New Lexmark printer targeted at SOHO market
Lexmark Canada has introduced the Lexmark X8350 Office All-in-One Plus Photo printer for the small office/home office (SOHO) market. It features a 2.4-inch colour LCD and photo card slots, giving users photo capabilities along with the ability to print, scan, copy and fax, and manage and share colour documents and photos. The device can print at 25 pages per minute (ppm) black and 19 ppm colour, and features an automatic document feeder capable of handling a maximum of 50 pages for hands-free fax and copy. It comes bundled with Lexmark’s Productivity Suite Software and is network capable, with optional Ethernet and wireless network adapters.
Availability: Available now. Pricing: Estimated retail price $279.99
URL: www.lexmark.com/canada
NCR debuts Velocity Portal software suite
NCR has launched a software suite that assimilates and manages data from different devices, including RFID-based technologies, throughout the supply chain. The company said the product is meant to be a rapid development environment to make it easier for companies to collect, interpret and move data from multiple sources. Operating with both traditional intent-based data collection and RFID-based pervasive data collection, the tool supports a variety of technologies, including real-time wireless, batch systems, programmable logic controllers and personal digital assistants. Other features include integrated security and user authentication, multi-lingual support based on user login, and the ability to connect to an unlimited number of data sources.
Availability: Available now. URL: www.ncr.com
Hummingbird updates solution for mobile workers
Toronto’s Hummingbird Ltd. has released Exceed onDemand 5.1, a component of the company’s Connectivity family of products. Exceed onDemand is an ultra-thin, multi-tiered PC X server designed to securely connect users to 2D and 3D X Windows applications over any type of network connection. On the security side, it supports SSL, Secure Shell and Pluggable Authentication Module frameworks. Enhancements to version 5.1 include automatic cluster fail over, X11R6.8 support, performance and bandwidth improvements, Unicode and TrueType fonts support, and render extension.
Availability: Available now. URL: connectivity.hummingbird.com
New Tundra host bridges closer to market
Ottawa’s Tundra Semiconductor has reached two key development milestones for its family of host bridges for PowerPC. The Tsi108 Host Bridge, a high-performance host bridge that supports PCI-X, DDR2-400 SDRAM, Gigabit Ethernet and Flash memory is now in full production. It operates up to 200MHz and was the first host bridge for PowerPC. Tundra’s Tsi109 Host Bridge is also now available for general sampling. It’s capable of dual-processor support that enables higher system compute performance, and also boasts an improved memory pipeline that increases memory bandwidth and integrated power management features to address demanding, low-power applications.
Availability: Tsi108 available now, Tsi109 full production in March 2006.
Pricing: Volume pricing, Tsi108 at under US$70, Tsi109 under US$75
URL: www.tundra.com/tsi108 and www.tundra.com/tsi109
Redknee announces next-generation messaging platform
Mississauga, Ont.-based Redknee, a provider of infrastructure software that monetizes and personalizes services and content for mobile users, has released version 7.0 of its Enhanced Messaging Gateway (EMG). The messaging platform combines a rating and charging engine along with advanced message profiling, routing and delivery functions to give service providers more control on a per-message basis over how SMS and MMS services are routed, delivered and charged for. Version 7.0 supports premium Short Messaging Service (pSMS) to provide subscribers with the ability to use short codes to purchase content over their mobile phone. It also enables wireless operators to host multiple MVNOs and off-net third party content providers.
Availability: Available now. URL: www.redknee.com
Corel updates two product lines
Ottawa’s Corel Corp. has released updated versions of two of its key products, CorelDraw Graphics Suite and WordPerfect Office. They will be known as CorelDraw Graphics Suite X3 and WordPerfect Office X3. Although each succeeds the twelfth version in its respective product line, Corel has decided to avoid referring to either of them as version 13.0. CorelDraw Graphics Suite X3 aims to provide similar tools to design professionals as Adobe’s Creative Suite at a fraction of the price. It boasts more than 40 enhancements from its predecessor, including a feature called PowerTrace that allows users to convert bitmaps into editable vector graphics. WordPerfect Office X3 also pitches itself against a mighty opponent: Microsoft’s Office. With several enhancements including a refreshed interface and new e-mail client, it is intended to provide a higher level of compatibility with Microsoft’s industry-standard products.
Availability: Available now.
Pricing: CorelDraw $119 to $488, WordPerfect from $89.99 to $319.99
URL: www.corel.com
Wake up your PC remotely
01 Communique Laboratory, a Toronto-based remote access solutions provider, has released I’m InTouch Corporate Server Edition Version 2.0, its customer premise-based remote access gateway. Developed in conjunction with Hitachi Business Solution Co. Ltd., the tool is designed to give authorized employees secure remote access to corporate resources by allowing them to login, view and control their office workstation, even when it has been previously shut down. Other new features in 2.0 include remote printing and remote control using Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC devices. Security features include 128-bit SSL encryption for each remote session and the requirement for multi-level user authentication.
Availability: Available now. URL: www.01com.com
New Vaio for media on the go
Sony of Canada Ltd. has unveiled its Vaio FE Series notebook personal computer. It’s designed to give power users media centre capabilities on the go with Intel’s mobile technology, DDR2 memory and a serial ATA hard drive. The 15.4-inch widescreen display uses Xbrite HiColor LCD technology, and on the audio side the FE uses Sony’s Sound Reality technology. Microsoft’s Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is the default OS, and the laptop also features built in 802.11 a/b/g wireless LAN connectivity with a privacy filter that masks out the environment around users when they’re making a VoIP call.
Availability: Available now.
Pricing: Suggested retail $1,999.99 URL: www.sony.ca
Keep time on your desktop
Symmetricom Inc. has announced the availability of SymmTime 2006, a free, multi-zone desktop time utility that automatically synchronizes a system clock to any accessible NTP server to keep accurate time. The company said more than 100,000 users around the world use the previous version. New features include more digital and analogue clock choices, a wider variety of size choices, hundreds of time zone locations, the ability to have up to 30 clocks on one panel and an expanded help feature.
Availability: Available now. Pricing: Free
URL: www.ntp-systems.com/lp_SymmTime2006.asp
A scanner between your fingers
Mississauga, Ont.-based Planon Systems Solutions has debuted its DocuPen RC800, a pen-shaped document colour scanner that allows users to scan hundreds of pages into onboard memory. It can scan full-page documents in 24-bit colour, 12-bit colour or monochrome onto its 8MB of on-board Flash memory, and also includes a memory slot to add additional Transflash memory cards.
Availability: Available now. Pricing: Suggested retail $299.99
URL: www.planon.com
Psion hits the road
Mississauga, Ont.-based Psion Teklogix has launched its 8530 Vehicle-Mount Computer, the latest generation of its vehicle-mount products. Based on the 8525, the new 8530 delivers all of the same connectivity and expansion capabilities, but with a display more suited to vertical industries such as transportation and food that demand applications with expanded graphical interface capabilities. Based on Psion’s Advanced Intel XScale/ CE .NET platform, the 8350 includes a 10.4-inch full-screen interface that makes it easier to use the on-screen virtual keyboard. A separate full keyboard is also available as an option. The device is designed to be rugged for use in environments such as warehouses, ports, manufacturing operations and yards.
Availability: Available now. URL: www.psionteklogix.com
A nicer way to VoIP
Vancouver-based Nicer Canada Corp. has launched a hosted VoIP service. Nicer’s hosted IP service combines the functionality of a traditional private branch exchange (PBX) with additional value-added services, delivered over Nicer’s IP network. The company said the service, aimed at the enterprise and SMB space, takes advantage of managed, network-based IP telephony with added flexibility, since all features can be accessed via the office telephone, at home or via mobile phones. The service supports features such as virtual extensions, fax to email, voice mail to e-mail, Web-based call management, multiple call appearance, unified communications and auto-attendant. It’s targeted to dealers and resellers who are expanding their portfolios to include VoIP.
Availability: Available now. URL: www.nicertech.com
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