Computer Trade Shopper articles from August 2005

Computer Trade Shopper archives from August 2005

The true cost of cut-price PCs.(editorial)
August 3, 2005... It's the end of an era, but time has finally run out for Granville Technology (forgive the unintentional pun) after the group which owns the UK's largest system builder was placed into administration last week, having lost up to 2m [pounds...

Pirated software floods into UK channel.(news)
August 3, 2005... Software piracy in the UK is rife, and Microsoft investigators last week revealed details of the latest spate of counterfeit flooding the market and the extent of corporate misuse. The software giant is warning resellers to be on the...

Vendors to turn to hybrid model?(news)
August 3, 2005... The EMEA vice-president of channels at Hewlett-Packard has predicted that a lean PC market will force all vendors to develop a hybrid model in the next year and claimed the company was learning valuable lessons to give it an advantage. ...

Computer 2000 boosts resources behind SME resellers.(news)
August 3, 2005... In response to tough market conditions in the corporate reseller sector, Computer 2000 has restructured and shifted more resources behind teams selling to the SME reseller community. Under the restructure, the Basingstoke-based distributor...

Avnet boxes clever for system builders.(news)
August 3, 2005... Avnet has combined its component and OEM businesses across Europe to assemble whitebox mid-range and high-end servers for system builders, an area the channel has lost interest in, according to the distributor. Sukh Rayat, vice-president...

Expansys forced to import grey.(news)
August 3, 2005... The managing director at Expansys has claimed his company was forced to import products from outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) because of the disparity between pricing in the UK, the US and the Far East. As exclusively reported...

European and Asian vendor advantage.(news)
August 3, 2005... The ever-tightening noose of regulation imposed on US vendors is handing the advantage to Asian and European manufacturers able to act with greater flexibility. The introduction of Sarbanes-Oxley and the greater scrutiny of companies...

Information and communication revolution the ASUS way.(Advertisement)
August 3, 2005... If the agricultural revolution had such a profound impact on society that many people call this era the dawn of civilization, then the latest transformation in information and communication that shook the very core of our daily life is...

Intelligent fan duct design directs cool air to CPU and VRM.(HOT Stuff)(Advertisement)
August 3, 2005... Today, let us take a look at a revolutionary processor cooling solution that will change the way people think about system cooling. The ASUS VR Guard CPU cooler incorporated an intelligent fan duct designed to direct cool air to the processor...

Beat the heat with a touch of [H.sub.2]O.(cts EXCLUSIVE)
August 3, 2005... Most of the cooling systems in PCs are just simply not up to the job and with intense graphical games heating processors up there needs to be another form of action taken to stop a system degrading. One answer is to sit there with the...

Humble elements get a touch of real class.
August 3, 2005... When it comes to keyboards and mice often the budget gets waylaid and the cheap stuff that comes included with the machine gets handed out and employees grumble but get on with it. Things don't have to be like that and it is possible to...

Web cams enter the quality age.
August 3, 2005... In a conversation with the UK country manager at Logitech he listed the products the company produces and ended by asking if he had already mentioned web cams. The Logitech QuickCam Communicate STX for MSN Messenger is going to have an...

Camcorder that packs so much into so little.
August 3, 2005... When it comes to packing bags for the summer holidays a video camera has to be on the list of what must be included. But lets face it we all worry about turning up on some Spanish beach with a camera round our necks that screams "mug me" or...

Flash storage gets more substantial.
August 3, 2005... There are flash memory sticks and there are pocket storage products that bristle with invention. How do you define innovation on a product that is often no bigger than your index finger? Partly through capacity but also through added functions...

Timely opportunity for firewall upgrades.
August 3, 2005... When you talk about security there are a couple of products that are always described as "bread and butter" and firewalls continue to be a large focus for resellers along with VPNs. It would be hard to find a company that did not understand the...

First stop for home media software.
August 3, 2005... The king in the market when it comes to budget but useful Pc software is FastTrak, which has been around plying its trade to perfection for years. The publisher sent CTS a handful of its latest releases to give a flavour of the direction...

Peripherally speaking.(round up)
August 3, 2005... There has been a lot of evidence recently for those industry observers predicting more involvement from traditional hardware distributors in the components and peripherals end of the market. Last year there were moves by Northamber to sign...

Multimedia player comes with pre-loaded maps.(SHORTS)
August 3, 2005... Distributor Imago Group is launching the TViX portable multimedia player in the UK, following an agreement with Korean developer, DViCo. Similar in functionality to an MP3 player, TViX combines a decoder and software that enables digital...

FATA disc drives provide greater flexibility.(SHORTS)
August 3, 2005... Hewlett-Packard has unveiled two Fibre Attached Technology Adapted (FATA) disk drives that provide increased flexibility to segment reference data, such as infrequently accessed archived e-mail or medical records and imaging archives, as well...

SoundBridge adds free software.(SHORTS)
August 3, 2005... Anyone who went out and told their customers to wisely purchase a Roku SoundBridge Network Music Player can now tell them how to get a free software update the includes: Internet radio stations, that display song title and artist and PDA...

Channel beware of past policy: with Dell making noises about plans to grow its channel business, editor Paul Kunert urges resellers to heed the warnings and exercise caution before partnering with the traditionally direct giant.(analysis)
August 3, 2005... History has a nasty habit of repeating itself and resellers working with Dell today would do well to remember lessons from the past. Nine years ago this month, the self-proclaimed direct selling specialist dropped three-quarters of the 500...

A technophile, but no buzzwords: Cliff Cheetham, head of marketing and Web development at Interface Solutions, is a dedicated gamer in love with technology and not afraid of the odd non-virtual dust-up.(talking shop)(Interview)
August 3, 2005... WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AT THE COMPANY? I'm responsible for the marketing output of the company, from electronic to hard copy and the different events we run--so I get to play golf... badly. DO YOU HAVE A BUSINESS MAXIM?...

Users, not telco providers defining the future: "delivering effective mobile strategy" was officially the core theme of the Mobility Summit, held recently in London, but the most striking thing was that those with the clearest opinions on the future of mobile were not from the telecoms companies.(market overview)
August 3, 2005... A number of speakers made a nod towards the need for a work/life balance and hinted at the evils of 24/7 connectivity for the worker. Amusingly Bob Brace, VP mobile solutions for Nokia, confided that "fortunately I live in a house that doesn't...

Show time for mobile and wireless: finally, after decades of empty promises, mobile and wireless technology is going mainstream and looks set to change the way we work.(across the pond)
August 3, 2005... Mobile and wireless technology is finally ready for prime time. Actually, to be more accurate, mobile and wireless technology is ready for real time. I have been covering the impact of mobile and wireless technology on the market since...

Inkjet technology has yet to reach its prime: Brother's communications director Mike Dinsdale provides an insight into the company's product roadmap, looking at the current key technologies and which will prevail.(product roadmap)
August 3, 2005... From our position as a major manufacturer of printer-based products that span all technologies we are well placed to engage in a little crystal ball gazing and would like to share our vision of developments in the market over the next two...

Which way now for advanced TVs? Pete Gamby reports on the trends in the television screens market, looking at what is expected of ATVs in the coming years.(monitoring trends)
August 3, 2005... Flat panel TVs have been hitting the headlines in many ways in recent months. Sometimes this is for a good reason, such as helping to boost revenues for Loewe, and sometimes for bad, as with the closure of the Sony CRT facilities in Wales. ...

PC takes over the heart of the smart home: as the selling of media centres moves within the grasp of Dixons' staff, resellers need to look to the more complex and interesting add-on systems that need expert configuration.
August 3, 2005... As all forms of entertainment are becoming digitised, with pictures stored in jpeg format, video tapes rapidly going out of fashion and music being downloaded rather than stored on over priced, unreliable CDs, the PC is suddenly the foundation...

The tender spot.(tender invitations)
August 3, 2005... STAR TENDER 128083 UK-Derby: EPOS system Onboard EPOS system, for use on passenger train fleets. 129739, TENDER INVITATION UK-Leicester: audio-visual equipment Audio-visual equipment and associated security items. ...

Manufacturers.(cts directory)(Directory)
August 3, 2005... MANUFACTURERS PHONE WEB a 1st Computer Traders Ltd 1827 55555 www.1ct.com Acer (UK) Ltd 1753 699200 www.aceruk.co.uk ACME Technology Ltd 020 89633300 ...

Distributors.(cts directory)(Directory)
August 3, 2005... DISTRIBUTORS PHONE FAX a 1st Computer Traders Ltd 01827 55555 01827 66666 A One Distribution 0161 7633633 0161 7633644 Access Keyboards Ltd ...

It's a busy time for the fraudsters.(editorial)
August 17, 2005... The silly season for the channel is coming to an end, but there have been some in the IT industry who have enjoyed a very busy summer. No seasonal drop-offs for them. Who are these innovative individuals? Er... criminals, or VAT fraudsters, to...

Atec to launch in Europe with LCD TV range.(news)
August 17, 2005... With scant profits to be made in the PC monitor market, Korean manufacturer Atec has decided to focus its European launch on LCDTVs and plasmas, employing an industry veteran to head up channel sales in the UK. The third biggest player in...

Enta to push MadeSafe brand.(news)
August 17, 2005... Primarily focusing on the OEM market in the past, UK-based security vendor Solarsoft has recently turned its attentions to the channel and appointed Enta Technologies to increase its presence in the reseller and system builder space. Sold...

Micro Star appoints Northamber.(news)
August 17, 2005... Northamber has filled the hole left in Micro Star International's (MSi) distribution portfolio by the departure of Microtronica. The new distributor will carry the vendor's entire range, but focus on its mobile and consumer products. In...

WEEE delay will enable industry to resolve issues.(news)
August 17, 2005... A further delay in the roll-out of the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) directive until June 2006 will surprise few in the channel who had predicted such a move by the Government. But postponement will give some in the...

Conflict ahead for channel.(news)
August 17, 2005... Resellers are walking a currency tightrope as they attempt to exploit fluctuations after some major vendors raised the spectre of price increases on the back of a strengthening dollar. Analysts are predicting the dollar will peak against...

Second phase for suppliers.(news)
August 17, 2005... Government IT procurement agency OGCbuying.solutions has whittled down the number of suppliers bidding for a slice of the billion pound public sector purse from 171 to 90, which will now reach the second phase of invitation to Tender. The...

Westcoast buys Orion.(news)
August 17, 2005... Westcoast has acquired specialist consumables distributor Orion Media Marketing to operate as a trading division, giving the company a ready-made route into the office reseller market and adding to its retail business. The Orion brand will...

ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe offers affordable extreme 3D graphics performance.(Advertisement)
August 17, 2005... In recent months, the hubbub over nVIDIA's SLI (Scalable Link Interface) technology as the high-end solution in the form of dual graphics cards has grown by leaps and bounds. The more affordable combinations of dual graphics cards along with...

Get an NVDIA[R] GeForce[TM] 6600 or GeForce 7800 Series card with 'The Power of 3' today.(ADVERTORIAL)(Advertisement)
August 17, 2005... NVIDIA is a market leader in graphics and digital media processors and their award-winning products deliver superior performance and reliability. NVIDIA has just launched their new GeForce 7800GT cards alongside 'The Power of Three' campaign....

Affordable, quality memory.(ADVERTORIAL)(Advertisement)
August 17, 2005... A-Data, is the third best manufacturer in the world and the fifth best manufacturer of Flash Disks in the world. The Taiwanese manufacturer produces memory modules and flash products and A-Data are renowned for high quality, innovative products...

Stay cool with the power of Zen.(cts EXCLUSIVE)
August 17, 2005... Energy consumption and heat are going to be a massive issue in the next few years as environmentalists and corporations start to understand the true costs of power. As petrol tops 1 [pounds sterling] a litre for the first time and in...

Flexible storage while on the move.
August 17, 2005... The storage market demands an appliance that does it all. Enterprise users want ILM, an all-singing, all dancing data management system, while SMEs and home users want a product with a host of features so that the price tag looks like a...

Take control from your sofa.
August 17, 2005... If you have customers who have invested in a Windows XP Media Center, then there you have an opportunity to promote associated peripherals. One of the important extras that a user is likely to purchase is a remote keyboard that allows them...

A simple alternative to wireless networks.
August 17, 2005... Plenty of corporate customers discovered when they set off on a wireless course that, despite the promises on the box, it didn't always run as smoothly as they had hoped. Things like brick walls stopped signals getting through and caused...

Bigger picture on a smaller budget.
August 17, 2005... While recently engaged in a heated discussion with a distributor about the merits of upgrading from a 17in TFT to a 19in TFT, it became clear that the general consensus is while we would all like a larger screen, a 19in is a lot more money for...

Tune in to the latest iPod opportunities.
August 17, 2005... The world of peripherals is a wide as it is deep and aside from the big ticket items such as printers, there are plenty of smaller items that resellers can add into a user's shopping basket to drive up the cost of sale and increase margin. ...

Go full throttle with Jetway.
August 17, 2005... When it comes to choosing a motherboard, the average user would like to feel they have bought a Ferrari rather than a Morris Minor, so it makes sense for the packaging to use images that imply speed. Emblazoned with blurred images of...

The floppy disk lives on.(round up)
August 17, 2005... Resellers holding the belief that the floppy disk market is history might be surprised to discover that sales of internal and external drives and the medium are showing a determination not to be written off quite yet. Long since seen as...

THX-Trade to drive Club 3d gaming brand.(SHORTS)
August 17, 2005... Gaming graphics specialist Club 3D has signed up THX-Trade to help drive the brand, which has been gaining momentum in the UK. Gary Jones, Club 3D channel manager, said the attraction of THX had been its reputation for service: "We need to work...

LG launches USB flash memory drives.(SHORTS)
August 17, 2005... Everyone wants to get in on the USB memory device game and those resellers selling the products have a fresh source of product after LG took the wraps off its Mirror and Retractable USB flash memory drives. Designed to be easy to carry, the...

Shuttle launches Barebone with Intel 945G chipset.(SHORTS)
August 17, 2005... Regular appearances in CTS with its Barebone range have established the name Shuttle in this market. The manufacturer has expanded its range with the launch of the XPC Barebone SD31P, the first SFF PC to support Intel dual-core and 64-bit...

Coolergiant ramps up its power supply range.(SHORTS)
August 17, 2005... The popularity of systems such as the XPC range and the subsequent rise in sales of small form factor systems has influenced the latest release from Coolergiant, the official UK source for the acclaimed Enermax range of power supplies for PC...

Squeezing the truth: Eddie Pacey, director of credit services EMEA at Bell Microproducts, asks whether credit squeeze is a tangible, measurable effect or merely a perceived notion that invites exaggeration the more often it is spoken or written about.(opinion)
August 17, 2005... The words 'credit squeeze' occasionally make the head lines and add a twist of panic to tough trading conditions and thoughts of increased business failure. Provision of credit entails risk and the measures used to calculate this are...

Making the leap from frozen food: Darren Hanton, UK country manager at Trust, is pleased by the innovation and dynamism that surround him in the IT industry.(talking shop)(Interview)
August 17, 2005... DO YOU HAVE A BUSINESS MAXIM? This can best be summed up in the company mission statement: Trust is committed to maximising the business opportunities of our partners and giving both value for money and quality branded products to the mass...

Channel caught between pirates and legitimate sources: with software piracy estimated to be costing the industry in the region of 1bn [pounds sterling] every year, the channel faces the problem of identifying counterfeit kit to protect its customers.(market overview)
August 17, 2005... The software industry has its own war being fought between legitimate vendors and their black market counterparts, with the channel caught in the thick of it. Microsoft's shocking revelation recently that a snapshot of 25 business...

Weighing up the figures: analyst house Context provides a snapshot of the UK PC market during the second quarter.(in focus)
August 17, 2005... Figures from analyst house Context for the UK PC market showed 9.9 per cent growth in shipments in the second quarter compared to the same period a year earlier, with flat sales in the desktop market buoyed by a 33.5 per cent increase in...

Thoroughly modern mobile world: Phil O'Neill, vice-president, Kensington Computer Accessories, delves into the future of mobile technology, which holds promise of greater functionality for consumers and business users alike.(product roadmap)
August 17, 2005... In today's world of increasingly global and multi site offices, workers rarely stay in one place. More and more employees are not fixed to a desk, but use laptops to work remotely, taking their work, and accessories, with them. This shift...

From science fiction to science fact: Tony Glover reports on how human microchip implants have moved from make-believe movie scenarios to a tried and tested reality.(analysis)
August 17, 2005... The technology of inserting microchips into human beings has moved from the realm of science fiction and onto the enterprise IT director's desk as a genuine business strategy astonishingly quickly. Ten years ago, cyborgs were the stuff of...

Putting on a class act: as educational establishments spend vast sums of money to equip their classrooms with the latest technologies, so the need for physical security measures and Internet protection increases.
August 17, 2005... As the impact of the first few waves of substantial investment in ICT for education settle in some of the issues and challenges are becoming clearer as schools and colleges look to consolidate that initial investment. Security, both...

The tender spot.(tender invitations)
August 17, 2005... STAR TENDER 114047 UK-Edinburgh: disaster recovery Disaster recovery--contingency off-site services. 142776, TENDER INVITATION UK-Sunderland: VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol solution. 144834, TENDER INVITATION ...

Manufacturers.(Directory)
August 17, 2005... a PHONE WEB 1st Computer Traders Ltd 01827 55555 www.1ct.com Acer (UK) Ltd 01753 699200 www.aceruk.co.uk ACME Technology Ltd 020 89633300 www.acmetech.co.uk Actebis Computers ...

Distributors.(Directory)
August 17, 2005... PHONE FAX a 1st Computer Traders Ltd 01827 55555 01827 66666 A One Distribution 0161 7633633 0161 7633644 Access Keyboards Ltd ...

The truth is out.(editorial)
August 31, 2005... A lot of words get wasted by people on opposite sides of the direct/indirect equation. Both believe they're right and can be very dogmatic and fundamentalist in their advocacy of those beliefs. To them, the perfect sales model is either 100 per...

Counting the mounting cost of counterfeiting.(news)
August 31, 2005... According to a survey by KPMG, up to ten per cent of IT components and software products sold globally are counterfeit, accounting for $100bn (55bn [pounds sterling]) each year, and the problem is expected to worsen over the next three to four...

Request for kit status definition.(news)
August 31, 2005... With increasing margin pressures on hardware, the fine line between second user kit, refurbished product and the grey market has never been finer, but the channel has been urged to embrace the second user and refurbished market as a source of...

Dealers plan for waste legislation.(news)
August 31, 2005... The upside of the delay of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive could be to provide resellers with more time to work out how to make money from the forthcoming legislation. The DTI decided to push back the roll out...

Worm triggers fear frenzy.(news)
August 31, 2005... The security industry found itself caught up in a hyped up epidemic recently as the Zotob worm grabbed the headlines, causing a wave of alerts and sparking calls for user updates. Following high profile attacks on some large US media...

Cut costs for customers.(news)
August 31, 2005... When it comes to contributing value to the UK economy, computing and related services turned out to be the fastest growing sector between 1992 and 2003, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), but suppliers must offer customers...

Integralis drops InTechnology.(news)
August 31, 2005... Security integrator Integralis has moved its final chunk of business away from InTechnology in a development that marks the end of an era and, following recent redundancies, is another blow to the distributor. InTechnology made 50 people...

Computers that accommodate your lifestyle, not the other way around.(Advertisement)
August 31, 2005... Multimedia and home entertainment are the next big trends that are projected to take personal computing out of offices and studies, and become the entertainment centerpiece of your living room. However, how many computers out there really...

Intelligent fan duct design directs cool air to CPU and VRM.(HOT Stuff)(Advertisement)
August 31, 2005... Today, let us take a look at a revolutionary processor cooling solution that will change the way people think about system cooling. The ASUS VR Guard CPU cooler incorporated an intelligent fan duct designed to direct cool air to the processor...

TV on the move with some extras.(cts EXCLUSIVE)
August 31, 2005... By the time you read this let's hope England have taken a 2-1 lead in the ashes against the enemy from down under. This fantastic series should go to the wire and if it does then the last thing you want to be doing is trying to sneak off to...

DUALphone bridges the gap to the Web.
August 31, 2005... If you haven't heard of Skype then where have you been for the last 18 months? Using the internet as a backbone for free telephone calls has taken off spreading from homes to businesses and there are few people that have not heard about the...

Top game shows board's quality.
August 31, 2005... There is no point producing a graphics board if you don't deliver what garners want. It also helps to back it up with a strong software bundle. Previous reviewers have made the point about the importance of games and the pressure on the...

Classy passenger on mobile bandwagon.
August 31, 2005... You only have to look at laptop sales to realise that this is a market that is a priority for anyone in the channel to be involved with. But as sales continue to rise there are already some fears being expressed that the market might well...

Leading the 17in monitor race.
August 31, 2005... In a crowded, increasingly commoditised, 17in TFT market, it is becoming difficult to stand out from the pack. However, when we received the latest incarnation of the popular mid-range Belinea 10 17 35 for review, we were immediately struck by...

A direct route to extra revenue.
August 31, 2005... On a trip along the M4 corridor the other day, I managed to sidestep the M25 roadworks at Heathrow, and instead of gridlock, my route took on a country trip feel as I took an alternative route down country lanes on the advice of a gadget...

Music to our ears.
August 31, 2005... If by any chance you have young children, you will be all too familiar with the problem of scratched discs. Children don't seem to be able to understand that fingers and bite marks are not the best ways to treat CDs and DVDs. Once a disc...

I spy a growing threat.(round up)
August 31, 2005... The lack of user awareness about spyware and the threats it poses to financial and network integrity has created a knowledge vacuum that vendors are calling on resellers to fill. According to Webroot Software's State of Spyware Report, the...

Xerox printers at attractive prices.(SHORTS)
August 31, 2005... Colour printers continue to battle it out in the workplace, where customers are looking for cost-effective products. Catering for those market conditions, Xerox is expanding its printer portfolio to include four printers that are set at an...

Flybook meets 'go anywhere, do anything' needs.(SHORTS)
August 31, 2005... Holbe Dialogue has arrived in the with the Flybook, an ultraportable notebook for the demands of today's 'go anywhere, do anything' culture. Integrating Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPRS connectivity, the Flybook weighs just 1.2kg, making it one of the...

Free SIM offer with Imation flash drives.(SHORTS)
August 31, 2005... Imation has taken the wraps off a promotion offering a free SIM card back-up device with every purchase of a promotional pack of an Imation 1GB, 2GB or the latest 4GB USB flash drive (which reads at 29Mbps and writes at 24Mbps). Addressing...

Connected on the go.(SHORTS)
August 31, 2005... For those people who insist on taking laptops with them wherever they go, one of Trust's Notebook Kits should meet all their needs. The Trust NB-6800p Notebook Kit Communication consists of four products that facilitate communication via a...