museum. Avatar 3D is the story of an ex-Marine who finds himself thrust into hostilities on an alien planet filled with exotic life forms. As an Avatar, a human mind in an alien body, he finds himself torn between two worlds, in a desperate fight for his own survival and that of the indigenous people. More than ten years in the making, Avatar marks Cameron’s return to feature directing since helming 1997’s Titanic, the highest grossing film of all time and winner of eleven Oscars® including Best Picture. WETA Digital, renowned for its work in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and King Kong, will incorporate new intuitive CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3D imagery that will transport the audience into the alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.

Release Date: December 17- Advance tickets on sale now!

Tickets: $22.50 adults, $18.50 concession, $16.50 child, $68.00 family (2 adults & 2 children) 

Dinosaurs Alive 3D

Dinosaurs come to life on the world’s third largest screen in Dinosaurs Alive 3D, the breathtaking new IMAX 3D adventure. Narrated by Michael Douglas, Dinosaurs Alive 3D will enthral audiences with its unique look at the entire age of dinosaurs. Featuring spectacular animation and a live-action story, this film joins renowned palaeontologists from the American Museum of Natural History and their graduate students in Mongolia and New Mexico as they uncover new fossils. Dinosaurs Alive 3D brings dinosaurs, their behaviour and their ancient environments to life on the IMAX screen as they’ve never been seen before — juxtaposing stunningly realistic and scientifically accurate computer generated imagery (CGI) with intriguing 1920s documentary footage and dramatic new scenes of real fossils and “dinosaur hunting” expeditions. Using state-of-the-art techniques, the filmmakers have created an array of amazingly life-like creatures based on the latest fossil evidence.

Release Date: 1 January, 2010

Tickets: $17.50 Adult, $14 Concession, $12.50 Child, $50.00 family (2 adults & 2 children) 

Accessibility Week

As part of Accessibility Week, IMAX Melbourne Museum will be opening its doors for free to people in wheelchairs and their carers. This initiative, run by Independence Australia, aims to educate Victorians on the importance of accessibility and is part of Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week, helping to raise awareness about people living with a spinal cord injury and the importance of prevention. 
Date: 14-15 November 2009

Tickets: Free entry to people in wheelchairs and their carers. Carers need to show ID to redeem this offer. Limited places available. Entry access available via lift.

Disney’s A Christmas Carol: An IMAX 3D Experience

Visionary director Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation of the magical Dickens’ Christmas tale A Christmas Carol is now showing in IMAX 3D at IMAX Melbourne Museum. Disney’s A Christmas Carol is a multi-sensory thrill ride imagined by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis — the director responsible for Forrest Gump, Polar Express 3D, Beowulf 3D and the famous Back to the Future trilogy. In this latest groundbreaking 3D motion picture event, Zemeckis captures the magical essence of the classic Dickens tale by using the art of performance capture. Scrooge begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk (Gary Oldman) and his cherry nephew (Colin Firth). But when the ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it’s too late.

Release Date: Now showing

Tickets: $22.50 adults, $18.50 concession, $16.50 child, $68.00 family (2 adults & 2 children) 

For regular updates join IMAX Melbourne Museum on Facebook | Twitter | Youtube 

IMAX Melbourne Museum, Rathdowne Street, Carlton.  Films screen daily from 10.00am. For session times visit www.imaxmelbourne.com.au or call 03 9663 5454

In the new comedy, The Proposal, Sandra Bullock stars as Margaret Tate, a high-powered New York book editor whose life is about to change.  Facing deportation to her native Canada (and with it, the end of her career), the quick-thinking exec declares that she’s actually engaged to her unsuspecting put-upon assistant, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds), whom she’s tormented for years. Paxton agrees to participate in the charade – but with a few conditions of his own, as the unlikely couple heads to Alaska to meet his quirky family (Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White), where the always-in-control city girl finds herself in over her head. With an impromptu wedding in the works and an immigration officer on their tails, Margaret and Andrew reluctantly vow to stick to their plan… come whatever may. 

Directed by Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses), The Proposal offers a comedic tour de force from Sandra Bullock, one of Hollywood’s most accomplished, beloved, and acclaimed performers. She discussed her new film at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. 

HOW DID YOU FIND WORKING WITH ANNE FLETCHER – WAS IT HELPFUL HAVING A DIRECTOR WITH AN ESTABLISHED BACKGROUND IN CHOREOGRAPHY? ARE DANCE AND COMEDY SOMEHOW CONNECTED?

The combination of who she is as a person and who she was, and still is, as a choreographer, I think is instrumental in comedy. If you think about it, that combination goes back to all those great comedies from the golden age. There was a rhythm. There was a choreography. There was quick wit, coupled with camera movement. You need to have that sense of rhythm in comedy, and she has that on so many different levels, with so many different comedic styles. She has that gift… She’s the real thing. And I’m thankful for her choreography background… 

IT IS A GREAT ENSEMBLE, ESPECIALLY THE PERFORMANCE FROM BETTY WHITE, WHO PLAYS YOUR PROSPECTIVE NEW GRANDMOTHER ON SCREEN…

You talk about a comedic genius – just sitting in a room with her, watching her say one word or one line, over and over again, different every single time. Her professionalism, her stamina… On location, we would be outside in the cold, going, ‘Can we get some blankets or something?’ And they’d say, “Betty do you need anything?” And she’s like, “No, I’m fine!” Age has no place next to Betty White’s name. She’s in Round 8 of her career. And I love sparring with brilliant people because they only make you better and you have to come up to their level. So Betty or Oscar [Nuñez], or Ryan [Reynolds], or any of the people in our ensemble – seasoned actors who take their job seriously are a joy, because they make you better. And Betty is amazing. To have dinner with her, is one of the greatest treats. 

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

What makes me laugh? Me naked, makes me laugh. Especially with the horrible lighting we have at home, which is down lighting. I’m like, “Oh my god.” (Laughs)… People who have a great wit and a self deprecating wit – that makes me laugh. Animals doing stupid things makes me laugh. I mean, just about anything makes me laugh. I’m an easy target!  But I love a sharp wit. And I love twisted humor. I love it when people’s minds come up with things. When they just say things and they don’t censor themselves. 

DID YOU ENJOY PLAYING MARGARET TATE – THE WOMAN THAT EVERYONE LOVES TO HATE?

It was heaven. To be a bitch for three months and be unapologetic about it? And go, “Hey it’s my character…I’m staying in character.”  (Laughs)… “Get out of my face” – sorry, character, speaking! I loved it. I mean, we all have it [in us]. And when it’s written well, it is so much fun to do. 

DO YOU STILL ENJOY MAKING FILMS AFTER ALL THESE YEARS?

I enjoy it now, even more so, because I pick only what is worth leaving home for. Do you know what I mean? People don’t realize that when you make a film, you’re gone. And I don’t want to be gone unless it’s something special, something that I don’t want to look at later on thinking, “I should have done that…”

Three young Navy officers hit Sydney for one last night on land before being shipped over to the Gulf to fight. Sam (Ewen Leslie) has been mistreated at sea and is going AWOL, Dean (Toby Schmitz) has a fiance and the future in-laws to meet, and Harry (Matthew Newton) just loves playing cards. Throughout the night the boys lose each other, find themselves, and along the way discover courage, friendship and redemption.

Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 Automates Data and System Protection, Speeds Recovery of Entire Systems

SYDNEY, Australia – 5 November 2009 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced the availability of Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 , a complete data and system backup and recovery solution for small businesses.  Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 automates the backup process of an entire system or individual files and folders without disrupting user productivity, and enables quick restores to the same or dissimilar hardware, virtual machines or remote locations. Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 introduces new support of the latest Microsoft operating systems, including Windows 7, Microsoft Exchange 2010 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, easing the transition to the new platforms and ensuring continued protection during migration.  With the new release, Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery will also support Linux operating systems later this year.

“Today’s small businesses need the peace of mind that only comes with a cost-effective, reliable backup and recovery solution that will protect their information and systems to minimise downtime and avoid disaster,” said Pat Hanavan, vice president, Symantec Information Management Group. “Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 provides small businesses with affordable protection so they can easily recover what they need, when they need it and to whatever physical or virtual environment they want.”

For small businesses, backup and recovery is both a challenge and a concern. According to a recent survey  of 1,650 small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and their customers, there is a large discrepancy between how SMBs perceive their disaster readiness and their actual level of preparedness.  According to the survey, SMBs noted they were confident in their level of disaster preparedness (93 per cent in ANZ, 84 per cent globally), but their practices reveal that this confidence is unwarranted. 

The average SMB has experienced three outages within the past 12 months, with the leading causes in Australian and New Zealand being a disaster, a power outage, virus or hacker attacks and an employee accidentally deleting data. This is alarming as 30 per cent in ANZ, and almost half globally, report they do not yet have a plan to deal with such disruptions. While most companies deploy some form of backup, only one in three (33 per cent in ANZ, 23 per cent globally) back up on a daily basis and 40 per cent back up monthly or less.  The survey also demonstrates small businesses that lose data due to disaster also lose sales and customers.

Backup Exec System Recovery provides small businesses with a single, easy-to-use solution for backup and recovery.  Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 now includes Symantec’s patent-pending Granular Recovery Option, previously optional.  This capability allows small businesses to back up an entire file server, desktop, laptop, virtual server or critical application server, such as Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft SharePoint, and then restore granular items such as individual Exchange emails, SharePoint documents or individual files in minutes.  Backups can be saved to a variety of disk storage devices and can be copied to an off-site location or secondary disk device for disaster recovery purposes.

In addition, Backup Exec System Recovery adds new support for the latest virtual environments, including VMware vSphere 4.0, Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008, and Citrix XenServer 5.x.  This new support ensures that the more technical small businesses that integrate virtualisation into their IT environments can convert physical systems to virtual machines through Backup Exec System Recovery for disaster recovery or testing purposes.

Organisations can easily manage their backup environment at local and remote locations from a single, centralised console with Backup Exec System Recovery Management Solution, available with Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 at no additional charge. Channel partners can benefit from this feature as it provides them with complete remote control over their customers’ backup environments through a VPN connection, allowing them to create, edit and distribute backup jobs, policies, installation packages, upgrade packages and client settings and enables remote recovery of volumes and/or complete systems. In addition, the Backup Exec System Recovery product line includes editions that backup and recover Microsoft Windows Servers, Microsoft Windows Small Business Servers as well as desktops and laptops.

Supporting Quotes

“Small businesses today have to do more with less and are looking for simple, affordable solutions like Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 to handle their IT backup and recovery needs,” said Gene Bumgardner, Director of Technical Services, OFM Computer Systems, Inc. “Symantec’s innovative approach to backup and recovery gives us the opportunity to help our small business customers protect and manage their information and systems while allowing us to grow our business and improve services revenue.”

“As a small business and an IT consulting company, we rely on Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery to protect and manage our information and systems, as well as our clients’ systems,” said Andrew Chic, systems administrator, Prophet Business Group Ltd. “We are confident that in the event of a disaster or outage, Symantec will recover our information or complete systems within minutes so there is no disruption to our business.”

Availability and Pricing

Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery 2010 is available now for a suggested price of $795 USD per server and $69 USD per desktop.  Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery Linux Edition is scheduled to be available later this year for a suggested price of $495 USD per server.

About Business Solutions from Symantec

Symantec helps organisations secure and manage their information-driven world with storage management, email archiving, backup and recovery solutions.

About Symantec

Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organisations secure and manage their information-driven world.  Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at www.symantec.com.

NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States.

Symantec and the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Forward-looking Statements: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Symantec and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions.

November 11, 2009 – Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and Spot411 today announced an exclusive partnership to launch FoxPop, coinciding with the Blu-ray Disc and DVD release of Night at the Museum 2 on November 11, 2009.   FoxPop is a home entertainment first, enabling viewers to use their iPhone or computer to create a personalized, social and interactive entertainment experience while watching Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s Night at the Museum 2. 

FoxPop is a downloadable iPhone and computer application that “listens” and syncs in seconds to an exact moment in a movie, using real-time audio recognition technology.  As events pass in the timeline of the film, facts and trivia automatically “pop up” on the iPhone or computer, offering viewers new information each time they watch a movie.  Whether it’s an actor on the screen, an exotic location, or a catchy song, FoxPop instantly provides everything viewers want to know about the scene. 

Additional application features include the ability for fans to share and chat with friends while watching a film via social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.  A collapsible dashboard – the “Now Playing” feature – provides people with a large space to see information about the characters, places and trivia related to the film. 

Featuring an exclusive agreement with Spot411, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will integrate FoxPop into several upcoming releases. With several additional FoxPop releases planned for 2010, the studio is developing new and exciting ways to further viewer interaction with each release, as well as introduce new types of content, including playing games along with the action of the film, viewing pop-up photo galleries to accentuate the scenes of the film, developing community driven experiences related to the movie and more.

About Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD) and Digital Copy as well as acquisitions and original productions.  The company also releases all products around the globe for MGM Home Entertainment.  Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets — from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce — throughout the world.  Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company. 

About Spot411

Based in Orange, CA and co-founded by Ajay Shah and Randy Shiozaki, Spot411 is an interactive entertainment company which focuses on enhancing the home entertainment viewing experience for consumers and delivering the most advanced platform for developing new home entertainment-based revenue streams through real time audio synchronization technology for content creators and studios.  Spot411’s application provides the first personalized, interactive home entertainment experience which can be accessed via a laptop or iPhone and provides instantaneous access to information related to a movie or television program, ensuring viewers never view home entertainment the same way again. 

 Spot411 incorporates proprietary real time audio synchronization software which is linked to a comprehensive library of audio files from movies and television shows. To learn more, please visit www.Spot411.com.

Follow Spot411.com on Twitter: twitter.com/Spot411

Calling all Aussie SME’s! – Leading DIY website creation tool Mr Site launches new program to start an online business in half an hour 

The award-winning DIY website creator, Mr Site, is set to launch Mr Site’s Takeaway Website Pro – the latest build-it-yourself kit allowing you to create a professional, e-commerce dot com website easily and affordably from home for just $249.95. 

Designed specifically with the business entrepreneur in mind, Mr Site Takeaway Website Pro offers a jargon-free and easy-to-use approach to get users online in less than half an hour. In addition to step-by-step instructions on how to build a website, the Mr Site Takeaway Website Pro package offers users web tools to help build their business online including: 

• SiteBoost optimisation tools – to help boost a website’s position on search engines like Google
  • Advanced secure online shop – users can sell hundreds of items online, securely accept credit/debit cards, add shipping charges, manage stock, track orders and make refunds
  • Business stationary creation tool – create business cards, compliment slips and letter-headed paper in a style to match the website
  • Advanced visitor statistics – users can see critical visitor information, such as country of origin, frequency of visits, time spent on different pages, keywords used and choice of search engine
  • Hosting – 1 year of domain hosting, 600 MB of web space, 50 email addresses, 99 web pages and unlimited bandwidth
  • Other features include photo gallery, contact forms, guest books, support from the Mr Site team every step of the way and forum 

“After the success of Mr Site’s Takeaway Website Standard, we felt that there was an opportunity to expand the series and develop a kit that appealed to business entrepreneurs,” said Mr Site’s Co-Founder and Director, Beatrice Hatherley. 

 “Mr Site Pro is a program that not only helps business owners create a website, but it also offers specific and targeted tools and functions to maximise their business’ online earning potential.” Hatherley continues. 

Mr Site Pro joins the hugely successful Mr Site Takeaway Website Standard which offers customers the chance to create their own dot com website for both business and pleasure. Choosing from hundreds of website designs, users can update content quickly and simply whenever they want. 

Mr Site Takeaway Website Pro is compatible with both PC and Mac and is available from leading computer and electrical retailers including Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi and Office Works. For your closest stockist call 1800 657 601 or visit www.mrsite.com.au.

Melbourne Australia, November 1 2009

With a new venue at the Royal Exhibition Building, the 2009 eGames Expo successfully managed to create not only a gamer event but a family event, ensuring that the wide range of the gaming spectrum was covered. With a wide gamut of exhibitors that included 2K Games, AFA Interactive, UbiSoft & XBox 360 to name a few, the public was allowed to experience some of the latest titles in the Australian market such as Borderlands, a boy and his blob and Forza Motorsport 3.

With a giant stage that spanned three days of guests, it included the Kogan Media Tallk, Q&A with EA Melbourne and Tekken 6, ensuring that games, entertainment and guests from the industry could promote and answer questions from the general public. Of course in order to complete this mass event, their were dozens of competitions such as the Anime Cosplay Competition, Tekken 6 and Street Fighter 4.

Sponsored by Intel, the eGames Masters promoted the world of gaming as a sport with some high calibre games and some intense competition by all involved. Best of all, the eGames Expo helped raise the awareness of indepenent games which are as important as mainstream games and generally lead to the next big casual game.

Finally, add in some great kids games such as U-Sing and Toy Story! Mania on the Nintendo Wii and the younger gamer can also enjoy in the fun. Of course, the giant Madman screen prompting their latest releases such as Robot Chicken is always a great way to unwind and relax.

At the end of the day, the new location is definitely a bonus, however as a few of the major gaming companies were absent such as Sony, we’re hoping that next year will be bigger and better. As the expo also included admission intot he International Digital Entertainment Festival that highlighted some of the world’s latest gadgets and entertainment systems, this is one expo that should be investigate by all those interested.

http://www.egamesexpo.com.au