PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Here’s our roundup of the latest hardware, components, peripherals and products from the tech and IT channel announced this week.
Microsoft Surface Book
The Surface Book is finally available in the UK with an RRP of £1,299. It is currently available through Currys/PC World, John Lewis, Selfridges, Harrods, Amazon, Very.co.uk and the Microsoft Store. Commercial customer can also to authorised resellers.
Surface Book combines 6th Generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors with up to 12 hours of battery life. The 13.5-inch optically bonded PixelSense Display delivers a high-contrast 267 dpi display with improved latency and parallax. The screen also detaches, so it can be used like a clipboard to sketch and take notes.
Overclockers UK ‘PCs by game’ range
There are four brand new gaming PCs from OCUK, two Hitman machines – the
Titan Contract “Hitman”Gaming PC and the Titan Agent 47 “Hitman” Gaming PC – along with two The Division PCs – the Titan Pandemic "The Division" Gaming PC and the Titan Dark Zone "The Division" Gaming PC. Each PC comes with a free copy of either The Division or the newest Hitman game.
OCUK has also unveiled the new PL-6000 gaming chair from Vertagear. It will be available in March with an RRP of £319.99.
Sinclair Vega+ handheld gaming console
Sir Clive Sinclair new low-cost handheld games console, the Vega+, is based on his hugely successful Spectrum products of the early 1980s. The Vega+ is the only games console that exists with 1,000s of licensed games already included. This launch follows the huge public and media support of the initial Vega product last year, and is the next step in the evolution of the Vega. The console currently has an Indiegogo campaign running.
WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra
The My Cloud EX2 Ulta has been designed for creative professionals and prosumers, allows users to automatically sync content across computers, easily share files and folders and enjoy multiple backup options. The NAS offers simplified file and folder sharing and is compatible with Windows 10. It is available in diskless, 4TB, 8TB and 12TB models with prices ranging from £135 to £519.99.
AMD Hitman PC bundle and Vulkan
AMD has partnered with IO Interactive to bundle a free copy of Hitman, as well as beta access to the game, with its Radeon R9 graphics cards and FX processors. AMD’s Vulkan 1.0 Specification has also been released. It is a powerful low-overhead graphics API that gives software developers deep control over the performance, efficiency, and capabilities of Radeon GPUs and multi-core CPUs.
Motorola VerveLife connected products
Motorola’s new VerveLife range of connected products will launch in Europe at MWC 2016. The range includes the VerveOne wireless earphones, VerveCam portable HD video camera, VerveRider Bluetooth earbuds, VerveLoop in-ear headphones, and the VerveRetrieve waterproof GPS tracker.
Toshiba SG5 Series SSDs
Toshiba’s new SG5 Series client solid state drives comes with embedded TLC NAND flash memory. Available in 2.5-inch and M.2 form factors, the SG5 Series features a SATA connection that supports 6.0 Gbit/s speeds and is available in capacities of 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1,024GB. The SSDs will be available in Q1 2016.
TP-Link EAP Wi-Fi access point range
Intended for SMB environments, TP-Link’s new EAP range of wireless access points have an easy mounting design and includes the firm’s Centralized Management Controller software.
Netgear Arlo Q camera
Netgear is now shipping its new Arlo Q 1080p HD Security Camera to stores and other retail channels in the UK. Arlo Q has 1080p high-definition video, two-way communication and an RRP of £169.99.
Panasonic 28,000 lumens laser projector
Panasonic has launched the 28,000 lumens PT-RZ31K, the company’s first 3-Chip DLPTM SOLID SHINE laser phosphor projector series, especially designed for large venue applications. The projectors are available from autumn 2016 in both WUXGA and SXGA+, each outputting 28,000 centre lumens.
Samsung CF591 and CF390 curved monitors
The new monitors use Samsung’s flicker-free and Eye Saver technologies to maintain presentation consistency and reduce strain on users’ eyes. Embedded AMD FreeSync Technology over HDMI functionality synchronises screen refresh rates with users’ AMD graphics cards to reduce input latency, stutter and lag during gaming and interactive content viewing. Additionally, the CF591 and CF390 displays offer a wide 178-degree viewing angle.
Buffalo DriveStation Media hard drive
Buffalo Technology’s DriveStation Media is a hard drive for families and home-users. It features 24.7 continuous recording capabilities and comes in capacities of 1TB, 2TB and 4TB.
AOC 4K monitor with Adaptive-Sync
The AOC U2879VF is able to display more than 1 billion colours and has an ultra-fast response time of 1 ms. It also comes with Adaptive-Sync support (FreeSync compatible) and low input lag. The monitor comes with up-to-date connectivity, amongst others encompassing both HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2a+ inputs. The AOC U2879VF will be available in March 2016 for an RRP of £279.99.
Lynksys Max Stream MU-MIMO router
The new Linksys AC1900 MU-MIMO router leverages the 802.11ac Wave 2 MU-MIMO (Multi-User, Multiple Input, Multiple Output) technology, which helps ensure uninterrupted Wi-Fi connectivity to multiple devices in the home and functions as if multiple devices have their own dedicated router. With MU-MIMO, the whole household can enjoy 4K and HD TV streaming to multiple devices as well as play video games, listen to music, check email, shop, and more – all at the same time. It will be available from February 24th at an RRP of £149.99.
