Archive for the ‘Software’ Category

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New Android smartphone: LG Optimus Vu:

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

LG has unveiled the unique 4:3 ratio, 5-inch, LTE smartphone in anticipation of MWC 2012. It will be introduced in Korea in March and launched in Singapore in the last quarter of 2012.

Update (20 August, 2012):

The Optimus Vu: will have the 4-PLUS-1 NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-Core processor  and Android 4.0 (ICS) OS when the 5-inch smartphone heads out of Korea and Japan to make its global debut in September.

Optimus Vu: LTE Android smartphone from LG has a 5-inch IPS display and 4:3 ratio.

Optimus Vu: LTE Android smartphone from LG has a 5-inch IPS display and 4:3 ratio.

The LG Optimus Vu: has an 5-inch IPS display, and offers a unique combination of tablet-like viewing with smartphone portability, similar to the Samsung Note.

Running on a powerful 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 32GB internal memory and a large 2,080 mAh battery, the Optimus Vu: is suited for consuming multimedia on the go.

The large 5-inch display with bright 4:3 aspect ratio makes viewing documents, books, Internet and multimedia contents easier and more comfortable.

The 4:3 aspect ratio is optimized for viewing to grasp more at a glance and note taking to increase productivity in everyday life.

“The Optimus Vu: was designed to maximize what customers could do with a smartphone … by offering an optimal 4:3 ratio viewing experience, 5-inch display combined with superfast LTE technology,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Mobile Communications Company.The IPS display boasts natural color which can be viewed even under bright sunlight.

Its unique built-in QuickClip hotkey allows users to conveniently capture screenshots and memos with a single push.

Jotting notes is also possible with a finger or with the dedicated Rubberdium pen.

Polaris Office is included to enable opening of documents, spreadsheets or presentations while on the road.

The LG Optimus Vu: measures 139.6 x 90.4 x 8.5 mm.

The LG Optimus Vu: measures 139.6 x 90.4 x 8.5 mm.

At only 8.5mm, the Optimus Vu: is the slimmest among all LTE phones currently on the market.

Despite the large 2,080mAh battery, LG’s exclusive floating mass technology makes the Optimus Vu: appear slimmer than its actual dimensions.

In addition to HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) and DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), Optimus Vu: comes with 32GB memory and an 8-megapixel camera.

While it will initially launch running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is in the works.

Additional information on the unique Optimus Vu: can be found at the LG Stand in Hall 8 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2012) in Barcelona, Spain, from February 27 to March 1.

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Posted in Android, Announce, Gadgets, LG, Optimus, Phones, Specifications | 1 Comment »

SolarWinds launches SeUM to Monitor Web Transactions

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

SolarWinds launches the industry’s­ first affordably-priced SaaS (Software as-a Service)-like product to monitor web transactions from cloud-based locations.

SeUM web console has wizards to guide the creation of Amazon EC2 Cloud Player instances.

SeUM web console has wizards to guide the creation of Amazon EC2 Cloud Player instances.

SolarWinds Synthetic End User Monitor (SeUM) v.1.5 works to streamline the process of monitoring websites and web based applications from the cloud, offering users the ability to monitor their web based services from various geographical locations around the globe.

Leveraging the cloud allows users to inexpensively monitor performance and availability from locations beyond their data center, central office, or remote office locations to where their mobile work force, home offices, or customers are located.

SeUM allows system administrators and application support staff to monitor response time proactively for multi-step web transactions.

The latest version of SeUM introduces the Cloud Player Portal that allows users to deploy transaction players easily to Amazon EC2.

New Features in v. 1.5

  • Cloud Player Portal: Easily deploys transaction players to Amazon EC2 to enable web transaction monitoring from cloud-based locations and does not require users to pay subscription fees.
  • Multi-Tenant UI: Monitors website and web application performance for large deployments or in MSP environments.
  • Rich Content Recording and Playback: Record and playback dynamic web pages to include support for Flash and Silverlight; also validates the existence or absence of text and other website content.
  • Firewall-Friendly Communication: Transaction players make their monitoring data available for polling from the SeUM server, eliminating any need to open in-bound Firewall connections.

(more…)

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Posted in Cloud, Enterprise IT, Internet, Launch, Utility | No Comments »

New ultrabook: Toshiba Satellite U840 Series

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

Toshiba has unveiled today its first 14-inch ultrabooks – from the Satellite U840 Series. Available from mid-May, prices will start from S$1,399 – depending on configuration.

(Update: Read the review for the Toshiba Satellite U840 Series ultrabook here.)

Toshiba Satellite U840 Ultrabook - S$1,399

Toshiba Satellite U840 Ultrabook - S$1,399

At a weight starting from 1.59kg and thinness of 19.9mm, the Windows 7 Satellite U840 series offers a mix of style, portability and performance.

Metallic brushed aluminum chasis on the outside.

Metallic brushed aluminum chasis on the outside.

The Toshiba Satellite U840 is based on 2nd Generation Intel Core processors, and sports a metallic silver colour on the outside with a brushed aluminum chasis that provides strength and durability of lugging it around.

The Satellite U840 uses DDR3 memory, and offers a choice of 128GB solid state drive or Hybrid HDD with 16GB solid state drive, to couple responsive experience with increased durability and energy efficiency.

Illuminated tiled keyboard allows typing even in the dark.

Illuminated tiled keyboard allows typing even in the dark.

Paired with Toshiba’s new Hi-Speed Start Technology, the Satellite U840 can power on and get users up and running at work or home in just seconds.

Despite being ultra-portable, the Satellite U840 is equipped with Bluetooth and WLAN plus a selection of full-size ports including HDMI and 3 USB ports, one of which is a USB 3.0 port.

The system also includes Toshiba’s USB Sleep & Charge technology to give users the freedom to charge their smartphones even while the system is powered down.

Sleek and thin but with ample connectivity options.

Sleek and thin but with ample connectivity.

The bright 14.0” non-reflective high-definition display and powerful stereo speakers enhanced with SRS Premium Sound 3D technology make the Satellite U840 ideal for listening to music, watching movies and video chatting.

Complemented with a super-thin illuminated raised-tiled keyboard and multi-gesture Clickpad, it also provides good contrast and typing comfort even in the dark.

The new Satellite U840 series comes with standard 1-year Regional Limited Warranty (parts & labor), 1-year battery (carry-in).

Key specifications of the Toshiba Satellite U840 Series Ultrabooks is listed below.

(more…)

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Posted in Announce, Gadgets, Notebooks, Operating Systems, Prices, Specifications, Toshiba, Ultrabooks, Windows 7 | 2 Comments »

TODAY! New BlackBerry Curve 9380 arrives in Singapore

Saturday, February 11th, 2012

The Curve 9380 is the first BlackBerry Curve smartphone with a touch display. Check with Telcos for plans and pricing.

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is available in Singapore TODAY!

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 is available in Singapore TODAY!

The sleek and stylish all-touch BlackBerry Curve 9380 smartphone is powered by BlackBerry 7 OS, which delivers a faster and richer user experience.

The 9380 is the first BlackBerry Curve smartphone with a touch display.

The 9380 is the first BlackBerry Curve smartphone with a touch display.

It also includes the ability to manage personal content separately from corporate content, and comes with a variety of personal and productivity apps out of the box.

“The new BlackBerry Curve 9380 comes with a sleek new all-touch design that features a larger display that enhances web browsing, games and multimedia,” Hastings Singh, Vice President, South Asia at Research In Motion.The new BlackBerry 7 OS introduces an enhanced browser that provides a significantly faster, more fluid web browsing experience.

It also offers optimized HTML5 performance for incredible gaming and video experiences.

The popular universal search capability has also been enhanced with support for voice-activated search, so users can simply speak to begin searching for information on their device and the web.

Here is the specs sheet for the BlackBerry Curve 9380.

Here is the specs sheet for the BlackBerry Curve 9380.

In addition, the BlackBerry Curve 9380 includes built-in support for Augmented Reality and NFC, allowing users to connect with the world around them in fresh new ways.

With the Wikitude Augmented Reality application, users can find nearby BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) contacts in real-time, read reviews about restaurants close to them, or get the story behind an interesting landmark and points of interest.

NFC enables many new and exciting capabilities, including the ability to make mobile payments, pair accessories or read SmartPoster tags with a simple tap of the smartphone.

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Posted in BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Curve, Gadgets, Launch, Phones, RIM, Specifications | No Comments »

Coral Pink Samsung GALAXY S II coming to Singapore

Saturday, February 11th, 2012

The Coral Pink version of the Samsung GALAXY S II smartphone will be available in Singapore on 18 February 2012, at S$888 (incl. GST, excl. line contract).

Coral Pink Samsung GALAXY S II Android smartphone will be available in Singapore from 18 February at S$888.

Coral Pink Samsung GALAXY S II Android smartphone will be available in Singapore from 18 February at S$888.

Also, the GALAXY Nexus (S$948, Black and White) and GALAXY Tab 7.7 (S$898) are available in Singapore from today. All prices include GST but exclude line contract.

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Posted in Android, Availability, Galaxy, Phones, Prices, Samsung | No Comments »

CA Technologies leads in User Authentication

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

Gartner has positioned CA Technologies in the Leaders Quadrant of the Magic Quadrant for User Authentication.

CA Technologies has a range of User Authentication security solutions.

CA Technologies has a range of User Authentication security solutions.

Gartner estimates the overall growth in the market by customers to be approximately 30 percent year-over-year.

“By 2017, more than 50 percent of enterprises will choose cloud-based services as the delivery option for new or refreshed user authentication implementations, up from less than 10 percent today,” writes Ant Allan, Gartner Research Vice President.Because of the shift toward lower-cost authentication solutions, the overall growth by revenue is estimated to be approximately only 20 percent.

Considering Gartner’s user authentication market growth estimate, and the forecast that half of the implementations will be cloud services, CA Technologies is confident it is in a solid position for success in this sector.

“With more than 14,000 organizations leveraging our authentication solutions and more than 85 million identities protected by our cloud-based authentication services we should be on the short-list for anyone considering a cloud authentication solution,” said Vic Mankotia, Vice President of Security, Asia Pacific, CA Technologies.

Get a complimentary copy of the report here.

CA Technologies was also positioned by Gartner in the Leaders Quadrant of two Gartner reports: Magic Quadrant for Identity and Access Governance (IAG), and Magic Quadrant for User Administration/Provisioning.

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Posted in Announce, CA Technologies, Cloud, Enterprise IT, Security, Study | No Comments »

Gift ideas for a melodious Valentine’s Day

Sunday, February 5th, 2012

Planning to enjoy some romantic music during Valentine’s Day? Here are some gift ideas from a selection of stuff that I’ve covered in my blog previously.

Valentine's Day doodles by Suelyn Howe

Valentine's Day doodles by Suelyn Howe

First off, some doodles from Suelyn Howe that you can print out for use as your Valentine’s Day gift tag or card.

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

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

Now the audio gizmos. For improved depth and clarity, check out Bose’s new on-ear headphones, the OE2 (S$219) or OE2i (S$269), which deliver better audio performance than their predecessors and feature an updated look and stylish design.

Powered by BlackBerry 7, 10.5mm, NFCTo listen to music from a smartphone, check out the Pure White BlackBerry Bold 9900 (prices vary with Telcos), which is incredibly sexy and sleek.

With the unique white colour, she is sure to stand out in a crowd and always be looking for reasons to pull her phone out of her handbag.

Long evenings chatting on the phone to the boyfriend (that’s you) and BBM flirting (with you) will now be done in style!

For both listening to music and talking to you on the smartphone, check out the Bose Series 2 Bluetooth headset (S$249).

The headset assures conversations remain clear and natural – even in challenging environments, or when surrounding noise levels change suddenly.

Bose Bluetooth Headset Series 2 (S$249)

Bose Bluetooth Headset Series 2 (S$249)

For streaming music and movies, check out the Seagate GoFlex Satellite.

Seagate GoFlex Satellite 500 GB wireless mobile storageIt is the first battery-powered external hard drive to wirelessly extend the storage capacity of any Wi-Fi enabled device such as your Bold 9900, iPad or any other tablet and mobile device.

Couples can stream their favorite videos, music and pictures from their GoFlex Satellite (S$299) straight to their mobile device.

With 500GB (or 300 HD movies), the GoFlex Satellite allows you to connect up to three devices simultaneously.

What’s even better – if you are on a road trip or in a café and you have no internet connection, the Satellite will still work as it creates its own Wi–Fi network.

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Posted in Accessories, Audio, BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Bold, Bose, Gadgets, Holiday, Music, Phones, RIM, Seagate, storage drive | No Comments »

CA Technologies announces CA Private Cloud Accelerator for Vblock Platforms

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

The new solution enables enterprises and managed service providers to offer automated self-service delivery of Infrastructure as a Service.

CA Technologies Announces CA Private Cloud Accelerator for Vblock Platforms

CA Technologies Announces CA Private Cloud Accelerator for Vblock Platforms

CA Private Cloud Accelerator for Vblock Platforms drives Business Service Innovation by enabling IT to provide rapid, predictable and secure provisioning and delivery of cloud infrastructure and critical IT and business services.

“We continue to work with VCE to help customers improve business agility, reduce risk and lower the costs of operating private clouds,” said Anna Gong, Vice President, Coud, Virtualization & Service Automation, Asia Pacific, CA Technologies. “CA Private Cloud Accelerator for Vblock Platforms can help enterprises and MSPs rapidly deliver services in a private cloud environment, maximizing their investment in VCE Vblock Platforms and driving Business Service Innovation to deliver speed, performance and improved cost efficiencies.”This is the company’s fifth solution certified for use with VCE Vblock Infrastructure Platforms, all of which are based on CA Technologies Unified Automation solutions.

Enterprises and managed service providers (MSPs) use cloud management software to enable their Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) offerings.

Many organizations are evaluating and testing converged private cloud architectures, such as Vblock Platforms, that allow IT resources to be dynamically pooled and shared across multiple physical and virtual computing environments.

CA Private Cloud Accelerator for Vblock Platforms promises to offer standardization, a rapid provisioning process and performance predictability.

CA Private Cloud Accelerator for Vblock Platforms leverages CA Process Automation and CA Service Catalog to provide customers with a single, unified view and point of control across virtual and private cloud resources.

CA Technologies Vblock platformsOut-of-the-box standardized processes allow IT organizations to deliver Vblock Infrastructure Platforms as a service.

CA Service Catalog, accessed through a secure, online portal, empowers users to quickly select and provision the resources they need.

“The latest CA Technologies integration with Vblock platforms enables IT to transform its converged infrastructure into a true platform for delivering private cloud services,” said John Ross, CTO, GreenPages. “By combining our Integration and Managed Services with CA Private Cloud Accelerator for Vblock Platforms, customers can enable private cloud capabilities in days versus months, and realize a rapid return on their VCE investment.”CA Process Automation helps ensure that pooled resources are provisioned quickly, with minimal effort.

Service usage is metered and associated to departments, cost centers, or users for billing or chargeback.

Every organization is different when it comes to process.

CA Private Cloud Accelerator for Vblock Platforms is built on top of an extensible platform that allows IT to easily customize the solution to meet its needs and provide the flexibility to respond dynamically to changing business requirements.

CA Private Cloud Accelerator for Vblock Platforms is available today from CA Technologies and its partners, including GreenPages Technology Solutions, a national IT consulting and integration company.

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Posted in Announce, CA Technologies, Cloud, Enterprise IT, Software | 1 Comment »

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.

(more…)

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Posted in Apple, Launch, Mac OS, Prices, Software, Specifications, Video | No Comments »

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.

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Posted in App, BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Launch, Microsoft, Office, Phones, RIM, Software | No Comments »

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