Sydney, Australia: September 14, 2011 – WD®, the world’s leader in external storage solutions, today introduced the WD Nomad™ rugged case (photos), a durable case designed to protect My Passport® portable hard drives from drops as high as seven feet, moisture and spills and other mishaps associated with active, on-the-go lifestyles, such as those of outdoor photographers, adventurers and other road warriors.

The WD Nomad rugged case features a polycarbonate exterior and shock-absorbing elastomer cushion inside. It conforms to strict military standards (MIL-STD-810G) for ruggedness. The heavy-duty latch and silicon liner seal out dirt, dust, and moisture.

The WD Nomad rugged case is ideal for hikers, business travelers, outdoor and travel photographers, and others who professionally or personally bring their digital equipment and assets with them. The uniquely functional design includes an opening for the drive’s USB connector, so the user can access the drive while it remains in the case. In addition, a molded exterior ring allows users to attach a carabiner, cable, or nylon strap for more convenient accessibility.

“Consumers and professionals are more mobile than ever before and portable hard drives allow them to take their videos, photos and other files everywhere they go,” said Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD’s branded products group. “As the worldwide leader in external storage, WD understands how to protect data on hard drives, and we have put the same commitment to quality into the design of this rugged case. With the My Passport drive and WD Nomad rugged case, owners can rest assured they are doing everything they can to protect their digital lives whether they’re traveling for fun or doing their daily commute.”

“My work as an adventure photographer/filmmaker takes me to remote locations all over the planet. I have always depended upon the ultra-reliable My Passport portable hard drives to back-up my images and video, but Mother Nature has often made this task a bit of a challenge,” said Bruce Dorn of the Directors Guild of America and WD Creative Master. “I am often in the wettest, nastiest, grimiest, and most remote locations, so I am thrilled by the new WD Nomad rugged case. Tough as a vault, these handsome new cases are now a permanent part of my kit.”

The new WD Nomad rugged case is compatible with My Passport drives including My Passport Essential™, My Passport Essential SE, My Passport Elite™, My Passport for Mac®, and My Passport SE for Mac.

Pricing and Availability
Manufacturer: Western Digital
Product Name: WD Nomad
RRP: AU $34.95 /  NZ $59.99
Online Store Australia: http://store.westerndigital.com/store/wdau/en_AU/home
Australia Distributors: Synnex Australia, Simms International
New Zealand Distributors: Synnex NZ, Ingram Micro NZ
Website:  www.westerndigital.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wdaust

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 designs and produces reliable, high-performance hard drives and solid state drives that keep users’ data accessible and secure from loss. Its advanced technologies are configured into applications for client and enterprise computing, embedded systems and consumer electronics, as well as its own consumer storage and home entertainment products.

WD was founded in 1970. The company’s storage products are marketed to leading OEMs, systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital® and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company’s website (www.westerndigital.com) to access a variety of financial and investor information.

Intel CEO Outlines Company’s Plans to Lead Future of Computing 

Announces Joint Effort with Google* and Details Low Power Ultrabook Innovation

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, San Francisco, Sept. 13, 2011 – Intel Corporation today announced a new effort with Google* that aims to accelerate Intel’s business in smartphones.
      The company also revealed that Intel’s engineers are working on a new class of platform power management for Ultrabooks™ that will aid in the delivery of always-on-always-connected computing.
      Intel’s President and CEO, Paul Otellini, made the announcements during the opening keynote of the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.
      “Computing is in a constant state of evolution,” said Otellini, describing the opportunities and challenges facing Intel and the industry. “The unprecedented demand for computing from the client devices to the cloud is creating significant opportunity for the industry. Intel is innovating and working with our partners to deliver computing experiences that are more mobile, secure and seamless. I’m excited about the new experiences that will be created across a range of devices, and we’re just getting started. ”

Please see the full release here: http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2011/09/13/intel-ceo-outlines-companys-plans-to-lead-future-of-computing

Intel and Google to Optimize Android Platform for Intel® Architecture

Santa Clara and Mountain View, Calif., Sept. 13, 2011 – Intel Corporation and Google Inc. today announced that they will work to enable and optimize future versions of Android™ for Intel’s family of low power Atom™ processors. This means that future versions of the Android platform will support Intel technology in addition to other architectures.

Please see the full release here: http://newsroom.intel.com/community/intel_newsroom/blog/2011/09/13/intel-and-google-to-optimize-android-platform-for-intel-architecture

Intel Developer Forum Day 1 Keynote Demonstrations

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, San Francisco, Sept. 13, 2011 — In a tone-setting speech to open the Intel Developer Forum, Paul Otellini, Intel’s president and CEO, described how pervasive computing has become in people’s lives.

Below are summaries of the demonstrations and concepts from the speech.

McAfee introduces new DeepSAFE technology security platform using Intel technology : Candace Worley, senior vice president and general manager, Endpoint Security at McAfee, joined Otellini on stage to introduce the DeepSAFE technology platform.

Powering a computer off a solar cell the size of a postage stamp :  Looking further into the future, Otellini predicted that platform power innovation will reach levels that are difficult to imagine today.

Seamless, consistent, interoperable experience demonstration : Intel’s vision is to create a continuum of personal computing experiences that provides consistency and interoperability across every relevant aspect of people’s lives.

Please see the full fact sheet here: http://download.intel.com/newsroom/kits/idf/2011_fall/pdfs/IDF_Day_1_factsheet.pdf

On September 14th, starting at 7:00 P.M., Meltdown Comics will present an autograph signing with Daniel Corey(PROPHET) and Anthony Diecidue (Stan Lee’s TIME JUMPER), for the release of MORIARTY VOL1 TP from Image Comics.

MORIARTY VOL1 TP, which collects issues #1-4 of the ongoing series, takes place 20 years after the death of Sherlock Holmes, and Professor James Moriarty is a lost man. MI5 blackmails Moriarty into finding Holmes’ long-lost brother, Mycroft, but what at first appears to be a routine case leads to a web of intrigue that involves a psychic box and its creator, a woman from Moriarty’s past, as well as a new villain that threatens to be greater than Moriarty ever was! See how Moriarty deals with love, loss, war and death rays in the critically acclaimed Image Comics series MORIARTY.

The MORIARTY autograph event will take place in Los Angeles at Meltdown Comics on September 14th, 2011 from 7:00 to 9:30 P.M. at 7522 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90046. For more information, please call
(323) 851-7223

Genre-defying action epic available for Xbox™360 and PlayStation™3

SYDNEY, 13 September, 2011: – El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, UTVIgnition Japan’s awe-inspiring adaptation of an ancient Dead Sea Scroll text has long since been capturing the hearts and minds of the Japanese and US public. Now UTVIgnition, in conjunction with Konami and Mindscape are proud to announce that the game is finally available in Australia for Xbox™360 and PlayStation™3 from today.

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is a breath-taking combat title. It tells the story of a lone warrior tasked with saving the human race. The game is set in a world of chaos, overseen by a number of angels named the Grigori. Originally the servants of God, these celestial beings once watched over mankind, but soon succumbed to temptation and abandoned Heaven to live amongst the people of earth. After witnessing the Grigori’s negative influence on humanity and the construction of a blasphemous monument to their success, the Tower of Babel, the Heavenly Council pledged to cleanse the Earth with a great flood, thus eradicating both man and the errant angels.

One voice stood up to these omnipotent beings: a human called Enoch, who was a lowly scribe in Heaven. Thus, a deal was struck wherein if Enoch could capture the renegade angels, Earth would not suffer – and El Shaddai’s stunning 12-stage mission unfolds.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron has received great feedback internationally and Mindscape is pleased to bring the title to Australian retail.

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is now available for Xbox™360 and PlayStation™3 from all JB Hi-Fi stores. For more information, please contact Guy Maxwell at Mindscape Asia Pacific:

Release Date Confirmed, Exclusive Blog Launched and Demo Announced

Tuesday 13^th September 2011 – Sports Interactive and SEGA Europe Ltd. are today excited to announce that Football Manager™2012 for PC and Mac, will be available on October 21^st 2011.

The release date has been confirmed in the first in a series of blogs run in collaboration with au.fourfourtwo.com, talking about the new features and improvements for Football Manager 2012. Studio Director at Sports Interactive Miles Jacobson’s blog, which features exclusive content, screens and videos, will deliver all the information you need for the new Football Manager™ season. In addition to this, a demo of the game will also be made available closer to launch to whet every FM fans appetite, with the option to continue their saved game when they buy the full version of Football Manager 2012.

Football Manager 2012 is developed by the London based award winning developer Sports Interactive for PC and Mac.

For more information about the game, please visit www.footballmanager.com

Media Release: ViewSonic unveils 48 Series LED monitors to complement 53 Series

New-generation, ecological and economical displays

Sydney, Australia, September 13, 2011 – ViewSonic, global technology provider and renowned worldwide leader of visual display products, today announced its 48 Series LED monitor range – the new standard for budget, multi-function displays. Available in 24, 22 and 19-inch varieties, the ViewSonic 48 Series LED monitors use the same ‘green’ technology as the recently released ViewSonic 53 Series LED monitors which are mercury-free, environmentally friendly and save up to 50% power consumption.

Presenting a 24-inch LED backlit screen, the VA2448m-LED is a thin bezel widescreen monitor with integrated speakers and is the leading display in the latest ViewSonic value series. From development to the desk, the VA2448m-LED is environmentally friendly – not a single nasty substance is left on any part of the product throughout the entire manufacturing process and the mercury-free backlight utilises energy economically. The VA2448m-LED is a true power saving display, in addition through the unique ECO Mode, users can benefit from reduction in power consumption by up to 50%.

Combined with 16:9 ratio and standard Full HD, the VA2448m-LED allows for a wider range of tasks revealing every detail and special effect. New-generation DCR technology provides 10,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and 300nit luminance, plus a selection of high-definition input signals displays the most detailed and realistic images. OptiSync technology of digital/analog signal input and a double interface of VGA and DVI-D allows multiple connectivity for a range of entertainment devices. Automatic adjustment function of 4:3/16:9 display ratio makes it easy to restore correct proportions to images in movies, games and websites, therefore users view natural images without distortion.

The ViewSonic 48 Series also includes the 22-inch VA2248m-LED and 19-inch VA1948m-LED monitors. Representing great value, the ViewSonic 48 Series is an excellent low-cost solution for small office / home office (SOHO) applications, enterprise, government and education. In particular, the ViewSonic 48 Series suits students and parents of young learners who are budget-conscious.

For a more high-end, environmentally friendly LED display solution, the ViewSonic 53 Series also incorporates mercury-free LED backlighting, plus super short 1ms response times (VX2753mh-LED), Full HD 1080p with 1920×1080 resolution and an incredible 30,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. Available in 27, 24 and 22-inch, the ViewSonic 53 Series LED monitor range displays every scene at work and outlook in life in the proportion that most resembles the real size – truly a partner and a player in one.

The ViewSonic 48 Series and 53 Series LED monitor ranges cater to an extensive market with a monitor suitable for everyone’s needs that are also ergonomic in design. Furthermore, the new-generation ecological displays are zero pollutant, low power consuming, and do not give off electromagnetic radiation, embracing the environment.

Available now in Australia, RRPs below:

About ViewSonic

ViewSonic® Corporation is a leading global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions. ViewSonic develops, markets and supports a broad range of innovative products, including media and PC tablets, LCD monitors, PCs, projectors, digital signage displays, digital photo frames and other technology solutions. For more information, visit www.viewsonic.com.au.

Ai-Ai AND FRIENDS ARE LIVING LA VITA LOCA

Tuesday 13^th September 2011 – SEGA^® Europe Ltd. and SEGA^® of America, Inc. today announced that the latest title in the popular Super Monkey Ball™ series is coming exclusively to the PlayStation^®Vita early in 2012.  Everybody’s favourite monkeys AiAi, MeeMee, Baby and GonGon are back for more banana collecting fun in Super Monkey Ball* for PlayStation^®Vita. Exclusively designed for the PlayStation Vita’s unique functions, the game continues the motion-based experience of the previous adventure whilst making full use of the dual analog sticks and front/back-touch controls.

The puzzling primates return with all-new worlds, original mini-games and updated graphics, adding a fresh new vibrancy to Super Monkey Ball on PlayStation Vita. Players can manage each monkey’s momentum to navigate narrow ledges, moving platforms and loads of challenging obstacles. Roll your chosen ape to the goal by taking full advantage of the capabilities offered by the innovative new Vita handheld console, and challenge up to four friends in Wi-Fi enabled multiplayer modes. Fans can also enjoy revamped classic games such as the much-loved Monkey Target, along with other exciting brand new additions.

“Since evolving onto the current generation of consoles, the Super Monkey Ball franchise has always offered innovative game design, challenging the hardware capabilities for all the consoles it has released on” said Gary Knight, Senior Vice President of Marketing at SEGA Europe and SEGA of America. “Super Monkey Ball on PlayStation Vita is a great opportunity to experience the exciting features that the PlayStation Vita offers, and the SEGA development team are bringing a exciting new experience whilst staying true to the franchise”.  

Super Monkey Ball on PlayStation Vita is set to release in 2012. For more information please visit www.sega.com/supermonkeyball

AVG (AU/NZ) helps you recognise the trouble signs and avoid online fraud.  

Melbourne, 13 September 2011 — In the digital world it is becoming much more difficult to know who to trust with access to the valuable information you store in digital form. Things are not always what they seem, and criminals from around the world are creating new and inventive ways to steal data from unsuspecting users. AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd, the distributor of the award-winning AVG Internet and mobile security software in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, provides a guide about what information you share and with whom you share it.

Lloyd Borrett, Security Evangelist at AVG (AU/NZ), says: “In the real world, we have a lifetime of experience to help us distinguish between who is trustworthy and who is not. This informed awareness is not yet at the forefront of our activities in the digital world. And it is leaving the door wide open for cyber criminals.”

Online forms: deciding who to trust 

AVG (AU/NZ) advises you to check the following before you hit the Submit button for an online form containing your personal information:

• Make sure you know what company is operating the web site and whether it is legitimate.

• Look for signs that indicate the site has been reviewed by independent site verification organisations, such as VeriSign.

• Ensure the padlock symbol is visible in your browser status bar — this means the site is secure and using encrypted (https) communication so nobody can intercept and misuse your data.

Recognising the trouble signs 

AVG (AU/NZ) also highlights the following indicators of trouble and warns you should be very careful about providing any information to a site where:

• Your security software or web browser shows the page is dangerous.

• You accessed the web page through a link in an e-mail message from someone or some company you don’t know — this is spam and you should never be tempted to click through.

• You accessed the web page through a link from a company you know but which contains text that tries to scare you into providing important private information such as passwords – this is known as phishing; never give away passwords or other sensitive information.

• Your web browser warns you about certificate issues (e.g. not signed by a valid authority, a certificate meant for other URL address or expired). You should also always check that the URL in your browser status bar is correct for the company you believe you are visiting on the web. In particular, look out for these warning signs:

• The domain name is totally different from the company name or its area of activities.

• The domain name contains characters that can be easily mistaken for other characters (e.g. using a capital ‘i’ in place of a small ‘L’).

• The top-level domain name contains an unexpected country code — for example, you believe you are visiting a site in Australia, but the domain is cn (China) instead of au for Australia.

Deciding what kind of information is safe to provide 

Borrett says: “By dividing your personal information into three levels of importance or privacy, it will be significantly easier for you to consider how to respond to requests for your details. Careful consideration will then become automatic: do you really want to give your data to this particular web site; and do they really need this kind of information?”

1. Top Secret 

The Top Secret category covers all sensitive personal information that can easily be misused by a data snatcher or cyber criminal. If you provide this data, you must be completely sure that the web site is both secure and authorised.

Examples include: login names and passwords; credit/debit card numbers, expiration and 3-4 digit card verification codes; bank account numbers; passport number or other government identity information such as Medicare number or Centrelink details.

2. Risky 

Information in this section is not as sensitive as the Top Secret data, and may already be in the public domain, but you should still be careful to whom you provide it, as it could readily be misused.

Examples include: e-mail and postal addresses; phone and fax numbers; personal photos; employer information; income and asset values; car licence plate/registration.

3. Safe 

This category contains all information not attached to your name, so it can’t be used to track you as an identifiable individual over the Internet.

Examples include: votes in Internet polls; opinions and blog comments; citizenship or nationality information; age, gender, job description.

Borrett concludes, “It’s far better to err on the side of caution and spend an extra minute or so considering the safety aspects of the web site than to just blindly trusting your personal information to what could be a criminal web site.”

Keep in touch with AVG (AU/NZ)

• For breaking news, follow AVG (AU/NZ) on Twitter at twitter.com/avgaunz
• Join our Facebook community at www.facebook.com/avgaunz
• For security trends, analysis, follow the AVG (AU/NZ) blog at resources.avg.com.au

Acronis provides backup tips for small businesses  

Sydney, 13 September 2011. Some things are meant to go together. Coffee and laptops isn’t one of them. Spilling a drink on a keyboard is just one of many ways small business owners lose vital business data. Other hazards include hardware and software failure, viruses, accidentally deleting a file, fire and theft. Yet more than one in three local businesses (36%) do not have an offsite backup strategy to protect their data, according to a survey* by backup specialist Acronis.

“Lost data doesn’t just mean lost opportunities, productivity and revenue – in some cases it is the death knell for the entire business,” Karl Sice, General Manager, Pacific, Acronis said.

“A simple mistake, like accidentally deleting a file or knocking over a drink on a laptop, can ruin a business. Protecting your data is the key, and comprehensive local and online backup protection is no longer only the domain of big enterprise. There are affordable, effective backup solutions that can help small to medium businesses minimise the impact of data loss, whether working from home or in the office. The most important thing is to take action.”

Acronis backup tips to keep your business data safe: 

• Cover all your bases. Make sure your backup will protect all your important data – not just your business documents and files, but critical applications and your email too. Look for a solution that backs up the complete machine along with files and folders.

• Don’t rely on people power – when you’re busy it’s easy to overlook, forget or put off backups until ‘tomorrow’ – of course, tomorrow never comes! Look for a ‘set and forget’ backup solution that will automatically do a lot of the work for you.

• Don’t assume, check. Don’t assume your backups are working properly.
  • Recovery test: Try testing your backup. There’s nothing worse than discovering your backup hasn’t worked!

• Check backups automatically: Your software should automatically validate your backed up data.

• Keep it current – backup regularly. Make sure you keep offsite copies up-to-date. The longer you leave backups, more data you risk losing. After an initial full backup of the entire system, make sure you set up automatic incremental backups.

• Save only what’s changed. Incremental backups save disk space by only storing what has been changed or added since your previous backup.

• Speed it up – A full backup is much faster if you delete unnecessary information first – empty the Recycle Bin and delete temporary files if you don’t want them any more. There’s no point slowing things down by backing up things you don’t need or want.

• Store physical backups carefully – make sure your physical backups, such as external hard drives, USBs and DVDs, are stored properly away from heat, sun, moisture and electro-magnetic fields that can damage them. Don’t store them with your laptop – if it is stolen, the thief might take your backups too.

• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – use a mix of local and online solutions.
  • Invest in a good external hard disk – The backups should be stored on removable media or removable drives and stored separately. That way, your backup is safe even if your laptop is lost or stolen. Local backups are great for day-to-day recovery.

• Put your data in the cloud – double security for your business data by backing it up to the cloud so it can be recovered back to any location when needed. And because it’s stored online, it’s protected from physical threats, such as fire or theft.

• Keep your options open – recover to different hardware. It’s important to have tools that can recover your backup images to dissimilar hardware. That way, if your laptop is lost or stolen and you can’t find or don’t want an identical replacement, you can recover backup data easily on any new device.

• Backup before you install – Before you install new programs, updates or drivers, taking a full backup of the system makes sense. If anything goes wrong, you can overcome any problems by rolling back to the full backup.
• Don’t cry over spilt milk – Watch where you put your coffee!

^* Acronis Global Disaster Recovery Index 2011.

ENDS

About Acronis

Acronis is a leading provider of easy-to-use disaster recovery and data protection solutions for physical, virtual and cloud environments. Its patented disk imaging technology enables corporations, SMBs and consumers to protect their digital assets. With Acronis’ disaster recovery, deployment and migration software, users protect their digital information, maintain business continuity and reduce downtime. Acronis software is sold in more than 90 countries and available in up to 14 languages. For additional information, please visit www.acronis.com.au. Follow Acronis on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acronis.