Something a bit fun for a Tuesday afternoon!
A Lego Indiana Jones 2 Facebook ap has just been launched where you can create your own lego avatar.
Check it out at;
http://apps.facebook.com/legoindianajonestwo/
Lego Indiana Jones 2 is due for release November 25 on Wii, NDS, PS3, X360 and PSP.
Start building now!
Rockstar Games is proud to be a major sponsor of Movember, the annual month-long celebration of the moustache, highlighting men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer. Grow a rugged moustache and send us a photo by the end of November for a chance to be immortalized as a character in Rockstar’s next epic – Red Dead Redemption.
Historically men have been very poor at looking after their health, especially when compared with the efforts of women. Men still access health services less frequently and when they do visit the doctor, they typically present late, thereby denying themselves the chance of early detection and treatment of common diseases.
Movember aims to change the face of men’s health and alter this way of thinking by putting a fun twist on the very serious issue of men’s health. For the entire month of November, men are encouraged to dedicate themselves to the lost art of moustache cultivation and elicit support from friends and family in the form of sponsorship and donations. Your transformation shows your support for the cause and gets people talking about the real issue of men’s health.
So this year Rockstar Games is sponsoring Movember with staff from Rockstar offices worldwide taking part. Join us by signing up on www.movember.com.
If you sign up for the Rockstar Games Movember newsletter, you and your moustache will have the opportunity to have a cameo as a character in Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar’s latest open world blockbuster, coming out in 2010. Simply go to www.movember.com/rockstargames and register. At the end of Movember send a photo of your face with your mo to movember.photos@rockstargames.com.
Join Rockstar Games in supporting Movember, and get the opportunity to be in one of the biggest videogames of 2010. Grow some handlebars for charity. Sculpt the full Fu Manchu for prostate cancer. There’s never been a better reason.
Register at www.movember.com & then sign up for the Red Dead Redemption Movember Event at
www.rockstargames.com/movember
WD® UNVEILS WD TV™ LIVE HD MEDIA PLAYER WITH NETWORK CAPABILITY AND ENHANCED USER EXPERIENCE
Consumers Can Stream HD Content from USB Drives, Network Drives and Popular Internet Sites to Their Big Screen TVs
Sydney Australia – Oct. 27, 2009 – WD®, the world’s leader in external storage solutions, today introduced the WD TV Live HD media player featuring network capability and Full-HD 1080p resolution. The new WD TV Live HD media player makes it easy for anyone to play HD (high definition) videos stored on USB and network drives, as well as Internet content from popular Web sites, on the biggest screen in their home — their HD television. Building on the success of the WD TV HD media player, the WD TV Live HD media player offers a new, more responsive interface to help consumers enjoy a world of digital content in their living room, without a computer.
The network capability of the WD TV Live media player enables users to stream or transfer movies from PC or Mac® computers or a network-attached storage device such as WD’s My Book® World Edition™ and WD ShareSpace network drives to their HD TVs. The WD TV Live media player also allows users to stream rich content from YouTube™, Flickr® and Pandora®. The HD onscreen menu brings together all of the users’ available media in an elegant and simple-to-navigate interface.
Consumers are amassing large libraries of digital videos, photos and music on their computers. According to research firm Parks Associates, the average consumer had 123 GB of videos, photos, and music in 2009 which will grow to 1.3 TB by 2013 (Digital Lifestyles: 2009 Outlook). In addition, an increasing number of consumers are looking for seamless access to their personal media, as well as to Internet media. According to Parks Associates, the sales of connected consumer electronics devices, such as connected TVs and digital media adapters, is expected to more than double from 57 million units in 2009 to 115 million units in 2013 (Home Networks for Consumer Electronics 2009).
Consumers are investing millions of dollars in HD TVs, with HD televisions representing more than 50 percent of TVs sold in the U.S., according to Parks Associates (Home Networks for Consumer Electronics 2009). But consumers’ digital content is often relegated to the relatively small screen on their PC or Mac computers. The WD TV Live HD media player is the newest member in the family of WD TV media players by WD, which make moving digital content from a computer to playing it on a big screen TV simply plug-and-play.
Like the popular first-generation WD TV HD media player introduced last fall, the WD TV Live media player connects directly to a users’ HD TV and plays almost any file stored on a connected USB drive such as My Passport™ portable drive. The WD TV Live media player features powerful media processing, which enables playback in Full-HD 1080p resolution. WD TV Live media player also will play movies and photos stored on other popular USB devices such as digital camcorders and digital cameras.
“The media enthusiast community has embraced the first WD TV HD media player and given us tremendous feedback,” said Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD’s branded products group. “With the new WD TV Live media player we’re giving them what they asked for — network connectivity and Internet-content streaming capabilities — and offering them a simple way to enjoy all of their digital media and enjoy it on their HD TVs.”
WD TV Live HD Media Player
Features of the WD TV Live HD Media Player include:
Product and Pricing Summary
Manufacturer: Western Digital
Product Name: WD TV Live HD Media Player
RRP: AU$199, NZ$299
Website: www.westerndigital.com
Australian Distributors: Synnex Australia
New Zealand Distributors: Ingram Micro NZ, Synnex NZ
Availability: Now
Media Kit Download: http://www.gapmarketing.com.au/press_images/WD/WDTV_Live.zip
About WD
WD, one of the storage industry’s pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company produces reliable, high-performance hard drives that keep users’ data accessible and secure from loss. WD applies its storage expertise to consumer products for external, portable and shared storage applications.
WD was founded in 1970. The company’s storage products are marketed to leading systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital® and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company’s Web site (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.
Sydney, Australia – October 27, 2009 – Activision Publishing Inc.’s (NASDAQ: ATVI) Guitar Hero® is the first console videogame franchise to surpass 1 million Facebook fans demonstrating the global appeal and passion for the brand that is quickly becoming the next platform for experiencing music and social interaction.
Guitar Hero is the #1 best-selling third party video game franchise in North America and Europe calendar year to date. Since its release, the franchise has sold more than 38 million units worldwide, including more than 7 million units in calendar 2009 alone, according to The NPD Group, Charttrack and GfK.
Guitar Hero 5® was released on Sept. 1 to critical acclaim for its music variety, innovative gameplay and empowering fans to rock anyway they want with all-new features that make it the most social and interactive Guitar Hero game ever. Official Xbox Magazine said, “This is the Guitar Hero game to own” while AOL GameDaily said, “Guitar Hero 5 feels just fresh as it did when the series debuted on the PlayStation 2.”
Guitar Hero’s Facebook community can come together at the social networking site to get the latest information on Guitar Hero games and the artists in the games, as well as share their favourite artists, songs, and Guitar Hero experiences. Facebook fans also gain access to exclusive information and content on past, current and future games.
Living room legends can now rock any way they want to a variety of iconic rock music in Guitar Hero 5. The entire set list is at players’ fingertips from the start, featuring genre-defining hits from some of the biggest rock artists and bands of all time, including The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Vampire Weekend. Players take complete control as Guitar Hero 5 allows gamers to personalise and customise how they experience music by being able to play with any controller combination — multiple vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers, in any game mode. With the game’s all-new Party Play Mode, getting the band back together has never been easier. Players can now jump in or drop out of gameplay seamlessly, without interrupting their jam session. Elevating the Guitar Hero® series to new heights with unmatched social gameplay, an enhanced style, new in-game artists and more rock legends, Guitar Hero 5 features new surprises and challenges that will fire-up long-time fret board fanatics and create a new generation of addicts.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Russia, Japan, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.activision.com.
BAKUGAN OVERVIEW
A young man named Rikku dreams of joining in the Bakugan Battles despite
not owning a single Bakugan of his own. One day, his dream comes true. Rikku gets his first taste of what a battle is like when his friend Dan lends him Drago, a Bakugan with immense arena experience. Completely swept up in the intensity of the Bakugan Battles after his first taste, it is with a heavy heart that Rikku returns Drago to Dan. However, on his way home after the most exciting day of his life, Rikku comes across a never-before-seen Bakugan named Leonidas. Leonidas confides to Rikku that he has mysteriously found himself in this unfamiliar world, and agrees to stay with Rikku for a while until he can sort things out. Now armed with his own unique Bakugan, Rikku is ready to enter his first tournament and change both Leonidas’ and his own life forever.
GAME OVERVIEW
Bakugan: Battle Brawlers is the first video game based on the smash hit Bakugan toys, card game and anime show. In it, players start off as an untrained Bakugan Brawler and must fight their way to the top of the heap. Combining the drama and story of the cartoon series with the skill and strategy of the card game, players will become completely immersed in this unique title. Throw Bakugan cards onto the battlefield, and then try to carefully shoot your Bakugan balls onto the cards to unleash their monstrous powers. When two Bakugans stand on the same card, they transform into gigantic creatures and fight to the finish!
FEATURES:
Episode 1 of the Assassin’s Creed series of short films is appearing online right now on the homepage of YouTube: www.youtube.com
Developed by Ubisoft’s Hybride Technologies, the visual effects studio behind 300 and Sin City, Assassin’s Creed: Lineage combines live action and computer generated imagery (CGI) to explore the events that happen just before the Assassin’s Creed II game starts. The short films revolve around Ezio’s father, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze, and give insight on the game’s back story and universe.
The short films will whet the appetite of game players and fans of this type of cinematography in advance of the in-store release of the video game on November 19, 2009. Assassin’s Creed: Lineage will also introduce some of the characters that players will meet in the game: both foes and friends of the family, like Lorenzo de Medici, the Italian statesman and de facto ruler of the Florentine Republic during the Italian Renaissance period.
Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh and adult film star Sasha Grey unite in this sexy New York drama. Chelsea is a high-end Manhattan call girl who offers more than just sex to her clients: she’ll dress with the client in mind, go to dinner and a movie, listen attentively and will have conversations about their work, then she will provide sex- the ultimate ‘girlfriend experience’.
Chelsea thinks she has her life totally under control- she runs her own business making $2000 an hour and has a devoted boyfriend who accepts her lifestyle, but when you’re in the business, you never know who you’re going to meet… Set in the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election as the world enters economic crisis, Chelsea will have to make a choice. Should she break her own rule and pursue a client that could end her relationship, career and future?
Available to rent or buy on DVD, January 6, 2010
Cable has come from the future to show superheroes how to lay the proper smackdown. Watch the new trailer featuring Cable here and get ready to experience the Ultimate Alliance like never before.
If you haven’t had a chance to see who else you can unleash into your alliance check out the Carnage video here and Psylocke video here.
For more information please visit http://marvelultimatealliance.marvel.com
ASUS Unveils Motherboards to Feature True USB 3.0
and SATA 6Gb/s Performance
ASUS P7P55D-E / P7P55D Series Delivers Blazing Data Performance with Onboard Expansion Bridge or Expansion Card
Sydney, Australia, 27 October 2009 – ASUS today announced a range of enhanced motherboard solutions that deliver true USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s data throughput performance. The ASUS Xtreme Design P7P55D-E Series motherboard has onboard support while the ASUS Xtreme Design P7P55D Series utilises the ASUS U3S6 PCIe x4 expansion card to deliver the latest USB and SATA data transfer capabilities. Equipped with the Intel® P55 Express chipset, the P7P55D-E / P7P55D Series supports the latest LGA 1156 socket for Intel® Core™ i7/Core™ i5 Processors. Additionally, they also feature exclusive Hybrid Technology—Hybrid Processor, Hybrid Phase, and Hybrid OS—to give users intelligent performance enhancement, active cooling, and rapid online access.
Faster than Ever—True USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s Performance with Bridge Chip
ASUS’s unique expansion bridge* design fully unleashes USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s transfer rates for both the P7P55D-E Series and the U3S6 expansion card. This specially-designed onboard IC doubles the bandwidth of the PCIe interface from Gen 1 to Gen 2, delivering ten times faster USB 3.0 throughput compared to the previous USB 2.0 standard. Additionally, by eliminating transmission bottlenecks, the expansion bridge increases hard disk read and write speeds by up to 50%**. Transferring a 20GB HD movie now takes less than 70 seconds, while a 4MB song requires less than 0.01sec. Similarly, by inserting the ASUS U3S6 PCIe x4 expansion card into P7P55D Series motherboards, users can achieve the same rapid throughput with the latest USB 3.0 devices and SATA hard disks.
Hybrid Features for Optimised Performance, Dynamic Cooling, and Rapid Online Access
The ASUS P7P55D-E/P7P55D Series includes new Xtreme Design innovations—Hybrid Processors, Hybrid Phase Technology and Hybrid OS for optimised performance and enhanced stability. Hybrid Processors enable intuitive, real-time overclocking and automatic performance tuning for users to gain the processing power and speeds associated with a higher-end CPU. For enhanced stability, the P7P55D-E and P7P55D Series include the world’s leading Hybrid Phase power feature, which combines multi-phase power delivery with real-time phase balancing to improve cooling of active components. Users can also rapidly access online applications such as Skype, Instant Messaging and over 1,000 Flash-based games with Express Gate. Additionally, with Windows® 7 drivers included, users can conveniently start using Windows® 7 and experience its benefits.
Specifications
|
ASUS P7P55D-E Premium Motherboard |
|||
| CPU Socket | LGA1156 socket for Intel® Core™ i7/Core™ i5/Core™ i3*** Processors | ||
| Chipset | Intel® P55 Express Chipset | ||
| Memory | DDR3 2200 (O.C.)/1600/1333/1066MHz | ||
| Power Phase | 48 Hybrid Phase**** | ||
| PCIex16 Slots | 2 | ||
| Multi-GPU | CrossFireX/SLI | ||
| Gbit LAN | x 2 | ||
| Audio | 10-ch HD, DTS | ||
| Storage | 6x SATA 3Gb/s | ||
| 1 x eSATA (by bracket) | |||
| 1 x Ultra DMA | |||
| 2 x SATA 6Gb/s | |||
| USB | 10 x USB2.0/1.1
(6 ports at back panel, 4 ports at mid-board) |
||
| 2 x USB 3.0/2.0 (Rear) | |||
| 1394a | 2 ports (one at mid-board, one at back panel) | ||
|
ASUS U3S6 Expansion Card |
|
| Internal Connectors
|
2 x SATA 6Gb/s ports for up to 2 SATA hard disk drives |
| Backward compatible with SATA 3Gb/s and SATA 1.5Gb/s hard disk drives | |
| External Connectors
Interface |
2 x USB 3.0 ports. |
| Backward compatible with USB 2.0/1.1 interface | |
| Interface
Configuration Supported |
PCIe x4 interface |
| Compatible with PCIe x4, x8, and x16 slots | |
| Operating Systems Supported | AHCI Mode |
| Compatibility | Windows® 7/Vista/XP 32/64bit |
| Compatible Models
|
Maximus III Formula |
| P7P55D Deluxe | |
| P7P55D EVO | |
| P7P55D PRO | |
| P7P55D | |
| P7P55D LE | |
| P7P55D LX | |
| Features and
Accessories |
True SATA 6Gb/s and USB 3.0 Throughput: Native support for PCIe Gen2 bandwidth |
| Supports Hot Plug function | |
| Supports Native Command Queuing (NCQ) | |
| Accessories
|
2 x Serial ATA 6Gb/s cables |
| 1 x Support CD | |
| 1 x User manual | |
| Form Factor | 4.8” x 3” (12.2cm x 7.6cm) |
Specifications are subject to change without prior notice. Please visit www.asus.com.au for more details.
* Product specifications and features may vary according to models.
** Performance may vary due to different system configurations.
*** Core™ i3 processors to be launched in Q4, 2009.
**** Hybrid Phase = Xtreme Phase x T.Probe. Hybrid Phase equates power efficiency achieved in other power phase designs.
Independent Testing Confirms Abilities of ProSecure STM Family of Appliances to Stop More Threats than Competing Mid-Market Business Solutions
Sydney, Australia — October 27, 2009 — ProSecureÔ , the specialist network security brand by NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, today announced the superior position of their products in the preliminary findings of an in-depth, independent industry assessment of spam filtering products conducted by Miercom. The ProSecureÔ STM family of Web/Email Threat Management Appliances for medium-sized businesses proved in testing to stop over 50 percent more threats than competitive products tested. Testing focused on the ability of the solution to stop a variety of threats, including spam, email threats, URL filtering, and Miercom’s Offensive Security Testing Suite. Preliminary testing is complete considering products from Cisco, NETGEAR and Barracuda Networks. Complete test findings for all products submitted for testing will publish on the Miercom website, http://www.miercom.com, in November 2009.
“This Spam Filtering Industry Assessment allows each vendor to submit best-of-breed products to compete in this independent test review. The test results provide customers with honest, objective and meaningful data by way of a competitive comparison matrix. We are impressed with the NETGEAR ProSecure product and its ability to thwart over 50 percent more threats than products tested to date. This superior security effectiveness score is a testament to the relative security the appliance provides compared to products from well established security vendors,” said Robert Smithers, CEO of Miercom.
The preliminary findings by Miercom compared the ProSecure STM600 against the Cisco Spam & Virus Blocker, the Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall, and the Barracuda Web Filter, and reveal that:
Detailed results of the Miercom testing are forthcoming in November 2009 and will be published on the Miercom website at http://www.miercom.com.
ProSecure customers fully appreciate the effectiveness with which STM appliances stop threats. “Implementing the ProSecure STM security appliance at the network’s gateway has allowed us to establish a multi-layered IT security model. We found this to be an exceptionally easy security upgrade to implement,” says John Pompay, CFO of Financial Services Volunteer Corps. “Since its deployment, the ProSecure STM Web/Email Threat Management Appliance has significantly reduced the number of malware and spyware infestations in our network. We are no longer spending hours every day troubleshooting malware-related issues on our systems. This has allowed Financial Services Volunteer Corps to focus on doing what it does best: building strong financial systems in emerging market countries, not mitigating IT security threats.”
The STM300 and the STM600 are designed for networks hosting up to 300 and 600 users respectively. The STM appliance family is designed to sit in-line and filter all potential threats via email and the Web, as well as give administrators control over which sites can be visited. In addition to a wide range of security functions — including an enterprise-class anti-malware engine, zero-hour threat protection, the industry-leading anti-spam engine and an enterprise-class URL filter — the STM series now incorporates the following features:
Active Directory Integration – This feature enables network administrators to use active directory groups and users to create levels of URL filtering. In some cases, administrators may wish to deny access to particular websites for some employees, while enabling others to view them for specific purposes.
Email Quarantine – This feature enables administrators to store emails identified by the STM as spam on the appliance. Users may then retrieve these emails from the appliance when it is convenient to do so.
“Mid-sized businesses are an enormous opportunity for our channel partners and the STM solves a pressing need for their customers’ networks,” said Jason Leung, NETGEAR’s senior product line manager for SMB Security. “The test results speak for themselves. ProSecure is serious about security. The fact that we can beat the established players at their own game shows that we bring performance, effectiveness, and value to the medium business space.”
Pricing and Availability
With full 24/7 technical support that connects SMBs directly with experienced security experts, the ProSecure STM Series of Security Appliances are changing the face of business security. The STM300 and STM600 are available now through authorised resellers with street values starting from AUD$3,359 and NZD$5,079. More information on the STM product line, including product photos, can be found at http://www.netgear.com.au/au/Product/ProSecure-Brand/STM-Series (Australia) or http://www.netgear.co.nz/nz/Product/ProSecure-Brand/STM-Series (New Zealand).
About NETGEAR, Inc.
NETGEAR (NASDAQGM: NTGR) designs innovative, branded technology solutions that address the specific networking, storage, and security needs of Small- to Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs) and home users. The company offers an end-to-end networking product portfolio to enable users to share Internet access, peripherals, files, multimedia content, and applications among multiple computers and other Internet-enabled devices. Products are built on a variety of proven technologies such as wireless, Ethernet and powerline, with a focus on reliability and ease-of-use. NETGEAR products are sold in over 29,000 retail locations around the globe, and via more than 41,000 value-added resellers. The company’s headquarters are in San Jose, Calif., with additional offices in 25 countries. NETGEAR is an ENERGY STAR® partner. More information is available at http://www.netgear.com.au or by calling +61 2 8117 6800. Follow NETGEAR at http://twitter.com/NETGEAR and http://www.facebook.com/netgear.