Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Acer’s Ultra-Thin-And-Light Notebooks Awarded Japanese Good Design Awards


Acer announces that its latest ultra-thin-and-light notebooks have been honored at the 2016 edition of Japan’s Good Design Award, including both the Acer Swift 7, which is the world’s first[1]notebook to measure less than 1 cm thin, and the convertible Acer Spin 7, weighing just 1.2 kg. 
The abTouchPhone, a touchscreen multimedia IP desk phone, was also awarded for its full range of practical communication features, and also for its simple yet elegantly designed appearance.
Acer’s winning products stood out from over 4,000 entries, and were selected over a rigorous five-month screening process involving 76 international jury members. Screenings were held not only in Japan but also in South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Jury’s Evaluation of the Acer Swift 7
“The thinness and functionality of a laptop PC conflict with its operability, but the Acer Swift 7 strikes an appropriate balance between the two elements. The streamlined shape of the PC, which is less than 1 cm thick, makes it look visually thinner than it actually is, and the product generally has a robust yet elaborate image due to its use of cut and molded aluminum alloy as a material. Furthermore, despite its thickness, it provides a favorable touch button, and the use of a large touch panel achieves both a beautiful design and ease of use.” 
Jury’s Evaluation of the Acer Spin 7
“Consumers have growing expectations for convertible laptop PCs as smartphones become more common and these convertible laptop PCs are expected to be used on occasions different from those for ordinary laptop PCs, and unlike the latter, the former also needs to meet various needs in terms of structure. The Acer Spin 7 is light and slim, and under these restricted conditions, it uses a rotary touch panel, meeting user needs in various situations through its 14-inch monitor and fan-less design. The case made from an aluminum alloy adds a sense of high quality to the product while ensuring its sturdiness. The Spin 7 boasts of outstanding performance as a hybrid convertible PC.”
Jury’s Evaluation of the abTouchPhone
“As smartphones offer increasingly diverse functions, users are also looking for installed touchphones. Using highly-functional and high-quality communications, this product meets the above-mentioned needs of users while they are busy at work or leading their busy lives. Another characteristic is its simple yet elegantly designed external appearance.”
About the Good Design Award
The Good Design Award is hosted by the Japan Institute for Design Promotion, a public interest incorporated foundation. It’s precursor, the Good Design Selection System (or G Mark System), was founded in 1957 by Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (the current Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), and has engaged in this field for about 60 years. Submissions come from a wide range of industries, and roughly 1,200 designs are recognized every year.
About Acer
Established in 1976, Acer is a hardware + software + services company dedicated to the research, design, marketing, sale, and support of innovative products that enhance people’s lives. Acer’s product offerings include PCs, displays, projectors, servers, tablets, smartphones and wearables. It is also developing cloud solutions to bring together the Internet of Things. Acer is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2016 and is one of the world’s top 5 PC companies. It employs 7,000 people worldwide and has a presence in over 160 countries. Please visit www.acer.com for more information.

Note: [1] Based on Acer’s internal survey as of August 30, 2016 of competitors shipping > 1 million units worldwide annually with clamshell design. Windows or OSX, measured at z-height, Intel Core processors, non-detachable keyboard.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Lenovo Debuts Commercial Desktops and Notebooks Featuring 7th Generation AMD PRO Processors



Today at the Canalys Channels Forum, AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) debuted the Lenovo ThinkCentre M715 Tiny and ThinkPad E475 and E575, new commercial desktop and notebooks featuring 7th Generation AMD PRO APUs (formerly codenamed “Bristol Ridge PRO”). AMD PRO APUs are built for business, with robust security, reliability, and increased energy efficiency to help protect customers’ IT investments.

 “These latest AMD PRO based-systems from Lenovo are optimized for business and deliver increased computing and graphics performance, at levels that meet the highest of customer expectations,” said Jim Anderson, senior vice president and general manager, Computing and Graphics Group, AMD. “These systems combine commercial-grade quality, performance, and stability, with excellent video and audio capabilities, helping ensure businesses are more productive and collaborative. We are thrilled to partner with Lenovo to bring this technology to companies and enterprises around the world.”

“Businesses today are constantly evolving, demanding better performance, security, manageability, and usability from their computers. This is why Lenovo provides innovation both inside and outside our commercial products and works with partners like AMD, who bring a similar focus on giving users the best experience possible,” said Bai Peng, vice president notebook business, PC & Smart Device Business Group at Lenovo. “The ThinkPad E475 and E575 notebooks and ThinkCentre M715 Tiny, based on the AMD PRO processor portfolio, enables businesses to deliver real-world performance and dependability optimized for business’ needs”

Enabled by 7th generation AMD PRO processors the new Lenovo desktop and notebooks help ensure sensitive data and trusted applications remain secure with dedicated AMD Secure Processor technology. AMD PRO APUs meet users’ growing requirements by providing up to 14% more compute performance, up to 22% more graphic performance, and up to 32% more energy efficiency, than the previous generation AMD PRO processors. Open standards and CPU-agnostic DASH manageability allows IT departments to easily integrate and manage systems while the new AMD AM4 desktop infrastructure provides a stable and upgradable platform for the future. 

New Lenovo ThinkCentre Desktop
Lenovo is breaking new ground with the ThinkCentre M715 Tiny. Despite being only one liter in size, the ThinkCentre M715 Tiny packs a punch. At 94% smaller than a traditional desktop tower, IT managers can place the tiny M715 almost anywhere with optional under desk, wall, and monitor back mounting options. The 35W 7th generation AMD PRO processors were designed for ultra-small form factor PCs providing superb compute and graphics performance with excellent efficiency. For example, performance of the new AMD PRO A12-9800E is equivalent to the system performance of the prior generation AMD PRO A10-8750, at close to 1/3 of the power. The ThinkCentre M715 Tiny is a high performance, ultra-compact desktop that can be used almost anywhere.

New Lenovo ThinkPad Notebooks
The new thin and light ThinkPad E475 and E575 provide a superb mix of performance, mobility, and security. Weighing as little as 4.1lbs. (1.87kg) and measuring less than 1 inch (23.7mm) thin the new ThinkPad notebooks offer excellent mobility and excellent battery life for extended productivity. The E475 and E575 offer an outstanding user experience with AMD Radeon™ R5 M430 graphics, enhanced VOIP features, and improved microphones for excellent videoconferencing.

The Lenovo ThinkPad E475 and E575 will be available on November 7th. The ThinkCentre M715 Tiny is available on October 31st.

Monday, October 24, 2016

IMMAP Digital Conference: Digital Marketing Multiplied


The country’s very first digital congress, the “IMMAP DigiCon, The Power of X: Digital Multiplied,” hosted by the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP), lived up to its promise to be as enlightening and exciting as the first event hosted by IMMAP 10 years ago.
“This groundbreaking event is like no other that IMMAP has hosted in the past—more attendees, more learning tracks and most importantly, an even bigger line-up of speakers who talked about everything digital in the 21st Century. Collectively, they shared their thoughts on this industry that is taking the world by storm,” says Donald Lim, Chief Digital Officer of ABS-CBN and touted as the founding father of digital marketing in the country.
The digital landscape in the Philippines continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace; as such, the congress is the perfect venue for the country’s digital marketers to keep in step and to learn fromdigital marketing experts from all over the world, who shared their knowledge during the 3-day event from October 10-12, 2016 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC)
“More industries today are now going purely digital and we are expecting the this kind of transformation among many more companies in the future,” Lim adds.
For the first time, through “The Power of X: Digital Multiplied,” IMMAP fuses together other regulardigital marketing conferences—the Mobile Marketing Summit, Digital Commerce Summit, and the IMMAP Summit—into one event, drew thousands delegates from various industries across the country.
dsc_5213
Lim says this congress was 10 times bigger than before as IMMAP once again enjoins members of the Philippine digital marketing industry and demonstrates to them how brands can grow exponentially with the power of digital, multiplied.
Why “Power of X?” Lim explains that“X” is one of the most powerful letters in the alphabet. It has many possible usages, but it also stands for the unknown. “When it comes to digital, it’s up to you to determine what ‘X’ stands for.
In many ways, digital is still misunderstood, and so it gets the ‘X’ mark or is crossed out of an advertiser’s consideration list. How will you be able to amplify your brand in the digital space? It’s for you to define your ‘X,’” he says.
The IMMAP DigiCon had 10 subject matter tracks and 10 speakers in each track, for a total of 100 speakers. The topics for the 10 tracks include “Branding and Marketing,” “Content and Distribution,” “Start-ups,” “Creatives,” “Social and Search,” “eCommerce and Payment,” “Marketing Technology,” “CRM, Data and Analytics,” “Research and Measurement,” and “Media and Ad Networks.”
The likes of Dan Neary, Vice President for Asia of Facebook, Wendy Hogan, Head of Strategy and Marketing Transformation of Oracle, and chief executives of local companies like Ernest Cu, CEO of Globe Telecom, Kenneth Yang, President and CEO of Golden Arches Development Corp., Fred Uytengsu, President and CEO of Alaska Milk Corp., were featured during the plenary sessions. Meanwhile, Sunita Kaur of Spotify, Anna Liechtenstein, Global Chief Strategy Officer of Havas Media, Paul Azzola, COO of PayMaya Philippines, Guy Hearn, Chief Innovation Officer of Omnicom Media Group, Simon Kahn, Chief Marketing Officer of Google Asia Pacific, Gwendolyn Regina, Head of Strategy and Business Development of Asia Mashable, and Sandhya Devanathan of Facebook SEA, to name a few, are just some of the more than the 100 speakers who provide the learning and sharing of knowledge on digital marketing in the 21st Century.
For more information, go to www.immap.com.ph or www.powerofx.ph. Also, visit Facebook page, www.facebook.com/immapPH/ and Twitter, @immapPH.

Friday, October 7, 2016

Acer sponsors major international gaming event


Acer, one of the most popular and quality tech brands in the world, has accelerated its full support in the gaming industry this year.

Acer has been named an official Sponsor for the 2016 League of Legends World Championships and 2016 All Star Event, with the partnership with LoL esports kicking off now and continuing through the duration of these events. Assisted by CAA in setting up the partnership, Acer will supply Predator XB1 (XB241H) monitors for these exciting global esports events, equipping the professional practice rooms and stages, displaying all of the action during matches. The marketing partnership also includes branding integration during Worlds and ASE broadcasts, and unique experience opportunities will also be offered to avid gamers.

“Acer is committed to pushing boundaries in the gaming arena and has built a strong reputation with its widely acclaimed Predator line of gaming notebooks, desktops and displays, consistently delivering new, relevant technology to the market,” said Vincent Lin, senior director, Global Product Marketing and Planning at Acer. “This sponsorship for the 2016 League of Legends World Championships and 2016 League of Legends All-Star Event, two of the world’s most popular and exciting esports events, will help Acer demonstrate its gaming prowess to gaming enthusiasts around the globe. The Predator XB1 monitors will give professional players an immersive experience that will enable them to push their skills to the limit and delight their esports fans.”

“We’re thrilled to welcome Acer to the game as a partner as we get ready to celebrate the competitive pinnacle of 2016 and crown a new World Champion,” said Jarred Kennedy, Riot Games.


 The Acer Predator line has earned countless industry awards and accolades for giving a competitive edge to gamers. The Acer Predator XB241H sports a brilliant 24-inch Full HD 1080p display featuring NVIDIA G-Sync, a quick 1ms response and up to a fast 144Hz refresh rate rendering fast-moving actions and dramatic transitions without smearing or ghosting.  For enthusiasts and professionals who like to push gaming to the outer limits, the Predator XB241H can be overclocked up to 180Hz.  It also provides wide viewing angles with accurate colors up to 170 degrees horizontally and 160 degrees vertically, so no targets are missed.  

Thursday, October 6, 2016

AMD Announces First Desktops Featuring 7th Generation AMD PRO Processors


 Today at the Canalys Channels Forum AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) announced the first PCs featuring 7th Generation AMD PRO APUs (formerly codenamed “Bristol Ridge PRO”). Built for business, AMD PRO APUs deliver increased computing and graphics performance, improved energy efficiency, while providing a secure and stable platform to protect customers’ IT investments.

“In the past two years we made incredible progress in the commercial client segment. Since its inception in mid-2014, AMD PRO processor unit shipments increased more than 45 percent, enabling businesses all over the world to simplify IT with secure, high performance, reliable solutions” said Jim Anderson, senior vice president and general manager, Computing and Graphics Business, AMD. “We are thrilled to have PC market leaders like HP and Lenovo expanding their use of AMD technology in their business client portfolios.”

“We’re delighted to offer 7th generation AMD PRO processors in our new HP EliteDesk 705 G3 desktop series,” said Guayente Sanmartin, Vice President of Product Management, Commercial Desktops, HP Inc. “We are delivering more performance, security and flexibility to give our enterprise customers peace of mind that allows them to focus on their business, not on IT complexity.”

New systems from HP and Lenovo combine commercial-grade[i] quality, performance, and stability, with exceptional video and audio capabilities enabling businesses to achieve more across key areas including productivity, manageability, and collaboration. In addition, Microsoft® Windows® 10 Pro features including Device Guard, Windows Hello, Biometric Security and BitLocker Encryption are fully supported, out of the box.

“We at Canalys recognize the ongoing appetite across channel and mid-size businesses globally for more secure, reliable, flexible and cost-effective technology enablement.” said Steve Brazier, President and CEO of Canalys. “As companies embrace digital options deeper in their businesses, their expectations from technology partners will change, making it imperative that IT vendors deliver products that can make an immediate impact on the market through innovation, enhanced performance and increased reliability, amongst other focus areas. These new desktops, featuring AMD processor technology, provide opportunities for businesses to handle critical challenges without sacrificing manageability, security or stability.”

AMD 7th Generation PRO Processors
7th Generation AMD PRO processors tackle business needs in three key areas:

·         Help ensure sensitive data and trusted applications remain secure with the dedicated and integrated AMD Secure Processor technology; a system-wide secure environment that offloads and isolates security functions, providing an independent hardware-based root of trust for secure boot, content protection, application security, and fTPM 2.0 (firmware trusted platform module).

·         To meet users’ growing compute and graphic demands, new AMD PRO desktop processors provide up to 14% more compute and 22% more graphic performance while being up to 32% more energy efficient than 6th generation AMD PRO processors.

·         Open standards and CPU-agnostic DASH manageability allows IT departments to easily integrate and manage systems. The new AMD AM4 desktop infrastructure provides a stable and upgradable platform for the future.

AMD 7th Generation Systems

The HP EliteDesk 705 G3 Series desktops, available in microtower, small-form factor (SFF), or mini-form factor, deliver impressive value with uncompromising performance, security, and manageability for an enterprise-class experience. The EliteDesk desktop PCs are more secure with HP Sure Start with Protection of BIOS Configuration and Policy. This helps to protect your PC and ensure uninterrupted productivity by automatically detecting and recovering from BIOS corruption or attacks. The desktops also include TPM 2.0 to secure data and HP’s full portfolio of physical-security accessories for a robust, three-layer security solution.

 7th generation AMD PRO processors aim to deliver the best performance, reliability, and opportunity to handle critical workloads with planned availability in additional new PCs in the near future.