– AMD simplifies PC buying experience with easy-to-understand consumer usage scenarios: See, Share, Create –

• AMD today announced a new way to help consumers select the PC that best meets their needs. Working with retailers and PC manufactures, VISION Technology from AMD breaks the model in how PC benefits are communicated.
• VISION communicates the value of the whole system and demonstrates the combined processing power of both the CPU and GPU to deliver a superior visual experience to mainstream PC users.
• Notebook PCs with VISION Technology from AMD are expected to be widely available on retail shelves and online during the holiday buying season timed to the release of the Windows® 7 operating system from Microsoft®.
•In the first quarter of 2010, AMD plans to introduce a fourth level, VISION Black, to enable the highest end capabilities sought by enthusiasts, primarily on desktop PCs.

Sydney, Australia – Sept. 11, 2009 — AMD (NYSE:AMD) today announced a new way to help consumers select the PC that best meets their needs. Working with retailers and PC manufactures, VISION Technology from AMD breaks the model in how PC benefits are communicated. Rather than the traditional model, which focuses on the technical specifications of individual hardware components, VISION communicates the value of the whole system and demonstrates the combined processing power of both the CPU and GPU to deliver a superior visual experience to mainstream PC users. It emphasizes how an AMD-based PC is optimized for video, digital media and content creation activities. VISION guides the industry past the era of CPU-centric marketing and describes the PC capabilities in terms of what can be enjoyed on the system – see, share, create. This helps consumers to make better informed buying decisions.

“Today’s consumer cares about what they can do with their PC, not what’s inside,” said Nigel Dessau, CMO of AMD. “They want a rich HD and entertainment experience on their PC, delivered by the combined technology of AMD CPUs and GPUs, without having to understand what gigahertz and gigabytes mean. VISION technology from AMD reflects the maturation of marketing in the PC processing industry and communicates the technology in a more meaningful way.”

Notebook PCs with VISION Technology from AMD are expected to be widely available on retail shelves and online during the holiday buying season timed to the release of the Windows® 7 operating system from Microsoft®. Complementing VISION, Windows 7 supports DirectX 10, Direct X10.1, and Direct X11 for richer 3D detail on games and other media apps, and a Unified Video Decoder to free up the CPU so that users can have a superior visual and more responsive computing experience while converting video for use on hand held devices. This last activity is greatly simplified and much more rapid with the new Drag and Drop feature of Windows 7. 5

“We are excited for the upcoming launch of Windows 7, when our OEM partners will introduce some exciting new PCs that match our mutual customer’s needs and feedback,” said Mike Ybarra, general manager of Windows Product Management at Microsoft Corp. “Coupled with VISION Technology from AMD, customers can feel confident that the PC they purchase will deliver a rich, tailored PC experience.”

AMD’s 2009 notebook platforms, also announced today, serve as the first proof points for VISION Technology. Mainstream OEM notebooks offered with VISION have next-generation HD graphics technology for rich, vivid HD and Blu-ray video playback, life-like 3D games, brilliant, clear photos, and multi-tasking power for editing photos, music and videos. 2

For consumers seeking rich PC experiences in a very thin and stylish notebook, innovative ultrathin OEM notebooks with VISION are designed to deliver highly responsive, balanced performance and a superior visual experience at accessible price points. VISION technology contains three levels of increasingly rich PC system capabilities: VISION Basic, VISION Premium, and VISION Ultimate to reflect the different usage patterns of PC consumers: from digital consumption to content creation.

These notebook platforms bring visually-rich experiences to consumers through features such as:
•UP to one billion colors for crystal-clear photos and videos, 1
•DirectX® 10.1 for smooth, lifelike games,
•7.1 audio for pulse-pounding music;3 and
•Blu-ray support for the latest movies. 2

“We focus our attention on R&D and marketing communications to users that identify themselves with state-of-the-art and innovative products that can simplify life through technology,” said Gianpiero Morbello, Marketing and Branding Corporate Vice President of Acer, Inc. “VISION Technology from AMD represents an innovative PC usage and we are always ready to offer a superior visual experience to our customers for advanced HD video entertainment.”

In the first quarter of 2010, AMD plans to introduce a fourth level, VISION Black, to enable the highest end capabilities sought by enthusiasts, primarily on desktop PCs. Descriptions of the types of activities available at each level will be available in-store and online, so that buyers can align their needs and make the right choice for their preferred experience.

Completing the VISION Technology from AMD announcement, AMD launches the new Fusion Media Explorer software utility and the Fusion Utility for Mobility. 4 Fusion Media Explorer showcases VISION Technology from AMD with:
•A 3D interface for managing your media,
•Shortcuts for uploading and sharing photos on Facebook and Flickr,
•An Auto DJ for queuing up music files, and much more.

Fusion Utility for Mobility is a software utility that turns off background processes to enable longer battery life while on the go. Both applications are available for download here.

1.10 bit monitor required
2.Blu-ray drive and HD-capable panel or exterior monitor required for Blu-ray playback
3.Not all features will be supported on all machines. Check with your PC manufacturer for specific model capabilities and supported technologies.
4.THE AMD FUSION FOR MOBILITY UTILITY MAY DISABLE SECURITY / ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE, WHICH MAY ADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR SYSTEM. REVIEW ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTATION CAREFULLY BEFORE INSTALLING
5.Not all media players support the Windows 7 “drag and drop” feature.

Cautionary Statement
This release contains forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are generally preceded by words such as “plans,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates” or “intends.” Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements in this release involve risks and uncertainty that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations. We urge investors to review in detail the risks and uncertainties in the Company’s filings with the United States Securities Exchange Commission.

About AMD
Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is an innovative technology company dedicated to collaborating with customers and technology partners to ignite the next generation of computing and graphics solutions at work, home and play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com

AMD, the AMD Arrow logo, AMD Opteron and combinations thereof, are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Other names are for informational purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Colin McRae Challenge race, featuring Jimmy and Alistair McRae, revealed –

‘Tribute’ video teaser edit available at www.dirt2game.com 

– Thursday 10^th September 2009 – See some of Colin McRae’s finest motorsport moments as Codemasters^® today revealed a teaser edit of the Colin McRae ‘Tribute’ video that features in Colin McRae: DiRT^®2 as one of the ultimate in-game rewards for players to unlock. The teaser video is now showing at www.dirt2game.com in the ‘Visuals’ section.

Capturing the exhilarating ‘if in doubt… flat out’ natural driving style that earned Colin McRae millions of fans across the world, the full HD video is only accessible in game. To access the video players must first unlock the Colin McRae Challenge, the game’s pinnacle race event.

The Colin McRae Challenge is a unique three-stage Rally event that sees players racing against Colin’s family and friends from the world of motorsport, including Jimmy McRae, Alistair McRae, Ari Vatanen, David Coulthard, Valentino Rossi, Dario Franchitti and Ken Block, driving the Escort MK II that Colin made famous. After competing in the challenge, players will unlock the Colin McRae Tribute video, which was produced exclusively for the game and features some of Colin’s finest, most exciting and most sideways moments from a stellar career.

“Colin is hugely missed by all at Codemasters. We’re proud that this game will carry his name and, while we’ve all felt extra pressure and expectation, we hope we’re created a game that he would have had a blast with,” said Matt Horsman, Chief Games Designer, Colin McRae DiRT 2.

“We think fans will enjoy the chance to take on rallies and events in some of Colin’s most famous cars, including the special Colin McRae Challenge, and reliving some of those moments that made him such a unique talent and the most exciting driver of his generation.”

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 takes racing games to a new level with thrilling new race types, striking locations, big event atmosphere and a peerless line-up of super-charged speed machines, each selected to deliver spectacular, fast paced racing.

Complete with full head-to-head competitive online play, Colin McRae: DiRT 2  launches on September 17^th, for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Wii™, Nintendo DS™ and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. A Games For Windows® LIVE edition will follow with support for DirectX® 11. For the latest news and videos, speed over to www.dirt2game.com or become a fan at www.facebook.com/dirt2game.

The Ultimate Sonic Compilation

Thursday 10^th September 2009 – SEGA Australia is pleased to announce the SONIC PC Collection, a compilation of four previously released iconic Sonic games available for the PC. Featuring Sonic Riders™, Sonic Heroes™, Sonic Adventure DX™, and Sonic Mega Collection Plus™, this compilation provides hours of entertainment containing over 15 games, making it an essential part of any true Sonic fan’s collection all for only AU$19.95. The SONIC PC Collection is exclusive to Australia and New Zealand.

Experience the thrill of racing in Sonic Riders as Sonic takes on Dr. Eggman’s challenge for the fastest air-rider at the World Grand Prix. Relive the action and adrenaline-fuelled frenzy of Sonic Heroes while mastering three unique hero abilities simultaneously. Based on the classic SEGA game ‘Sonic Adventure’, Sonic Adventure DX races on to PC, introducing a host of new special features and bonuses. Celebrate Sonic’s roots of retro arcade action in Sonic Mega Collection Plus featuring twenty classic titles, including Sonic The Hedgehog 1-3, Spinball, Flickie’s Island and more!

The SONIC PC Collection is released on October 1^st 2009. For more information please visit www.sega.com.

A four-man fire team makes for the perfect online co-op experience says Executive Producer – see why in the new co-op gameplay video at www.flashpointgame.com. 

– Thursday 10^th  September – Discover the devastating impact a four-player fire team can have on the battlefield as Codemasters^® revealed the new ‘Co-op’ video for Operation Flashpoint^®: Dragon Rising^™, the shooter that’s set to take online co-op players as close to war as they’ll ever want to get, now available at www.flashpointgame.com. 

In Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, the entire single player campaign is fully playable co-operatively for up to four players online. Teamwork and communication are key as gamers take on USMC infantry and spec ops roles battling the might of the Chinese PLA as the war plays out across Skira island.

“There’s no better FPS experience than playing together with mates in a fire team and four-player co-op is the sweet spot; I’d say it’s the ultimate Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising experience,” said Sion Lenton, Executive Producer for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. “The nature and freedom of the game lends itself perfectly to the spirit of co-op play – especially as human players explore avenues that the AI won’t always,”

During a co-op game, the host assumes the role of fire team leader and the remaining players choose their role, including medic, rifleman, engineer or anti-tank specialist, via the load out screen. The fire team leader is responsible for issuing specific commands, such as directing suppressing fire, setting way points and instigating flanking manoeuvres. Similarly, if players take control of a vehicle during a mission, roles specific to that vehicle become available, such as driver, commander, gunner or co-pilot in a helicopter.

“Good communication between fire team members is hugely important, especially when mission objectives can be handled in multiple ways. The successful co-op team will learn authentic USMC tactics via the command radial and gameplay encourages the discussion of those tactics; that’s the key to winning the battle and ultimately the war,” continued Lenton.

“It’s a thoroughly immersive co-op experience; the tense atmosphere becomes especially apparent in the spec ops missions, where players will find themselves whispering commands to each other as they become gripped by the fear of being discovered by the enemy.”

In addition to the campaign, the game’s individual single missions, once completed, can be set up as self contained co-op games. This enables players to jump straight to their favourite missions have up to 3 players to join as part of their unit. Co-op play also offers re-spawn points at checkpoints gameplay that encourages the fire team to stick together. 

Muster your fire team in readiness for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising when it arrives in October for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC. Preview co-op gameplay in the new video, now available online at www.flashpointgame.com. Gamers can also receive the latest updates as they happen by signing up to Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/flashpointgame or follow developments straight from the studio on Twitter – http://twitter.com/flashpointgame.

Sony Computer Entertainment are very pleased to confirm that the music video for Editors’ new single ‘Papillon’ will be available exclusively as a premiere only on VidZone™ for PlayStation®3 from Friday 11th September from 2AM (PST).

‘Papillon’ is the lead single from Editors’ forthcoming album, ‘In This Light And On This Evening’, which sees the band pushing their sound into a wholly new territory. Following the huge successes of debut album ‘The Back Room’ and the Number One follow up ‘An End Has A Start’, all four members were keen to make a far more electronic record, whilst still being determined to ‘give the machines a human feel’ in the words of lead singer Tom Smith. The video was created by award winning film director Andrew Douglas, part of The Douglas Brothers who work at the threshold of art and commercial photography
 
About VidZone on PLAYSTATION 3
Launched in June of this year, VidZone™ is a free service  exclusive to PlayStation®3 (PS3™) that gives you the freedom to view thousands of music videos on demand by streaming them directly to your PS3 and onto your TV screen.

VidZone is completely free to download from PlayStation® Store and extremely easy to use. It allows PS3 owners to take complete control of their music videos, allowing them to watch single videos or create their own library of streaming music, fast forward, rewind, play and pause, and make custom playlists for every occasion. With major music labels on board as well as thousands of independents, Vidzone already has over 13,000 videos available.

For more information, visit www.vidzoneps3.com

A Fun and New Way to Play the #1 Football Franchise

10 September 2009 – EA Mobile™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), today announced the availability of Madden NFL 10 on the App Store. Madden NFL 10 brings the most legendary football franchise in the history of sports to the App Store, delivering a realistic and hard-hitting football game right to the iPod® touch and iPhone™. Play through an entire season, including playoffs and the Super Bowl, in Madden NFL 10, complete with colour commentary from John Madden himself.

“We think fans will be impressed by the amount of detail and authenticity in Madden NFL 10, as well as by how intuitive it is to just pick up and start playing,” said Travis Boatman, VP Worldwide Publishing for EA Mobile. “We really took advantage of the platform’s unique capabilities so players have a new way to interact with the game. They can control the speed of the game as it unfolds to make the right call, draw routes on the screen for pass plays or with the swipe of a finger, kick a winning field goal.”

In Madden NFL 10, players can take to the field with rosters packed with their favourite NFL players from all 32 licensed teams – nearly 2,000 players. The advanced roster management feature also allows players to have full control over their team’s depth charts, cross-team trading, and access to huge free agent pools. Experience the intense thrill of engaging in roughly 300 plays in authentic stadiums against life-like players from real NFL teams! Choose the “Play Now” mode for a quick fix, or  “Season” mode to play through an entire NFL season chock-full of robust stats, individual player awards, and of course, the Super Bowl.

Using the innovative multi-touch controls players can draw hot routes for passing plays, a feature exclusive to Madden NFL 10, and also slow down the speed of the game to make choosing the right move easier and allow for more user-driven gameplay. The game includes the unmistakable voice of John Madden who will provide in-depth commentary, and colourful analysis from other renowned announcers like Tom Hammond and Cris Collinsworth.

Madden NFL 10 is available now from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch, or at http://www.itunes.com/appstore.

For information on pricing for all EA Mobile games, visit www.eamobile.com. To follow EA Mobile on Twitter visit http://twitter.com/eamobile.  

# ENDS

For more information please contact:
Mark Roberts / Lisa Knox
DEC for EA Play
mark@deccommunications.com.au / lisa@deccommunications.com.au
(02) 8014 5037 / (02) 8014 5036

About EA Mobile
EA Mobile™ is the world’s leading wireless entertainment publisher with award-winning games such as Tetris®, Bejeweled®, The Sims™, and Need For Speed™. The EA Mobile portfolio also includes casual games based on the company’s partnership with Hasbro, Inc. including MONOPOLY, YAHTZEE and SCRABBLE (in the U.S. and Canada) as well as sports blockbusters from the EA SPORTS™ brand, including Madden NFL Football, FIFA Soccer and NASCAR®. EA Mobile develops games for multiple mobile platforms including mobile phones, smartphones, the iPhone™ and iPod®. For more information about EA Mobile, please visit www.eamobile.com.
 
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA SPORTS EA Mobile TM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile, POGO, Need for Speed and The Sims are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. John Madden, NFL, FIFA, Tiger Woods and PGA TOUR are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. Tetris is a registered trademark of Tetris Holding, LLC.  Apple is a registered trademark, and iPhone and iPod are trademarks of Apple, Inc.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Guitar Hero® World Tour Mobile is now available on N-Gage. The sequel to the award-winning and best-selling Guitar Hero® III Mobile is a whole new game with tracks playable on both the drums and guitar, offering budding rock stars double the game play and a new degree of difficulty.  

Guitar Hero® World Tour Mobile is available at www.n-gage.com.au

SYDNEY, Australia – September 10, 2009 – Today’s online thieves will take advantage of any opportunity to steal anything you’ve got: your money, your identity, even your good name. And their methods are getting more devious and sophisticated every day. In fact, Symantec blocked an average of more than 245 million attempted malicious code attacks across the globe each month during 2008^[1]. Phony emails, fake web sites and online ads trick innocent victims into divulging personal data like social security and credit card numbers. Cyber criminals then sell the information to the highest bidder on the online black market. Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) knows that cyber crime is real crime, that’s why today, the maker of Norton security software, is bringing to market a completely unique approach to online security with Norton 2010.

New Reputation-Based Technology – Codenamed: Quorum

Norton Internet Security 2010 and Norton AntiVirus 2010 leverage a new model of security, codenamed Quorum, to attain unmatched detection of new malware and advance far beyond traditional signature and behaviour-based detection. Specifically, Quorum takes the greatest weapon cyber criminals have in their arsenal – their ability to generate unique pieces of malware at an alarming rate – and turns that very weapon against them.

Today, cyber criminals are furiously writing and then rewriting new and unique pieces of malware, hoping to stay under the radar of threat signatures for as long as possible. With Quorum, the very uniqueness of a file and its attributes is what helps us identify it as new malware. More than three years in the making, Quorum tracks files and applications and dozens of their attributes such as their age, download source, digital signature, and prevalence. These attributes are then combined using complex algorithms to determine a reputation. As a file is distributed across the Internet and these attributes change, Quorum updates the reputation of the file. This reputation is especially important when a file is new, likely to be a threat, and traditional defences are not likely to detect it.

Independent 3rd party test lab, AV-Test.org declared the Norton 2010 beta produced “an excellent result”^[2] in their recent testing of traditional detection methods such as heuristics and signatures as well as dynamic detection against tougher zero-day threats, which typically escape detection by traditional methods.

Quotes

“One in five people will become a victim of cyber crime,” said Rowan Trollope, senior vice president, Consumer Products and Marketing, Symantec. “We know that hackers don’t destroy computers, they destroy lives. The powerful new reputation-based security in Norton 2010 gives people the power to deny digital dangers wherever they are found online.”

“The expanding number and sophistication of security threats can no longer be contained through signature files and behavioural heuristics alone,” said Jon Oltsik, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. “Symantec’s reputation-based security technology for 2010 represents a new and important safeguard in a multi-layer antivirus defence. I believe it’s likely that the internet security industry will be building on technologies like Quorum for the next ten years.”

Fastest, Lightest

Following on the success of the Norton 2009 release, Symantec has made an ongoing commitment to delivering security products that are fast and light. The Norton 2010 products have maintained an eye on performance, in spite of adding significant new protection technology to the release. Independent 3^rd party test lab, PassMark Software was commissioned to benchmark Symantec and top security software competitors’ performance impact on key metrics^[3].

Highlights from this report include:

• Fast install — Norton Internet Security 2010 installs in about a minute
• Least working memory usage — Norton Internet Security 2010 uses just over 10MB
• Fastest scan — Norton Internet Security 2010 scans in only 61 seconds on a Hard Disk Drive and in only 31 seconds on a Solid State Drive.

Intuitive, Easy Everyday Experience

The Norton Insight family of technologies in the new 2010 products uses extensive online intelligence systems to proactively protect the PC and keep users informed of the security and performance impact of files and applications that they encounter in their everyday online experience.

• Norton Download Insight – Uses extensive online intelligence systems leveraging reputation to proactively protect your PC. Analyses and reports on the safety of new files and applications before users install and run them.
• Norton System Insight – Provides features and easy-to-understand system information to help keep PCs performing at top speed. Automatic and on-demand application optimisation rejuvenates application performance. Provides a view of recent events on the computer, providing the information required to research and analyse PC issues. Performance graphs help pinpoint what’s causing a computer to slow down.
• Norton Threat Insight – Provides details on threats that have been detected on your PC – including useful information on where it came from (the URL) and when it was initially encountered.
• Norton Insight Network – Leverages a cloud-based approach unique to Symantec. Based on the Quorum technology, it takes cloud-based security beyond traditional blacklists and whitelists. It uses a statistical analysis of file attributes based on billions of scans on millions of computers to identify the trust level of a file. This way Norton can identify files to be trustworthy or untrustworthy that would otherwise fall into the grey area of the unknown with only traditional security methods.  

Additional key technologies:

• SONAR 2 – Sophisticated second-generation behavioural security technology that detects entirely new threats based on their suspicious actions, without the need for traditional fingerprints. Leverages data from the reputation cloud, firewall, network communications (IPS), and file attributes such as location on the PC, origin information, etc., to decide when to detect a program as a threat.
  • New Antispam (Norton Internet Security only) – Powerful Enterprise-grade spam blocking engine helps keep you clear of unwanted email and safe from email-based scams and infections. 20% more effective than the previous engine and requires no training.
  • Norton Safe Web (Norton Internet Security only) – Website rating service that annotates Google, Yahoo! and Bing.com search results with site safety ratings to warn users about sites that may pose a danger to them.  It also includes ecommerce safety ratings to help users make safer online shopping decisions.
  • OnlineFamily.Norton (Norton Internet Security only) – Norton Internet Security 2010 users can opt to try a subscription to OnlineFamily.Norton, a new Web-based service that keeps parents in the loop on their kids online lives and fosters communication about what’s appropriate and inappropriate behaviour on the Internet. 

Free Technical Support

• Symantec continues to deliver free support to Norton 2010 customers across all available channels – via the web, email, chat or phone^[4]
• In addition to free support, Symantec hosts a thriving Norton Users Discussion Forum which is open to the public to share their knowledge and experience with Norton products.

Availability, Compatibility and Pricing

Norton Internet Security 2010 and Norton AntiVirus 2010 are available now for purchase in Australia through the Symantec online store (www.symantecstore.com.au) and will be available in retail towards the end of September.

Norton 2010 products support Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. All latest versions (2009, 2010) of Norton flagship products including Norton 360, Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus will be Microsoft Windows 7 compatible as of the general availability (GA) of the new operating system. Norton users of these products with a valid subscription will receive the compatibility updates delivered automatically online at no additional cost.

The suggested retail price for Norton Internet Security 2010 is AU$99.95 for a three PC license, which includes a one-year service subscription to use the product and receive Symantec’s protection updates. The suggested retail price of Norton AntiVirus 2010 is AU$59.95 which includes a one-year service subscription to use the product and receive Symantec’s protection updates. All Norton Internet Security and Norton AntiVirus users with a valid product subscription are eligible to receive the latest product updates via the subscription service model. For more information, visit the Norton Update centre at http://updatecentre.norton.com./

TAGS

Norton, Internet Security, antivirus, antispyware, security, performance, reputation-based security, Quorum