Reseller
Toshiba Launches Portégé Z20t for SMB market with Buy and Try
Toshiba Europe have announced a new European initiative to coincide with the launch of its Portégé Z20t 2-in-1 laptop and tablet. Targeted primarily at the channel and small, medium businesses (SMBs).
Buy and Try
Toshiba’s new Buy and Try Satisfaction Guarantee, enables customers to test the offerings from Toshiba, with a money back gaurentee.
Versatility for professionals
The Toshiba Buy and Try Satisfaction Guarantee offers businesses the opportunity to purchase the Portégé Z20t with a money-back guarantee if the product is not to their complete satisfaction or does not meet their requirements. To qualify, customers must purchase a Portégé Z20t between 1st June and August and register for a standard warranty within 14 days. If the customer changes their mind during the first 30 days, they then have the option to return the product – along with complete packaging and all supplied accessories – to receive a full refund.
European Reseller feels this is a fantastic offer and will watch avidly. The Portégé Z20t sounds like a very useful tool for the SMB market. The campaign will run across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.
Read more: Toshiba Launches Portégé Z20t for SMB market with Buy and Try
Worldwide Tablet Growth slows in the Years Ahead
After the first year-over-year decline in worldwide tablet shipments in the fourth quarter, the International Data Corporation (IDC) has scaled back its five year forecast for the product category. Worldwide shipments are expected to reach 234.5 million units, a modest year-over-year increase of 2.1% from five years ago. Although the outlook has been tempered, IDC still expects low but positive growth for the market in the years to come as demand in the commercial sector increases, and as Microsoft slowly gains a foothold.
IronKey Workspace with Windows To Go is a PC on a Stick
A review of the W700 Windows 8.1 . PC on a stick from a resellers point of view by Robert Bradley
The Bring Your Own Device fashion has created problems and solutions, with both employees and bosses bringing in the latest tech into the office environment, creating head-aches for the IT department. This fashion is also reshaping the way employers equip their workforce.
Read more: IronKey Workspace with Windows To Go is a PC on a Stick
Internet of things Tesco Virtual supermarket
Online shopping is nothing new, but this is a little different, launched in South Korea, one company says it's going further, It's testing out a virtual supermarket in a public place.
This virtual supermarket is primarily designed for commuters at Seolleung underground station in Seoul, there's a row of brightly lit billboards along the platform, with hundreds of pictures of food and drink - everything from meat, fruit, milk, eggs to instant noodles and pet food.
All set up by Homeplus, the South Korean affiliate of the United Kingdoms supermarket chain Tesco.
Standing on the platform, a man in his 60s who gives his name as Mr Bae, says it looks to him like an advertisement for a convenience store. But when I explain it's a virtual supermarket that you access with your smartphone, he doesn't seem impressed. He says he doesn't have a smartphone, so it's not for him. But he says, it's a good idea for younger Koreans.
No time to shop
A major South Korean retailer has opened what it appears to be the world's first virtual store geared to smartphone users, with shoppers scanning barcodes of products displayed in a Seoul subway station. Homeplus, the nation’s second largest discount chain, is offering 500 items including food, electronics, office supplies and toiletries at its "store" at Seolleung station in the south of the city of 10 million.
Seven pillars and six platform screen doors have been plastered with images of life-size store shelves filled with goods -- such as bananas, steak, apples, a bag of rice or school equipment, pens paper -- each item has a small barcode. Shoppers download an App on their smartphone and make purchases by taking photos of the barcodes.
"You place an order when you go to work in the morning and can see the items delivered at home when you come home at night," said a spokeswoman for Homeplus.
It gets better this is a version of the IoT ( Internet of things), consumers don’t have to be anywhere near the virtual store. For example, if you want to order replacements of a bottle of water at your office or in your home or even sitting on the train, you don’t have to visit the subway station. You simply scan the bottle’s barcode with the Homeplus app. The products are delivered later to home or office.
MicroSD Cards Pushing Flash Market Forward
The worldwide flash memory market is estimated to have grown 2% in 2014, totalling nearly 1.2 billion units shipped to the aftermarket, according to the latest research from Futuresource Consulting
The study, which excludes SSD, reveals that the volume increases are being generated by continued price drops, with trade value closing the year at $9.8 billion, 2% lower than 2013, with the additional push from the continued growth of traditional uses in telephones and the phablets, most purchases are through resellers and dealers will be at the time of purchase of telephones.
"The MicroSD card segment is the driving force of the worldwide flash aftermarket, growing 11% in 2014 and with continued growth forecast for 2015," says Mats Larsson, Senior Market Analyst at Futuresource Consulting. "Conversely, flash USB pen drives and standard sized cards are in decline."
IT and enterprise themes will dominate at MWC
Mobile World Congress Analyst Mark Newman gives his Opinion
For the first 30 years of its life, mobile communications felt like a standalone industry with its own technology, services, vendors, and service providers. A select group of telecoms vendors created the technology road-map and vision; a relatively small number of investors and operators captured the most lucrative licenses to build and operate mobile networks; and a few European, US, and Asian vendors controlled the mobile phone sector.
The Mobile World Congress, which takes place in Barcelona next week, will highlight just how quickly the technology and services landscape is starting to change. It will mark a further shift in the evolution of mobile communications from a sector in its own right to a service and a capability which other companies in other sectors – banking, enterprise technology and software, and digital media to name just a few – can use to deliver improved services to their own customers.
The hot topics at MWC will come mostly from the world of IT. Cloud, data analytics, and SDN will all feature prominently on the exhibition floor. Enterprise services and applications become a dominant theme. And most of the “future-gazing” on display will be around the Internet of Things.
Top 10 themes for MWC
PC Outlook Remains Cautious, Despite Modest Third Quarter Gains
The rise of Smartphones, Phablets and Tablets in 2014
Worldwide PC shipments are expected to fall by -2.7% in 2014, an improvement from the previous forecast of -3.7%, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC)Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. Although the third quarter results were a few points ahead of forecast with shipments down only -0.5% from the prior year, most regions and market participants saw this as a short-term gain rather than as a sign of stronger growth in the medium- or long-term.
Read more: PC Outlook Remains Cautious, Despite Modest Third Quarter Gains
Panasonic and NetMotion Wireless have partnered
Panasonic and NetMotion Wireless have partnered to improve productivity for enterprise mobile workers by offering better connectivity and security for Toughbook and Toughpad users through NetMotion’s Mobility and Locality software. NetMotion’s software will be available as an option on all Panasonic’s Toughbook and Toughpad tablet devices across Europe under the ProServices solution offerings.
Public IT Cloud Services Spending Will Reach $127 billion in 2018
As the Market Enters a Critical Innovation Stage
Public IT cloud services spending will reach $56.6 billion in 2014 and grow to more than $127 billion in 2018, according to a new forecast from International Data Corporation (IDC). This represents a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.8%, which is about six times the rate of growth for the overall IT market. In 2018, public IT cloud services will account for more than half of worldwide software, server, and storage spending growth.
Read more: Public IT Cloud Services Spending Will Reach $127 billion in 2018
