Archive for January, 2012

Apple updates Final Cut Pro X

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Apple today released Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3, a significant update to its professional video editing application. The free update is available from the Mac App Store.

Apple updates Final Cut Pro X to v10.0.3

Apple updates Final Cut Pro X to v10.0.3

Final Cut Pro X v10.0.3 is available from the Mac App Store for SGD$299.99 (incl. GST) to new users, or as a free update for existing Final Cut Pro X customers.

The update introduces the following main features:

  • Multicam editing that automatically syncs up to 64 angles of video and photos.
  • Advanced chroma keying for handling complex adjustments right in the app.
  • Enhanced XML for a richer interchange with third party apps and plug-ins that support the fast growing Final Cut Pro X ecosystem.
  • Beta of broadcast monitoring that supports Thunderbolt devices as well as PCIe cards.

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RIM launches BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

Three months after Research In Motion (RIM) and Microsoft released the open beta version in more than 30 countries, the general availability of “BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365” has been launched in over 50 countries today.

RIM launches BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365

RIM launches BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365

BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365 is a new service for business and government organizations that extends Microsoft Exchange Online to BlackBerry smartphones and allows customers to manage their BlackBerry deployments in the cloud.

“This new cloud-based option allows customers to cost-effectively support mobility across their organizations and easily manage and secure their BlackBerry deployments,” said Alan Panezic, Vice President, Enterprise Product Management and Marketing at RIM.The service is available at no additional charge to current enterprise subscribers of the Office 365 suite or standalone Exchange Online and works with BlackBerry smartphones on business or consumer data plans.

BlackBerry Business Cloud Services offers advanced administration and flexible smartphone self-service features to support an organization’s BlackBerry deployment in the cloud.

Managed service providers, systems integrators, carriers, resellers and other partners can also use the cloud service to manage BlackBerry deployments on behalf of their customers.

Key features remains the same as the open beta version and include the following:

  • Wireless synchronization with Microsoft Exchange Online email, calendar and organizer data from a BlackBerry smartphone
  • BlackBerry Balance technology, which presents a unified view of work and personal content on a BlackBerry smartphone while keeping the content separate and secure
  • An intuitive web-based console for IT administrators to provision, manage and secure BlackBerry smartphones from anywhere
  • Online access to employee self-service smartphone security functions, allowing users to easily reset a device password or remotely lock or wipe a device in the event of loss or theft

Customers can go to www.blackberry.com/cloudservices to get started.

New Audio Headphones: Bose OE2 and OE2i

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Atlas Sound & Vision introduced Bose’s new OE2 (S$219) and OE2i (S$269) audio headphones in Singapore today.

Bose OE2 (S$219) and OE2i (S$269) available in Singapore.

Bose OE2 (S$219) and OE2i (S$269) available in Singapore.

The OE2 and OE2i headphones deliver better audio performance than their predecessors, and feature an updated look and design.

Bose OE2 (S$219) and OE2i (S$269) audio headphones available in Singapore todayMusic is reproduced with improved depth and clarity, and the new contoured styling creates a closer, more comfortable fit.

The Bose OE2 and OE2i audio headphones (which are not noise canceling) can be used with nearly any audio source.

They replace the current Bose on-ear headphones, and are now available in a choice of black or white.

Bose on-ear audio headphones OE2 and OE2i.The OE2i headphones come with an inline remote and microphone that lets owners interact with select Apple products, including the latest iPhone, iPod, iPad, MacBook, and MacBook Pro models.

Users can easily control volume, tracks, and voice applications – and switch between music and calls on an iPhone.

The OE2 headphones come with a standard audio cable.

Apart from the above differences, the OE2i and OE2 headphones are identical.

The OE2 and OE2i headphones feature an enhanced proprietary TriPort acoustic headphone structure.

With redesigned and newly tuned earcup ports, audio reproduction is more balanced and natural.

There is no manufactured “boost” across the frequency range; low notes are full and rich, and mid-high frequencies are smooth and clear.

Bose OE2 and OE2i audio headphones.The OE2 and OE2i headphones also feature a new design that’s smaller and lighter, with a slimmer profile.

The headphone’s ear cushions, made from memory foam, conform to the user and combine with a redesigned headband for a better, more comfortable fit.

Owners can listen for hours — commuting, working or playing — without the irritating pressure points caused by some conventional headphones.

The OE2 and OE2i headphones fold flat for easy storage and protection.  With a simple swivel of the earcups, they collapse neatly for carrying in their included case.

Apple Mac Apps for the holiday season

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Here’s a selection of Apps from the Mac App Store to check out for your Mac as we transit from Lunar New Year to Valentine’s Day.

Angry Birds Seasons in Apple Mac App Store (SGD$4.99, Rovio)

Angry Birds Seasons in Apple Mac App Store (SGD$4.99, Rovio)

Angry Birds Seasons (S$4.99, Rovio)
With the dragon year, the new update from Rovio brings an all new mystical dragon, as well as tons of unique levels, and exploding fireworks that light up the night sky.

Tropico 3: Gold Edition from the Apple Mac App Store (SGD$34.99, Feral Interactive)

Tropico 3: Gold Edition from the Apple Mac App Store (SGD$34.99, Feral Interactive)

Tropico 3: Gold Edition (S$34.99, Feral Interactive)
Ever wonder what it’s like to own your own island? Tropico 3 has you covered, dropping you into a tropical paradiso where you call the shots. Rule with an iron fist or velvet glove as you expand your economy, and turn your land into a tourist mecca or military empire!

Cake Mania Main Street from Apple Mac App Store (SGD$4.99, Digital Chocolate)

Cake Mania Main Street from Apple Mac App Store (SGD$4.99, Digital Chocolate)

Cake Mania Main Street (S$4.99, Digital Chocolate)
Try your hand at city management in this all-new take on the Cake Mania franchise. Own multiple storefronts, upgrade your inventory, and grow your village into a shoppers paradise.

Fantastical from the Apple Mac App Store (SGD$19.99, Flexibits)

Fantastical from the Apple Mac App Store (SGD$19.99, Flexibits)

Fantastical (S$19.99, Flexibits)
Our favorite calendar companion for Mac is now additionally fluent in French, Italian, Spanish, & German languages with its latest update.  Type out the details of your appointment or event in normal speak and this app will schedule it for you right away.

PDFpenPro from Apple Mac App Store (SGD$99.99, Smile Software)

PDFpenPro from Apple Mac App Store (SGD$99.99, Smile Software)

PDFpenPro (S$99.99, Smile Software)
This powerful PDF editor comes with a wealth of functions including custom form creation and makes for a great alternative to the more expensive Adobe Acrobat Pro.  It’s newest update enhances the app with iCloud to allow for document sharing with its new PDFpen app for iPad.

Valentine’s Day gift idea: Artisan&Artist camera bags

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

Looking for a camera bag for a photographer friend? Check out Artisan&Artist at Ngee Ann City in Singapore.

WCAM-3000N camera bag (S$250) and ACAM-104 camera strap (S$75) from Artisan&Artist.

WCAM-3000N camera bag (S$250) and ACAM-104 camera strap (S$75) from Artisan&Artist.

Artisan&Artist is a Japanese lifestyle brand established in 1991, offering stylish camera bags for professional photographers.

COV-7000 camera bag (S$540) from Artisan&Artist.

COV-7000 camera bag (S$540) from Artisan&Artist.

The handmade bags are produced in either Italian leather or lightweight Canvas N.10.

The bags contain pocket compartments for the camera and accessories, but has a “discreet” design that looks different from typical camera bags.

A brochure of their products can be found below.

Check out these camera bags and accessories from Artisan&Artist at the Schmidt Marketing Flagship Store (S) Pte Ltd (391 Orchard Road, Ngee Ann City Tower A, #05-33)

They are also available from the following retailers:

  • Aik Seng Photo (304 Orchard Road,#01-29, Lucky Plaza)
  • K 13 Marketing (111, North Bridge Road, #02-16, Peninsula Plaza)
  • Max Photo (176, Orchard Road, Centrepoint, #03-10)
  • Allan Photo (1 Rochor Canal Road #01-38, Sim Lim Square)
  • Cathay Photo (111 North Bridge Road, #01-05/ #01-07 to 08/ #01-11 to 14 Peninsula Plaza)
  • De Camera ( 511 Guillemard Road, #01-46, Grandlink Square)
  • Gope Foto (19 Tanglin Road, Tanglin Shopping Centre, #03-10/20/21)
  • Orient Photo (1 Rochor Canal Road, #06-53/31, Sim Lim Square)

 

Artisan&Artist Brochure below:

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PayPal kicks off Valentine’s Day season

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

The Lunar New Year is barely over and the Valentine’s Day season is rolling in already.

Valentine's Day promotions from PayPal

Valentine's Day promotions from PayPal

PayPal is offering up to 80% off in gift ideas for Him and for Her.

Here’s the link to their Valentine’s Day promotions.

Tata Communications Q3 consolidated EBITDA up by 61% YoY

Friday, January 27th, 2012

Singapore Headquartered Tata Communications maintained strong revenue growth across operations (for the quarter ended 31 December, 2011), with gross revenues increasing 19% year-on-year (YoY).

The main takeaways from the report are summarised below:

  • Core Business remains profitable
  • Neotel sees further enhancement in operating profitability
  • Focused cash management program on track
  • Capex programme is aligned to demand and is pursuing predictable & strategic growth-oriented opportunities

Commenting on the performance of Q3 FY2012, Mr. Vinod Kumar, CEO and MD, Tata Communications, said, “We are very pleased to report a healthy improvement in the operating performance of the business. Global voice has demonstrated continued improvement in volumes and revenues. The company’s global data business is scaling up as planned. Complementing our leadership in the enterprise data segment within India, we have been growing our international revenues as reflected in the enhanced uptake of our customised offerings and managed services.”For the quarter ended 31 December, 2011, consolidated gross revenues were at Rs. 36,041 million.

This is against Rs. 33,736 million in the previous sequential quarter and Rs. 30,180 million in the same quarter last year.

The Core Business accounted for Rs. 31,648 million – against Rs. 29,079 million in Q2 FY2012 and Rs. 28,535 million in Q3FY2011.

The Startup Business, primarily Neotel, posted revenues of Rs. 4,394 million in the quarter ended December 31, 2012.

This is against Rs. 4,657 million in Q2 FY2012 and Rs. 1,645 million in Q3 FY2011.

Read the detailed presentation of details from the report here.

Technical specifications: Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

Here are the main tech specs for the new S$698 (incl GST) Micro Four Thirds lens from Olympus.

12-50mm, 4.2x zoom, 3-speed motorised zoom mechanism, MSC mechanism for foast, quiet AF, stop focus and macro magnification at 0.72x (35mm equiv), dust/splash proof.

12-50mm, 4.2x zoom, 3-speed motorised zoom mechanism, MSC mechanism for foast, quiet AF, stop focus and macro magnification at 0.72x (35mm equiv), dust/splash proof.

The main technical specifications are tabulated at the end of this article.

Focal range from 12-50mm (35mm equiv: 24-100mm)

To enable a wide 84-degree angle of view to be captured at 24mm wide-angle, this zoom lens uses a Dual Super Aspherical (DSA) element that requires high-precision manufacturing because of the extremely large ratio between the thickness of the lens center and periphery; as well as double-sided aspherical elements located at an intermediate position between the lenses to correct spherical and chromatic aberrations that can accompany changes in the zoom ratio.

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ Micro Four Thirds lens

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ Micro Four Thirds lens

In addition, an HR (High Refractive index) element and ED (Extra-low Dispersion) element are combined for optimum correction of color aberrations.

Extensive use of special glass materials in the 9-group, 10-element lens construction of the zoom lens ensures high imaging performance throughout the zooming range.

In addition, all lens surfaces are multi-coated to ensure high transmittance and clear imaging performance even under unfavourable conditions such as shooting against light.

The use of an inner zooming system means that there is no variation in overall lens length during zooming, ensuring that stability can be maintained during handheld shooting.

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CA Technologies reports Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2012 Results

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

CA Technologies today reported financial results for its third quarter of fiscal year 2012, which ended on 31 December, 2011.

Third Quarter
FY12 vs. FY11
(in millions, except share data)
FY12 FY11 Percent Change Percent Change CC**
Revenue $1,263 $1,144 34% 24%
GAAP Income from continuing operations $263 $196 34% 24%
Non-GAAP Income from continuing operations* $319 $256 25% 18%
GAAP Diluted EPS from continuing operations $0.54 $0.38 42% 39%
Non-GAAP  Diluted EPS from continuing operations* $0.65 $0.50 30% 28%
Cash Flow from continuing operations $396 $492 (20%) (19%)

* Non-GAAP income and earnings per share are non-GAAP financial measures, as noted in the discussion of non-GAAP results below. A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their comparable GAAP financial measures is included in the tables following this news release.

**CC: Constant Currency

The main takeaways from the report is summarised below:

  • Revenue $1.263 billion: Up 10% in constant currency and as reported.
  • GAAP EPS $0.54: Up 39% in constant currency and 42% as reported.
  • Non-GAAP EPS $0.65: Up 28 Percent in constant currency and 30%as Reported
  • Single license payment contributes 3 percentage points to revenue growth and $0.05 to GAAP and Non-GAAP EPS growth.
  • Cash flow from continuing operations $396 Million: Down 19 Percent in constant currency and 20% as reported.
  • Raises full year outlook for GAAP and non-GAAP EPS and adjusts revenue guidance to high end of range; maintains cash flow from continuing operations outlook.
  • Enhances capital allocation program, targeting return of $2.5 billion to shareholders through fiscal year 2014.

Read the full report below:

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New Micro Four Thirds lens: Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

This new lens is a Micro Four Thirds System standard-compliant zoom lens featuring a motorised zoom mechanism with zoom ratio of 4.2X starting from a wide angle of 24mm to 100mm (35mm camera equivalent).

Now available at Olympus authorised retailers for S$698 (incl GST).

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ Micro Four Thirds lens

Olympus M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 12-50mm f3.5-6.3 EZ Micro Four Thirds lens

This is a versatile zoom lens usable in the toughest conditions and capable of everything from close-up wide angle shooting to medium range telephoto shooting of both still images and movies.

Main features of the new lens are:

  1. 4.2X (approx.) zoom starting from a wide angle of 24mm to 100mm (35mm camera equivalent).
  2. Motorised zoom mechanism for stable zooming at a constant rate (3 selectable speeds).
  3. MSC mechanism enhanced by linear motor drive for faster, quieter AF control.
  4. Convenient features including macro mode for close-up shooting at 0.72X magnification (35mm camera equivalent) and the L-Fn (Lens Function) button with focus stop function.
  5. Dust/splash-proof mechanism.

The zoom lens has a zoom ratio of approximately 4.2X, covering a range that extends from a wide angle of 24mm (35mm camera equivalent) – ideal for taking wide shots even indoors – to a medium telephoto focal length of 100mm (35mm camera equivalent), which is optimal for portraits.

Motorised zoom mechanism with zoom ratio of 4.2X from 24-100mm (35mm camera equiv).

Motorised zoom mechanism with zoom ratio of 4.2X from 24-100mm (35mm camera equiv).

It is the first Olympus interchangeable lens to incorporate a motorised zoom mechanism, which is especially useful in movie shooting, thanks to the smooth, quiet zooming.

The AF system is based on the MSC (Movie & Still Compatible) mechanism enhanced by a newly developed linear motor drive that enables faster, quieter focusing.

To assure the best possible image quality, this sophisticated lens comprises 9 lens groups with 10 elements, including three aspherical elements.

Special glass materials are used extensively to correct various aberrations and all lens surfaces are multi-coated to ensure high transmittance and clear imaging performance.

The lens also features a macro mode for close-up shooting with a closest focusing distance of 0.2 meters and maximum image magnification of 0.72X (35mm camera equivalent).

In addition, an L-Fn (Lens Function) button is also provided to allow the user to stop autofocusing temporarily.

This new lens employs the dust-/splash-proof mechanism originally featured in the ZUIKO DIGITAL SHG (Super High Grade) series lenses.

Here are the main tech specs for the new lens.