ComputerNews

January 29, 2009 - The software manufacturer The Imaging Source announces the latest member of its family of word processing components.

A current trend in business software is the generation of Adobe PDF documents on the server. At a central location in a company's network, Microsoft Word templates are populated with data to produce invoices or quotations. The resulting documents can be saved in a number of formats or sent directly to the printer.

LiveDocx offers unrivaled technology to provide such document generation services over a standardized SOAP interface. Hence, different types of software, for example, ASP.NET web applications, Windows applications or applications from entirely different operating systems can access LiveDocx. Read more

January 26, 2009 – MSI Computer just announced the newest addition to its Gaming Notebook Series – GT627. The new GT627 is the first in the MSI Gaming Notebook series to feature the NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS graphics processing unit (GPU). This revolutionary GPU delivers blazing-fast mobile gaming and supports NVIDIA CUDA technology enabling MSI customers to experience the wide range of CUDA-based applications—such as heart-stopping GPU-accelerated game physics and video conversion. The GeForce 9800M GS also saves power and increases computing efficiently by handling video decoding, allowing the CPU to focus on other tasks.

"We are excited to offer the NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS GPU in the GT627 Gaming Notebooks," said Andy Tung, Vice President of Sales, MSI US. "This GPU will allow us optimize performance and deliver unparalleled graphics for gamers on-the-go."

"Whether viewing or editing photos, finding directions, playing a game, or watching a hi-def movie, the MSI GT627 with the NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GS GPU runs silky smooth, with amazing visuals," said Rene Haas, General Manager of the notebook business unit at NVIDIA. " With the GeForce 9800M GS handling the graphics, video and physics acceleration, MSI customers will be ready for the visual computing movement." Read more

January 26, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple today announced that iLife '09 will be available tomorrow, January 27, and features major upgrades to iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand, with breakthrough new ways to organize and manage photos, create movies and learn to play music. iLife '09 is included with every new Mac and is available as a $79 upgrade for existing users through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

iPhoto '09 builds on the ability to automatically organize photos into Events by adding Faces and Places as innovative new ways to easily organize and manage your photos using face detection, face recognition and GPS geo-tagging technologies. iMovie '09 expands on the revolutionary super fast movie creation introduced in iMovie '08 by adding the depth users want through powerful easy-to-use new features such as the incredible new Precision Editor, video stabilization, advanced drag and drop, and animated travel maps. GarageBand '09 introduces a whole new way to help you learn to play piano and guitar with 18 basic lessons and optional lessons from top artists such as Sara Bareilles, John Fogerty, Norah Jones and Sting. Read more

January 26, 2009--Best Buy Co., Inc. will bring its electronics recycling program Feb. 15, 2009 to all of its 1,006 stores nationwide. The program will expand sometime in fiscal 2010 to Puerto Rico stores. The program is the latest addition to the comprehensive programs offered by Best Buy to help consumers find easy ways to recycle, reuse, or trade in products at the end of their life.

Starting Feb. 15, consumers can bring up to two (2) units per day, per household, for recycling at any U.S. Best Buy store. Best Buy will accept most consumer electronics, including televisions and monitors up to 32”, computer CPUs and notebooks, small electronics, VCR and DVD players, and phones, as well as accessories such as keyboards, mice, and remotes.

A $10 recycling fee per unit will be charged for items with screens, such as televisions, laptop computers, and monitors. The consumer will instantly receive a $10 Best Buy gift card in exchange for the recycling fee. (This fee does not apply for units recycled in California stores, and does not apply for any of Best Buy’s Exclusive-Branded products, such as Insignia, Dynex, and VPR Matrix.) Read more

January 23, 2009 -- GoBootstrap.com (www.GoBootstrap.com) just added two new features designed to make like easier for entrepreneurs this tax season. First, users of its free and simple online bookkeeping software can now generate a Schedule C report that takes their categorized expenses for the year and generates a ready-to-go IRS form. Second, with the February 2 deadline for filing 1099 forms for independent contractors approaching, GoBootstrap customers can now see at a glance for whom they have to file a 1099, and by what date.

In these harsh economic times, more and more people are turning to self-employment as a means of supporting their families and gaining financial independence. But being self-employed adds the significant burden of personally managing the tax reporting and filing aspects of a business. Bootstrap is an extremely simple-to-use web service that helps self-employed people, work-at-home people, sole proprietors and micro-businesses track income and expenses, pay estimated taxes on time, and see how their business is doing. Read more

January 22, 2009 -- Well-known anti-spyware pioneer Lavasoft today announced the global release of Ad-Aware - Anniversary Edition, the latest version of their flagship product that celebrates 10 years at the forefront of malware detection and removal.

"We were the first on the global market with anti-spyware protection when it was still largely unknown. And now with a decade behind us as a leader in the anti-malware industry, we know that today's computer users need advanced technology that comes in the form of a light, easy-to-use product," said Lavasoft CEO Jason King.

King continued, "We have focused our efforts for this new version on our core competence for online security - blocking, detection, removal, and clean-up - and we have poured our technological advances in these core areas instead of simply adding more bells and whistles that generally add to the strain on a user's computer." Read more

January 19, 2009-- Acer today announced the slick new Acer 23-inch widescreen display and Acer Aspire desktop PC line-up for customers in the United States. The Aspire desktops range from several compact models to an aggressively designed, power-packed gaming system.

Featuring a new form factor, the Acer H233H bmid 23-inch display offers cinematic quality with sleek styling. This new display provides excellent picture quality, boasting a 16:9 aspect ratio for maximum HD support, a high contrast ratio and fast response time. The glossy black bezel adds an extra design element that looks attractive in any home or office.

The desktop PC line features the compact, yet powerful Acer Aspire X3200, X1700 and X1200 small form factor (SFF) PCs outfitted with 3 to 4GB of memory. The newest member is the Aspire X1700, which boasts an Intel Pentium Dual-Core processor and 4GB DDR2 memory, for extremely fast system response. Read more

January 2009 -- Dell and AT&T Mobility just announced an offer that brings nationwide high-speed connectivity at an affordable price to the award-winning Inspiron Mini 9. Built-in mobile broadband on this compact, take-it-everywhere Internet buddy keeps you connected with friends, finds and Facebook. Through Jan. 31, 2009, digital nomads can purchase a select Inspiron Mini 9 that is regularly $449 for $99 after a $350 Dell mail-in rebate and the purchase of a qualifying two-year AT&T LaptopConnect agreement.

The Inspiron Mini 9 is a small, easy-to-carry Internet companion that can be tuned to fit your specific needs and deeds. Minis are ideal for teens, tweens, travelers and “Tweeters” to surf the Web, chat with friends, blog, upload photos or enjoy online videos, music and games.

AT&T offers the nation’s fastest 3G network in nearly 350 major U.S. metropolitan areas. AT&T LaptopConnect customers with a 2-year service agreement also enjoy free connectivity to the AT&T Wi-Fi network, the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network with thousands of hotspots across the country.

The News:

• Inspiron Mini 9 with built-in mobile broadband capability regularly $449 is available for $99 after a $350 mail-in Dell rebate exclusively on Dell.com.
• Requires the purchase of a two-year AT&T LaptopConnect agreement for $60 per month. Additional fees apply.
• Available exclusively on Dell.com.
• Offer valid through Jan. 31, 2009

For more information visit www.dell.com or www.att.com

January 8, 2009 -- Palm today unveiled its groundbreaking Palm webOS mobile platform, built from the ground up to be constantly connected to the web, and the new Palm Pre, the first phone based on the new platform. Pre is scheduled to be available exclusively from Sprint in the first half of 2009.

Palm webOS is a brand-new kind of platform, invented exclusively for mobile use. webOS recognizes that you want your people, calendars and information to move with you, wherever you are, wirelessly, as opposed to being bound to a personal computer. Palm webOS is the first mobile platform to automatically bring your information from the many places it resides - on your phone, at your work or on the web - into one simple, integrated view. The new Palm Pre and webOS are designed to be so in sync with your needs that it feels like Pre is thinking ahead for you.

"Palm products have always been about simplifying lives and delivering great user experiences," said Ed Colligan, Palm president and chief executive officer. "webOS and Pre bring game-changing simplicity to an increasingly mobile world by dissolving the barriers that surround your information. It's technology that seems like it's thinking ahead to bring you what you care about most - your people, your time, and your information - in the easiest and most seamless way." Read more

January 8, 2009 – Sony this week unveiled an array of innovative products and forward-looking technologies that span virtually all of the consumer electronics industry’s major product categories and move in new directions, including the world of 3D.

From networked Internet televisions to the world’s lightest 8-inch notebook PC (as of December 2008), Sony is showing a dazzling assortment of new product and technology announcements.

The entertainment and electronics powerhouse is also out in full force at CES this year with representation from Sony Electronics, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Ericsson and Sony Music Entertainment.

To begin with Sony took the wraps off of new networked BRAVIA LCD high-definition television models with rich Internet applications called “BRAVIA widgets” that deliver real-time information, as well as streaming video via BRAVIA Internet Video Link capability integrated right into the TV sets. Read more