7.3 million active players tally over 62 million invasions in the name of more… braaains

San Mateo, CA — December 17, 2010 — Independent games developer, The Playforge, unveils a new Christmas update in celebration of this joyous season and Zombie Farm’s monumental success. This week, Apple announced Zombie Farm as the only freemium game in their 2010 Rewind: Top 10 Grossing Apps list. The Playforge is wrapping up an incredible year with a sleigh-full of limited edition holiday-inspired crops and decorative items, as well as a powerful new boss for its zombie-harvesting fans to discover.

Zombie Farm offers unique gameplay that blends elements from the traditional farming genre, with graveloads of playful zombie battles to create a product that continues to yield skyrocketing growth. Since its initial launch earlier this year, the game has now been downloaded more than 7.3 million times and the player base has expanded to over two million monthly active users. In addition, The Playforge reveals that Zombie Farm fans have clocked in more than 46 million hours of gameplay with a completed a total of 62 million brain-raiding invasions! To celebrate, The Playforge has released an all-new adversary for players to pit their horde of lovable living dead against.

In this exciting new Christmas update, Zombie Farmers can garnish their freshly snow-covered farms with festive new ornaments that include Santa’s magical sleigh, Christmas trees, candles, light-adorned fences, and even giant-sized candy canes. Zombie Farmers can create their own winter-wonderland and harvest a garden of beautiful holly berries to make their farms glisten with Christmas merriment! In addition to the new decor items, The Playforge has even got Ol’ McDonnell donning the Santa outfit with a treasure chest full of special loot!

“Making it into Apple’s Top 10 Grossing list this year is a colossal milestone for us. It’s inspiring, as we continue our commitment to constantly innovating with fun, highly functional and sometimes pretty ridiculous content for our players,” says Vince McDonnell, creator of Zombie Farm. “Where else can you harvest a friendly zombie, cultivate quirky vegetable mutations, then square off against pirates, lawyers, and now, even aliens?”

Zombie Farm is available for free on the iTunes App Store for iPhone and iPod touch at:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zombie-farm/id339933022?mt=8

For more information please visit: http://www.zombiefarmgame.com

Screenshots:

About The Playforge:
Founded in 2009, The Playforge is an industry-leading mobile games development house specializing in fun-filled, original applications for kids ages 5 to 100. Its hit title, Zombie Farm, has garnered over 7.3 million downloads and averages 2 million active users per month. The app has held its position in the top free as well as top-grossing apps on the iTunes App Store since its launch in February 2010. While exuding a playful sense of humor, The Playforge specializes in creating highly engaging titles with fun and innovative social emphases. For more information about The Playforge, please visit www.theplayforge.com or friend and follow them on Facebook and Twitter: @theplayforge, bit.ly/ZombieFarmFacebook

From legendary Martial Art director Daniel Lee (Three Kingdoms) comes 14 BLADES, with a star studded cast including Donnie Yen (An Empress and The Warriors) and Wei Zhao (Red Cliff: Parts 1 & 2).

Trained in clandestine combat from childhood, the Jinyiwei are masters of the 14 Blades. Above the law, they devote their lives and lethal prowess to the service of the Emperor alone. When the Imperial Court is taken over by evil Jia (Kar Ying-Law), Qinqlong (Donnie Yen) is assigned to steal a list identifying those still loyal to the Emperor. Unbeknownst to Qinglong, the Jinyiwei have fallen under the control of Jia, and during the mission he’s betrayed and barely escapes with his life. Now as the most wanted man in the land, Qinglong must seek out and rally the loyalists to restore the Emperor to power.

14 BLADES is part of Icon’s Wu Xing Collection, which is being launched in February. The collection is marked by electrifying films with an eastern flavour and also features EMPRESS AND THE WARRIORS, THREE KINGDOMS, RED CLIFF and THE BATTLE OF RED CLIFF.

Survey reveals that SMBs are leaving themselves open to cyber attack.

Melbourne, 16 December 2010 – Research commissioned by anti-virus and Internet security vendor, AVG Technologies, shows that while most small business owners understand the need to protect their IT systems, too few are putting procedures into practice to secure their highly valuable assets from cyber crime.

As a result of the survey, AVG (AU/NZ) has released the AVG Small Business Security Guide to help shield SMBs. Now freely available from the online AVG Business Resource Centre, the Guide is an 11-page action template covering the establishment of policies and processes to secure workplace practices and deliver governance over technology use.

From the 2,000 SMBs surveyed in the US and UK for the recent “AVG SMB Market Landscape Report 2010”, more than half (52 percent) have no IT security guidelines for their staff, while one in seven has no Internet security software or solutions in place at all. Often because they have no dedicated IT staff, small business owners aren’t educated as to the latest dangers, or assume they are too small to attract the attention of cyber criminals. However, SMBs are prime targets, with the survey revealing at least one in four has already experienced a security breach.

Lloyd Borrett, Security Evangelist at AVG (AU/NZ), said: “From the research we know that SMBs have a fundamental understanding that Internet security threats are a very real hazard to their businesses. Despite this, too few feel able to make the time or allocate the manpower to do anything about it. This Guide is essential, easy reading for time-poor owners of small businesses to help them work through the action check list.”

In a separate informal survey conducted by AVG (AU/NZ), it was revealed that a business has not only financial but high personal value to their owners. Borrett posed the hard question and next-step answer: “How much would it cost in both money and reputation if your computers were hacked and information and customer data was compromised or stolen? The cost of implementing and keeping security software current is a drop in the ocean compared to the risks. The next question is, do you want to take the gamble?”

Free access to AVG’s SMB Business Resource Centre

With its detailed knowledge of SMBs and their business security information needs, AVG (AU/NZ) has created a Business Resource Centre (AU: www.avgatwork.com.au and NZ: www.avgatwork.co.nz).

It provides the owners and IT managers of small and medium sized businesses with informative guides, blog posts, videos, demos and tools to help them protect their businesses from Internet and network security threats.

AVG SMB Market Landscape Report 2010

The research for the AVG SMB Market Landscape Report 2011 was undertaken by GFK NOP, which polled owners of American and UK small business with less than 100 employees. It showed that:

83% of small businesses agree that having the right level of IT security protection is critical to their business.

77% said that a security threat could have a significant negative impact on their business.

55% felt they can make IT security decisions without third party influence.

Only 48% have a clear IT security policy in place for their staff, leaving them at the mercy of what employees decide to download or access online.

As a result, 1 in 4 have experienced a security breach.

1 in 7 have no security software or systems in place at all.

The survey also revealed that the majority of small businesses expected to see growth in the next five years. But that growth could be jeopardised unless the right security measures are in place: SMBs must reduce the risk of interruptions to business critical IT systems and the potential loss of customers to competitors.

BL2400PT (corporate) / EW2420 (multimedia) / VW2420 (slimline)

Australia, December 2010: A global leader in LED monitor visual display, BenQ were the first to market globally with VA or Vertically Aligned panels and can now boast an unrivalled range of premium VA-LED monitors appealing to corporate, multimedia and home use.

Designed for corporate use, the BL2400PT incorporates ergonomics and ecological benefits, as well as providing a cost effective solution for business.  BL2400PT features a 24” premium VA panel providing a 178°/178° ultra-wide viewing angle and anti-glare screen offering truly authentic colour – deeper blacks and extreme contrast and clarity – with the convenience of an ultra-flexible Height Adjustment Stand (HAS) to tailor height, tilt, pivot, stroke and swivel to perfectly suit the user. 

BL2400PT is part of a series of new monitors but it – the 24”is the only one to feature the VA panel.  Other monitors in the series include the 19” BL902TM and the 22” BL2201PT, all boasting Full HD 1080p resolution in 16:9 format with the ingenious inclusion of the BenQ ‘Automatic Eye-Protect Sensor’ which continuously measures and adjusts brightness for maximum eye comfort.  Ergonomically speaking, this equates to prolonged viewing periods and reduced eye strain / fatigue for greater productivity in the office.

“Improving worker satisfaction and performance improves the corporate bottom line,” said General Manager for BenQ Australia, Chee F. Chung.  “Business stands to profit from BenQ’s ‘4E’ principle – the BL series promoting Ergomonics and Eco-friendliness, while being Ecomonically viable and Enjoyable to use,” she said.

Being LED backlit, the BL monitors utilise up to 33% less energy when compared to traditional LCD displays (even more if used in BenQ’s Eco-mode) representing significant energy savings.  Second to this, LED panel manufacture is mercury-free, lowering CO2 emissions and following responsible e-waste guidelines.

Business and the planet also stand to benefit from the BL Series smart ‘eco sensor’.  Employees are estimated to spend approximately 20% of their working day away from their computers.  BenQ’s ‘eco-sensor’ switches the display to eco-mode automatically, then instantly switches back to normal mode once the user returns to their desk.

The BenQ EW / VW VA LED Monitors:

The BenQ EW2420 and VW2420 are both 24” 16:9 Full HD VA Panel LED monitors.  Not to be outdone by the BL Series, the EW and VW monitors also please a crowd with a 178°/178° wider viewing angle, True 3,000:1 Native Contrast Ratio and BenQ’s proprietary Senseye® Human Vision Technology all on a true 8-bit panel.

Said Chung, “The EW2420 is the ideal choice for graphic designers, professional users and video enthusiast offering a wide range of ports, enhancing the enjoyment of video viewing without interruption.  A plethora of digital devices can remain plugged in simultaneously and the user may switch between gaming console, DVD player, webcam, PC, iPod without plugging, unplugging and switching cables,” she said.

Completing the lineup, the VW2420 monitor is slim and sophisticated offering superior picture quality along with aesthetic style.  Smooth contours and clean lines make this monitor the ideal choice for the consumer wanting to ensure their contemporary home décor is not compromised by their technology choices.

The VW2420 is DVI and D-Sub equipped while the EW2420 comes with DVI-D; HDMI X 2; D-Sub; USB X 4; Line-in; headphone jack and 1.5W X 2 audio speakers offering diverse connectivity options to suit consumer applications.

Continues Chung, “The EW2420 and VW2420 are further enhanced by BenQ’s proprietary Senseye® Human Vision Technology, producing richer, fuller, clearer and more detailed images, even for the darkest scenes.  Senseye 3’s six preset modes give users the luxury of one-touch optimisation for the most popular applications: Game, Movie, sRGB, Standard, Photo and Eco modes.”

Concludes Chung, “The release of the BL, EW and VW VA-LED monitors over the next few months will further position BenQ as the undisputed leader in panel technology innovation.”

RRP information:

BL902TM – $289.00

BL2201PT – $389.00

BL2400PT – $489.00

EW2420  – $399.00

VW2420  – TBC (this model not currently available in Australia)

What is VA-LED?

VA-LED-based panels present superior colour reproduction, an ultra high contrast ratio displaying blacks more accurately because of its capability to produce true black with zero bright dot (ZBD) minimising light leakage.  Essentially – this means better contrast and detail in dark scenes.  Also, the monitor can be shared with more people due to VA panels having a wider viewing angle.

For further information visit www.BenQ.com.au or call (02) 8988 6500.

On Tuesday, 21 December 2010, blue Santas will descend upon the streets of Melbourne. Appearing on trams, buses, and roaming through the CBD, the Lenovo and Intel Santas will be asking the all-important question:

“Who has been naughty, and who has been nice?”

The Santas will be typing their naughty and nice lists on Lenovo IdeaPad laptops, powered by Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors. Melbournites will have the chance to plead their case by asking a blue Santa for competition details, and joining us online to confess whether they have been naughty or nice.

Giveaway details will be handed out by Santas on the day, and Lenovo laptops will be awarded to the naughtiest and the nicest entrants.

Below is a schedule of approximately where the blue Santas can be found in Melbourne on Tuesday, 21st December.

For more accurate location updates, follow @lenovosantas on Twitter.

Let us know if you would like to attend the photo call at Flinders Street station.

Don’t forget to visit www.lenovosanta.com.au next week to enter the online competition for your chance to win a Lenovo powered laptop powered by Intel.

Tuesday, 21st December

1:00pm: Federation Square

1:30pm: Swanston Street

2:00pm: Tram 35 heading clockwise towards Docklands

2:45-3pm: Docklands

3:30pm: Photo call at Flinders Street station

3:45-4pm: South Bank

4-5pm: Throughout CBD streets; Bourke Street, Collins Street, Flinders Street William Street and Bourke Street Mall

Apple’s Mac App Store to Open on 7 January SYDNEY, Australia – 17 December 2010 – Apple® today announced that the Mac® App Store? will open for business on Friday, 7 January. By bringing the revolutionary App Store experience to Mac OS® X, the Mac App Store makes discovering, installing and updating Mac apps easier than ever. The Mac App Store will be available in 90 countries at launch and will feature paid and free apps in categories like Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity and Utilities. “The App Store revolutionised mobile apps,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We hope to do the same for PC apps with the Mac App Store by making finding and buying PC apps easy and fun. We can’t wait to get started on 7 January.” The Mac App Store lets you browse new and noteworthy apps, find out what’s hot, view staff favourites, search categories and read customer ratings and reviews. Like on iPhone®, iPod touch® and iPad™, you can purchase, download and install apps in just one click and start using them immediately. Purchased apps can run on all of your personal Macs and updates are delivered directly through the Mac App Store so it’s easy to keep all of your apps up to date. The Mac App Store is available to Mac OS X Snow Leopard® users as a free download through Software Update. Mac developers set the price for their apps, keep 70 percent of the sales revenue, are not charged for free apps and do not have to pay hosting, marketing or credit card fees. To find out more about developing for the Mac App Store visit developer.apple.com/programs/mac. 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 is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

BenQ are excited to launch their first ever professional gaming monitor – the XL2410T, due for release in Australia in December.

Designed and produced in consultation with high profile Counter-Strike players, Emil “HeatoN” Christensen and Abdisamad “SpawN” Mohamed to provide the ultimate gaming experience, the XL2410T is an LED backlit height adjustable monitor with an impressive 120Hz Refresh Rate and a dynamic contrast ratio of 10,000,000:1 providing detailed images and clarity in both darkened and brightened situations.

Another unique feature of the XL2410T is that it offers the gamer the ability to change screen resolution on-the-fly.

Explains Chee F. Chung, BenQ General Manager in Australia, the BenQ XL2410T is the first LED gaming monitor of it’s kind – being LED it offers energy savings and is TCL Display 5.0 certified with a fast 2ms response time. Add to this the monitor’s unbelievable 330Mhz video bandwidth and AMA (Advanced Motion Accelerator) for better motion performance, higher image/video refresh rate which equates to flawless visuals and smoother functioning. Not only is the 23.6” (16:0 Aspect Ration) XL2410T equipped with 130mm HAS, it also comes with a Pivot function – other gaming monitors generally only offer HAS up and down.

Said Chung, “The XL2410T is designed with one purpose in mind – to win. Serious gamers know that lag will cause you to lose a game. The XL2410T impresses with a quick response to action, and an impressive 120Hz refresh rate for higher precision coupled with a low input lag so the shots made are in-sync with the vision on-screen. A 2ms GTG (OverDrive) means the user can see the edge of the enemies clearly without motion blur.

“Ultimately,” says Chung, “this all equates to a huge advantage to gamers. Hardware lag is a thing of the past, the action is smooth and life-like making the gaming experience more exhilarating.”

The XL2410T monitor has two hotkeys available: the first changes the display mode: Full; Aspect; Overscan; 1:1; 17”; 19”; 19” widescreen and 22” widescreen. The second hotkey is Smart Scaling, which lets the users adjust picture size in original input to the screen’s limit – having this function means that users can play in the resolution size they are used to with their previous monitor, or adjust the screen size to what their team-mates are using for easier communication and reference. From BenQ’s Gaming Display Modes options, users can choose from FPS (First Person Shooting) Mode, made possible by co-working with the gaming heroes -HeatoN and SpawN as the best setting for personal shooting games, or from the two User Game modes for more dedicated and personalized settings.

“The XL2410T offers extreme entertainment,” said Chung, “with True Colour Adjustment, 3D-ready (nVDIA 3D certified); Picture by Picture (PBP) – this is important to gamers as dual input sources can be displayed at the same time on one screen; connectivity values (D-sub; DVI-D-DL, HDMI) and height adjustment options all featured on the XL2410 to ensure the user’s enjoyment and comfort.”

Available December 2010

RRP : $699.00

New flowers blooming near a volcano attract a huge swarm of bees to uncharted territory

Montgomery, NJ — December 15, 2010 — IslandJohn announces a new update for its line-drawing flight-strategy game, Bee Patrol, for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, introducing Violent Volcano, a new map for players to explore with their swarm. In this update, multi-touch is enabled for players to control multiple flight paths of their bee swarm to maximize efficiency.

In Bee Patrol, players draw individual flight paths for a swarm of Mother Nature’s hardest workers, ensuring the survival of the bee colony. Bees play an integral role in the ecosystem of flowering plants and are responsible for the continuity of the natural pollination cycle. Players must cross-pollinate flowers while collecting nectar for the hive in order to maintain the vitality of the flowers. As players progress and encounter new creatures and gameplay mechanics, they can see what it’s like to live a day in the life of the little striped stingers!

The latest update of Bee Patrol introduces new flower ‘bundles’, with multiple flowers densely-packed together or individually rotating, presenting an interesting new challenge for dutiful worker bees trying to get their pollen. In addition, the Queen mode now has the same score progression properties as in Worker mode, allowing players to score higher and faster than ever before!

Bee Patrol Lite for iPhone and iPod touch is available for free on the iTunes App Store or at:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bee-patrol-lt/id399113239?mt=8

Bee Patrol for iPhone and iPod touch is available for $0.99 on the iTunes App Store or at:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bee-patrol/id377255124?mt=8

Bee Patrol HD for iPad is available for $2.99 on the iTunes App Store or at:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bee-patrol-hd/id396377747?mt=8

Screenshots:
iPhone

iPad

About IslandJohn:
IslandJohn is an independent developer of apps dedicated to the mobile computing market. The studio strives to invent fun and visually appealing games, meld classic concepts to give new life to old genres, and build perpetual motion machines. Their first app, Word Quest, is a better mouse trap of word search games, available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod on the App Store.

Bethesda Softworks are pleased to announce that Quake Arena Arcade will be available for download on Xbox LIVE Arcade December 15th!

Quake Arena Arcade introduces the definitive, competitive first-person shooter to a new generation of gladiators. Frag up to fifteen of your friends in six game types over Xbox LIVE, including ‘Deathmatch’, ‘Capture the Flag’, and ‘Harvester’ modes. Experience QUAKE like never before with over thirty classic maps, twelve Xbox-exclusive arenas, HD and Widescreen support, and a brand new Single Player campaign.

Haarlem, The Netherlands – 14 December 2010 – Videogames publisher Iceberg Interactive and game development studio Vertigo Games today release a brand-new teaser trailer for Adam’s Venture II: Solomon’s Secret (PC), the second instalment in their episodic family game series.

After the thrilling events that took place in Eden’s Caverns in Adam’s Venture: The Search for the Lost Garden, Adam and his girlfriend Evelyn find themselves in 1920’s Jerusalem. Here, their story continues when they become entangled in the hunt for ancient King Solomon’s treasure and more.

The teaser trailer can be streamed at www.iceberg-interactive.com or at the Iceberg Youtube channel.The teaser trailer can also be downloaded at www.iceberg-interactive.com.

Adam’s Venture II: Solomon’s Secret is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2011. For more information, please visit www.adams-venture.com and www.iceberg-interactive.com.