GDAA to Subsidise Conference Attendees  

MELBOURNE – Thursday 29 October, 2009 – The Game Developers’ Association of Australia (GDAA) today announced that it would partly subsidise attendance at Game Connect: Asia Pacific (GCAP) for Australian game development employees recently made redundant due to cost cutting or studio closures.
 
GDAA President Tom Crago said, “we are conscious of the fact that one or two Australian studios have recently fallen on tough times, and that as a result a number of very talented and passionate developers have been let go. We are conscious also of the financial hardships that this inevitably brings. As an industry association, we are determined to do what we can to help people caught up in this unfortunate turn of events.” 

The GDAA is offering to make full GCAP registrations available for $370 (a saving of $200) to any Australian video game industry employee who has been made redundant this year. 

“We want as many members of the game development community as possible to be able to attend GCAP,” said Crago. “It is the centre piece event of our industry, and the perfect place to make connections with the many local studios who are still looking to hire. It might also provide a springboard for new business ideas and innovations. I’d like to think we’ll see some new companies emerge in 2010, and by bringing everyone together for GCAP we hope to help facilitate that process.” 

For more information about GCAP, and to view the program in full, visit www.gameconnectap.com

 CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Things weren’t always so good for Luis Lopez.  Growing up with a strict single mother in the tough neighborhood of Northwood Heights, he managed to get himself into a lot of trouble at an early age.  It wasn’t until he was 25, after serving some time and taking part in a criminal outreach program, that he met Tony Prince, the man who changed everything.  Having worked his way up from doorman, the Dominican playboy now acts as personal bodyguard, confidant and friend to Tony, Liberty City’s most successful – and delusional, neurotic and drink and drug addled – nightlife impresario.  Although Tony is a Liberty City legend, he is also over his head in debt to gangsters and back on a path to self-destruction, Luis now has a fulltime job just trying to keep his boss, and the clubs he owns afloat.  

Luis helps to run Tony’s two current nightclubs, Maisonette 9 and Hercules, but even though he moves in different circles now, he still tries to remain close to his roots, helping his mother when he can and staying tight with his best friends from the old neighborhood, Armando Torres and Henrique Bardas.  Luis is doggedly loyal to his two buddies, and once took the fall for Armando after a deal went wrong when they were teenagers. Getting caught was both the motivation and means by which Luis moved on from that street life. The same cannot be said for Henrique and Armando, who are still found hustling on the same street corners. They have seen Luis move up the food chain and want his help to do the same. 

Luis has two siblings who both moved away from Liberty City, so his mother lives all alone. Luis feels responsible, but no matter what he tries to do for her, nothing ever seems to be good enough. His siblings both went to college and got respectable jobs. It’s a constant struggle to balance the needs of friends and family, all the while looking out for Tony and his business interests in a town where everybody wants their piece of the action, and will stop at nothing to get it.

–  All-New Alienware Gaming Systems Include the M15x Laptop, Aurora and Area-51 Desktops

–  Alienware M15x  Features the New Intel® Mobile Core™ i7 Processor

–  Alienware M17x Laptop Receives Up To 145 Percent Graphics Performance Boost with Addition of Dual 1GB ATI Radeon Mobility™ HD 4870[1]

–  Alienware Peripherals, Including the New Alienware TactX Keyboard and Mouse, Offer Gamers a Fully-Integrated PC Gaming Ecosystem

SYDNEY, Australia, Oct. 29, 2009 – PC Gamers now have five new ways to level up with a fleet of high-performance gaming rigs from Alienware, including four overclocked* liquid-cooled desktop systems and the most powerful 15-inch gaming laptop in the universe. 

Jointly developed by the Dell and Alienware teams, and featuring the latest technologies for maximum performance, aggressive designs and unmatched customisation and personalisation through Alienware’s exclusive Command Center software suite, these systems represent a new era in PC gaming. 

The line-up includes Alienware Aurora, Aurora ALX, Area-51 and Area-51 ALX desktops and the Alienware M15x laptop join the M17x, launched in October, to expand the Alienware arsenal and reaffirm Dell’s position as visionary and designer of the industry’s most coveted gaming systems. 

The News: 

–  Alienware M15x – The most powerful 15-inch gaming laptop in the universe. Sporting Alienware’s acclaimed new mobile ID which debuted with the M17x laptop, the M15x offers Alienware performance in a compact package guaranteed to appeal to mobile enthusiasts and hardcore gamers on the go. The first Alienware laptop to feature a mobile Core i7 processor, the M15x also offers a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M GPU* and up to 8GB DDR3 1333MHz memory* to take on, and dominate, even the most intense game titles. Prices start at $2499 (AUD) and additional technical specifications are here.

–  Alienware Aurora and Aurora ALX – The Aurora is the most upgradeable and the Aurora ALX is the most powerful MicroATX desktops Alienware has ever created. Featuring the latest Intel® Core™ i7 processors, including an optional Extreme Edition overclocked** to 3.6GHz, the Aurora line of desktops are designed to deliver the power needed for hardcore gaming, pro-level HD audio and video editing, 3D animation and more. To crank up your gaming performance, Aurora and Aurora ALX have options for dual 1GB ATI Radeon HD 5870 graphics cards, up to 24GB DDR3 1333MHz memory[asterisk] or 12GB DDR3 1600MHz memory, respectively, and up to 2TB of hard drive storage – all in a compact, MicroATX chassis for taking up less desk space. Prices start at $2499 (AUD) and additional technical specs are here.

–  Alienware Area-51 and Area-51 ALX designed for extreme gamers and tech enthusiasts who demand only the latest, most advanced equipment, the Area-51 line of desktops features Intel Core™ i7 processors factory overclocked* to an intense 3.86GHz for peak performance. To max out your graphics benchmarks, these systems offer the quad-GPU power of dual NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 295 graphics cards. Other featured specs include up to 12GB DDR3* memory clocked at 1333MHz or 1600MHz, respectively, and six easy-access, cable-free hard drive bays that support both 7,200RPM and 10,000RPM drives, solid state drives and RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 10 configurations. Prices begin at $3699 (AUD). 

The ALX brand denotes a distinguished class of Alienware systems that deliver both unique designs and peak performance. Both Aurora ALX and Area-51 ALX offer technology options beyond their respective standard editions, allowing for higher benchmarks, extended future-proofing and all-around increased bragging rights. Aurora ALX features design elements not available on Aurora such as the Active Venting louver system, internal theater lighting and cable-free hard drive bays. Area-51 ALX ups the ante with an anodized aluminum body and motorized front panel. All Alienware desktops also offer CPU liquid cooling right out of the box which allows the ease of overclocking that deliver extreme computing. 

Also announced today, Alienware customers can now configure the M17x laptop with the intense power of the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 in both single and ATI CrossFireX configurations for up to a 145-percent graphics performance increase1. The result is an immersive, cinematic experience when playing the latest HD games and movies. 

Alienware users can build out a complete, high-performance gaming ecosystem with the recently announced Alienware TactX Mouse and Keyboard, and the Alienware OptX™ AW2210 Monitor which features a 21.5-inch full HD screen for experiencing the latest generation games and HD movies in glorious 1080p resolution. 

The Aurora starts from $2499 (AUD), and the Aurora ALX from $4499 (AUD). Both are available for order immediately at www.alienware.com.au/dnn2/ . 

The Area-51 starts from $3699 (AUD) and the Area-51 ALX from $5499 (AUD), and will be available to order in the coming weeks. 

The Alienware M15x starts at $2499 (AUD) and is available for order immediately at ww.alienware.com.au/dnn2/. 

The branded peripherals can be ordered immediately at: www.alienware.com.au/dnn2/. 

All prices listed for the Alienware PCs and peripherals are effective from October 31. 

Alienware is one of two brand pillars within Dell’s broader consumer portfolio. Dell’s Alienware gaming brand delivers high-performance computing for enthusiasts and tech lovers alike, and complements the Adamo by Dell brand, which offers unmatched style, design and craftsmanship. Alienware and Adamo are the standard-bearers of Dell’s personalisation efforts, which extend to the entire consumer portfolio, including Inspiron and Studio and Dell Design Studio, which reinvents the way people can customise their laptops as extensions of self-expression.

Quotes: 

“These newest additions to the Alienware lineup represent the culmination of months of hard work, bringing together two world-class teams to create a family of world-class products targeting PC gamers,” said Arthur Lewis, general manager of Dell’s Gaming Group. “Our current offering of desktops, notebooks and peripheral products signals our commitment to providing the best PC gaming experience possible and to being the global industry leader for PC gaming products.”  

“Alienware systems are, and always have been, our benchmark for PC gaming performance,” said Evan Williams, general manager of Dell’s Consumer business unit in Australia.  “Through the Alienware brand, Dell is committed to offering gamers the richest possible PC gaming experience with the latest technology and coolest designs.” 

“The new Intel® Core™ i7 mobile processor redefines expectations for performance, flexibility and extreme gaming on mobile platforms,” said Mooly Eden, vice president and general manager of the PC Client Group at Intel. “We are pleased that Alienware has designed the Intel® Core™ i7 920Xm processor into their latest mobile gaming laptop.” 

“As the first-ever DirectX® 11-capable graphics card, the ATI Radeon™ HD 5870 is the pinnacle of PC graphics performance,” said Matt Skynner, Vice President & General Manager, GPU Division, AMD. “By pairing the awesome power of this card with Alienware’s reputation for industry-leading technology, gamers can expect an unmatched gaming experience.” 

[1] *Based on Futuremark 3DMark Vantage Extreme benchmark tests performed by Dell using Nvidia GeForce GTX 260M graphics card as baseline. 

* Memory: Significant system memory may be used to support graphics, depending on system memory size and other factors. 

**Overclocked:  Dell does not recommend operating the processor or other system component beyond factory settings.  This may cause system instability and reduce the operating life of your system components

Links:

Alienware.com.au

Dell.com/Alienware

Alienware’s Facebook page

Follow Alienware on Twitter

Alienware’s MySpace page

Alienware’s Flickr Page 

About Dell

People worldwide can buy Dell online, by phone and in nearly 43,000 stores. Alienware, Dell’s premiere high-performance PC gaming brand, offers unique and award-winning computers that incorporate innovative engineering and are designed with state-of-the-art components. Credited as being one of the first PC gaming hardware manufacturers, Alienware remains committed to creating industry-leading trends in the high-performance gaming arena. Alienware manufactures a diverse selection of customizable, high-performance desktops, notebooks and gaming peripherals that attract a broad rnge of customers who demand world-class performance and design. 

Dell, Alienware, Aurora, Area-51, ALX, TactX and OptX are trademarks of Dell Inc. Dell disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

GONE WITH THE WIND  70^th ANNIVERSARY 

Ultimate Collectors Edition

BLU-RAY for $79.95RRP, DVD for $59.95RRP

&

2-Disc Special Edition

BLU-RAY for $29.95RRP, DVD for $19.95RRP 

Available from Warner Home Video this 2 December 2009 

With more than eight hours of enhanced content, two of which are brand new

Includes new documentaries and nostalgic collectibles in limited, premium packaging, perfect for gift giving! 

Winner of 10 Academy Awards^® including Best Picture, and still history’s all time domestic box-office champion^[1] ($1.5 billion¹), Gone with the Wind has long been considered the most celebrated motion picture of all time.  On 2 December, Warner Home Video (WHV) will honour the romantic epic with a stunningly restored and remastered version, available for the first time on Blu-ray™.  Gone with the Wind 70^th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors Edition is sure to be a “must-have” for collectors of classic films, available both in Blu-ray as well as on DVD. 

The highlight of this new Blu-ray version of Gone with the Wind is how it looks and sounds. As they’ve done with The Wizard of Oz, Warner Home Video continues to maximise what the Blu-ray format can do in terms of picture and sound.  With five times higher resolution than standard DVD along with the sonic excellence of Dolby TruHD, the film will be at its absolute pristine best. 

“You’re going to see, hear and experience so much more with this Blu-ray edition,” said Nadene Hills, WHV Australia’s Theatrical Catalogue Group Marketing Manager.  Viewing Gone with the Wind again on Blu-ray is like seeing it for the first time. You’re brought into the saga of the war torn Tara so intensely, you feel as if all the characters literally come alive. At times, I felt as if I was on the set standing next to the camera watching Gable and Leigh as the whole scene unfolded.” 

 Brand new to the Ultimate Collector’s Edition is a bonus disc with three new outstanding documentaries:

• 1939: Hollywood‘s Greatest Year is a fascinating tribute to a year considered to be one of Hollywood’s greatest. This documentary, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, had its on-air premiere in July as part of TCM’s month-long festival saluting that year’s ‘bumper-crop’ of films.
• Gone with the Wind: The Legend Lives On is an exploration of the legacy of this most beloved film through illuminating interviews, footage and visits to historical sites, events and museums.
• Moviola: The Scarlett O’Hara Wars — a 1980 WBTV Special, never before seen on home video.  

This historic 70^th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition,  limited and numbered, will be further enhanced with unique nostalgic premiums – a 40-page hardcover book with photos, production notes and more; a reproduction of the 1939 original program and ten 5” x 7” frameable art prints.  The UCEs will be available on Blu-ray

for $79.95RRP and DVD for $59.95RRP.  A 2-Disc Special Edition will also be offered with the film and commentary on Blu-ray for $29.95RRP and DVD for $19.95RRP. 

About the Movie

Gone with the Wind is the grandest, most ambitious and spectacular piece of filmmaking in cinematic history. With more than 50 speaking roles and 2400 extras, the film is the quintessential Hollywood epic – considered a “must have” for collectors, and one that can be watched again and again for generations to come. 

Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland star in Gone with the Wind, which for more than a half century has thrilled audiences with its eternal love affair, set in the South against the backdrop of the Civil War, between handsome Rhett Butler (Gable) and his sassy, headstrong heroine Scarlett O’Hara (Leigh). With each new generation, Gone with the Wind continues to grow in popularity as new audiences discover and embrace the David O. Selznick production of Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. 

TWO DISC DVD SPECIAL FEATURES
Disc 1 The Movie, Part 1

• Remastered feature with Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio
• Commentary by historian Rudy Behlmer  

DISC 2 The Movie, Part 2

• Remastered feature
• Commentary by historian Rudy Behlmer  

DVD & BLU-RAY ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS

Includes everything listed in the 2-Disc Special Edition as well as the following:

Disc 3

About The Movie

•  The Making of a Legend documentary (1989 TV Special) (Narrated by Christopher Plummer)
• Restoring a Legend – Chronicles the film/video restoration process
• Dixie Hails Gone with the Wind -1939 Premiere newsreel
• 1940 MGM historical short – The Old South
• Atlanta Civil War Centennial 1961 premiere newsreel
• International prologue
• Foreign language version sample scenes
• Theatrical Trailers 

Disc 4

About The Cast

• Melanie Remembers: Reflections by Olivia de Havilland – Exclusive 2004 Documentary
• Cast profile – Gable: The King Remembered
• Cast profile – Vivien Leigh: Scarlett and Beyond
• The Supporting Players – Cameo portraits of an unforgettable ensemble

o       At Tara

§         The O’Hara Plantation in Georgia

§         Thomas Mitchell as Gerald O’Hara

§         Barbara O’Neill as Ellen, his wife

o       Their Daughters

§         Evelyn Keyes as Suellen

§         Ann Rutherford as Carreen

o       The house servants

§         Hattie McDaniel as Mammy

§         Oscar Polk as Pork

§         Butterfly McQueen as Prissy

o       At Twelve Oaks

§         Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes

§         Rand Brooks as Charles Hamilton, her brother

§         Carroll Nye as Frank Kennedy, a guest

o       In Atlanta

§         Laura Hope Crews as Aunt Pittypat Hamilton

§         Eddie Anderson as Uncle Peter, her coachman

§         Harry Davenport as Dr. Meade

§         Jane Darwell as Mrs. Merriwether

§         Ona Munson as Belle Watling

§         Cammie King as Bonnie Blue Butler 

Disc 5

New Bonus Disc

• Warner Bros. Home Entertainment presents 1939: Hollywood‘s Greatest Year –

       New documentary about Hollywood’s watershed year narrated by Kenneth Branagh

• Gone with the Wind: The Legend Lives On —  Exploring the legacy of the most beloved film through illuminating interviews, footage and visits to historical sites, events and museums
• Moviola: The Scarlett O’Hara Wars 1980 WBTV Special never before on home video
• Trailers 

(Blu-ray Hi-Def will have all discs above combined onto 2 discs) 

Also included are unique premiums housed in a beautiful velvet keepsake box, limited and numbered: 

EXCLUSIVE TO THE DVD and BLU-RAY HI-DEF BLU-RAY ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS

• 20-page reproduction of the original and complete 1939 Souvenir Program
• 52-page Production History Book with photos and production notes
• Ten Frameable 5×7 Art Prints 

EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAY ULTIMATE COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS:

• MGM: When The Lion Roars Documentary  

Note: All enhanced content listed above is subject to change.

From the director of The Shawshank Redemption.

THE GREEN MILE 

Debuts on Blu-ray for $29.95RRP from 2 December 2009.  

Hailed as one of the best pictures of all time, and nominated for four Academy Awards including Best Picture, The Green Mile is a big-screen adaptation of Stephen King’s 1996 best-selling serialised novel which grossed more than $280 million worldwide at the box office and became even more popular when it moved to video and DVD. 

Now available on Blu-ray, The Green Mile recounts the emotional and uplifting story of Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks), a Southern prison Death Row guard, who develops an unusual and profound relationship with John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), a massive black man convicted of brutally killing a pair of nine-year-old sisters.  Beyond his simple, naive nature and a deathly fear of the dark, Coffey seems to possess a prodigious, supernatural gift, which leads Edgecomb to question whether Coffey was truly guilty of his crime.  As the story unfolds, Paul Edgecomb learns that sometimes, miracles happen in the most unexpected places.  

The stellar cast of The Green Mile includes Tom Hanks (The Da Vinci Code, Saving Private Ryan, Philadelphia), Michael Clarke Duncan (Sin City, Armageddon) in his Academy Award-nominated role, David Morse (Dreamer, The Negotiator), Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump), Bonnie Hunt (Cheaper By The Dozen 2, Return to Me) and James Cromwell (Six Feet Under, L.A. Confidential).  

Award-winning filmmaker Frank Darabont returned to the director’s chair for the first time in five years to bring The Green Mile, his second King adaptation, to the screen.  His directorial debut, The Shawshank Redemption, was nominated for seven Academy Awards® including Best Picture.  Written by Frank Darabont from the novel by Stephen King, The Green Mile was produced by David Valdes. 

Warner Home Video Blu-ray Discs offer resolution five times higher than standard definition DVDs, as well as extraordinarily vibrant contrast and colour and beautifully crisp sound. The new format also provides a higher level of interactivity, with instant access to extra features via a seamless menu-bar where viewers can enjoy features without leaving or interrupting the film.

Special Features:

• Commentary by Writer/Director Frank Darabont
• Two Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Writer/Director Frank Darabont
  • Tom Hanks Makeup Tests
  • Michael Clarke Duncan Screen Test
  • The Teaser Trailer: A Case Study
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • Commentary by Writer/Director Frank Darabont
  • Walking the Mile: The Making of The Green Mile Documentary
  • Miracles and Mystery: Creating The Green Mile: A 6-Part Documentary Gallery

Rating:

MA15+

Approximate Blu-ray Feature Runtime:

188mins

MELBOURNE – Thursday 29 October 2009 – The Game Developers’ Association of Australia (GDAA) today announced the two forums that will run alongside this year’s Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) conference. The forums, which will concentrate on Education and E-Health will both be held in Sunday 6 December at the Crown Hotel Complex, Melbourne.

The Education forum is designed for educators at all levels, with separate tracks for school and tertiary. Expert presenters will demystify the game industry in a series of combined lectures and hands-on workshop style sessions. 

If you are working at a school or tertiary institution and have an interest in Australia’s world-class game development industry, or if you are already working with students in this field, then this forum is not to be missed.

The E-Health forum is a first for GCAP. Featuring a stellar lineup of local and international presenters, this half-day event will bring together the Australian game development industry with healthcare providers, clinicians and heath technology application developers. 

The E-Health forum is aimed at game developers, health practitioners and academics from both fields. The E-Health sector encompasses a rapidly growing $6.6 billion international market that Australian companies are well placed to access. 

For more details on both GCAP forums, and for information about the conference itself, visit www.gameconnectap.com

To celebrate the launch of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City, including the all-new episode The Ballad of Gay Tony, we are happy to announce a weekend filled with multiplayer mayhem on Xbox LIVE.  From Friday, October 30 through Sunday, November 1 we invite members of the online community to experience multiplayer in Liberty City like never before with special guests from Rockstar North and singer/composer Henry Santos Jeter from the chart-topping megaband, Aventura. The combination of tanks, attack helicopters, parachutes, and the high-powered weapons of The Ballad of Gay Tony create the most unique and thrilling multiplayer experience available anywhere. 

To commemorate the launch and ensure every fan can participate in these exclusive events, Xbox LIVE multiplayer will be FREE ALL WEEKEND for people playing Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost and Damned, and The Ballad of Gay Tony. Check out the weekend’s detailed schedule below, and please feel free to reach out with any questions. 

Friday, October 30:  5 – 10 p.m. ET: Game with Developers session featuring members of the Rockstar North team.

 Saturday, October 31: Xbox LIVE All-nighter – Jump in to Xbox LIVE and play Grand Theft Auto from dusk ‘til dawn with the Xbox LIVE community.

Sunday, November 1:  3 – 5 p.m. ET: Game with Fame session featuring Henry Santos Jeter of Aventura.

Gamertag:

GwFHenryHH 

About Henry Santos Jeter: Henry Santos Jeter, singer and composer for New York-based Aventura, makes his Liberty City DJing debut on the Latin/Reggaeton station Santiago Sounds. Henry got his start with the band Los Teenagers, a small act he joined with his cousin Anthony that eventually became the international sensation known today as Aventura. Henry’s genial personality and strong business and work ethic has led him to undertake a number of successful side projects, including the bachata group, The Hustlehearts.

MELBOURNE, Wednesday, 29th October 2009 – Founder and CEO of Kogan Technologies, Ruslan Kogan, will headline discussions on the future of the digital electronics industry when he speaks at the Digital Lifestyle Show, held at the Royal Exhibition Hall in Melbourne this Friday October 30. 

Kogan, never one to shy away from controversy in his efforts to take on the big brands, will begin his talk at 1:15pm with a discussion around online versus conventional retail sales models and the future of audio visual and digital entertainment technology – specifically, LCD and LED TVs. 

Recently making his first appearance in BRW’s 2009 Fast Starters and Young Rich lists, the 26 year old entrepreneur will provide insights into how Kogan Technologies rose from an eBay store to become a multi-million dollar online company that is now in the process of expanding to overseas markets. A key to the success of Kogan Technologies has been its ability to beat out big brands – a challenge Ruslan personally revels in. 

Kogan Technologies is a sponsor of the Media Lounge at the 2009 Digital Lifestyle Show and will give away one Kogan 42” inch Full HD LCD TV to a general admission visitor. 

Details on how to win a Kogan TV can be found in the Digital Lifestyle Magazine – available at the show. 

Ruslan will stream his presentation live from 1:15pm tomorrow. To view the presentation, keep an eye out for a link on the Kogan Twitter feed, @KoganTech, or contact me for the link. 

About Kogan Technologies 

Kogan is a wholly-owned Australian company established in 2006 by entrepreneur Ruslan Kogan. Seeking a better deal on a big screen LCD television, Mr Kogan sourced units direct from Chinese manufacturers – the same manufacturers for some of biggest names in the consumer electronics industry. In the process, Mr Kogan developed a unique business model that passes the savings of dealing direct with the manufacturers onto Australian consumers. 

Ruslan Kogan regularly travels to China to be involved in the design process of all of his products, and is constantly testing new products to ensure their quality. Kogan’s unique blend of quality technology and value for money offers price-conscious Australian technology consumers a real choice.

AVG 9.0 Business Security Offerings Deliver Industrial-Strength Protection 

Smarter technology, faster scanning and improved ease-of-use mark latest release AVG 9.0 business solutions 

Melbourne, 28 October 2009 – AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd, the Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific distributor of the award-winning AVG Anti-Virus and Internet Security products, today announced the general availability of AVG’s latest small business security products, AVG Internet Security Business Edition 9.0 and AVG Anti-Virus Business Edition 9.0. 

The new offerings leverage the significant enhancements in speed and levels of protection that AVG has delivered in its latest generation of consumer products, making it safer and easier to manage. With this announcement, AVG continues to improve its support for small businesses, many of which have limited or non-existent in-house IT capabilities. 

“The AVG 9.0 small business security solutions provide businesses with more powerful and streamlined protection that deliver improved administration, more robust protection, and faster performance — all without getting in the way of business,” said Lloyd Borrett, Marketing Manager at AVG (AU/NZ). “This generation of products highlights AVG’s core strength of low impact, high performance security. AVG 9.0 SMB products add substantially to the portfolio of measures available to small businesses and their employees in working safe from cyber threats.” 

This release also comes with substantial price reductions. AVG has simplified its business software line-up, plus reduced prices. “The strengthening Australian dollar has also enabled us to reduce local pricing,” said Borrett. “The combination means massive savings for our business customers.”

 Smarter Security That Won’t Slow Your Business Down

To minimise the impact of protection on productivity, AVG’s small business solutions now offer scan times that are up to 50 percent faster than earlier versions, depending on system configuration. The combined anti-virus/anti-spyware scanner employs new intelligent technology which marks files as safe or potentially unsafe during its initial scan, and ignores them in future scans unless the file structure changes. In addition, to counteract the increasing threats in today’s online world, AVG’s small business solutions combine both reactive and proactive technologies to deliver optimised protection in real-time.  Building on a solid foundation of signature-based protection to deal with known threats, AVG 9.0 adds cutting-edge behavioural, in-the-cloud and white listing technologies to manage the threats posed by the tens of thousands of new threats that appear daily.  

Make the Internet Safer for Your Business, Your Staff and Your Customers

Revolutionary in the AVG Internet Security offerings is the integration between the Resident Shield, Firewall, and Data Protection modules. This enables modules to share malware information, increasing AVG’s ability to detect and remove most malicious types of malware, rootkits and other threats for which signatures have not yet been issued.  The redesigned firewall application assists in keeping business information safe from known and unknown threats and is significantly quieter and less intrusive.  The enhanced Firewall’s trusted database of applications and application certificates enables AVG to determine, without user intervention, the relative safety of any active process and block any deemed unsafe. Additionally, because the new firewall cooperates behind the scenes with AVG’s unique behavioural detection technology, it delivers significantly enhanced accuracy of threat detection. 

Takes Care of Security While You Take Care of Business

AVG 9.0 for small business also includes key enhancements to minimise the management resources required. The new offerings incorporate cloning technology into the deployment process, simplifying and shortening installation time, and new system tools to enable administrators to customise the way AVG works to protect the network.

The new Update Manager automatically makes sure the business is always protected against the latest threats and the new Linux-based Rescue CD restores the network in the event an existing infection renders systems unbootable. Finally, AVG has made it significantly easier to detect and remove any third-party security product that could cause conflicts and interfere with the user’s level of protection. 

Keep Uninvited Guests Out of Your Office

Specific to AVG Internet Security Business Edition 9.0 is the addition of data protection functionality gained through AVG’s acquisition of Sana Security earlier this year. The behavioural technology learns the DNA of a business’ network so that it can recognise anomalies and block malicious processes, which dramatically improves protection against keyloggers and other crimeware. The new functionality in IDP will catch malicious software trying to hijack a system before it is able to cause any damage.  To improve ease of use and administrator experience, Identity Protection (IDP) is manageable from the administrator’s console or can be completely silent. 

In addition, the client email scanner in AVG Internet Security Business Edition 9.0 cleans the email system of harmful message attachments and dangerous links. The enhanced client and server based anti-spam filters combine to prevent phishers, scammers and spammers from clogging workstations and email servers. Web shielding technology also minimises the risk of virus and other rogue software infections when downloading and exchanging files.

Availability and Pricing

AVG Internet Security Business Edition 9.0 and AVG Anti-Virus Business Edition 9.0 are available now at www.avg.com.au and through a network of over 2,500 independent software resellers throughout Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Multi-packs are offered in five-seat increments with one and two year licence periods. Pricing for a one-year, five-seat license for AVG Internet Security Business Edition 9.0 starts at A$317.20 and a one-year, five-seat license for AVG Anti-Virus Business Edition 9.0 starts at A$204.99. 

For more information on the complete range of AVG security products for small businesses, including AVG’s File Server and Email Server editions, please visit www.avg.com.au/business-security/. 

AVG’s promise is to keep its customers fully up-to-date with the best protection available. Thus all AVG customers receive protection updates and software upgrades for free during the licence period. This delivers significant cost of ownership savings, especially with a two year licence.