carbonTRACK wins GAP ICT competition with energy saving device

carbonTRACK’s energy monitoring, control and saving device has won the prestigious Gauteng Accelerator Programme (GAP) ICT 2014 Innovation Hub Award for its remarkable potential for households and the greater electricity grid to improve energy efficiency, according to Lufuno Ramabulana, a specialist at the Innovation Hub’s Innovation Strategy Projects and manager of GAP ICT.

Held in celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2014 and the implementation of Gauteng’s Innovation Strategy to promote innovation, grow intellectual property and support the development of small enterprises within the biosciences, ICT, green economy and medical sectors, the GAP Innovation Competitions honour top innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs for exemplary work in the green and health technology sectors; the biosciences; and the information and communication technology (ICT) sectors.

The recipient of the ICT category award, carbonTRACK is a ‘proudly South African’ company manufacturing an intelligent SABS-approved energy device that enables consumers to reduce their power costs. Explains Irvan Damon, MD of carbonTRACK, “Energy consumption represents a large proportion of our carbon footprint and is characterised by continually increasing costs with ongoing price hikes. The carbonTRACK smart energy management device is installed in a consumer’s home or business and connected to the distribution board. It monitors and controls heavy energy loads such as the pool, geyser, or air conditioning, or the entire house, and can manage the energy consumption in that home, advising householders how to reduce their carbon footprint – by email, app push notifications, or the user interface.”

The ICT category of the GAP Innovation Hub competition aims to find innovations in the ICT sector that have strong business potential and prospects for broad social impact. More than a competition, it is designed as a development programme where shortlisted entrants attend workshops, are trained in developing appropriate business models for their products, are given design and development support, along with the opportunity to enter the global Smart Living Challenge.

“This year the GAP ICT competition attracted about 90 entries, of which we shortlisted 15 products,” says Ramabulana. “Once the 15 had been through the different development aspects of the competition, an external panel of judges representing national and international industry experts, entrepreneurs, investors and government selected the top four winners, which were announced at a gala banquet at the end of November.”

Ramabulana says carbonTRACK was a clear winner. “There was something special about the carbonTRACK team. They have a real passion for what they are doing. Anyone can use technology, but they have a strong entrepreneurial drive. They also showed great participation throughout the programme and were keen to learn and gain insight from others in the programme.” He says the carbonTRACK technology has tremendous potential to have an impact on energy consumption in the country.

Damon adds that the carbonTRACK device allows consumers to take advantage of direct savings by better monitoring their household energy usage. “This control marks the start of the ‘connected home’ and it opens up a wealth of connectivity-enabled possibilities.” A real marketing strength of carbonTRACK is the ability to tailor the alert messages – which are custom alerts and advisory content sent to a smart phone, tablet or desktop. carbonTRACK learns habits and can adjust appliance use, or send an alert, such as when a geyser is about to flood or fail. Householders or business owners can then adjust usage remotely using the user interface.

The benefits of the CarbonTRACK system to the insurance industry are also significant. Damon notes that 82% of hot water in South Africa is heated by standard electric geysers – and the insurance industry is responsible for the procurement and installation of more than 75% of replacements, which makes up almost 50% of all standard geysers sold in SA. About 70% of claims on household policy claims are geyser related, which means approximately 250 000 geyser incidents annually. The CarbonTRACK system can alert householders to possible geyser bursts and help to prevent the incidents from occurring, saving insurers in geyser replacement and resultant damage costs.

This year’s GAP Awards introduced a new level of innovation into the competition. The winners walked away with a total of R 2.8 million (cash and seed fund) and will be incubated and provided with other value added services to assist in the commercialisation of the technologies at The Innovation Hub for a year. carbonTRACK’s prizes for achieving top position in the GAP ICT competition include incubation services from the Innovation Hub’s Maxum Business Incubator and mLab, valued at R150 000, plus R200 000 seed funding and R60 000 cash. Says Damon, “This win is very exciting for the company; it means that we can further our technology advances like wireless Zigbee switching, contribute to local manufacturing and IP, improve our app offering, and market our products to our various channels.”

The prizes and support for the programmes were made possible by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), Pfizer, MSD, Emory University, Smart Living Challenges and TIH.

For further information on carbonTRACK go to www.carbonTRACK.co.za.

IBM Watson Ushers in a New Era of Data-Driven Discoveries

Available now as a cloud service, IBM's Watson Discovery Advisor is designed to scale and accelerate discoveries by research teams. It reduces the time needed to test hypotheses and formulate conclusions that can advance their work -- from months to days and days to just hours -- bringing new levels of speed and precision to research and development.

Building on Watson's ability to understand nuances in natural language, Watson Discovery Advisor can understand the language of science, such as how chemical compounds interact, making it a uniquely powerful tool for researchers in life sciences and other industries.  

Researchers and scientists from leading academic, pharmaceutical and other commercial research centers have begun deploying IBM's new Watson Discovery Advisor to rapidly analyze and test hypotheses using data in millions of scientific papers available in public databases. A new scientific research paper is published nearly every 30 seconds, which equals more than a million annually (Source: CiteSeerx). According to the National Institutes of Health, a typical researcher reads about 23 scientific papers per month, which translates to nearly 300 per year, making it humanly impossible to keep up with the ever-growing body of scientific material available.

In 2013, the top 1,000 research and development companies spent more than $600 billion annually on research alone (Source: Strategy&). Progress can be slow, taking an average of 10 to 15 years for a promising pharmaceutical treatment to progress from the initial research stage into practice (Source: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America). Using Watson Discovery Advisor, researchers can uncover new relationships and recognize unexpected patterns among data that have the potential to significantly improve and accelerate the discovery process in research and science.

“We're entering an extraordinary age of data-driven discovery," said Mike Rhodin, senior vice president, IBM Watson Group. "Today's announcement is a natural extension of Watson's cognitive computing capability. We're empowering researchers with a powerful tool which will help increase the impact of investments organizations make in R&D, leading to significant breakthroughs."

Leading life sciences organizations are deploying Watson Discovery Advisor to advance discoveries in ongoing research projects, including Baylor College of Medicine, Johnson & Johnson and The New York Genome Center.

• In a retrospective, peer reviewed study released this week by Baylor College of Medicineand IBM, scientists demonstrated a possible new path for generating scientific questions that may be helpful in the long term development of new, effective treatments for disease. In a matter of weeks, biologists and data scientists using the Baylor Knowledge Integration Toolkit (KnIT), based on Watson technology, accurately identified proteins that modify p53, an important protein related to many cancers, which can eventually lead to better efficacy of drugs and other treatments. A feat that would have taken researchers years to accomplish without Watson's cognitive capabilities, Watson analyzed 70,000 scientific articles on p53 to predict proteins that turn on or off p53's activity. This automated analysis led the Baylor cancer researchers to identify six potential proteins to target for new research. These results are notable, considering that over the last 30 years, scientists averaged one similar target protein discovery per year. 

“On average, a scientist might read between one and five research papers on a good day,” said Dr. Olivier Lichtarge, the principal investigator and professor of molecular and human genetics, biochemistry and molecular biology at Baylor College of Medicine. “To put this in perspective with p53, there are over 70,000 papers published on this protein. Even if I’m reading five papers a day, it could take me nearly 38 years to completely understand all of the research already available today on this protein. Watson has demonstrated the potential to accelerate the rate and the quality of breakthrough discoveries. "

• Johnson & Johnson is collaborating with the IBM Watson Discovery Advisor team to teach Watson to read and understand scientific papers that detail clinical trial outcomes used to develop and evaluate medications and other treatments. This collaboration hopes to accelerate comparative effectiveness studies of drugs, which help doctors match a drug with the right set of patients to maximize effectiveness and minimize side effects. Typically, comparative effectiveness studies are done manually, requiring three people to spend an average of 10 months (2.5 man-years) just to collect the data and prepare them for use before they are able to start analyzing, generating and validating a hypothesis. In this research study, the team hopes to teach Watson to quickly synthesize the information directly from the medical literature, allowing researchers to start asking questions about the data immediately to determine the effectiveness of a treatment compared to other medications, as well as its side effects. 

• IBM Watson will be supporting the analysis in New York Genome Center’s clinical study to advance genomic medicine. The clinical study will initially focus on clinical application of genomics to help oncologists deliver DNA-based treatment for glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer that kills more than 13,000 Americans each year. Despite tremendous discoveries into the genetic drivers of diseases like cancer over the past decade, big data makes it difficult to translate DNA data into life-saving treatments. Based on results from the clinical study, IBM Watson could soon help scale up the availability of personalized treatment options.

Industry Implications 

Discovering something new is applicable to many domains such as medicine, law, finance, etc., that all require deep insight into a large body of information and protocols. Cognitive computing will allow human experts to interact with large bodies of data and research and the knowledge and insight of many other experts in their field. For example, Watson could be used to:

• Accelerate a medical researcher's ability to develop life-saving treatments for diseases by synthesizing evidence and removing reliance on serendipity
• Enhance a financial analyst's ability to provide proactive advice to clients
• Improve a lawyer's merger and acquisition strategy with faster, more comprehensive due diligence and document analysis
• Accelerate a government analyst's insight into security, intelligence, border protection and law enforcement and guidance, etc.
• Create new food recipes. Chefs can use Watson to augment their creativity and expertise and help them discover recipes, learning about the language of cooking and food by reading recipes, statistical, molecular and food pairing theories, hedonic chemistry, as well as regional and cultural knowledge

IBM Watson Discovery Advisor has the potential to transform industries and professions that rely heavily on data, including law, pharmaceuticals, biotech, education, chemicals, metals, scientific research, engineering, and criminal investigations. For more information, visithttps://ibm.biz/watsondiscoveryadvisor.

IBM Power Systems serves as the infrastructure base of Watson, supporting the high volume of data needed to drive cognitive insights.

For more information on IBM Watson, please visit: www.ibmwatson.com

To join the social discussion about Watson, include the hashtag #ibmwatson. Follow Watson onFacebook and see Watson on YouTube and Flickr.

Inkjet versus laser – which is best and when is it best?

By Heinrich Pretorius, Canon and OKI Product Specialist at DCC

Printers are common in both the workplace and home. Although many businesses are working towards a paperless environment with the increase in ‘green’ awareness, printers are still an essential office tool. A common question asked when purchasing a printer for the home or office is whether to purchase and inkjet or laser printer. Each printer is unique to various environments and have their own pro’s and con’s, however, the needs of the user will ultimately decide on the printer of choice – inkjet or laser.

Purchasing a printer for the home or office is no simple task and various considerations need to be taking into account before this purchase is made. The key question to ask oneself is whether a laser or inkjet printer suits your needs, and which device will benefit you in the long run. User can generally distinguish the main differences between inkjet and laser, however, it can be difficult to establish which one is right for you.

In the past, the Cost Per Page (CPP) with an inkjet printer far outweighed the CPP of a laser. According to Rechargermagazine.com, the “CPP can be determined by calculating the cost of a printer cartridge divided by its yield”. However, with the emergence of new and improved inkjet technology, one can increasingly see inkjet printers competing with, and sometimes beating, laser printers on this issue. Understanding the differences and target markets for each printer will offer users more insight as to which printer would suit their environment best.

Laser printers make use of toner cartridges that contain ink powder. Through an electro photographic printing process, laser beams scan the surface of photo-sensitive drums to form a latent image. The toner is then affixed to non-charged areas of the drums, developing the latent image and finally transferring to the sheet of paper. Inkjet, on the other hand, works by making use of heat. Simply put, an ultra-fine nozzle is connected to a reservoir of ink, with a small heating element at the front of the nozzle. When the printer is switched on, a bubble forms inside the nozzle and a tiny drop of ink is expelled at a high speed. The heating element is switched on and off in response to the data from the computer, which processes the image from the file.

Laser printers are designed for large office environments or departments requiring high print volumes. Initial investments in laser printers may be higher than inkjet printers, however, the CPP was far less when compared to inkjet printers, especially if the print volumes are high. On the other hand, inkjet technology traditionally lent itself to the smaller office, home office and consumers. This is mainly due to its small form factor, saving these environments space. Furthermore, the initial investment of inkjet is far lower than that of the laser, however, the liquid ink used in these printers are more costly than toner and cater for low print volumes. Therefore, the laser printer offered organisations with a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) than that of the inkjet printer.

However, the emergence of new and improved inkjet printers, along with Multifunctional Printers (MFPs) are blurring these lines when choosing a printer. Due to new technology, inkjet printers are now providing a significantly lower CPP. This technology is further leading to the use of these printers within the larger office environment, and not solely for the home user and consumer. Furthermore, with the emergence of connectivity, inkjet printers are now also providing users with the ability to print from anywhere by making use of a smartphone, tablet or other mobile device. This is further changing the game within the printing arena.

In conclusion, there are a number of printers available on the market. Choosing between an inkjet or laser printer will depend on your needs. Inkjet printers are still ideal for the small office, home office or consumer market due to the small form factor and the ability to cater for low print volumes. Laser, on the other hand, still lends itself to larger organisations where large print volumes are required. However, with the latest technology in inkjet, these printers are entering the large print volume market, lowering the CPP and aligning with the CPP of lasers. It is essential to understand your printing requirements and budget before purchasing a printer for your organisation. Understanding these devices and what they offer will ensure the correct printer is selected for your daily printing needs.

Make sure your mobile devices can take life’s knocks in style

by Heinrich Pretorius, Targus Product Specialist at DCC

The mobile workforce has firmly entrenched itself globally and locally, the variety of devices has grown, it has also become increasingly common for the same user to have multiple devices. Most commonly, these devices include a notebook and a tablet. While portability is the biggest advantage of these devices, this same feature can also be their downfall – portable devices are more likely to be dropped, bumped or otherwise damaged. Protecting this expensive equipment adequately is therefore essential, to ensure that mobile devices can take the knocks of an on-the-go lifestyle.

The rise of the mobile warrior has been fuelled by increasing portability of computing devices, including notebooks and tablets. With tablets, the screen is often the most vulnerable piece of hardware – to which anyone who has ever dropped one of these devices will attest. Cracked glass makes the entire device practically impossible to use, and tablets often cannot be repaired but must be replaced in their entirety, which is an expensive exercise. Notebooks, while they are slightly more robust, are also prone to damage from knocks and bumps, primarily with regard to the hard drive. Devices with Solid State Drives (SSDs) are less vulnerable, but the majority of notebooks still contain traditional spinning platter Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). If these are dropped or bumped excessively they can become corrupt or fail completely, causing data loss that can be detrimental. While smartphones too have evolved as part of this movement, the size of a phone makes it easier to put away safely in a pocket or a handbag. When it comes to protecting notebooks and tablets, however, specialised solutions are necessary.

Quality should be the overriding feature to look for in any physical protection for mobile devices, and in many instances the old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ rings true. Tablets and notebooks are expensive, so buying the cheapest case to protect them is counterintuitive and could cause problems further down the line. Quality can be judged by the look and feel of the materials, the zips, the handles, and any fixtures and fastenings, as well as the padding that holds devices in place. In addition, the warranty is a good indication of quality. A manufacturer that is willing to provide a lifetime warranty against defective workmanship is confident that they are offering the very best possible quality. After all, every time something is returned under warranty, it costs the manufacturer money and profit.

While quality is very important, in today’s world, choice is also critical – in terms of style, colour and functionality. For corporate users, a leather attaché case with pockets for business cards, documents, phones, tablets and notebooks might be the most appropriate option. For a student, photographer or someone in a less formal environment, a backpack would be better suited. There are even cases for ladies that resemble a designer handbag, allowing the fairer sex to carry their devices in style and sophistication without compromising on quality. Whatever the look of the case or cover, however, their ability to physically protect devices is essential – they need to be durable, water resistant and able to handle the rigours of continuous use.

Mobility is here to stay, and as the number of devices we carry increase and their value in our lives skyrocket, protecting our equipment is more important than ever. From students to corporate executives, men and women, fashionistas or the more traditionally inclined, there is something out there to suit everyone’s style. Just be sure that the quality lives up to the essential nature of the job – a lifetime warranty is the best guarantee that covers sleeves and cases, ensuring they will not let you down.

Choosing the right Microsoft Office product to suit your needs

By Ruben Naicker, Microsoft Product Specialist at Drive Control Corporation

Microsoft Office is the most widely used productivity software packages in the world, and is available in several different versions for different users. For consumers, however, these different suites can cause confusion. Do you need Home and Student, Home and Business or the Professional edition? Or would Office 365 suit your needs better? Not having a clear understanding of the differences between these suites and what each of them offers can lead to an incorrect purchase. This creates unnecessary frustration and expense, as users may need to purchase additional products to get the solution they need. Choosing the correct Microsoft Office solution will ensure you get the appropriate solution for your needs, with the best combination of value for money and functionality.

How many users and devices do you need a solution for?

This is the first question users should answer before purchasing an Office software package, as the various solutions cater to different numbers of users and devices. Office Home and Student and Professional editions are single device licenses, meaning that each package can only be installed on a single computer. For multiple devices, one license will have to be purchased for each device. Office Home and Business edition offers a license for one user for one device. Office 365 Personal offers a single user license that is valid for two devices - one PC or Mac and one tablet, including iPad. For a single user with more than one device, this is the most cost effective solution. Office 365 Home is a household license valid for five PC or Mac devices as well as up to five tablets, while Office 365 University is aimed at students, valid for two devices, be it a combination of either PCs, Macs or tablets.

What applications do you need?

The different versions of Microsoft Office also come with different combinations of applications. Office Home and Student includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, but does not include Outlook. Users who require Outlook in addition to the core Microsoft applications will need to purchase Office Home and Business. Office Professional includes all of these applications as well as Publisher, which can be used to design and create newsletters and brochures, and Access, allowing users to create desktop databases. The different packages of Office 365 include all of the applications of Office Professional, with the exception of Publisher and Access, which are not available when Office 365 is installed on Apple devices. Personal and Home versions are aimed at home users, while University is only available for students.

What operating system am I running?

Microsoft Office Home and Student, Home and Business and Professional editions are only compatible with Windows 7 and Windows 8. If you are running a Mac device, you will need to purchase Office for Mac, which is available in Home and Student and Home and Business editions. Alternatively, Mac users can make use of Office 365 Home, which is compatible with up to five devices on both Windows and Mac Operating Systems (OS) plus up to five tablets, including iPad.

To sum it up

Microsoft Office Home and Student is best suited for users who want the basic Office suite on a single PC for the family. Home and Business is best suited for users who want the basic Office suite, plus Outlook. These products are also available in Office for Mac versions for Apple users. Microsoft Office Professional is for those who need the basic Office suite, Outlook, Access and Publisher giving the ability to create marketing material on a single PC.

Microsoft Office 365 for consumers is available as follows: Personal, Home and University. Office 365 Personal is available for a single user on one PC or Mac as well as one tablet. Office 365 Home is best for families that want all Office functionality on up to five PCs or Mac and five tablets, plus easy access on smartphones. Both are available with a one-year license, either as a single payment or a monthly fee. Office 365 University is best for students who want Office on up to two devices – PCs, Macs or tablets. It is available as a four-year subscription at a special discounted rate, either up front or per month. All of the consumer versions of Office 365 now also include 60 Skype world minutes per month, which enable users to call landlines in 48 countries. All Office 365 solutions also offer 1 Terabyte (TB) of OneDrive cloud storage, which can be accessed on all connected devices as well as Android smartphones and iPhones, so important documents and applications are not lost even if the physical device is damaged, lost or stolen.

Understanding your needs, and the features available on each version of Microsoft Office can help to alleviate the confusion around purchasing this vital software tool. By answering these three questions and matching your needs to the Office product best suited to your situation will ensure that users get exactly what they need without frustration or added expense.

The New Face of Computing

 

Jimmy is a humanoid robot based on Intel Core i5 technology that walks, talks, makes hand gestures, uses social media channels and more. It is part of the 21st Century Robot Project that provides a forum for makers worldwide to collaborate and build affordable, personalized robots using open-source design files and available apps. Combined with the growing maker culture, technologies such as Intel Galileo, Intel Edison, 3-D printing and open-source app development are making it easier for individuals to create inventions such as Jimmy. It is feasible that within the next five years people may be able to build affordable custom robots based on Intel technology for less than $1,000. 

Intel is committed to lowering the barriers to entry for all innovators - whether it's a child, the hobbyist or a professional designer- who have great ideas but not deep experience with technology. Intel Labs is bringing Jimmy to life in collaboration with publisher MAKE, University of Southern California*, Olin College for Engineering*, maker space The Artisans Asylum* and Trossen Robotics.

Jimmy helps encourage people to think differently about what a computational device could look like in the future and to spark the imagination of inventors of any age to reimagine the ways in which people can design, create, enjoy and use new digital technologies. Powered by Intel, these new computing models - like robotics - may become mainstream consumer electronic devices that could act as social companions, organizers, educators and more. Imagine a robot that acts as a caretaker to senior citizens to remind them to take their medicine or is used in the classroom to augment the teacher to provide more individualized attention to students.

High speed mobile Wi-Fi – The Huawei E5372 LTE from DCC

Take advantage of LTE mobile broadband speeds and securely share your connection across a home, office or any other location with the Huawei E5372 LTE from distributor Drive Control Corporation (DCC). This mobile Wi-Fi hotspot boots up in just five seconds, enabling users to wirelessly connect up to 11 devices at a time and share high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity with download speeds of up to 150 Megabits per second (Mbps).

“Many users in South Africa do not have access to ADSL or fibre, and therefore turn to mobile broadband for Internet access such as 3G and more recently, LTE. With the growing availability of LTE, this is becoming an even more viable option. The Huawei E5372 LTE is the perfect device for turning mobile broadband into a Wi-Fi network for sharing in a small office or with friends and family at home, and even for taking your hotspot with you wherever you go. Simply boot up, enter the password and connect. The device can also be connected via USB to a computer, and supports Vodacom, MTN and Cell C networks,” says Fayaaz Seedat, Huawei Consumer Product Specialist at DCC. 

The E5372 features AC power as well as up to 10 hours of battery life on a full charge, making it ultra-portable for a wide range of applications. Two internal antenna interfaces enhance indoor Wi-Fi signal coverage, ideal for larger homes or offices. Unauthorised access is prevented by password protection to ensure security, and a MicroSD card slot enables you to store and share data through your Wi-Fi hotspot. The E5372 supports both Windows and Mac Operating Systems (OS), compatible with all versions of Windows from XP onward and with Mac OSX 10.5 and up.

The Huawei E5372 LTE will be available mid-June from resellers and leading retailers for a recommended retail price of R2 560.00 including VAT.

For more information, visit www.drivecon.net.

High performance NAS with personal cloud capability – WD’s My Cloud EX4 from DCC

Get ahead of your data storage needs with up to 16 Terabytes (TB) of Network Attached Storage (NAS) as well as personal cloud functionality with WD’s new  My Cloud EX4 from distributor Drive Control Corporation (DCC). The My Cloud EX4 is a high-performance, four-bay NAS for your home or small office, built from the ground up with the quality and reliability users have come to expect from WD. It offers a robust all-metal enclosure, multiple Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) volumes, easy drive installation and a full suite of applications (apps) for the power and flexibility to expand your NAS features. In addition, the My Cloud EX4 gives users their own personal cloud, allowing you to take advantage of the benefits cloud has to offer without any of the hassles or drawbacks.

“The My Cloud EX4 delivers centralised NAS storage for your home or office, allowing you to keep all of your content safe in one place. However, the real innovation is the personal cloud functionality, which means you can access this content remotely using a variety of devices, by using the WD My Cloud mobile and desktop applications, no matter where you are in the world. Your own cloud means you are in control of your data and where it is stored, and if you need more space, you can simply add capacity to the device – up to 16TBs in total and no need for monthly fees to a cloud provider,” says Ruben Naicker, WD Product Specialist at DCC.

The My Cloud EX4 offers a number of configuration options to suit any requirements. A diskless enclosure allows users to easily install and hot swap to add up to four compatible drives and add capacity as needed. The solution is also available pre-populated with WD Red hard drives, which are purpose-built for 24x7 NAS environments for enhanced performance and reliability. Features include dual network and power supply, 512 Megabytes (MB) memory and a 2.0 Gigahertz (GHz) processor for superior performance.

To deliver enhanced data management, the My Cloud EX4 supports multiple RAID configurations, including RAID 1, 5, 10, as well as spanning and JBOD modes. Data protection options include remote backup to another My Cloud EX4, integrated cloud backup or local LAN/WAN backup. The device includes WD SmartWare Pro for PC users and Apple Time Machine for Mac to ensure optimal data protection.

The solution is designed to be easy to use and easy to manage, with a powerful dashboard and LCD display for continuous monitoring of drives, management of users and utilisation of energy saving features. The My Cloud EX4 enables users to stream videos and photos to connected TVs, media players, gaming consoles and more, and an integrated file server, FTP server, backup server and P2P torrent download server provide advanced servicing options. In addition, email and mobile alerts keep you informed on the status of your My Cloud EX4 at all times.

“The My Cloud EX4 also gives users access to a number of award-winning desktop and mobile apps. WD’s app allows you to upload, access and share your documents from anywhere and transfer files from your public cloud service to the My Cloud EX4 directly from the mobile app. Other industry-leading apps include aMule, Icecast, Joomla! phpBB, phpMyAdmin and SqueezeCenter, which allow you to customise your NAS to meet your unique requirements,” says Naicker.

Expanding capacity is easy - simply attach a compatible USB hard drive directly to one of the two USB 3.0 expansion ports on the My Cloud EX4 and instantly expand your storage. Users can also save power consumption with integrated energy-saving features such as disk spin-down and scheduled power on/off. A full suite of advanced features include iSCSI target, full-featured FTP services, link aggregation and failover support, jumbo frame support, iPv6 ready, UPS support (USB and network), real time resource monitor, volume encryption with boot-up password, SNMP and virtual volumes.

“This product is a unique offering on the market, with a host of powerful yet easy to use features. By adding this enclosure to our portfolio we are enabling resellers to target both the SME market and prosumers with a comprehensive solution that provides capacity, redundancy and high performance NAS, critical in today’s data-driven world, along with a host of value-added features,” Naicker concludes.

The WD My Cloud EX4 is available immediately from selected resellers. For the latest list of compatible drives, visitwd.com/mycloudex4.

For more information visit www.drivecon.net.

DCC’s new UltiMate – affordable tablets for everyone

Tablets are increasingly becoming part of our everyday lives, and are often used by every member of the family. However, the price point of many tablet devices has been a significant barrier to entry – until now. Distributor Drive Control Corporation (DCC) introduces the UltiMate – a range of performance tablets with all of the features you need, at a price that won’t break the bank. Available in both 7-inch and 10-inch models, the DCC UltiMate is the ‘ultimate’ in affordable tablet computing.

“Tablets are everywhere – there’s no getting away from how useful they are for performing everyday online tasks on the move, for socialising, and even for playing games. From parents who need portability and easy access to online content and social media, to children who require tablets for classes and schoolwork, the need is growing. However, many users are unable to afford a branded device. DCC’s UltiMate is the perfect affordable solution, with the right balance of excellent pricing, solid performance and a full array of features,” says Bruce Byrne, Visual Communications Specialist at DCC.

Featuring Android’s Jelly Bean Operating System (OS), the UltiMate gives users access to thousands of applications (apps) on the Google Play store, from games to online newspapers and magazines, as well as eLearning content and eBooks. A 1.3GHz Quad Core processor and 8 Gigabyte (GB) Random Access Memory (RAM) offer enough power and performance for some serious multitasking, while a USB port, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G with dual SIM slots offer a range of connectivity options.

The 1GB of on-board memory can be upgraded with up to 32GB MicroSD expandable storage for storing photos, movies, music and more, and an HDMI port enables the UltiMate to be connected to High Definition (HD) televisions and monitors for content sharing. HD IPS panel screens on both the 7-inch and 10-inch models offer crystal clear viewing.  Built-in speakers and a headphone jack let you enjoy quality sound out loud or in private, perfect for gaming and content viewing at home or on the go. Topping off these impressive features, the UltiMate includes a 3 Megapixel front facing camera for video calling, and a 5 Megapixel rear camera for capturing memories on the move.

“This tablet has everything users need, and can even be used as a phone or a GPS thanks to the ability to install not one, but two SIM cards for voice and data bundles. It is a must have for schools and school children, as reference books can now often be downloaded and interactive learning is becoming increasingly popular. It is also ideal for Point Of Sale (POS) interactive advertising, promotions, sales staff and anyone else who wants the features of a tablet without the expensive price tag,” Byrne concludes.

DCC’s UltiMate tablets feature a one-year warranty. They will be available in March 2014 from resellers and leading retailers. The 7-inch model has a recommended retail price of R1 400.00 including VAT while the 10-inch model retails for a recommended price of R2 500.00 including VAT.

For more information, visit www.drivecon.net.

DCC announces Huawei’s Wingle - extending 3G coverage to additional users

With the mobile workforce on the rise and individuals always requiring Internet connectivity, access is an essential in everyday life. The Huawei Wingle, available from distributor Drive Control Corporation (DCC), addresses this requirement with a convenient 3G USB connectivity device that allows up to 10 additional users to make use of the 3G connection via WiFi.

“Everyone requires a combination of connectivity, mobility and Internet sharing.  However, many devices such as USB dongles on the market today only offer connectivity for a single user. The Huawei Wingle allows users to easily share 3G Internet connectivity using only one USB connectivity device, making this ideal for people without ADSL or with budget constraints,” says Raul Del Fabbro, Enterprise Solutions Manager at DCC.

Catering for small businesses and even households that require shared Internet connectivity, the Huawei Wingle supports full 3G / HSDPA with transfer rates of up to 21 Megabytes per second (MB/s) for downlinks and uplink speeds of up to 5.76 MB/s. This ensures that users are able to work on the move without compromising fast connectivity speeds.

The Huawei Wingle is simple to use and requires one user to insert the USB device into their laptop or PC. This connection is then shared with up to 10 users – wirelessly.  This is ideal for small businesses with two to ten personnel or families that don’t have ADSL. The Huawei Wingle allows these users to share connectivity easily and cost effectively without having to purchase additional USB dongles for each person.

The Huawei Wingle is automatically charged when plugged into a laptop or PC and can also be charged with the provided power adapter or by making us of a USB car charging kit. This allows users to plug the Huawei Wingle into a charging kit and make use of the 3G connectivity while sitting in a car. Supporting Windows, MAC and Linux Operating Systems (OS), the Wingle can be used on a variety of PCs and notebooks.

“The combination of a 3G USB that allows users to connect through WiFi is the ideal solution for shared connectivity across multiple devices,” concludes Del Fabbro.

The Huawei Wingle (Model Number: E8231) is available from DCC and selected retail outlets immediately for a Recommended Retail Price (RRP) of R900.00 inclusive of VAT.

For more information, visit www.drivecon.net

The Ultrabook – where laptop meets tablet and provides the best of both worlds

By Farhad Alli, Dell Consumer Product Specialist at DCC

There can be no doubt that the emergence of the tablet changed the face of computing dramatically, offering unprecedented levels of portability, intuitive touch screen technology and the ability to complete certain tasks on the move with ease. However, the tablet, like its predecessor the netbook, is subject to some limitations, particularly the lack of processing power, which make these devices unsuitable as a complete replacement for the laptop. Enter the new generation of Ultrabooks, featuring all of the processing power of a notebook with touch capability and innovative screen technologies that converge two separate devices into one powerful, portable machine that does the job of both.

While tablets have gained popularity because of their size, portability, instant start-up and ability to work on the move, the physical size of the tablet is in itself a limitation. With such a small chassis, there is only so much processing power that can be included, and there is no room for a keyboard, which limits the functions that can be performed. For example, tablets are unable to handle large and complex spreadsheets, and the touch screen with no keyboard makes word processing challenging. As these two functions are common in daily office work, many mobile workers find it necessary to use multiple devices – a tablet and a notebook or laptop, in order to deliver the required functionality.

With the entrance of Windows 8, which is optimised for touch screen, the demand for this capability is on the increase. New generations of Ultrabooks effectively solve all of these challenges, with more processing power, Solid State Drives (SSD) to ensure fast boot-up, large storage capacity, touch screens, and the opportunity to add extra monitors and wireless keyboards and mouses in the office. This allows business users to purchase a single device that looks like a notebook, but that can easily transform into a tablet, giving users the option to use one device that meets all of their needs.

What has truly enabled this convergence is innovation in design and screen technologies. New generations of Ultrabooks have the ability to convert into tablet devices with touch screens on both devices. One method being used to achieve this is a flip hinge design on the lid, which enables users to flip the screen and fold it back over the keyboard to transition from notebook mode to tablet mode. Another innovation is the emergence of very powerful tablet devices that incorporate a removable docking keyboard, which effectively means that simply by plugging the tablet in to the keyboard dock, which incorporates a touch pad and extends battery life, users gain the advantages of a notebook. The tablet can then easily be removed for meetings and working on the move.

This new generation of Ultrabook combines the ability to access software suites such as Microsoft Office, which are critical to working productivity, with the ability to access a wide range of applications available for Windows 8. Like tablets, they start up almost instantly, but like a notebook, they offer enhanced storage capabilities, either through integrated Hard Disk Drives (HDD) or via the Cloud. The combination of a touch screen and a keyboard means that any task can be completed in the most efficient way possible, and improved processing power not only enables greater functionality, but enhanced ability to effectively multitask as well.

In a world where mobility is becoming key to productivity and competitive edge, both tablets and notebooks have a role to play. With the new generation of Ultrabooks however, the need to carry two separate devices is no more. Users can now get the best of both worlds and work effectively from anywhere, no matter what the task at hand.