“The latest projector offerings from Samsung concentrate on exactly what customers are looking for,” says Levina de Matos, Samsung product manager at Tarsus, “delivering faithful, colour-perfect performance, distinctive contemporary designs, an almost whisper-silent operation and multiple connectivity options.”

The new line of data projectors is furthermore also suited to a wide variety of disciplines. For example, of particular interest in the field of home entertainment is the Samsung SP-A600 – a full HD projector that features Digital Light Projection 1080p film technology, which is the same technology used in top-of-the-range high-definition television displays. 

The SP-A600 has a wide variety of connectivity options and offers video support for Blu-ray as well as an input for a PC, making the home entertainment centre possibilities vast.

“With guaranteed colour accuracy, this projector provides the perfect colour gamut for each broadcasting standard. The SP-A600 truly is a dazzling LED data projector with groundbreaking 1,000 ANSI lumens, which lights up the screen with your favourite TV channels, movies and games,” de Matos adds.

“Looking at the portable powerhouses in Samsung’s new line-up, the SP-P400 and SP-410M (differing only in brightness – 150 and 170 respectively) are both LED-based DLP Pocket Projectors that offer the user convenience and mobility by fitting neatly into a laptop bag or briefcase.

“Featuring a USB port and auto play functionality, these projectors support Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF and JPG playback capabilities, allowing road warriors to leave their notebooks at the office and carry nothing more than a USB Flash Memory Stick to their presentations,” de Matos continues.

The LED lamp on these projectors is eco-friendly and never requires replacement, reducing operational costs. It also has a 30,000-hour lifespan with an auto power on/off functionality to preserve the bulb.

With stereo speakers, a remote control and support for USB multimedia with instant media play, as well as an 80-inch maximum screen size, this really is a pocket projector with some serious power.

For academic or corporate environments, such as classrooms and conference rooms, the units in the Samsung L Series (L200, L220, L250, L300, L350) are complete stand-alone multimedia projectors capable of providing sharp colour-true images and sound from any AV or PC source, including HDMI. They come with a full range of inputs and support for USB multimedia, as well as a full range of input options.

Rounding out the new Samsung projector line-up in the mobile professional field, the SP-H05 is a portable handheld device that’s the latest must-have accessory for travel and impromptu presentations.

“It’s small enough to fit in your pocket and it has a built-in player for Microsoft Office file formats, PDF, movies, music and video. It also works with any mp3 player, personal gaming device, cell phone or notebook and has its own built-in battery and speakers, as well as a MicroSD card slot,” de Matos says.

“Samsung’s new line of data projectors offers something innovative for every sector of the market – right from home entertainment, to the classroom, through to the mobile professional – delivering convenience, high performance and practicality,” de Matos concludes.

“The HP MultiSeat t100 Thin Client allows schools and call centres to double their seats without affecting their budget,” says Fulvio Donà, HP product manager at Tarsus Technologies.

“It does this by accessing the excessive leverage capacity of one PC, and using it to deliver a Windows experience that can be shared between up to 10 users per unit,” he says.

This system is powered by a single, dedicated HP Compaq MultiSeat ms6000 Desktop with Windows MultiPoint Server 2010. The ms6000 desktop used for the solution is a small form factor using an Intel Core 2 Quad Processor, as well as Intel Q43 Express Chipset and a 500GB Hard Drive while graphics are powered by an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 integrated card.

“What makes this solution so ideal for the educational or call centre environment is that it is intended to reduce the total number of PCs, while increasing total users – having the direct benefit of decreasing total time spent on management, networking, maintenance and upgrades,” Donà explains.

Despite this, he says, the solution is extremely easy to set up and effortless to use.

“It’s a simple matter of adding more seats with devices that require only unboxing and plugging in,” he elaborates.

“Companies can expect a reduction of up to 80% in energy costs, with the system consuming somewhere in the region of 2.5 Watts per user. The solid-state access drives also have less impact on the external environment as they produce 90% less heat and noise than traditional PCs,” he adds.

Commercial customers will receive a version of MultiPoint server preloaded on the system under an OEM license, while educational customers with existing license agreements with Microsoft are privy to a discounted price on the solution.

“For this reason, it’s imperative that educational customers fully-inform their resellers of their Microsoft license status, since that’s the only way they will be able to benefit from the reduced cost,” he says.

With this computing solution, HP has shown that they’re capable of producing solutions of significant value for educational institutions with limited resources. It shows that the company is committed to providing access to technology where it’s needed most.

“There’s also no doubt that the structure of this system and all its benefits will appeal to call centre enterprises as well,” Donà adds.

“It’s a revolutionary spin on the market and one we believe will fare well in the coming years,” he concludes.

Balancing sport, culture and education, the inaugural edition of the Youth Olympic Games will inspire young people all over the world to embrace the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.

Acer strongly believes in values that Sport promotes, especially in the constant effort towards excellence as a result of passion and commitment. After having successfully partnered with the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in February 2010,  Acer will be now on the side of the 3.600 young athletes aged between 14 and 18 years that are going to compete in 26 sporting disciplines. Its deep commitment involves providing the computing equipment needed to build the core PC infrastructure and contributing to the CEP – Culture and Education Programme.

More than 2.000 PCs will be deployed in all competition venues and in the Digital Media Center (DMC) to help ensure that the Games can go live.

Acer also supports the International Olympic Committee programmes such as the Young Ambassadors and Young Reporters initiatives that will play an important role in the Youth Olympic Games Culture and Education Programme.

Thirty Young Ambassadors, aged between 18 and 28 and selected from the five continents, actively promote the YOG within their countries and communities. They also encourage athletes to participate in the cultural and educational activities that will be part of the Games.

The Young Reporters are students of journalism and young people aged between 18 and 24 years that will benefit from training by highly qualified media professionals.

Each of them received an Acer Aspire 1810T Special Edition for the Olympic Games, a notebook with a classy silver brushed metal finish and diamond cut Olympic logo that helps them to fulfill their mission.

Moreover, Acer is supplying the USB keys that IOC donates to all young athletes. The key includes exciting video films and a lot of useful information to encourage them to participate in the CEP.

At the heart of the Youth Olympic Village, in the Digital Media Center (DMC), Acer computers will make sure that young athletes enjoy educational and cultural multimedia programs and always stay connected with their families, friends and the whole world.  

“As sport overcomes barriers by acknowledging the value of difference and the strength of common objectives, Acer moves in the same direction – states Gianfranco Lanci, President and CEO, Acer Inc. – by facilitating communication among different populations through easy-to-use technological solutions shaped around real people and real needs“. 

Powered by one of the latest Intel Celeron Dual Core processors, built on the Mobile Intel GL40 Express Chipset, and boasting 2 GB of DDR2 667 MHz memory, this notebook is an essential partner for a mobile lifestyle on the road and an entertainment hub and excellent multitasker at home .

With a 320 GB hard drive, the Aspire 5334 allows users to download and store a wealth of content. This data can be easily shared using a multi-in-one card reader.

The Aspire 5334 also shines as a multimedia notebook, thanks to the HD screen that brings photos and movies to vivid life. The Mobile Intel GL40 Express Chipset with integrated 3D graphics features an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M  and supports Microsoft DirectX 10, providing great performance for video and 3D graphics.

The notebook is all about connectivity – it makes it easy for users to interact face to face with their favourite people wherever they go. They can connect to any wireless hotspot via built-in Wi-Fi or go the wired route using Fast Ethernet, and then use the Acer Crystal Eye webcam for video chats for a fun, personal way to stay in touch.

The full-size keyboard features large keys for enhanced typing, while media keys give users total control over their digital entertainment. A touchpad lock prevents accidental cursor movement, and a WLAN key instantly connects to available Wi-Fi hotspots.

Says John Geypen, product manager at Acer South Africa: “The Acer Aspire 5334 is an affordable notebook for anyone who needs a machine that offers great media performance, multitasking and easy connectivity on the road. With its combination of elegant design and the latest components, the Aspire 5334 is a versatile notebook for people with busy lives.”

Acer Revo is an all-in-one multimedia center that gives the ultimate personal theater experience in your living room. Slim and elegant, it is graced by a contemporary design and finish with the added convenience of the innovative wireless remote control. The RevoPad allows effortless media control and seamless navigation through a double functionality: a touch-sensitive backlit QWERY keyboard, that turns into a multi-gesture touchpad simply with a click. Acer Revo comes equipped with Acer clear.fi console, the advanced Acer solution that delivers all you need to enjoy HD videos and movies, view your latest photos, play your favourite music or share your medias with your online communities.

Acer RevoView makes enjoying digital content on a high-definition TV easy and intuitive – no complex device settings, burning DVDs, or connecting a computer to the TV. This HD media player has a compact design with a matte black finish and a large power button emitting blue light for easy operation even in the dark. It can be connected directly to your TV, without need of complex set up, plus rear and side ports allow easy connection to surround sound speaker systems to enjoy an immersive entertainment. The handy remote control combined with the friendly UI to provide easy access, browsing and playing of your media library.

Supporting an extensive range of media formats, the Acer RevoView can play content from a host of devices: USB, HDD, storage cards, optical disc, and UPnP mass storage media. What’s more, the easy swappable hard disk drive can be easily changed to play a different set of media and can be shared with the 2010 Aspire M Series desktop PC and Acer RevoCenter. 

The HDMI^™ port enables high-definition 1080p video and music playback. And to complete your media enjoyment, connect to the Internet to view Flickr^® and Picasa^™ photo slideshows on a big screen.

The Acer RevoCenter is a wonderfully compact and quiet home appliance that lets you store, protect and share your growing digital library with family and friends. Thanks to UPnP support all connected devices can easily access all media contents stored in the large hard disk space.

And what’s more, with the Acer RevoCenter you can stream digital media content to multiple applications or DLNA compliant devices. Up to four hot-swappable Serial ATA hard disk drives offer plenty of space for your ever growing collection of pictures, movies, videos, games and documents. Ready to take its place at the heart of your digital home and let you share files on your home network, the Acer RevoCenter can be remotely accessed so you can connect to your server anytime, anywhere and upload or download files. Storage space can be increased by simply adding internal or external hard disk drives, while hassle-free PC and file backup along with a smart recovery process make sure your files are safe and sound.

Pictures, video or data files can be easily uploaded to the Acer RevoCenter directly from your portable devices. All you need to do is connect the device through the USB port and press the one-touch backup button. Data is automatically sorted and stored by file type into folders of your choice.

If retailers and resellers were expecting just another update to the ThinkPad brand, they’re in for a surprise with this notebook. ThinkPads have typically been aimed at big business, however, Lenovo has shown that it’s ready to take on the budget-conscious small business sector, whilst being cognisant of the need for consumer-friendly features, and the ThinkPad Edge encompasses all of this.

“For the first time ever,” says Alexi Hume Lenovo product manager at Tarsus Technologies, “there’s choice when it comes to colour. The ThinkPad Edge 13” notebook is available in Midnight Black and striking Heatwave Red, with a glossy finish.

“The aesthetical makeover doesn’t end at colour. There has also been a total rethink on the notebook’s keyboard, and the new island-style design has a simplified layout that’s actually based on contemporary usage patterns,” Hume adds.

Lenovo hasn’t only redesigned the exterior, they have looked internally too; the ThinkPad Edge runs on an Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor at 1.3GHz with 800MHz FSB and 3MB cache; or for the first time ever, users have the option of an AMD version, running on the AMD Athlon Neo X2 Dual-Core L325 processor at 1.5GHz with the AMD M780G chipset.

“The Intel version has Intel GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics while the AMD version has ATI Radeon HD 3200 IGP with 128MB graphics memory, and this makes everything from video to Microsoft Office run smoothly,” Hume explains.

With the ThinkPad Edge, Lenovo has shown that they understand that small business owners and their employees expect dedicated performance from their notebooks, and this is exactly what the ThinkPad Edge offers. Multiple wireless connectivity options, excellent battery life and Windows 7 Professional 64-bit make this machine a perfect mobile office.

Added features include the Active Protection System, which guards the notebook from shock damage and a spill-resistant keyboard; both protect the ThinkPad Edge from unwanted damage from the knocks and spills it may endure as part of a rigorous business lifestyle.

The goal with the ThinkPad Edge was to match Lenovo reliability with flair, and offer this at an affordable price tag. With the ThinkPad Edge, Lenovo has managed to do this, without losing the robust and durable design that users, resellers and retailers have come to expect from the brand,” Hume concludes.

Touch screen technology is for everyone. Besides being a fun and engaging way to manage and share digital content, multi-touch technology means you can use more gesture combinations for a wider range of functionalities and a more natural and intuitive approach. But the spontaneity and simplicity of this technology can be spoiled by the variety of different interfaces that can transform a fun and engaging experience into a frustrating one.

Now Acer has stepped in to help users find the way in the maze of different approaches to the touch world creating a common experience that cuts across devices. From the All-in-One desktop to the smartphone, passing through the notebook Acer offers a seamless tactile experience, so that no matter the device, users will be able to find the same familiar look and feel. What’s more this experience can be personalized and users can find everything they need within touch, through intuitive and easy navigation.

Pioneers of this all-round touch experience are the Aspire Z5710 All-in-one PC, the Aspire 5745P notebook and Acer’s latest technological jewel, Acer Stream smartphone.

The Acer Aspire Z5710 All-in-One PC combines great performance, excellent entertainment and sleek design with superior multi-touch functionalities. The stylish and streamlined space saving design makes this desktop perfect for any environments. It can find its place in any room of the house, from the lounge to the study, from the kitchen to a child’s room, bringing the convenience of touch technology exactly where you want. With a spacious 58.4 cm (23”) display with Full HD (1920×1080) resolution, Dolby Home Theater v3 with 5.1-channels HD surround sound support, the Aspire Z5710 delivers outstanding multimedia capabilities. The nifty aluminum case makes of this desktop a true icon of style and frames an advanced PC, rich of cutting edge technologies engineered for enhanced performance: with a slot-in optical drive, multi-in-one card reader, HDMI port and optional TV-tuner it can bring together all the facets of your digital life. From movies to games, from TV to pictures to the ease of operating the PC with your fingers, the new Aspire truly engages all your senses!

 The Aspire 5745P puts the world at your fingertips! The 40 cm (15.6”) HD LED-backlit touchscreen features awesome resolution and response time, making visuals sharper and more colorful than ever, while letting you easily manipulate your multimedia. Beyond that, excellent performance and outstanding high definition entertainment are the trademarks of the Aspire 5745P. Advanced Intel^® Core^™ processing power and premium graphics solutions nicely handle entertainment and multitasking while DDR3 memory speeds up response to graphics-intensive applications so you can work and play faster. A cinema-style sound is enabled by Dolby Home Theater^® v3 sound enhancement. And, the Aspire 5745P boasts impressive resource conservation via ENERGY STAR^® certification, and Acer PowerSmart Manager

Last but not least, Acer Stream is a high-end multimedia smartphone, optimized for watching high-def movies, as it can support up to 720p video quality, listening to music with Dolby Mobile quality, and enjoying web browsing like at home. Thanks to the HDMI-out it can be easily connected to HDTV at home. Perfect for most demanding users who look for the best in entertainment, elegant and minimalist in design, Acer Stream is made from highly resistant materials and offers truly outstanding technical features, all in just 11.2 mm, ensuring users a unique experience. The ample touch screen with AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology offers superb display quality. Ultrafast image response, super wide view angle, unique and high-quality multimedia features combine to create a truly outstanding device. A completely brand new user interface focalized on what is essential to users guarantees a simple and quick access to all the applications. Acer Stream, a concentration of fun and entertainment!

Acer Stream is a high-end multimedia smartphone, optimized for watching movies, listening to music and enjoying web browsing like at home. Perfect for most demanding users who look for the best in entertainment.

Elegant and minimalist in design, Acer Stream is made from highly resistant materials and offers truly outstanding user interface and technical features, all in just 11.2 mm, ensuring users a unique and unrepeatable experience.

The completely brand new user interface has been totally redesigned in order to focus on what is essential to users and guarantee a simple and quick access to what matters to them.

- Enjoy smooth animations and fine graphics: surf between photos and video thanks to the stunningly fluid 3D interface and unlock the phone by a ‘peeling’ gesture, assure a cool but very functional detail!

- Read information straight from the lock screen widget: accessing ambient information on the idle screen gives the user what he needs before he even asks for it. 

- Quickly start your favorite applications with one tap: the status bar appears as an innovative divider between logical spaces. It shows all the essential information, providing shortcuts to most frequently used settings and its position allows a very easy access to the settings or notifications.

- Easily switch applications with the History panel: the top part of the Home screen has been dedicated to applications history, with the benefit of reducing complexity and providing significant cues for navigation.

- Reorder applications across several pages at their convenience: Apps can be moved around from one page to another or easily uninstalled by simply dragging them to the bin.

- Customize the phone according to specific needs: a simple customization page accessible from the Home screen will be a pleasant surprise, enabling customers to tailor their smartphone through wallpaper and sound personalization.

Coupled with three types of predictive keyboards, a smart dialer and a redesigned contacts list, the Acer user interface makes using the smartphone an efficient and delightful experience.

Social and entertaining: All the most popular applications are pre-installed: Nemo player to enjoy multimedia content to the fullest, Acer UrFooz to create your virtual “look-a-like”, add your profile and bookmarks and post it to your social networks, Facebook™ and Twidroid perfectly integrated into the address book.

And for music addicts Acer Stream features Spinlets™, a completely free streaming service that lets you browse and listen to major music labels and record companies for great music and instantly post what you find to your favorite Social Networking sites.

Main features:

Superb display quality: the touch screen with Amoled technology boasts 1.67 million exceptionally bright colors, through a generous 3.7” WVGA display. Furthermore, its incredible contrast (superior 2000:1) makes for clear images and   perfect legibility in any environment and light condition. Moreover, this type of display consumes less energy to help increase battery life.

Ultrafast connectivity 3G+ for streaming: HSDPA 7.2 Mbps in download, Bluetooth and WiFi n, enabling faster transmission of multimedia content than ever!

Power and performance: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor, with its  512 MB RAM, makes the Acer Stream one of the fastest and most reactive phones on the market. The operating system behind Stream is Android version 2.1, better known as

Éclair.

Unique and high-quality multimedia features, enabling the recording of HD videos up to 720p. Listening to your favorite music or the radio with RDS has never been so pleasant; enjoy the Dolby Mobile quality, with powerful bass and crystal-clear clarity for an unparalleled purity of sound. UPnP technology enables content sharing with other devices. Furthermore, a 5MP photocamera and integrated GPS system allow photos and videos to be geotagged. Last but not least, you can connect the Acer Stream to your home TV with HDMI port and watch a movie on a larger screen.

 2GB of internal Flash memory is ideal for downloading tons of applications and 3D games, while an 8GB memory card as free bundle and a micro-SD card slot support up to 32GB enables users to enjoy their favorite multimedia content at all times.

LCD display that allows users to enjoy online media content, organise their schedules and get real-time news even when the monitor is not connected to a PC.

The screen features an integrated computer and Wi-Fi connectivity to give you access to online information even when it isn’t plugged into a computer.

The display features eight toolkits with widget-based functions – calendar, poster, weather, news, clock, video, music, and digital photo frame – allowing users to access online media content even when the D241H is not connected to a PC.

Up to three of these widgets can be displayed on screen at a time, so you can watch a video, keep an eye on the news and see changes to your calendar all at the same time.

Says Josef Chvala, product manager at Acer South Africa: “The Acer D241H is an innovative display that’s more than just a fully-featured PC monitor. It offers a host of new possibilities for home users, from serving as an updated version of the family fridge bulletin board, through to providing an electronic photo frame or an additional screen for watching videos.”

With a native 1920 x 1080 resolution, the D241H is perfect for advanced 1080p Full HD multimedia and productivity applications such as Blu-Ray movies, high-definition gaming, multitasking and document comparison.

With a rapid 2 ms response time delivers high-quality moving images for games and video. The Acer OD (overdrive) technology improves the gray-to-gray level, which is the most important factor in the moving-picture viewing experience.

Thanks to the Acer Adaptive Contrast Management (ACM) technology, the D241H offers a stunning contrast ratio of 80,000:1. Acer ACM analyses every scene and adjusts images frame by frame, optimising contrast by enhancing detail and gradation even in very bright or dim scenes. What’s more, Acer ACM allows the LCD monitor to use less power and save energy.

 The monitor offers an all-digital HDMI interface as well as analogue connectivity. It is packaged with a remote control that provides easy access to all the widget functions.

Weighing a mere 1.385kg and measuring a slight 25.8mm, the Inspiron 11z boasts impressive performance for its size and is packed with features like a high-capacity hard drive, a high-definition 29cm display as well as the latest in wireless technology. 

 “The ultimate travel companion, the Inspiron 11z is slim, but powerful, with a 250GB hard drive (optionally expandable up to 500GB) and there is also an option to increase performance by adding up to 4GB of RAM. For additional storage, optional external hard drives are available,” says Terence Barter, Dell business unit manager at Tarsus Technologies.

Designed for ultra-mobility, the Inspiron 11z doesn’t waste any space, boasting a 29cm HD WLED display as well as a new and improved touchpad.

“The Inspiron 11z is designed to fit unobtrusively into the user’s lifestyle, allowing them to experience true mobility with exceptional performance and a long battery life with Intel’s new ultra-low-voltage processors.

“In terms of thinking power, the Intel Celeron 743 processor improves productivity and increases output dramatically,” adds Barter.

The Inspiron 11z will keep the user connected to the world with its vast array of mobile features. The latest wireless connectivity is available in the form of built-in Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth and mobile broadband.

“Users can remain in touch with the office and stay in face-to-face contact with friends, family and colleagues using the integrated 1.3MP camera with microphone,” explains Barter.

The optional 6-cell battery gives the user up to 6 hours and 12 minutes of battery life, when combined with an Intel Pentium SU4100 processor.

Users can also enjoy smart services from Dell as part of the 11z package, such as DataSafe Online, which is an online backup service offering data protection by enabling users to automatically back up data to a safe, remote storage and help protect against software, hardware and catastrophic failure.

“With Dell Remote Access, customers can access their PC from almost anywhere,” he says.

“The Inspiron 11z is slim, sleek and completely packed with thinking power and performance potential, providing mobile users with all the resources they could possibly need when on the road.

“For this reason Tarsus believes the 11z will amaze users, retailers and resellers alike,” Barter concludes.