Is there too much pressure on your help desk? Too many frustrated employees complaining about wasting time in printer queues? Getting your company printing in the fast lane with the Lexmark Optra Se 3445 laser printer will make a huge difference to your network administrator's
It`s been a year since Mark Hill took the helm of the local Microsoft subsidiary - an ideal opportunity to pay him a visit and chat about the African Microsoft he strives to build, Microsoft`s challenges in the enterprise, and the company`s image problem and its reflections on the local market.
Installation of new hardware always makes me a little nervous as it is rarely undertaken without any surprises. The Hewlett-Packard DeskJet 1120C Professional Series tabloid-size colour printer was a welcome exception to the rule. It was a real pleasure to install and use.
Packard 4000TN laser printer for a test drive to see how far we can go. Actually, much farther than we need to. However hard we pushed the 4000TN, it endured. Eventually, we gave up - the HP4000 was much too powerful to be challenged by our printing tasks.
Technology stocks in the venture capital, development and electronics sectors of the JSE kept falling on Tuesday as investors took a more realistic approach. The notable loser was the Internet start-up and JSE young lion, E-Data, which fell 50.88% to 140c. The company started its free fall from 750c last Tuesday.
Two other JSE technology favourites, Computer Configurations (a drop of 15.58% to 1680c) and Ixchange (7.99% drop to 1350c), also suffered severely from the market turmoil. Brainware is approaching the danger zone after its 7.37% slide to 88c.
The blue chip Datatec fell hard by another 20.27% to 5900c, which is half the value enjoyed by the company only a week ago. Dimension Data dropped 5.42% to 2270c, while PQ Holdings fell 6.74% to 4150c.
Industry analysts don't expect technology stocks to recover any time soon.
SMC Networks has changed its market strategy to address assemblers of no-name personal computers, Martin Wondrak, SMC MD for EMEA region, told a press conference this week in Johannesburg.
The company estimates that the local PC assembly industry needs about 150 000 low-cost network adapters a year, with a potential revenue of R10 million, Wondrak said.
The new strategy is particularly appropriate to Germany, UK, France and South Africa, Wondrak said.
Greg Perkins, local SMC MD, said SMC is not going to force PC assemblers to carry the stock. The company plans to align PC assemblers with its distribution partners to offer them special OEM pricing.
Robert Breyer, country manager of Intel South Africa, has suddenly resigned. "I will be leaving Intel SA and taking a one-year leave of absence from Intel," Breyer said in an e-mail to local IT journalists.
Breyer`s resignation shortly follows the visit by Craig Barrett, Intel President and CEO, to South Africa last week. "Craig Barrett`s visit last week marks the completion of my mission in SA as well the highlight of my career," Breyer said.
As reason for his departure Breyer cites the completion of his job. "Intel has truly arrived in SA, and this marks a good point for me to move on."
Intel SA hasn`t issued an official statement or announced Breyer`s replacement yet.