By Rhiannon Zanetic

The gaming industry has come to a head over the third dimensional technology that has so rapidly penetrated the industry. Microsoft has said it believes the success of 3D gaming is 'a way's away', and chose to exclude it from its announcements at this year's E3 expo in Los Angeles.

While it may have been assumed that Microsoft ignored 3D technology due to technical concerns, the company's marketing corporate vice-president, Mike Delman said the decision was not due to a technical limitation of its Xbox 360, but rather due to the company's belief it would not take off for years, according to news.com.au.

"All Xbox 360s are able to play 3D games already ... The big problem with 3D is the adoption curve involved __ people have to upgrade their TVs to see it. We still think 3D games are a way's away," Delman said.

In addition, Delman said particular 3D games offered a "sensory overload" as they forced players to exert more energy focusing on the screen rather than controlling the game.

Sony embracing the third dimension

Disparately, Sony showcased a third dimensional upgrade for its PlayStation 3 console, launched four 3D gaming titles, and discussed plans to support games created specifically for 3D TV sets.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) president, Andrew House said it was "early days" for 3D technology but said it was already receiving significant support from film studios, broadcasters and television manufacturers.

"For games, we feel 3D has huge potential ... It's obviously the start of a long-term play... but there's huge investment in 3D content for both films and in sports coverage already," House said.

Nintendo 3DS on its way

Nintendo also announced support for 3D gaming at the expo in its upcoming portable console, the 3DS, which stands apart from other consoles at present, featuring an autostereoscopic screen that consumers can use without having to wear 3D glasses.

According to news.com.au, Interactive Games and Entertainment Association chief executive Ron Curry, sided with the 3D-eager companies, saying he predicted 3D games and sports would encourage consumers to test the new technology.

"3D is the right style of product to attract gamers first...It's adds that hook about why you would want a screen that offers you 3D, and it's not a big deal for gamers to wear the glasses," he said.

Curry did continue to say the 3D may not be successful as it is, and might only be useful in certain genres, such as shooting and adventure games.

By Rhiannon Zanetic

Navman has launched its EZY mode sat-navs that are easy to use and offer sophisticated guidance using the latest in GPS technology - the Navman EZY30 and EZY40, to be available July 1, 2010.

"The new Navman EZY range has been developed with a commonsense approach so anyone should be able to use it - even someone who has never used a sat-nav before," Navman marketing director, Wendy Hammond said.

"It has a very uncomplicated layout and we think its ease of use will make it perfect for first-time GPS users, younger drivers, older drivers and anyone who likes technology to be straightforward to use," she added.

The EZY30 features a compact 3.5 inch screen while the EZY40 has a larger 4.3 inch screen. The range features a simplified main menu and layout with larger and fewer symbols, making it easier to find and enter information. The search engine can predict the destination before you finish typing it and the "QuickSpell" keyboard search highlights the most likely letters you will need on your keyboard to complete the address, keyword or city area.

"Just because the EZY range is simple to operate doesn't mean it is lacking in functionality - in fact, it is packed with features to provide great navigation," Hammond said.

Additional features

The two EZY models come with new features such as Landmark Guidance, which makes navigation far simpler by providing voice guidance at a number of easily identifiable landmarks such as "turn right at the petrol station".

The range enhances how people choose which route to take with Navman's new "Smart Route" feature that shows when roads are likely to be busiest by using data from real life road traffic records.

Using information from SUNA Predictive, the new devices give the best route to your destination at any particular day and time, helping you avoid traffic congestion. For example the fastest route may differ between weekdays and weekends.

"The Navman EZY range is very affordable and offers great value, so those who have a smaller budget when shopping around for a sat-nav can still get brilliant and easy navigation," Hammond said.

The EZY sat-navs come with over 600,000 points of interest from the location of petrol stations to ATMs, providing thorough guidance with maps powered by map provider Navteq.

Other features include:

* "SmartFind" keyword that allows you to search for an address as you would on an online search engine;

* spoken street names and landmark guidance;

* safety alerts for speed, red light, school zones and accident black spots;

* 3D junction views and extended lane information for extra guidance; and

* live traffic updates and overseas maps can also be added.

RRP :

EZY30 : $229

EZY40 : $279

By Rhiannon Zanetic

Olympus Imaging Australia has appointed Kristie Radtke as product manager across all DSLR, PEN and Audio products.

Radtke's role at Olympus will focus specifically on the PEN category, which has continued to revolutionise photography in the digital era since its announcement in July 2009. Olympus has released three cameras in the PEN range - the E-P1, E-P.

Radtke will also drive the Audio range for Olympus, focusing on the company's new products, designed for the business market - the DM-5 and DM-3 digital audio devices .

"Despite recent economic conditions, the PEN category has continued to grow steadily in Australia, and with unprecedented consumer interest expressed in our PEN range at PMA's Digital Life Expo in Melbourne this month, this augurs very well for sustained growth into the future," Olympus marketing manager , Lisa Forrest said.

"Kristie brings a wealth of experience to the team and we're looking forward to having her on board to support and build on our business success into 2010 and beyond," she added.

Forrest said the PEN range encourages a greater passion for photography for all types of photographers, and that following the expansion of the PEN lens range at PMA, the company is looking forward to seeing Kristie further support growth in the category.

Formally a product manager in the IT division at Samsung Electronics locally, Radtke is experienced in business management, strategy, planning and customer development, as well as overseeing communications activities.

By Rhiannon Zanetic

100 primary schools across the country now own a fully installed Panasonic elite Panaboard; being winners in the SPC and Goulburn Valley promotion supported by Panasonic Australia.

The nationwide campaign was run in Woolworth's stores, and gave consumers who purchased two eligible SPC or Goulburn Valley products the chance to win one of 100 Interactive Whiteboards, between March 1 and April 11.

The 100 winners received a Panaboard for their nominated primary school, as well as a Panasonic LUMIX FT1 Tough digital camera valued at $549 for themselves. The entire prize pool was valued at more than $750,000.

"With over 4,000 entries the response to the promotion was incredible. It is really great to see parents and adults in Australia supporting this promotion and doing their part to improve and enhance education in schools all over Australia," Panasonic AV/IT group manager, David Cuckney said.

"With more schools having access to Interactive Whiteboards children of all ages will gain valuable skills and knowledge, helping to feed their imagination," he added.

Winners are grinners

Janien Fuller from Bolwarra NSW, who won the board for Bolwarra Public School said she was so excited to be one of the winners of the promotion.

"My son Declan attends the Bolwarra Public School Kindergarten and the board will be installed in his classroom. Helping the school to improve their technology in the classroom at such a young age is very rewarding," Fuller said.

Karen Thomson from Bushfield, VIC nominated Heywood Consolidated School to win a Panasonic Interactive Whiteboard, the school she was previously a student at.

"Winning the Interactive Whiteboard for my old Primary School was great. I know many of the kids that attend the school and being able to give something back to help improve the schools technology is great. The board is going to be installed in the library which was always my favourite room as a pupil," Thomson said.

By Lorna Brett

In an effort to combat one of the biggest hindrances to the adoption of 3D TV technology by consumers, two electronics manufacturers are exploring technology that would allow for the construction of glasses-free 3D displays .

LG and Microsoft have recognised the fact that many consumers have issues both with purchasing and wearing 3D glasses , and have begun to investigate ways to remove these barriers for them.
LG revealed on its UK blog earlier this week that it is working on parallax barrier images, lenticular technology and holographic technology and provided explanations as to how the technologies may be transferred into LG 3D projects in the coming years.

"Holographic displays face numerous technological challenges - including the need to improve laser efficiency, create a universal implementation system and secure the vast storage space needed to handle holographic content. "[These challenges] ensure that holograms remain a good bit further away even than glasses-free 3D TV," The LG blog explained.

Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group is working towards a similar goal, recently demonstrating a prototype lens during the Society for Information Display International Symposium according to www.independent.co.uk . The prototype lens tracks an individual's view and displays images to create an illusion of stereoscopic 3D images.

"What's so special about this lens is that it allows us to control where the light goes," Microsoft Applied Sciences Group director Steven Bathiche said during the MIT Technology Review last week.

Consumers are being warned not to expect the technology in the too near future however, as according to the manufacturers it will not be immediately available to buyers.

By Lorna Brett

A report by industry research firm RNCOS has found that the global consumer electronics industry is set to experience around 5% of compound annual growth rate ( CAGR ) between the years 2010 and 2013.

In 2008, the global CE industry pulled in total revenue of around $US694 billion. RNCOS is attributing the forecasted 5% growth in part to the CE industry's rapid technological developments , which allows the industry to profit from an increased interaction between digital devices.

The report, entitled the ' Global Consumer Electronics Market Forecast to 2013' includes a forecast that 3D TV will encounter the greatest CAGR, of around 118% for the period as manufacturers continue to include 3D as standard in HD flat-panel TV 's.

RNCOS also detailed its findings that the US is one of the biggest drivers in the global CE industry, followed closely by the European Union . This growth trend is being tipped to change though, as developing nations increase their demand levels and as the Asia-Pacific region emerges as an increasingly influential region. The research firm also predicts CAGR for India of around 19% for the 2010 to 2013 period.

According to RNCOS, important factors in accelerating CE industry growth are the continual development of digital technology and the improvement of connectivity and mobility.

By Rhiannon Zanetic

A matter of months ago, NPD reported statistics which indicated that in the later months of 2009, sales growth had begun to pickup in the SMB focused channels.

Now well into 2010, the company has confirmed that the trend has continued. The research company released a survey of SMB buyers that delved a little bit deeper into what SMBs intend to spend money on in 2010 and whether this is an increase on last year. The results were extremely positive.

More than 60% of those surveyed are intending to spend money on PCs, networking equipment, and servers. The main reason according to the survey is to keep up with technology by upgrading their equipment.

Upgrading is the way to go

Almost 2/3 of purchase intentions were driven by the need to continue to upgrade their equipment. PCs received the highest intention of being purchased in 2010 as well as the largest segment of companies planning to spend the same, or more, on PCs in 2010 as they did in 2009.

According to the company, PC upgrade intentions are very different by company size. Almost 80% of companies with more than 200 employees planned to spend on PCs as part of a long-term plan to upgrade equipment; "a clear sign that Windows 7 is creating interest in larger firms," NPD vice president, Stephen Baker said.

On the other hand, only 65% of companies with less than 50 employees intended to upgrade for that reason. But 80% of companies of that size said they did intend to spend more, or the same, as last year.

Among those planning to spend less on PCs in 2010, 56% said they had replaced equipment last year and a large 75% with under 50 employees said they replaced last year and would therefore be decreasing their spend this year.

By Zarina Fatima

Perfect for first-time Bluetooth users, the Plantronics Explorer 395 is an extremely easy- to-use headset that features a compact, classic design and high-quality audio performance at an affordable price.

Ease of Use and High-Quality Audio Performance

The Plantronics Explorer 395 delivers ease of use through dedicated buttons for volume, power on/off and call answer/end, which eliminate the confusion caused by a single, multi-use button. In addition, the Explorer 395 is universally compatible and includes Plantronics' QuickPair(TM) technology for fast and easy setup with any Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone.

The Plantronics Explorer 395 features precision microphone placement and Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology to reduce noise, echo and wind distortion, ensuring the user's voice is heard clearly and sounds natural. The DSP technology also improves inbound audio so every word is heard on both sides of the conversation.

At only 11 grams, the Plantronics Explorer 395 headset is lightweight and discreet. It includes a contoured ear tip and ergonomically designed swivel ear-loop to provide a comfortable, stable fit. The Explorer 395 features premium design accents, including an elegant chrome finish, and is offered in black/silver and bronze/silver colours.

Users will spend less time hassling with chargers thanks to the Plantronics Explorer 395's long-lasting battery, which provides up to 5 hours of talk time and up to 7 days of standby time. The Explorer 395's designated slide on/off switch enables users to further preserve battery life between calls, and conveniently auto-connects once power is restored.

Pricing and Availability

The Plantronics Explorer 395 is available now through authorised Plantronics resellers and has a RRP of $89.00.

Visit www.plantronics.com or call (800) 544-4660.

By Zarina Fatima

Life's Twice As Good in 3D - BONUS CONSUMER PROMOTION BY LG*
Buy a LG 3D TV and receive a 3D Bonus Pack include Fujifilm 3D Digital Camera (3D W1) plus Two pairs of 3D Glasses (AG-S100) valued at SRP $1,097**
Buy a selected LG TV and receive a bonus Blu-Ray Home Theatre System (HB905SA) valued at SRP $699
Buy a selected LG TV and receive a bonus 22" HD LCD TV (22LD350) valued at SRP $499. * Via Redemption

For more details click here

Offer valid from 05/17/2010~07/11/2010