impulsegamer.com

NEWBURY, England and SAN FRANCISCO—10 June 2008—Vodafone, the world’s leading international mobile communications group, and Apple today announced that the highly anticipated iPhone 3G will be available in Australia, Italy, New Zealand and Portugal on July 11, and in the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, India, South Africa and Turkey later this year. iPhone 3G combines all the revolutionary features of iPhone with 3G networking that is twice as fast* as the first generation iPhone, built-in GPS for expanded location based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs the hundreds of third party applications already built with the recently released iPhone SDK.

“We are very excited to bring iPhone 3G to many of our customers across Europe and emerging markets this summer,” said Frank H. Rövekamp, global CMO, Vodafone Group. “Vodafone’s extensive, high speed and reliable networks mean customers can enjoy a great Internet and communications experience on their iPhone 3G.”

“We’re excited to work with Vodafone, the world’s largest mobile telecommunications company, to bring iPhone 3G to 10 countries across the globe,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. “We can’t wait to get this revolutionary product in the hands of even more people around the world.”

In addition to availability in Italy through Vodafone, Apple will offer iPhone 3G at its retail store in Rome.

Australia, Italy, New Zealand and Portugal will be the first Vodafone markets to offer customers iPhone 3G for purchase on July 11. iPhone 3G will be available via Vodafone on both prepay and contract price plans which will include great value data bundles. Other markets will follow later this year and full details of specific launch dates and price plans will be made available soon by individual Vodafone operating companies. Customers in Vodafone’s 10 markets where iPhone 3G will be available can pre-register online and in retail stores in the next few days.

*Based on 3G and EDGE testing. Actual speeds vary by site conditions.

Vodafone is the world’s leading international mobile communications group with over 260 million proportionate customers as of 31st March 2008. Vodafone currently has equity interests in 25 countries across five continents and a further 42 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

SYDNEY - 10 June 2008 - Apple today introduced MobileMe, a new Internet service that delivers push email, push contacts and push calendars from the MobileMe service in the “cloud” to native applications on iPhone, iPod touch, Macs and PCs. MobileMe also provides a suite of elegant, ad-free web applications that deliver a desktop-like experience through any modern browser. MobileMe applications (www.me.com) include Mail, Contacts and Calendar, as well as Gallery for viewing and sharing photos and iDisk for storing and exchanging documents online.

“Think of MobileMe as ‘Exchange for the rest of us,’” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Now users who are not part of an enterprise that runs Exchange can get the same push email, push calendars and push contacts that the big guys get.”

With a MobileMe email account, all folders, messages and status indicators look identical whether checking email on iPhone, iPod touch, a Mac or a PC. New email messages are pushed instantly to iPhone over the cellular network or Wi-Fi, removing the need to manually check email and wait for downloads. Push also keeps contacts and calendars continuously up-to-date so changes made on one device are automatically pushed up to the cloud and down to other devices. Push works with the native applications on iPhone and iPod touch, Microsoft Outlook for the PC, and Mac OS X applications, Mail, Address Book and iCal, as well as the MobileMe web application suite.

MobileMe web applications are 100 percent ad-free and provide an incredible, desktop-like experience that allows users to drag and drop, click and drag and even use keyboard shortcuts. MobileMe provides anywhere access to Mail, Contacts and Calendar, with a unified interface that allows users to switch between applications with a single click, and Gallery makes it easy to share photos on the web in stunning quality. Gallery users can upload, rearrange, rotate and title photos from any browser; post photos directly from an iPhone; allow visitors to download print quality images; and contribute photos to an album. MobileMe iDisk lets users store and manage files online with drag and drop filing and makes it easy to share documents too large to email by automatically sending an email with a link for downloading the file. MobileMe includes 20GB of online storage that can be used for email, contacts, calendar, photos, movies and documents.

Pricing & Availability
MobileMe, to be made available soon, is a subscription-based service with 20GB of storage for A$119 inc GST per year for individuals and A$179 inc GST for a Family Pack, which includes one master account with 20GB of storage and four Family Member accounts with 5GB of storage each. Users can sign up for a free, 60-day MobileMe trial at www.apple.com/au/mobileme and current .Mac members will be automatically upgraded to MobileMe accounts. 

Using an iPhone or iPod touch with MobileMe requires iPhone 2.0 software and iTunes 7.7 or later. For use with a Mac, MobileMe requires Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.11 or the latest version of Mac OS X Leopard. For a PC, MobileMe requires Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (SP2), and Microsoft Outlook 2003 or later is recommended. MobileMe is accessible on the web via Safari 3, Internet Explorer 7, and Firefox 2 or later. Internet access requires a compatible ISP; fees may apply. Broadband Internet connection recommended. Some features require Mac OS X Leopard and iLife ’08, available separately.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Melbourne, 10 June 2008.  Australia has the highest incidence of cyber crime in the world, according to a global survey of nine countries by leading software security vendor, AVG.

The study, which canvassed 1,000 users each in Australia, the US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Brazil and the Czech Republic, found that over 39 per cent of Australians had been the victim of cyber crime compared to 32 per cent in Italy, 28 per cent of Americans and just 14 per cent in Sweden and Spain.

The most common forms of cyber theft experienced by Australians were:

1. not receiving goods paid for at an online auction (16 per cent);
2. fraudulent emails that resulted in financial damage (14 per cent);
3. phishing (10 per cent);
4. not receiving goods ordered online (eight per cent);
5. credit card fraud (five per cent); and
6. unauthorised bank transfers (three per cent).

Marketing Manager of AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd, Lloyd Borrett, said the fact that Australia experienced more cyber crime was a little surprising, although it might have been impacted by the fact that Australians are more active online users than most other nations.

~The study showed that 99.5 per cent of home PCs are connected to the Internet, and that Australians score higher than most when it comes to leveraging the Internet for shopping, banking, paying bills and booking tickets.

~While we don~t know whether Australians are actually targeted more heavily than other countries, these results highlight the importance of comprehensive security solutions to protect users from obvious threats like phishing and email scams, as well as good education to warn people of the danger,~ Borrett said.

He welcomed last week~s (Friday 6 June) announcement by the Federal Government of a free Internet service and website designed to alert users to cyber threats, saying the new Stay Smart Online service would help to reinforce existing messages about the need for Internet security.

The AVG survey found that Australians had relatively high awareness of Internet security and demonstrated the second highest level of confidence (70.5 per cent after the USA~s 73.3 per cent) in the protection provided by their software security vendor.

Forty-seven per cent of Australians said they were more likely to experience cyber crime than to experience burglary, assault or robbery.  Thirty-seven cent of all Australians surveyed said that cyber crime was a strong concern, while 53 per cent said it was of slight concern to them.

Gender Issues

The survey suggested that Australian women might be slightly more trusting than their male counterparts when it comes to cyber crime. 

Women experienced a higher incidence of being negatively impacted financially by fraudulent emails, (14.7 per cent compared to 13.7 per cent of men), credit card fraud (6.1 per cent compared to 5.0 per cent) and theft of bank details (3.2 per cent compared to 1.9 per cent).

Men were slightly more affected by phishing (9.9 per cent compared to 8.5 per cent of women) and not receiving goods ordered online via eBay or other vehicles (24.4 per cent compared to 22.5 per cent).

The study also highlighted cultural differences between the different countries, with Australians and Americans more likely to feel angry, violated and upset on experiencing cyber crime, while the strongest reaction in Spain was insecurity.

AVG Performs Well for Channel

When respondents were asked to name popular brands of anti-virus software without being prompted, AVG enjoyed the second highest level of brand recognition.  Australians also demonstrated strong awareness of the need to keep their security software up to date, with 77 per cent listing Notification of Upgrades as their top criteria when choosing a software security vendor, followed by Online Support (73 per cent) and Information emails about what to look out for (66 per cent).

Sydney – June 5, 2008 - Sierra Entertainment, a division of Vivendi Games, has announced the release of Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy™ to major retailers across Australia & New Zealand today.  The game allows players to become Bourne – experiencing the action as both the hunter and hunted, playing as both trained assassin and marked government agent on the run.  The Jason Bourne experience features the signature Bourne-style action delivering gamers a seamless blend of hand-to-hand combat, gunplay, dramatic escapes and stunt-heavy driving. The Bourne Conspiracy is now available for the Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

Through collaboration on story and character development with Bourne screenwriter Tony Gilroy, and a close partnership with Ludlum Entertainment, The Bourne Conspiracy video game is an intense interactive addition to the blockbuster films and best-selling novels.  Original missions from Bourne’s past, mixed with memorable moments from the film The Bourne Identity, send players on an action-packed journey to uncover the conspiracy shrouding his origins.  Players become Bourne, the perfect human weapon, using his characteristic capabilities to recognise threats, perform devastating takedown moves and use his surrounding environment to overcome deadly situations.  Rounding out the heart-pounding, hunter-prey action is the game’s escape and evade scenarios, where players experience Bourne’s distinct death-defying escapes including the adrenaline-pumping high speed pursuit through Paris in a Mini Cooper^®.

“For the first time ever, fans of the movies, novels or anyone familiar with the relentless action synonymous with Jason Bourne, have the chance to become Bourne,” said Pascal Brochier, president, Global Retail for Vivendi Games. “The Bourne Conspiracy allows gamers to take the reigns of a thirty million dollar assassin gone awry and live out the adventure like never before.”

Developed by Sierra Entertainment’s High Moon Studios, The Bourne Conspiracy video game, introduces a combat system based on the fight choreography of Jeff Imada, the renowned fight stunt coordinator who defined Bourne-style combat in the films.  Framing the entire experience is a relentless pace of action and an in-game camera system that captures the cinematography techniques that established the memorable visual style of the films. 

The game also delivers a powerful original soundtrack by world renowned DJ, remixer and producer Paul Oakenfold, with the theme song “Falling” featuring the vocals of Atlantic recording artist Cee-Lo Green.

Vivendi Games Mobile is also making Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy available for mobile phones throughout Australia.

About Sierra Entertainment

Sierra Entertainment (www.sierra.com), a global division of Vivendi Games, creates and publishes innovative, high-quality interactive entertainment for video game systems, handheld gaming devices and personal computers. Sierra Entertainment features a portfolio of titles based on original IP and popular licenses from industry-leading content partners, including F.E.A.R^®, Crash Bandicoot^®, Spyro the Dragon^®, Scarface™ and Ice Age™. Sierra Entertainment has four integrated internal studios providing creative talents and development capabilities across multiple gaming genres: High Moon Studios in San Diego, CA; Massive Entertainment in Malmö, Sweden; Radical Entertainment in Vancouver, BC; and Swordfish Studios in Birmingham and Manchester, England.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/34600.html

Sydney, Australia, June 6 2008 – Global technology vendor ASUS has appointed EMPR Australia as an official distributor of ASUS notebooks and Eee PC accessories.

EMPR, which is celebrating 10 years of service to the information technology industry in Australia, offers the full range of ASUS accessories for notebooks and Eee PC including AC adaptors and batteries. More spare parts ranges will be added to the range soon.

Ted Chen, managing director of ASUS Australia, said, “ASUS is pleased to partner with EMPR Australia for distribution of notebook and Eee PC accessories. With extensive experience in the Australian IT industry, we are confident that EMPR will deliver quality service to ASUS resellers.”

For further information on ordering processes and product ranges, visit http://asus.empr.com.au or call 1800 8 ASUS 1 (1800 827 871).

About ASUS
ASUS is a leading company in the new digital era. With a global staff of more than 8,000 and a world-class R&D design team, the turnover for 2007 was 6.9 billion US dollars. ASUS has been ranked in Business Week’s InfoTech 100 for 10 consecutive years, and has been ranked No.1 by the Wall Street Journal Asia for best quality products in Taiwan. For more information, visit www.asus.com.au.

About EMPR®Australia
EMPR Australia is a dynamic company that supplies genuine ASUS accessories and parts to all sectors throughout Australia including government, corporate and home users. Bringing solutions to clients is EMPR’s passion and the company is dedicated to providing personalised service and quality products. For more information, visit http://asus.empr.com.au.

Battle with friends, and experience the competitive spirit of arcade games with Warlords, a multiplayer game where participants must knock other kings out of their castles while keeping their own king protected.  Players use a shield to defend their fortress and launch a flaming ball to break down the other players’ forts. Up to four friends can join in the action, and The Evo mode allows players to import their own pictures to their castles.

Developed by Stainless Games, Warlords is available worldwide (with the exception of Japan and Korea) for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. For more details on Warlords, please visit: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/livearcadexbox360.

Sydney, Australia – June 6, 2008 – Coming to a console near you, living room rock stars will soon be able to shred to an assortment of new master tracks on Activision, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with five new song packs releasing throughout the month of June.  Two of the five packs will let gamers rock out with three headline acts from the Isle of Wight festival and tunes from the timeless rock icon, Motörhead.

Reliving one of the most memorable performances of the 2007 Isle of Wight festival, Kasabian’s master recording of “Shoot the Runner” joins 2008 headliners The Sex Pistols and Kaiser Chiefs in the Isle of Wight pack.  Available on June 12^th, the track pack also features Kaiser Chief’s “I Predict a Riot” which climbed all the way to #9 on the UK Singles Chart.  The Sex Pistols, who went into the studio for the first time in 30 years to re-record “Anarchy in the U.K.” specifically for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, round out the track pack with a live rendition of “Problems,” recorded during their 30^th anniversary tour stop at Brixton Academy in London.

In anticipation of Motorhead’s new album, on June 5, 2008 players can shred to the band’s legendary hits “We Are the Road Crew,” “Stay Clean” and their first single, the self-titled “Motörhead.” 

Both track packs will be available on Xbox LIVE^® Marketplace for Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. 

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock offers the ultimate rock experience with new wireless guitars, freshly added content and features including a multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, gruelling boss battles, a host of exclusive unlockable content and visually stunning rock venues. Expanded online multiplayer modes allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true rock status as they riff through a star-studded soundtrack including master tracks by legendary artists such as Aerosmith, Guns ‘N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine and Pearl Jam, as well as original songs by guitar icons Slash and Tom Morello. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is now available and is rated ”PG” (Mild themes, violence, sexual references, course language) by the OFLC.  For more information visit www.guitarhero.com.

Sydney, Australia. – June 6, 2008 – Maximum freedom, maximum explosions and maximum Psycho!  Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and award-winning independent studio Crytek today announced Crysis Warhead® – the parallel story to Crysis, one of the most critically-acclaimed first person shooters and PC games of 2007.  Shipping exclusively for the PC this spring, Crysis Warhead is the first title to be developed at Crytek´s Budapest studio, and is built on a new, enhanced and optimized version of Crytek’s CryENGINE® 2 technology.

“We were very pleased with the reception of Crysis from both gamers and media after our launch last year,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek.  “That being said, one of the key principles of our studio is to always raise the bar.  With Warhead, we are focusing on refining our storytelling and game performance, while also delivering more of the visually stunning graphics and immersive, free-roaming gameplay everyone loved in Crysis.”

“The best result of a partnership that we can ask for in the EA Partners program is when a world class independent studio like Crytek chooses to continue to work with us,” said David DeMartini, Vice President and Global General Manager, EA Partners.  “Crysis was an amazing game and is going to be a blockbuster franchise.  We could not be more excited to be working with Crytek to launch another hit with Crysis Warhead this year.”

In Crysis Warhead, players will don the Nanosuit of Sergeant Sykes, also known as ‘Psycho’, one of the most memorable characters from Crysis.  More brash and aggressive than his Delta Force squadmate Nomad, players will experience Psycho’s parallel story during the events of the original game, finding that life on the other side of the island is even more intense and explosive than they ever could have imagined.  Luckily, Psycho’s Nanosuit is just as capable and he’s equipped with an even bigger arsenal of fully customizable weapons and new vehicles, giving players access to the tools they need to dominate any situation.  Aside from this new, exciting single player campaign, Crysis Warhead will also feature new multiplayer content.  Stay tuned for more details this winter.

Crysis Warhead has not yet been rated.  For more information about the game, please visit www.crysisthegame.com.

###

Sydney, Australia. – June 6, 2008 – Maximum freedom, maximum explosions and maximum Psycho!  Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) and award-winning independent studio Crytek today announced Crysis Warhead® – the parallel story to Crysis, one of the most critically-acclaimed first person shooters and PC games of 2007.  Shipping exclusively for the PC this spring, Crysis Warhead is the first title to be developed at Crytek´s Budapest studio, and is built on a new, enhanced and optimized version of Crytek’s CryENGINE® 2 technology.

“We were very pleased with the reception of Crysis from both gamers and media after our launch last year,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek.  “That being said, one of the key principles of our studio is to always raise the bar.  With Warhead, we are focusing on refining our storytelling and game performance, while also delivering more of the visually stunning graphics and immersive, free-roaming gameplay everyone loved in Crysis.”

“The best result of a partnership that we can ask for in the EA Partners program is when a world class independent studio like Crytek chooses to continue to work with us,” said David DeMartini, Vice President and Global General Manager, EA Partners.  “Crysis was an amazing game and is going to be a blockbuster franchise.  We could not be more excited to be working with Crytek to launch another hit with Crysis Warhead this year.”

In Crysis Warhead, players will don the Nanosuit of Sergeant Sykes, also known as ‘Psycho’, one of the most memorable characters from Crysis.  More brash and aggressive than his Delta Force squadmate Nomad, players will experience Psycho’s parallel story during the events of the original game, finding that life on the other side of the island is even more intense and explosive than they ever could have imagined.  Luckily, Psycho’s Nanosuit is just as capable and he’s equipped with an even bigger arsenal of fully customizable weapons and new vehicles, giving players access to the tools they need to dominate any situation.  Aside from this new, exciting single player campaign, Crysis Warhead will also feature new multiplayer content.  Stay tuned for more details this winter.

Crysis Warhead has not yet been rated.  For more information about the game, please visit www.crysisthegame.com.