Computer Trade Shopper articles from October 2005

Computer Trade Shopper archives from October 2005

Small suppliers get a raw deal.(editorial)
October 12, 2005... It looks as though smaller suppliers will be cut out of the latest round of public sector contracts after changes made to the Framework Agreement reduced competition to price. What a huge shock, I hear the channel scream! But after all the...

Multi-million-pound deal to resurrect Tiny name.(news)
October 12, 2005... Watford Electronics has bought the assets and trading name of Tiny and Tiny.com in what the managing director claimed was a multi-million-pound deal, with the expectation that honouring user warranties will improve the brand's perception. ...

Trading Standards clears Microtec 99.(news)
October 12, 2005... Following on from a raid carried out by Rochdale Trading Standards last month, the government body has moved to clarify that the target of suspicion was not Heywood-based distributor Microtec 99 Limited. A raid was carried out in Heywood at...

SMEs confused over licensing needs.(news)
October 12, 2005... SMEs are failing to recognise the implications of not meeting licensing requirements, with only 56 per cent having a formal licensing policy. According to research by PC World Business (PCWB), 58 per cent did not keep records of the software...

Call for Cisco to act on partner undercutting.(news)
October 12, 2005... Gold and silver Cisco partners have demanded stronger policing of the channel. Frustration has boiled over among those most committed to the vendor as they face being undercut by premier partners on Shared Support pricing in tenders. With...

Concerns over Linux skills eased.(news)
October 12, 2005... Channel concerns that Linux is being held back by a perceived lack of skills were eased at LinuxWorld in London. Kensington Olympia was host to channel names such as SCC, Computacenter, Kavanagh, Keltec and CapGemini, and also IBM,...

Sony adds business focus to notebooks.(news)
October 12, 2005... Although late in the day, Sony has finally engineered business notebooks and overhauled its warranty structure for the commercial space, but the family of products aimed at SMEs may be too expensive to achieve large volumes, according to...

Portable drive is simple yet powerful.(cts EXCLUSIVE)
October 12, 2005... At a meeting with a hard disk drive manufacturer last year it showed off the latest portable USB HDD as a finale to the discussion and dug out a sleek-looking product that offered 5GB. At the time, that sort of capacity on a USB drive was...

Observer 10 spies network bottlenecks.
October 12, 2005... One of the biggest problems with technology is that it often ends up doing a lot more than it was originally purchased for, and as a result it starts to strain at the seams. One obvious example is a network that suddenly has to handle more...

Engineered for reliability.
October 12, 2005... Along with selecting the motherboard and the graphics card, the next major decision a user faces is which hard disk drive to buy. HDDs have become increasingly important as a result of the expansion of this technology into all types of...

It's small but perfectly formed.
October 12, 2005... When the cube PC was launched, everyone wanted to have a go at putting together something for that form factor, and for a while nearly every vendor had a small desktop chassis in their portfolio. But things have settled down and so has the...

Air Flo EX keeps gamers cool.
October 12, 2005... Although the distribution contracts for computer games consoles outside the large retailers are often held by a select few specialists on an exclusive basis, there is nothing to stop other resellers getting a slice of the action with...

Flatbed scanner gives dynamic performance.
October 12, 2005... In the run-up to Christmas 2005, the digital imaging manufacturers have been busy all summer rattling their sabres and unveiling massive line-ups of equipment covering every conceivable niche of the booming home photography, printing and...

Flash stick cruises ahead of rivals.
October 12, 2005... When the USB Flash memory stick burst onto the scene a few years ago, the tiny devices were greeted by the industry and consumers alike as a genuine, old-school solution to the storage problem. Initially aimed at road warriors and the business...

Big issues for storage.(round up)
October 12, 2005... The most important issues facing customers buying storage are performance and cost as they try to cope with meeting the demands of compliance regulations and taking advantage of changing storage technology. As the great and the good of the...

AMD Geode motherboard unveiled by Tyan.(SHORTS)
October 12, 2005... Tyan, a manufacturer of motherboards and bare bone systems, has taken the wraps off its "AMD Geode" motherboard. The Tomcat K7M ($2498) server platform is being promoted as a compact and thermally efficient server infrastructure that exploits...

Corsair links up with Asus to offer 1GB module.(SHORTS)
October 12, 2005... Corsair has struck up a partnership with ASUSTek and announced its Asus-Ready 1GB module for the AMD platform. The memory has been jointly developed with ASUS for its A8N32-LI Deluxe/Wi-Fi motherboards; the 1GB XMS-3500LL PRO memory is...

NEC up to speed with fourth-generation DVD writer.(SHORTS)
October 12, 2005... Technology continues to get quicker and more reliable and channel players looking for a DVD writer should take note of the launch of NEC's fourth-generation product. The 16x speed writer--the ND4550--includes 5x RAM functionality, fast read and...

Colour board camera offers full remote control.(SHORTS)
October 12, 2005... Small cameras are attracting healthy interest in the security and scientific markets, which are two of the areas that the PC685 high-resolution colour board camera, from Premier Electronics, has been designed for, providing full control to its...

Mobile operators get switched on to the enterprise market; it seems that the mobile communications industry is finally waking up to the potential of the business market.(opinion)
October 12, 2005... The computing and communications industries have been predicting a boom in mobile enterprise computing for years. But corporate IT managers have been reluctant to sign off on a new IT budget just so staff can check their e-mails while out of...

Singing birds and flowering bulbs put a spring in her step; Samantha Beaumont, UK marketing manager at LG, believes you have to stick your neck out to get anywhere in life.(talking shop)(Interview)
October 12, 2005... WHAT ARE YOU R MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AT THE COMPANY? I am responsible for all channel, product and brand marketing activity for LG's IT products. DO YOU HAVE A BUSINESS MAXIM? If you don't stick your neck out, you get nowhere in...

Retail drives growth in PC sales; a breakdown of the changing fortunes in the PC market, by analyst firm Context.(in focus)
October 12, 2005... The UK's healthy consumer PC channel in July helped to counterbalance a collapse in the sales of desktops through resellers, according to analyst firm Context, which tracks and reports the market on a monthly basis. During the month, the...

Breathing new life into old kit: IT equipment often ends up in landfills after the supposed end of its useful life cycle. This practice is a waste of potentially useful technology and will soon be subject to tough environmental legislation in Europe. As a result, a thriving IT refurbishment market has emerged.
October 12, 2005... Technology refurbishment company World Data Products has recently gained headlines with its message that VARs are missing out on revenue by not redeploying surplus equipment when new servers and networking technology are introduced at end-user...

Who is winning the power game? Demand for ever-greater computing capacity is leading to spiralling--and costly--power consumption. Danny Bradbury looks at the best ways to cut costs and boost efficiency.
October 12, 2005... Speak to most IT managers about power consumption and they will give you a blank look. After all, it is generally the facilities department that pays the energy bill. But electricity is becoming an increasingly visible issue for IT departments....

The directory.(Directory)
October 12, 2005... manufacturers NEW LOOK DIRECTORY Also available in digital format To enhance your directory entry and stand out from the rest--call the sales team now on: 020 8652 2020 * 020 8652 2089 * 020 8652 2019 ...

Granville fallout taints channel.(editorial)
October 26, 2005... The Mohsan brothers who founded the Granville Technology Group may be out of sight for the time being but they are certainly not out of mind. The administrators handling the disposal of the Group's assets have unearthed an 8m [pounds sterling]...

Intel plans for third-party chipsets concerns channel.(news)
October 26, 2005... For the first time in its history Intel will use third-party chipsets to support desktop CPUs to compensate for a lack of product in the market as it shifts production to dual-core platforms and prioritises supply to higher value server and...

eGov is in need of an upgrade.(news)
October 26, 2005... Resellers supplying local government infrastructure products and services can take heart from the latest announcement by the Society of IT Management (Socitm). According to the local government consultancy, which represents 95 per cent of...

Uncle Sam losing grip on PC sales to EMEA.(news)
October 26, 2005... Almost as many PCs were shipped in EMEA during the third quarter as in the L US, prompting analysts to predict that sales would be higher on this side of the pond in the next year and to signal that the power base of the IT industry might...

CNP liability shifting back to banks after court case.(news)
October 26, 2005... Channel victims of cardholder not present (CNP) fraud should pressure their banks to investigate the cases, following a ruling by a judge that merchants may not be liable for the charge-backs if they can prove the financial institutions have...

Ex-director at HCI takes company to tribunal.(news)
October 26, 2005... The head of HCI at Evesham Technology, who resigned from the UK system builder in June, is pursuing industrial tribunal proceedings claiming he is still owed money by the company and was unfairly treated. Curtis McLean, ex-director of HCI...

Ability Software picks the wrong fight.(news)
October 26, 2005... Ability Software has used the findings of a survey to attack Microsoft by suggesting that users of the software giant's Office products were unhappy with value for money, but some in the channel claim the vendor has made a mistake in comparing...

Accessorising your way into profits.
October 26, 2005... One of the big items on Santa lists this yuletide is going to be an iPod and, although Apple likes to sell direct or through retailers, there are still chances for the channel to make some money out of this much in demand technology. The...

Making the Internet a safer place to stroll.
October 26, 2005... The security world has been scrambling to keep up with the latest threats that are devised by increasingly malicious hackers and it is no longer a good idea just to stick with one form of defence. One of the biggest changes in the last...

Wireless route no longer a dark art.
October 26, 2005... These days the benefits of wireless are not just being enjoyed by very large enterprises, and the technology to support pain free access to the Internet and network has tumbled down not only in price but also in complexity. The result is...

Server solution comes custom-built.
October 26, 2005... When it comes to build-to-order most of the focus has been on desktops and more recently laptops, but the world of technology moves quickly and now it is possible to go out and get a server custom built. Having said that it would be...

Tape automation is aimed at SME market.
October 26, 2005... One of the major advances in the storage world Over the last few years in the back-up arena has been the continual advance of automation. Everybody wants automated tape libraries, but up until now the cost has been prohibitive for a large...

Ultra slim design lifts LCD monitor.
October 26, 2005... Just when you think the monitor world has taken its foot off the innovation pedal, something else comes along to remind you of just how important R&D is in this sector of the industry. When the Viewsonic VP930 19in monitor arrived in the...

Breaking down barriers.(round up)
October 26, 2005... The trust barrier that has traditionally held back the wider adoption of teleworking could be swept away as millions more workers demand to exploit the freedom that technology can offer. According to research from Brother, the hurdle to...

BenQ offers good visual experience.(SHORTS)
October 26, 2005... BenQ has made an addition to its LCD monitor series with a 20in wide-screen LCD monitor, the FP202W. Featuring an 8ms response time, the FP202W is aimed at garners or movie viewers who want a good visual experience. "The FP202W demonstrates...

Overclocking TRIXX from Sapphire.(SHORTS)
October 26, 2005... Overclocking is one word that must be on the packaging of any motherboard if it is to be taken seriously by demanding users. To take advantage of its own overclocking tool--TRIXX--Sapphire Technology has launched several graphics accelerator...

Sony supplies demand.(SHORTS)
October 26, 2005... The engineers in the flat screen labs have been busy and Sony has taken the wraps off its SDM-S205 series of LCD displays targeted at "demanding users" offering them the quality, features and versatility they will be banging their fists on the...

VoIP phone with promotional capability.(SHORTS)
October 26, 2005... Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the flavour of the month and to take advantage of user interest Firebrand has launched a handset aimed at the promotional products market. Ready to plug straight into the USB port, the VoIP phone handset...

Cost a convergence barrier: Affiniti's 2005 Convergence Barometer has unearthed an increased awareness and understanding of the concept of IP convergence, but the perceived cost and understanding of the benefits are holding back wider adoption.(analysis)
October 26, 2005... The perceived cost of converging networks and a lack of focus on business benefits are starling sales, according to the latest instalment of Affiniti's Convergence Barometer. The channel must learn to sell on the benefits of implementing...

A walking contradiction: a gentle tea maker who is not averse to trashing a hotel room, Ian Hilder, marketing manager at Bridge Systems, is a man of strong contrasts and also brave--who else would admit to being a Guardian reader?(talking shop)(Interview)
October 26, 2005... WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AT THE COMPANY? Marketing and making the tea. Marketing covers everything from market research and analysis, early product acceptance and development through to advertising and promotion. Making the tea...

A year in the life of PC vendors.(in focus)
October 26, 2005... A snapshot of the UK desktop and notebook sectors over the past 12 months from recent research by channel analyst Context [GRAPHICS OMITTED] Type Aug-04 Sep-04 Oct-04 Nov-04 Dec-04 Desktops 203,593 219,426...

Will users see benefits of 64-bit? 64-bit computing processor manufacturers are moving towards multicore chips, but what differentiates their products, and how much will users notice the increase in power?(market overview)
October 26, 2005... Intel may only have been playing catch up with the rest of the market at its Developer Forum this year, but the company's future direction still provides some insights into how hardware manufacturers and users will be utilising processors in...

Should monitors glare at their users? Pete Gamby, senior analyst at Meko, discusses the pros and cons of glare panels and ponders whether they are anything more than a differentiation tool.(monitoring trends)
October 26, 2005... The word 'glare' has appeared in just about every issue of Meko's Display Monitor newsletter, usually preceded by the word 'anti'. In recent months, however, 'glare' has been used on its own in relation to a new feature for LCD screens. In this...

A little sacrifice ... for a lot of computer: under the Home Computing Initiative employees give up a small amount of salary to lease or buy home computer kit. Simon Vail discovers how this has now become very big business.
October 26, 2005... Response to the relaunched Home Computing Initiative (HCI) has been largely positive over the past year but, before jumping in head first, resellers should be aware of the complexities involved. HCI is one of the Government's big ideas that...

The tender spot.(tender invitations)
October 26, 2005... STAR TENDER 182863 IRL-Limerick: broadband project management Design and project manage broadband infrastructure. 184326, TENDER INVITATION UK-Kingston upon Hull: toner cartridges Supply of IT consumables. ...

Mercury launches new case range.(ADVERTORIAL)(Advertisement)
October 26, 2005... The Mercury brand has a reputation for providing reliable, affordable, stylish and quality products for the reseller and VIP Computers is the exclusive UK distributor for these Mercury products. The Mercury product range includes cases,...

New to VIP computer's product portfolio is Antec: The Power of You.(ADVERTORIAL)(Company Profile)(Advertisement)
October 26, 2005... A Antec, founded in 1986, is the leading global brand of high-performance computer components and accessories for the PC upgrade and Do-It-Yourself markets. Antec's ultimate mission is to provide you with the power you need to create the...

Manufacturers.(Directory)
October 26, 2005... manufacturers PHONE WEB a 1st Computer Traders Ltd 01827 55555 www.1ct.com Acer (UK) Ltd 01753 699200 www.aceruk.co.uk ACME Technology Ltd 020 89633300 ...

Distributors.(Directory)
October 26, 2005... distributors PHONE FAX a 1st Computer Traders Ltd 01827 55555 01827 66666 A One Distribution 0161 7633633 0161 7633644 Access...