Blognoscenti – Official Blog of WebAntics.co.za

Archive for July, 2010

Workstation power-hungry but on a PC budget? The HP Z200 Workstation offers workstation-class productivity with advanced memory, graphics, and storage, plus application certification, next-generation processors, HP SkyRoom, and HP Performance Advisor.

The Z200 will meet the needs of the most advanced user and provides industry-leading administrative and support solutions. “Professionals including engineers, designers, video editors and animation artists require high performance expandable workstation platforms that are reliable.  HP together with leading IT infrastructure distributor Axiz are providing small and large organisations with workstations that will enhance productivity,” says Chris Barnes HP Product Manager

The Z200 offers users flexibility to adapt to their diverse and changing needs.  Options include a range of storage, memory and graphic options and a choice of a preferred operating system – Windows or Linux.  

This innovative workstation brings the advanced power and productivity of HP technology at a desktop price point, with key features including an integrated memory controller, large capacity hard disk drives and blue laser. The new architecture, user friendly design and latest technology ensure that the Z200 is optimized to run smoothly with long lasting reliability.  

The new Intel Core i3/i5 dual-core and Xeon quad-core processors and DDR3 memory provides significantly improved performance over previous generations.  The Z200 has a 5.0 Energy Star rating with 89% efficient power supply for a reduced environmental footprint.  The workstation also meets EPEAT Gold standards.

Features:

Maximum productivity
• Do more every minute with a built-in memory controller and choice of the latest Intel® Core™ i3 and i5 dual-core processors or Intel Xeon® quad-core processors. Boost data integrity and system reliability with DDR3 ECC memory.

Easy access inside and out
• Quickly swap and upgrade components using the tool-free chassis. Enjoy convenient peripheral connectivity from front ports that include FireWire® and USB.

Breadth of graphics choices
• Pick the exact graphics package you need—choose HP integrated graphics or 2D/3D solutions from NVIDIA and ATI.

Real-time collaborative software
• See and share your work across the world with HP SkyRoom visual collaboration software, which combines real-time 3D graphics sharing and high-definition video conferencing.

HP Performance Advisor
• Fine-tune your workstation’s performance and maintain your drivers, operating systems, and applications with this integrated, HP-exclusive software tool.

Energy efficiency and quiet acoustics
• Save energy with ENERGY STAR® 5.0 qualification, 89% efficient power supplies, and HP WattSaver technology, which, when activated, consumes less than 1 watt in off mode.

Future-ready expandability
• Grow when you’re ready with expanded PCIe, FireWire, and a whopping 11 USB interfaces, plus a range of SATA, eSATA, and storage bays, optional 22-in-1 media card reader, and optional HP Blue Laser optical drive.

QuickBooks 2009 wasn’t brought into the SA Market due to the lack of significant changes made to the software. However QuickBooks 2010 is now available and promises improved functionality with 3 different versions to suit your needs:

QuickBooks 2010 SimpleStart - for new & home-based business

The simplest way to manage and track money going in and out of your business. How are your company finances? QuickBooks SimpleStart is the easy software that will take care of your core accounting tasks.
- Generate invoices & quotes using details already entered
- Send out invoices, quotes & reminders in batches by e-mail
- Cash flow reports – Track sales, expenses & profit
- Print Statements

QuickBooks 2010 Pro - ideal for contractors , consultants , as well as small and medium size businesses

Manage your business accounts simply and easily.Manage your company’s finances with QuickBooks Pro, the easy accounting software designed for businesses. QuickBooks Pro includes all the features of QuickBooks SimpleStart plus:
- Company Snapshot
- Multi-currency
- Track stock, set re-order points & create purchase orders
- Project management & progress invoicing
- Import & export to & from Microsoft Word, Excel & Outlook
- Up to 5 simultaneous users (Requires the purchase of additional licenses).

QuickBooks 2010 Premier - ideal for growing businesses

Fast and easy advanced accounting.Save time. Do more. Whether it’s invoices and quotes or setting budgets and forecasting, QuickBooks Premier makes your business bookkeeping easier. QuickBooks Premier includes all the features of QuickBooks Pro plus:
- Build forecasts, create budgets & monitor performance
- Manufacturing, build assemblies & Units of measure – buy & sell stock in different units
- Set prices & discounts by customer, job, item or currency
- Remote access
- Up to 30 simultaneous users (requires the purchase of additional licenses.)

Discover what 4.3 million QuickBooks users worldwide already know!

Also remember you can still purchase license keys for additional users for previous versions of Quickbooks as well as the 2010 versions! You can order Quickbooks from our online store here. WebAntics Online is an official Reseller of the QuickBooks Accounting Software and is a registered member of the QBRN (QuickBooks Reseller Network).

If you need any other information on Quickbooks please don’t hesitate to contact us on  011 839 0716 or info@webantics.co.za. Otherwise order online here at our online store

You are probably already familiar with Seagate’s FreeAgent Go external hard drive lineup. It’s been their line of portable storage for several years now. However, they’ve recently made some updates and introducted the “FreeAgent GoFlex” but we’re not only talking about a new, updated look to these drives. Seagate has completely overhauled the new lineup and really changed the way we connect external storage to computers with the GoFlex bunch.  

The new look has the curved edges which makes it look more updated. The main feature however of these new drives is that you can use different interfaces with the same drive, such as USB 2.0, USB 3.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800 and eSATA. All you have to do is switch out the proprietary transfer cable that connects to the drive via a SATA connection. A USB 2.0 cable comes with the GoFlex drive, but if you want to use USB 3.0, FireWire, or eSATA, you can purchase these proprietary cables known as “Upgrade Adaptor cables.” Prices are on these are also pretty fair and reasonable.

For Mac users, it hasn’t been a good time lately to invest in a portable USB External hard drive because of Apple’s decision to drop Firewire ports on many of their notebooks, and they’re also yet to adopt the USB 3.0 standard so that leaves Apple users stuck using aging and slow USB 2.0 hardware. So this is another reason why we would recommend Seagate’s new FreeAgent GoFlex External Hard Drive line because you would then just buy one of these drives and you can use USB 2.0 or Firewire for now, then upgrade to USB 3.0 read/write speeds when Apple finally starts installing the hardware in their Macs. The FlexGo line even comes with an interesting NTFS driver specifically for Mac users, which allows it to be used as a Windows-formatted NTFS drive in OS X without reformatting it.

So altogether the new changes gets a thumbs-up from us. The trade-off here however is the somewhat higher price of the drives. The 5400RPM drives come in capacities of 320GB (R805.77), 500GB (R1007.55), 750GB (R1454.25), and 1TB (R1792.15), while the 7200rpm drives comes in at 500GB (R1236.24) and 750GB (R1662.19). The Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex UltraPortable External Hard Drives are now available from WebAntics Online.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking, the world’s best-selling speech recognition software, went on SALE this morning at South Africa’s Local Online Shopping Store – WebAntics Online!!

What is the Dragon Naturally Speaking Software all about?
Most people speak over 120 words per minute but type less than 40 words per minute. What if you could create email, documents and spreadsheets simply by speaking? What if you could control your PC just by talking to it? This includes launching applications, opening files, managing e-mail and working on the Web – all by voice.

With speech recognition software from Nuance Communications, you can turn your voice into text three times faster than most people type. Just start talking, and the software will recognize your voice instantly, with up to 99% accuracy. It takes only minutes of training to get started, and accuracy will continually improve the more you use the software. It’s easy to get started with speech recognition, whether you’re using a PC or a Mac. Each edition of our speech recognition software delivers the same.

Discounted pricing is available on the following:

Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Standard
Was: R1364.58 NOW: R778.05
Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Preferred
Was: R2742.16 NOW: R1563.51
Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Preferred Mobile
Was: R3902.90 NOW: R2883.81
Nuance Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Preferred Wireless
Was: R3902.90 NOW: R2883.81

Pricing is inclusive of Vat and valid whilst stocks last!

There is more malware than ever being released in the wild, and antivirus companies relying on signatures to protect users cannot keep up with pace of creating signatures fast enough. As a result the current installed base of anti-malware solutions is proving to be much less effective against the vast amounts of threats in circulation.

Enter collective intelligence developed by Panda Security; it represents an approach to security radically different to the current models. This approach is based on remote, centralised and real-time knowledge about malware and non-malicious applications maintained through the automatic processing of all elements scanned. But automation by itself is not enough. We also need visibility into what’s happening on all PCs in order to detect targeted attacks more efficiently and gain a competitive edge on malware creators. The Collective intelligence approach is able to detect targeted attacks and gains intelligence thanks to the correlation of all the detections by the community of users.

For more info on collective intelligence click here or watch the video below 

Whatever your needs, Panda Security provides a global award winning solution that adapts to you. Easy to install, easy to maintain. WebAntics Online is an official reseller of the Panda Security software products and you can purchase it online here.

HP has launched the latest small and medium business Notebook, the HP ProBook 4520s, that is designed to replace the previous generation 4510s laptop. This newest model has some new and unique features that separate this computer from the line of other laptops in the market and make it currently one of the best buys for the Small and Medium business requirements.

The HP ProBook 4520s comes in 3 models and all with the new and fastest Intel Core line that include either the Core i3 or Core i5 processors. It also runs on the very successful Microsoft Windows 7 Professional (32-bit) so you’ll be assured of effective and efficient programming capabilities .

Supporting features are a 15.6″ LED-backlit display and a BrightView High Definition display with a resolution of 1366×768 and integrated Intel HD Graphics. The 2 standard models (WS712EA and WS713EA) are equipped with a 2.26 GHz Intel Core i3-350M processor, while the top of the range model (WD857EA) boasts an Intel i5-430M 2.26GHzprocessor and all 3 models boast more than adequate 250GB or 320GB hard drive capacity.

Some of the popular features amongst users of this new ProBook 4520s is that it also sports a full-sized keyboard with separate numeric keypad, a 2MP web camera, stereo speakers and an integrated microphone. Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n, a Gigabit Ethernet port, Bluetooth, and 56k modem, as well as VGA and HDMI outputs, three USB ports and an ExpressCard slot cover all the standard features you’d expect on a Business notebook from HP.

The top of the range model also includes a HSDPA Mobile Broadband Module that allows you the option of inserting your 3G data simcard into the laptop and avoiding the hassles of using an external 3G modem whilst on the go. It also includes the ever popular Finger Print Reader for added security.

The laptop starts at around 2.39 kilograms with a standard 6-cell battery that will give you up to 5 hours of battery life. All this comes together and is covered with the HP One year Standard warranty and the option to upgrade to a 3 year Next Business Day On Site warranty. The HP ProBook 4520s offers refined simplicity in an affordable package with security and productivity features to help your business.

The HP ProBook 4520s models can be ordered through the WebAntics.co.za shopping website for a starting price of R6,899.00.

Dell has officially announced its latest range of notebooks, the Dell Inspiron R series, aimed at home users on something of a budget.  Released first in the South African market is the 15.6-inch Inspiron 15R at R8,617.17 incl Vat, with the Inspiron 14-inch Inspiron 14R and the 17.3-inch Inspiron 17R expected in the coming months. The three machines offer Intel Core i3 and i5 processors, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory and – on the two larger models – a full size keyboard with 10-key Numeric Keypad.

Today, more than ever, families are looking to technology as an extra set of hands – one that helps them stay connected, quickly cross items off daily ‘to-do’ lists, and keep them entertained. The new Inspiron R laptops were designed with this in mind – making it easier than ever to access personal files and securely share photos and videos wirelessly, as well to enjoy the ideal mobile personal entertainment hub, offering smooth video playback, surround sound and a built-in Webcam. Wrapped in curvy edges, smooth lines and available in four unique colourful finishes (Mars black, Tomato red, Peacock blue and Promise pink) with chrome accents, the Inspiron R laptops are as beautifully designed as they are useful. With the different display sizes ranging from 14” models that fit perfectly in a messenger bag, to home and dorm room-friendly 15.6” and 17” versions, the Inspiron R boasts a contemporary and sleek appearance that will make anyone feel good about bringing it out in the classroom or the local coffee shop.

Dell also built in unique features and timesavers like the Dell Dock, which reduces time searching applications and files – photos, videos and most commonly used apps are placed right at the top of the screen. Students also have the option to purchase a Office license as the newly launched Microsoft office suite is already pre-installed on their Inspiron R laptops, to ensure they have the tools they need to hit the ground running.

The 15r model has a 15.6-inch display with a standard 1,366×768-pixel resolution, which is the default for everything from upscale 10-inch Netbooks, to 13-inch models, to most 14- and 15-inch midsize laptops. That’s fine for Web surfing, DVD playback, and online streaming, but it’s not true 1080p HD so keep in mind when choosing your laptop. There’s also 3GB of onboard memory, 320GB of internal storage, an Intel Integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics card, and the 64-bit of Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium.  Connectivity includes the usual array of 3 x USB 2.0 and a 7-in-1 memory card reader along with HDMI, VGA and audio in/out ports.

Find more information at the following online shopping store: WebAntics Online