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WD Ships New Slim and Sleek Family of Portable Hard Drives

Sydney, Australia – 18 September 2012WD®, a subsidiary of Western Digital Corporation, today introduced its newest version of My Passport® line of portable hard drives for PC and Mac with the debut of My Passport Edge™. The My Passport Edge and My Passport Edge for Mac® feature 500GB of storage and a USB 3.0 interface for fast read/write speeds to help consumers effectively manage, share and enjoy digital content everywhere they go. Its sleek, ultra-slim design makes transport easy and convenient while a variety of security features protects the drive’s content from unauthorised access.

The My Passport Edge for Mac portable hard drive complements popular MacBook® computers and MacBook Air® computer designs with an all-aluminium exterior to protect the drive and its contents from everyday bumps. The My Passport Edge for Mac is also compatible with Apple Time Machine® for added peace-of-mind and seamless operation out of the box with one’s Mac computer.

The ultimate storage companion for Ultrabooks, the My Passport Edge (PC-version) portable hard drive incorporates WD SmartWare™ continuous and automatic backup software to create a copy of users’ computers’ content to ensure personal digital files are backed-up and protected in the event of computer loss or theft. For a sleek look, the My Passport Edge was also re-engineered with a new design for a premium finish.

“WD’s new My Passport Edge portable drives for Mac and PC offer mobile users a safe, compact, attractive way to conveniently work or play anywhere life or business may take them,” said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of WD’s branded products and consumer electronics groups, “We know that people who bring personal and business content along with them on their travels are concerned with portability and with maintaining privacy while also protecting their data. We design all My Passport products with a small footprint and with security and protection in mind.”

My Passport Edge and My Passport Edge for Mac 500 GB portable hard drives come with a 3-year limited warranty and are available on the WD store at www.wdstore.com.au and at select retailers and distributors.

Pricing and Availability

Manufacturer: WD
Product Name: My Passport Edge
MSRP: My Passport Edge 500GB AU$129  NZ$169.00
MSRP: My Passport Edge for Mac 500GB AU$129  NZ$189
Australia Distributors: Synnex/Express Online
New Zealand Distributor: Synnex
Availability: now
Website: http://www.wd.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=850
Mac version: http://www.wd.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=880
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wdaust

 
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Live the Revolution with the Rock in WWE ’13!

Whether you call him the Brahma Bull, the People’s Champion, the Great One or just plain Rocky, there’s no question about it: The Rock is one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time. Now you can relive the rise of the Most Electrifying Man in All of Entertainment with WWE ’13 and the all-new “Attitude Era” Mode.

When WWE ’13 comes out on November 1 in Australia and November 2 in New Zealand, you’ll fight your way through the Rock’s classic rivalries while unlocking hundreds of bonus items. The “Attitude Era” Mode even includes classic videos and photos of all your favourite “Attitude Era” luminaries, including Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Triple H and many more.

 
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Hitman Absolution Tools of the Trade Trailer

SYDNEY (September 18, 2012) – IO Interactive A/S, a Square Enix studio, presents “INTRODUCING: THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE”, the third gameplay trailer in the original INTRODUCING series, showcasing the vast and inventive toolset at Agent 47s disposal. Guns, screwdrivers, a coffee cup or even a plunger – everything can become lethal in the hands of the Original Assassin.

Created entirely from original gameplay moments, INTRODUCING is dedicated to show the richness, depth and possibilities surrounding the living and breathing world of HITMAN: ABSOLUTION™ – powered by IO INTERACTIVE’S new proprietary  GLACIER 2™ technology.

HITMAN: ABSOLUTION is scheduled for release across Australia, New Zealand, and other territories on November 20, 2012 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Micosoft and Windows PC.

 
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Security, Mobility and Virtualisation Lead the Symantec Symposiums in Australia

SYDNEY, Australia –  18 September, 2012 – Today at the Symantec Symposium 2012 (NASDAQ:SYMC) in Sydney, Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan APM, National Manager High Tech Crime Operations, Australian Federal Police discussed how the biggest online security threats are impacting the way consumers, enterprises and governments protect their information and identities.

Symantec executives Bernard Kwok, senior vice president, Asia Pacific and Japan, and Brenton Smith, vice president and managing director, Pacific region also shared the company’s vision across today’s biggest trends such as mobility, virtualisation, cloud, and big data.

“The Internet is now an intrinsic component of our modern global society providing a platform for instant business and social communication,” said Assistant Commissioner Neil Gaughan APM, National Manager, High Tech Crime Operations, Australian Federal Police. “Countless activities aided by the Internet bring plenty of positive benefits to our lives, however its growth and global reach have also provided opportunities for criminals to conduct illicit activity more efficiently, economically, and to an extent anonymously. The ability to use technology to commit crime, attack critical infrastructures, and undermine national security is a very real threat that law enforcement is responding to and, every organisation, large or small, needs to ensure they have a defense-in-depth strategy for protecting the vital assets on which their business depends.”

With the proliferation of mobile devices across Australia, it’s also expected that new threats on mobile devices will be introduced and exploited by cybercriminals, causing many consumers and enterprises to be cautious about placing personal or confidential information on their mobile devices. According to the Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, the number of mobile threats increased by 93 percent in 2011 and in the past year, Symantec blocked 5.5 billion attacks.

“We live in an always on, connected world,” said Bernard Kwok, senior vice president, Asia Pacific and Japan, Symantec. “Mobile devices are truly becoming first class citizens of corporate IT. They are being used for work more than ever before and corporate applications are not the only apps being accessed, as more and more employees use consumer mobile applications for business.”

Symantec’s most recent State of Mobility survey found that 70 percent of businesses said data loss and malware infection were two of their top risks for mobile computing. In addition, Symantec estimates that 60 percent of companies are already making line-of-business applications accessible from mobile devices.

“We believe you shouldn’t have to sacrifice protection for productivity,” Kwok continued. “Allowing employees to bring their own devices into the workplace and use them to access corporate networks and information does not mean you have to compromise on protection. Symantec protects you and your business’ information regardless of platform and we offer the best capabilities in mobile device and mobile application management to protect information on company and employee owned devices.”

As with mobile devices, companies want to be able to take advantage of the productivity that comes with the cloud but are concerned about protection. To take advantage of the opportunities, businesses must be able to protect information across corporate and employee-owned devices as well as public and private infrastructure that may be a physical or virtual environment.

Today, most organisations have already virtualised some of their application workloads and plan to virtualise more. Virtualising business-critical applications delivers significant strategic benefits and is a key step toward a cloud model of IT service delivery.

But these applications also require provably high levels of security, resiliency, performance, and operational efficiency. Symantec solutions for business-critical virtualisation are optimised for all leading virtualisation platforms, and provide the advanced security, availability, and storage management capabilities required to virtualise business-critical applications with confidence.

“Yesterday’s solutions won’t completely protect your company today,” said Brenton Smith, vice president and managing director, Pacific region, Symantec. “Confidence ultimately means businesses having visibility and control of their information wherever it resides. At Symantec, we’re focused on protecting people and information – whether it’s in the data centre on physical or virtual servers, structured in databases or in archives for long term storage and retention.”

Taking place in across eight cities in Australia and New Zealand, the Symantec Symposium series is sponsored by Dell, Intel, Red Hat, VMware, Data#3 and Insight. More information about the 2012 Symantec Symposium can be found here.

About Symantec
Symantec protects the world’s information, and is the global leader in security, backup and availability solutions. Our innovative products and services protect people and information in any environment – from the smallest mobile device, to the enterprise data centre, to cloud-based systems. Our industry-leading expertise in protecting data, identities and interactions gives our customers confidence in a connected world. More information is available at www.symantec.com or by connecting with Symantec at: go.symantec.com/socialmedia.

 
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The Epic Battle Between Good and Evil Continues, STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS- The Complete Fourth Season Out October 31

Available to own on Blu-ray™ for $59.95RRP
And on DVD for $49.95RRP
Also available To Download from OCTOBER 31

Executive Producer George Lucas, Lucasfilm Animation and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment present Star Wars: the Clone Wars- The Complete Season Four, coming to Blu-ray™, DVD and To Download on October 31, 2012. Featuring stunning high-definition animation as well as a host of behind-the-scenes bonus materials, the complete collection explores the untold stories of “a galaxy far, far away” and reveals the magic behind the making of the cutting-edge series.

SYNOPSIS

In its critically acclaimed fourth season, the battle to save the galaxy reaches new heights of peril and new depths of darkness. The valiant Jedi Knights and clone troopers defend exotic planets from enemy forces. They wage war underwater, battle across a night-shrouded world and take on the merciless Death Watch. Our heroes are tested like never before as Anakin is haunted by the realities of his past, Ahsoka fights to free her people, and an undercover Obi-Wan braves a deadly bounty hunter tournament. Season Four culminates with the shocking return of a villain from the past: the ruthless Darth Maul, who will stop at nothing to achieve vengeance.

 
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Borderlands 2 launch trailer

Melbourne Australia 18th of September 2012 – One of the most anticipated games of 2012… Borderlands 2. Check out this amazing launch trailer!

 
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Zero in with Navy Big Game US Pro Gamers, ‘Walshy’ and ‘StrongSide’, ready to challenge Aussie Gamers at the 2012 EB Games Expo

The Royal Australian Navy in conjunction with Marketing and Events agency, The Spaceship, is pleased to welcome US Pro Gamers Dave ‘Walshy’ Walsh and Michael ‘StrongSide’ Cavanaugh to the inaugural Navy Big Game event to be held at the 2012 EB Games Expo between October 5 and October 7.

Navy Big Game is an exciting invitational event where Aussie gamers get to pit their skills against the Navy Team of Stars featuring Walshy, StrongSide and two of the best Navy gamers in the force. A team of four players comprised of ebexpo.com.au and Xbox Live competition winners will play against the Navy Team of Stars on the big screen at the 2012 EB Games Live Arena. The event promises to be full of action and fans can enjoy the big screen showdown as both teams battle it out on Halo Reach.

Both Walshy and Strongside will also be on hand at the Navy Big Game stand to provide a sneak preview of Zero In. Zero In allows you to challenge your friends online in a global game of ‘hide and seek’ using Navy skills to zero in on their warship. As you learn the skills of Navy Combat Console personnel, you have a chance to utilise advanced detection and location equipment, operate radars, sonars and world class technology to see if you have what it takes for a highly classified role in the Navy. Zero In is set to launch in early 2013.

“We are super thrilled to take part in this invitational format on the big stage. We are looking forward to putting on a show for everyone” said Walshy.
Local Aussie gamers can take part in the Navy Big Game event at the 2012 EB Games Expo by entering at ebexpo.com.au or Xbox LIVE.

Event details:
EB Games Expo
5-7 October, 2012
Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park
About the

 
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iPhone 5 Pre-Orders Top Two Million in First 24 Hours

CUPERTINO, California – 17 September, 2012 – Apple® today announced pre-orders of its iPhone® 5 topped two million in just 24 hours, more than double the previous record of one million held by iPhone 4S. Demand for iPhone 5 exceeds the initial supply and while the majority of pre-orders will be delivered to customers on 21 September, many are scheduled to be delivered in October. iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a stunning new 4-inch Retina™ display; an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance; and ultrafast wireless technology**—all while delivering even better battery life.***

“iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone 5 is the best iPhone yet, the most beautiful product we’ve ever made, and we hope customers love it as much as we do.”

iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new user features including: an all new Maps app with Apple-designed cartography, turn-by-turn navigation* and an amazing new Flyover™ view; Facebook integration for Contacts and Calendar, with the ability to post directly from Notification Center; Passbook®, the simplest way to get all your passes in one place; new Siri® features, including support for more languages, easy access to sports scores, restaurant recommendations and movie listings;**** Siri and Facebook-enabled apps like Photos, Safari® and Maps; and Shared Photo Streams via iCloud®.

Pricing & Availability

iPhone 5 will be available at Apple retail stores beginning at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, 21 September. Every customer who buys an iPhone 5 at an Apple retail store will be offered free Personal Setup service, helping them customise their iPhone 5 by setting up email, showing them new apps from the App Store and more, so they’ll be up and running with their new iPhone before they leave the store.

iPhone 5 comes in either white & silver or black & slate, and will be available in Australia for a recommended retail price of AUD$799 inc. GST for the 16GB model, AUD$899 inc. GST for the 32GB model and AUD$999 inc. GST for the 64GB model. iPhone 5 will be available from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com/au), Apple’s retail stores, and through select Apple Authorised Resellers. iPhone 4S will also be available for just recommended retail price AUD$679 inc. GST and iPhone 4 will be available for recommended retail price AUD$449 inc. GST. iOS 6 software will be available on Wednesday, September 19 as a free software update.

iPhone 5 will roll out worldwide to 22 more countries on 28 September, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

* Available in October

** LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks, check with your carrier for details.

*** Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

**** Not all features are supported in all countries.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

 
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Create, Connect and Share with Canon’s PIXMA Advanced Range

SYDNEY, 17 September 2012 – Canon Australia has today launched three new additions to its PIXMA Advanced range, the PIXMA MG6360, the PIXMA MG5460 and the PIXMA iP7260, three feature-packed printers that deliver fast, high quality prints in a compact, low height and sleek design. With exclusive software, wireless connectivity, new colour options and new individual ink tanks, the PIXMA Advanced Range is ideal for those who want an abundance of creative software and connectivity features and are perfect for users looking for high-level outputs at exceptional speeds.   

The PIXMA MG6360 and PIXMA MG5460 are high end All-in-Ones enabling you to print copy and scan at high speeds and at the highest quality and the PIXMA iP7260 is a wireless A4 single function printer that delivers high quality output at high speeds in the home. 

“Consumers are demanding higher performing products that offer versatility, simple functionality and high quality in compact form factors,” said Ben Crosariol, Brand Manager, PIXMA, Canon Australia. “With this range, we have focused on advancing our design, improving our media and ink handling, and delivering improved connectivity options for the best products to meet the needs of our consumers.”

Across the PIXMA Advanced Range MG6360, MG5460 and iP7260 models, new and improved features include: 

  • Creative solutions: All models feature a range of software features that enable users to do more with their creativity, including filter effects and red eye reduction. All models also include Canon’s exclusive My Image Garden advanced software, which turns lost images into loved ones by taking photos stored on a computer and organising them into a timeline or calendar allowing you to view them all in one place, helping to organise, create and share memories. Its facial recognition capabilities automatically group all photos of individuals together in folders, enabling users to simply and easily organise their images. The software also suggests creative layouts and allows users to select single frames from a video to print, capturing those special moments. The new range also includes the Print Your Days software enabling direct prints from Facebook. 

New PIXMA Advanced owners who use genuine ink across their entire ink set will also be granted VIP access to Creative Park Premium, offering hundreds of printable downloads for endless family fun, including works from well-known artists and brands including National Geographic, Sesame Street and Paddington Bear.

  • Connectivity: With an array of improved connectivity options throughout the range, such as Wireless Pictbridge[1], PIXMA Cloud link[2], Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections[3], Apple AirPrint and mobile printing from and scanning to your Android/Apple smartphone with the Canon EPP app, printing has never been easier. Wireless PictBridge enables users to directly print images from any PictBridge-compatible digital camera or digital video camcorder to their PIXMA printer[4] without a PC, enabling easy direct photo printing. With PIXMA Cloud link and Google Cloud Print, users can access their files and print from out of the home or office, wherever there is an internet connection and with Wireless LAN users can share prints among PCs and smartphones from virtually anywhere in the home without the need for cables. 
  • Quality & Efficiency: 9600 x 2400 dpi resolution across all three models ensures you can obtain the very best quality with prints equivalent to those produced at a print lab. Featuring new High Yield individual ink tanks, the PIXMA MG6360 and PIXMA MG5460 print 2.2 times[5] more pages when compared with standard colour ink tanks, enabling super-fast and efficient printing, and reducing the number of ink tank replacements. Auto double-sided printing on the PIXMA iP7260 allows for quick and efficient automatic printing on both sides of a page.  
  • Advanced design: With a new compact footprint, reduced height and new snap edge design, a first for Canon[6], the new printers look sharp and fit seamlessly into the surroundings. The new and compact design allows the printer to sit flush against the wall, saving space and keeping the home tidier. All models are available in black with the PIXMA MG6360 also sold in white at selected retailers.
  • Easy to use: The media handling has been enhanced on all three models, to offer new double front paper cassettes, Auto Double Sided Print and Direct Disc Print and Canon has introduced a new 3.5” LCD Intelligent Touch Screen to the MG6360 model, making it simple to move, zoom and print photos directly on the printer for easy and intuitive operation.

Availability

The iP7260 will be available from November 2012 and the MG6360 and MG5460 will be available from December 2012 with pricing set at dealer discretion. For further details, visit the Canon website via: www.canon.com.au


[1] Available on PIXMA Advanced Range MG6360, MG5460

[2] Available on PIXMA Advanced Range MG6360, MG5460

[3] Available on PIXMA Advanced Range MG6360

[4] Available on PIXMA Advanced Range MG6360, MG5460

[5] The new individual ink tank can print approximately 2.2 times more prints when printing with MG6360

[6] Available on PIXMA Advanced Range MG6360, MG5460

 
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Canon announces world’s largest optical zoom range

SYDNEY, 17 September, 2012 – Canon Australia has today launched the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS, featuring the world’s largest optical zoom of 50x range[1]. The pinnacle of Canon’s Super Zoom range, the PowerShot SX50 HS replaces the highly regarded SX40 HS and offers users the most versatile zoom range in a compact body.

“The PowerShot SX50 HS represents the top of the food chain in our Super Zoom compact camera range, offering consumers high-precision, high-performance, blur-free shooting in a versatile compact camera,” says Kai Lebens, Brand Manager, Digital Still Cameras, Canon Australia. “Canon’s 75 year heritage in quality optics comes to the fore with the PowerShot SX50 HS, delivering renowned Canon imager quality and allowing users to get closer to the action than ever before with a massive 50x optical zoom.”

Available in stores in Australia from mid-October 2012, the PowerShot SX50 HS allows photographers to be ready for any shooting challenge or situation, taking advantage of the both the wide-angle end and the extensive optical zoom. Add to that Canon’s ZoomPlus technology, which extends high-quality shooting on the PowerShot SX50 HS to up to twice the range of the optical zoom (100x ZoomPlus), users will never miss out on capturing high-quality images at distances never before achieved on a compact camera.

To enable users to take advantage of the world’s largest optical zoom range of up to 50x, the PowerShot SX50 HS features Canon’s two Framing Assist functions: Seek and Lock. Simply holding the Seek button automatically assists the user to quickly re-frame their shot on their chosen subject without zooming back and forth or losing focus. The Framing Assist Lock button further reduces camera shake at the final moment of taking the shot. This removes one of the main challenges of a long zoom range, as the slightest camera shake can result in the loss of your subject when trying to take a photo. With Seek and Lock, the PowerShot SX50 HS is one of the most functional long zoom range cameras available.

Featuring Canon’s HS (High Sensitivity) SYSTEM with the newly equipped CMOS sensor and DiG!C 5 processor, the user is guaranteed dramatically improved image quality in all conditions, leading to more refined images, even in low light, with less noise. Compatible with select EOS accessories, the PowerShot SX50 HS offers consumers one of the most versatile and surprisingly powerful compact experiences on the market.

Key features:

  • 50x Optical zoom Canon lens (1200mm – 35mm equivalent) f/3.4-6.5
  • 100x ZoomPlus (2400mm – 35mm equivalent)
  • HS SYSTEM: DiG!C 5 processor and 12.1MP CMOS sensor
  • 58 Scene Smart Auto
  • Intelligent IS (image stabilization)
  • Full HD 1080 movie recording
  • 2.8” Variangle LCD 461,000 dots
  • Creative controls
  • Multi aspect RAW recording
  • Expandable with select EOS accessories via hotshoe

Availability

The PowerShot SX50 HS digital camera will be available from mid-October 2012 with prices set at dealer discretion. For further details, visit the Canon website via: www.canon.com.au


[1] *As of June 29, 2012. For compact digital cameras. A Canon survey.