Microsoft and Toyota Teams Up for Better Telematics Services

Having telematics services in cars like BMW and Toyota is not anything new but what can you get if you put Toyota and Microsoft together? Even better telematics services of course, Toyota Motor Corp. and Microsoft Corp has just announced their partnership to build a global platform for Toyota’s next generation telematics services.

Microsoft will be providing the Windows Azure platform onto the car company’s next gen telematics services. The company has delivered similar platforms to the automotive industry before, such as infotainment systems built on the Windows Embedded Automotive platform and in-car mapping services with Bing.

"Today's announcement of our partnership with TMC is a great example of how we continue to invest in the automotive industry and of our commitment to power the services that are important to consumers. It further validates the power of the cloud, as the Windows Azure platform will provide the enterprise-grade, scalable platform that TMC needs to deliver telematics in its automobiles worldwide." -- Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO.

Dell Upgrades Their Commitment to Team Lotus

For years, Dell (www.dell.com) has been working with quite a number of Formula One team and organizations such as the now defunct BMW Sauber F1 Team and the engine specialist Cosworth, in order to help them run their operations smoothly on daily basis. Since late 2009, they have been involved with Team Lotus (www.teamlotus.co.uk) as an Official Supplier and this year, they have decided to upgrade their commitment to the team by becoming one of Team Lotus’ Technology Partner.

“We have been working with Team Lotus as an Official Supplier since day one of this amazing story. Formula One would not function without technology, it is simply right at the heart of everything that powers the sport on and off track, and we have been lucky enough to play an integral role in the establishment and development of the team since it first gained its entry in September 2009. I see this partnership continuing to grow,” - Andy Lark, Chief Marketing Officer, Enterprise and Public Marketing, Dell Corporation.

HP Advances Scalable Cloud Computing with 3PAR Utility Storage

A couple of months ago, HP spent a whopping USD$2.4billion to purchase 3PAR. Since then, the company has already released several systems that uses 3PAR technology and now, the company has just announced the integration of 3PAR Utility Storage across the HP Converged Infrastructure portfolio to simplify scalable cloud computing as well as new storage solutions for virtualization and data duplication.

Managing an exploding amount of data within an enterprise is never an easy (or cheap) task especially if the data is structured and cannot share the same storage as other structured and unstructured data. With the integration, clients will be able to consolidate storage hardware to respond to explosive data growth to address with these challenges with converged block-and-file storage on a single storage array. They will also be able to enjoy automated storage tiering to improve performance and thin storage offerings to eliminate over-provisioning.

“Our clients tell us their journey to the cloud will be one of the most critical transitions for them this decade. HP 3PAR Utility Storage meets their demand for a new storage architecture specifically designed for IT as a Service. The integration of 3PAR with Converged Infrastructure is ahead of schedule and HP is poised to take clients to levels of agility and efficiency they’ve never experienced before.” – Mike Prieto, Vice President and General Manager, StorageWorks, HP Asia Pacific and Japan.

AMD Quietly Brings Out The New Radeon HD 6790

It is not often that a new graphic card entered the market without any buzz whatsoever. So, this release of the latest AMD Radeon 6000 series GPU - the Radeon HD 6790 - kind of caught us by surprise.

The Radeon HD 6790 offers the same amount of capabilities as the older Radeon HD 5770 such as 800 stream processors and 40 texture units but with a wider 256-bit memory bus and slower processor’s clock speed at 840MHz; together with 4,200MHz memory clock for its 1GB GDDR5 memory. It also comes with a price tag that begins at around RM 455 (USD 150) which puts it as an attractive solution for users that are looking for low-end to mid-end graphic cards.

A number of AMD partners such Power Color, Sapphire and XFX already shipping this new card to stores everywhere, so check them out with your favourite retailer or visit www.amd.com for further info.

[Source: Electronista, HEXUS and AMD] 

 Article From: Lowyat

Microsoft Unveils New Line-Up of Affordable BlueTrack Mice

Introduced into the market in 2008, Microsoft’s BlueTrack Technology was designed to work on variety of terrains - minus clear glasses and mirrored surfaces - and has since been equipped into many of the company’s high-grade mice such as Sidewinder X8 Gaming Mouse and the Arc Touch Mouse. Come this April, this technology will be more accessible than ever as Microsoft is launching a series of affordable BlueTrack mice.

The first of this new line-up of inexpensive Microsoft’s Blue Track-equipped mice will be the unique and colourful Express Mouse. According to Microsoft, it is designed for comfort and style with its off-centre cable and also, vibrant colours. For starters, two colours – Flint Grey and Hibiscus Red - will be released in April while four more colours will be available later in July. In addition to that, two more wired BlueTrack mice – Comfort Mouse 3000 and Comfort Mouse 6000 – will be accompanying the Express Mouse’s release in April.

The new Microsoft Express Mouse is priced at RM 49 while the Comfort Mouse 3000 and 6000 are priced at RM 59 and RM 99 respectively. For further information, checkout Microsoft Hardware’s official website at www.microsoft.com/hardware/. 

Article From: Lowyat

3M launches new MP180 pico projector, leaves out kitchen sink

There used to be a time when pico projectors were the hottest thing since sliced bread. These days however, it seems that having a pico projector that only projects just isn't wont cut it.

Say hello to the 3M MP180, a WinCE powered LED pico projector that comes with 4GB of on-board storage, a touch screen, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, an integrated MP3 player, a micro SD card slot and a pair of .75W speakers. Capable of projecting images from 10 - 80 inches in size, the MP180 runs natively on SVGA resolution an has enough juice in its battery pack for two hours of continuous video playback.

Able to function as a traditional projector, the MP180 can also project videos, pictures, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and Excel spreadsheets off its on-board storage thanks to the addition of WinCE. It also comes with a Flash-compatible mobile browser, that when connected to the internet over WiFi, is able to project content directly off the web.

Bluetooth on the MP180 allows file transfers from your computer or mobile phone to the devices storage, and we're also told, will allow pairing with a Bluetooth keyboard. This is probably good news if your fingers are stubby since the virtual keyboard on the touchscreen is rather tiny.

Retailing for RM1999, the 3M MP180 is now available at all Harvey Norman outlets and major retail outlets nationwide. For more information on the MP180, hit up www.3mpocketprojector.com.my. 

Article From: Lowyat

Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 Now Available In Ferrari Edition

One of the perks of being a sponsor to a Formula One team is that one is able to come out with products bearing the team’s name. There are a lot of such products in the market such as clothing, laptops, watches and many others but I believe that this is the first time ever a computer security product is themed after a Formula One team.

Unveiled at the last weekend’s Formula One season opener in Melbourne, Australia; the new Kaspersky Internet Security Special Ferrari Edition is basically a Kaspersky Internet Security 2011 draped in green and red coloured interface together with motorsport-themed Windows desktop gadget to reflect the collaboration between the two well-known entities. In addition to that, the new special edition pack also comes with Ferrari’s official racing simulator, the Ferrari Virtual Academy 2010.

LG Mobile Introduces Revolutionary Wireless Charging Solution

Bid your farewell to messy phone charger wires that ends up collecting dusts and loose hairs next to the power adapter while your phone sits next to it because the wire is too short, LG is here to introduce its Wireless Charging Pad – the WCP 700. Alright, so the Wireless Charging Pad will still need wire for its power source, but you no longer have to get your hands dirty and messy picking up the wires; you no longer have to search for the respective wire for the device you wish to charge.

LG has recently announced the LG Wireless Charging Pad that features a sharp and sleek design that is poised to revolutionize wireless charging as we know it. Made with inductive coils built into the battery doors and internal contacts, advanced wireless charging technology allows for a cord-free power source – alleviating the need for external connections that limit the phone’s usability.

How do you know if your device is charging? The Wireless Charging Pad provides audible and tacile feedback when it’s connected to the phone and the multi-colored LED lights will also be turned on to indicate its charging status. Additionally, the Wireless Charging Pad features a slim size that makes it portable so you can carry it wherever you go.

HP Supports Customers Despite Oracle's Anti-customer Actions

Good news to enterprise and government are using Itanuim-based Integrity server platforms and are afraid because Oracle announced that it will discontinue all software development on the Intel Itanium microprocessor. HP has reiterated that it will continue the development and innovation of Itanium-based Integrity server platforms with its HP-UX operating system using a roadmap that extends more than 10 years. Additionally, HP also said that the company will also continue to support customers running existing versions of Oracle software in both existing and future platforms within the same timeframe.

Acer Launches 3 New Products At A Roadshow In Low Yat Plaza

Today, Acer unveiled 3 new additions to their product lineup in conjunction with a consumer roadshow at Low Yat Plaza. The triple product launch features the brand new Acer ICONIA 484G64 Dual Touch Screen Tablet, the ICONIA Tab W500 Tablet and the Aspire TimelineX 4830GT.