STAR TREK ONLINE OPEN BETA DATES ANNOUNCED 

Fans and Gamers Will Have the Opportunity to Explore The Vast Star Trek Universe through Space and Ground Gameplay For Two Weeks Prior To Launch 

SYDNEY, November 23^rd, 2009 – Atari, Inc., one of the world’s most recognised videogame publishers, and Cryptic Studios™, in partnership with Namco Bandai Partners Australia New Zealand creators of the acclaimed Champions Online, City of Heroes and City of Villains, announced today the open beta dates for the highly anticipated Star Trek Online for PC.  Starting January 12, 2009 thru January 26, 2009 fans will be able to explore the Star Trek Universe and play the first-of-a-kind massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). 

Open beta keys will be given out on a first come first serve basis. Players and fans can access the open beta by visiting www.startrekonline.com. 

“We are excited to announce the dates for the open beta phase as this is one of the final steps in launching Star Trek Online to the public,” said Craig Zinkievich, Executive Producer on Star Trek Online. “We are looking forward to the launch of our first-of-a-kind MMORPG with anticipation and excitement and we expect Star Trek Online to explode onto the scene, giving fans and gamers a Star Trek experience like no other.” 

Taking place in the year 2409, Star Trek Online boasts extraordinary features and lets fans both new and old experience unparalleled adventures.  Players will have the opportunity to become a high ranking Starfleet officer and will participate in missions that will take them into the depths of space, across exotic planets and even inside other starships.  Star Trek Online offers total customisation, where every ship players command can be customized, from color to construction. Additionally, anyone can create their own species in Star Trek Online, as well as customize the look of their avatar’s uniform. 

For more information, please visit: www.startrekonline.com

SYDNEY — November 23, 2009 — Strengthening its external storage portfolio for small business Seagate (NASDAQ: STX) today announced several additional BlackArmor® product offerings:  the BlackArmor® NAS 220 and BlackArmor® NAS 110 network storage servers, the BlackArmor® WS 110 external drive workstation and the BlackArmor® PS 110 portable drive. Joining the existing network attached storage line up – the BlackArmor® NAS 440 and BlackArmor® NAS 420 storage servers – these new solutions share the same suite of robust backup applications for business professionals and home office use.                                                                                                                                         

“In challenging economic conditions, small businesses are demanding that high-quality, integrated, reliable IT solutions be delivered in economical packages,” said Ben Woo, vice president, Enterprise Storage Systems Research, IDC. “Providing the flexibility to choose from an array of solutions that support current needs and provide a strategic growth path with minimal additional investment will be very appealing to this market segment.” 

Security, Accessibility and Peace of Mind

With features like automated full-system backup and SafetyDrill+™ software, a bare metal recovery feature, the BlackArmor family of storage solutions delivers enhanced data protection. Since BlackArmor external drives automatically create an exact copy of everything on your PC, SafetyDrill+ software is ready to restore your entire system if a data disaster such as a virus attack, hardware failure, or PC crash were to occur. SafetyDrill+ software comes preloaded on all BlackArmor products and does not require any additional installation. For increased data protection of backed-up files, the software also features an AES 256-bit government-grade encryption. 

“For 30 years, Seagate has been the trusted provider of reliable storage technology to companies of all sizes,” said BanSeng Teh, vice president and managing director of Seagate Asia Pacific and Japan, “The BlackArmor® family of products gives small businesses, those with home offices, and more advanced recreational users an easy-to-use yet robust storage solution at an affordable price point.” 

Additions to the Seagate BlackArmor family: 

BlackArmor NAS 220 Storage Server:  Delivering centralised network storage and secure remote access in a compact design, the BlackArmor NAS 220 storage server is a small-business-specific network attached storage solution designed to provide data protection for up to 20 PCs. With up to 4TB of shared storage capacity, the BlackArmor NAS 220 storage server can meet the needs of small offices and self-employed professionals as well as home networks.  

BlackArmor NAS 110 Storage Server:  Designed to provide centralised storage and media streaming for up to 10 PCs, the BlackArmor NAS 110 storage server includes support for Windows Server 2008, wiki server support and up to 2TB of capacity, making accessing and sharing content easy for home networks and small offices. 

BlackArmor WS 110 Workstation External Drive:  For small office, home-based professionals or remote staff, the BlackArmor WS 110 external drive is a powerful, complete and secure direct attached external storage and backup solution. The dual interface of eSATA and USB 2.0 provide quick access to data. With a piano black enclosure, the BlackArmor WS 110 external drive is designed to lie flat or stand vertically to blend seamlessly into a work environment. 

BlackArmor PS 110 Portable Drive:  With the BlackArmor PS 110 portable drive employees who travel with business critical files can do so with the peace of mind that their backed-up data is protected. The business-grade backup application coupled with a reliable Seagate hard drive in an exceptionally slim, 12.5mm package, which makes the BlackArmor PS 110 portable drive a powerful storage solution for travelling professionals.  

Availability and Pricing

All products can be purchased through channel partners and select retailers at the following manufacturers’ suggested retail prices (MSRP):

Available now, Seagate BlackArmor NAS 220– $599 AUD and $749 NZD for 2TB, $999 AUD and $1299 NZD for 4TB
Available now, Seagate BlackArmor NAS 110– $329 AUD and $399 NZD for 1TB, $449 AUD and $599 NZD for 2TB,
Available now, Seagate BlackArmor WS 110–$199 AUD and $249 NZD for 1TB, $399 AUD and $499 NZD for 2TB
Available now, Seagate BlackArmor PS 110–$199 AUD and $249 NZD for 500GB  

More detailed information about the Seagate BlackArmor family of solutions can be found at http://media.seagate.com/seagate-blackarmor-media-kit/. 

About Seagate

Seagate is the worldwide leader in hard disk drives and storage solutions. Learn more at http://www.seagate.com

Copyright © 2009 Seagate Technology LLC. All rights reserved. Printed in USA. Seagate, Seagate Technology, the Wave logo, BlackArmor, and SafetyDrill+ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. When referring to drive capacity, one gigabyte, or GB, equals one billion bytes and one terabyte, or TB, equals one trillion bytes. Your computer’s operating player may use a different standard of measurement and report a lower capacity. In addition, some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions, and thus will not be available for data storage. The export or re-export of hardware or software containing encryption may be regulated by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (for more information go to http://www.bis.doc.gov/). Seagate reserves the right to change, without notice, product offerings or specifications.

Kingston Digital Ships Secure, Affordable USB Flash Drive
DataTraveler Locker+ Allows Portable Security at Lower Cost

Sydney, Australia – November 23, 2009 –Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the release of the DataTraveler Locker+ USB Flash drive. The DataTraveler Locker+ allows companies of any size to secure mobile data with the ease and confidence of knowing that their data is encrypted and safe. The DataTraveler Locker+ also comes at a lower cost in times of shrinking IT budgets, making it ideal for budget-conscious companies.

“Kingston created this drive to address the rise in data loss and theft which has been a growing problem with expensive consequences. This device gives companies a solution that is not only affordable but provides peace of mind in securing mobile data,” said Vaughan Nankivell, Regional Manager- Australia and New Zealand for Kingston Technology. “The DataTraveler Locker+ encrypts 100 percent of the contents and is available at a price point that is very attractive for all entities looking to comply with corporate security policies.”

Data on the Kingston DataTraveler Locker+ is secured with 256-bit hardware-based AES encryption. Access to the drive’s contents is through a simple to use interface requiring a complex password. The likelihood of successful brute force attacks on the DataTraveler Locker+ is reduced as the drive locks down and reformats after 10 incorrect password attempts.

The 100 percent encrypted DataTraveler Locker+ ships in up to 32GB capacity. For companies in need of a partitionable area on the USB drive for public sharing (e.g., within an office setting), Kingston offers the DataTraveler Locker which allows both a public and encrypted zone. Kingston also ships the DataTraveler Vault – Privacy Edition for enterprise and government customers requiring a speedier, more robust Flash drive. It is also waterproof and Trade Agreements Act-compliant. Kingston DataTraveler USB drives are backed by a five-year warranty and free tech support. For more information, visit www.kingston.com/anz

Compatibility Table

DataTraveler Locker+ Features and Specifications:
• Full Encryption: 100 percent of stored data is protected by 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption
• Secure: drive locks down and reformats after 10 intrusion attempts
• Enforced Password Protection: complex password is user set with minimum characteristics to prevent unauthorized access
• Easy to Use: no admin rights or application installation required
• Guaranteed: five-year warranty with free customer support
• Dimensions: 2.58″ x 0.71″ x 0.41″ (65.76mm x 17.98mm x 10.7mm)
• Capacities*: 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB
• Compatibility: designed to USB 2.0 specifications
• Operating Temperature: 32°F to 140°F (0°C to 60°C)
• Storage Temperature: -4°F to 185°F (-20°to 85°C)
• Minimum System Requirements:
– USB 2.0 compliant and 1.1 compatible
– Two (2) free consecutive drive letters required for use†

* Some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage.  For more information, please consult Kingston’s Flash Memory Guide at Kingston.com/Flash_Memory_Guide.
** Does not support ReadyBoost.
† First free drive letters after physical devices such as system partition, optical drives, etc.

Product and Pricing Summary:
Vendor: Kingston Technology
Product name : Kingston DTL+
RRP for DTL+/4GB:  A$34.90 NZ$44.50
RRP for DTL+/8GB: A$49.00 NZ$64.50
RRP for DTL+/16GB: A$139.00  NZ$175.00
RRP for DTL+/32BG: A$239.00  NZ$299.00
Website: www.kingston.com/anz
Australian Distributors:  Avnet Australia Pty Ltd, Ingram Micro, Simms International Pty Ltd., Synnex Australia PTY Ltd.
New Zealand Distributors: Ingram Micro NZ, Synnex NZ
Kingston memory is backed by a lifetime warranty and free technical support.
Availability: Shipping Immediately

To discuss this product on Kingston Blog, please go to www.kingston-blog.com.
To try the game “Challenge Your Memory”, please go to www.kingston-blog.com/challenge_your_memory/en/.

To find out if your Kingston product is genuine, Kingston also provides an online verification site: www.kingston.com/asia/verify. To try the game “Search for Genuine Kingston”, please go to http://anti-counterfeit.kingston-blog.com/en_index.jsp.

About Kingston Digital, Inc.
Kingston Digital, Inc. (“KDI”) is the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the world’s largest independent manufacturer of memory products. Established in 2008, KDI is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, USA. For more information, please visit www.kingston.com/anz

Academy Award winning director Steven Soderbergh and adult film star Sasha Grey unite in this sexy New York drama.

Chelsea is a high-end Manhattan call girl who offers more than just sex to her clients: she’ll dress with the client in mind, go to dinner and a movie, listen attentively and will have conversations about their work, then she will provide sex- the ultimate ‘girlfriend experience’. Chelsea thinks she has her life totally under control- she runs her own business making $2000 an hour and has a devoted boyfriend who accepts her lifestyle, but when you’re in the business, you never know who you’re going to meet…

Set in the days leading up to the 2008 Presidential election as the world enters economic crisis, Chelsea will have to make a choice. Should she break her own rule and pursue a client that could end her relationship, career and future?

 Available to rent or buy on DVD, January 6, 2010

  Director:
  Steven Soderbergh (Oceans 11, Traffic)
  Genre:
  Drama
  Cast:
  Sasha Grey

  Chris Santos

Dakota Fanning, Chris Evans and Camilla Bella use their super-human abilities in this non-stop action sci-fi.

A group of young Americans with telekinetic and clairvoyant abilities are in hiding from Henry Carver ( Djimon Hounsou) a ‘Pusher’ with similar abilities who works for a clandestine U.S. government agency.

 Whilst in Hong Kong, the ‘Mover’ Nick Gant (Chris Evans) is contacted by the ‘Watcher’ Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning) to seek out other ‘Pusher’ Kira Hollies (Camilla Belle), who has just escaped from the agency.

 When the trio join others with similar abilities they must fight all costs to stop Carver and escape the agency forever.

 Available to rent or buy on Blu-ray & DVD, January 6, 2010

 
  Director:
  Paul McGuigan (The Wrong Man)
  Genre:
  Action
  Cast:
  Chris Evans (The Fantastic Four, Street Kings)
  Dakota Fanning (Twilight Saga: New Moon, War of The Worlds)

  Camilla Belle (10,000 BC)
  Djimon Hounsou (Constantine, Blood Diamond)

BATTLE OF RED CLIFF & RED CLIFF: SPECIAL EDITION- PART 1 + 2

From the director of Mission: Impossible II and Face Off comes a spectacular action-packed war-epic starring Tony Leung.  Red Cliff is the epic tale of wits, bravery and heroism taking place in the final days of the Han Dynasty. The highest grossing film in Chinese Box Office history, Icon Home Entertainment will release two versions, Battle of Red Cliff and Red Cliff: Special Edition- Part 1 + 2 on both DVD & Blu-ray

As seen in cinemas nationwide, Battle of Red Cliff will now offer the option to view the film with English subtitles or with an English dub. For the first time in Australia, audiences will also be given the opportunity to view the original two part Chinese theatrical version in Red Cliff: Special Edition – Part 1 + 2. This two-disc extended version contains over 5 hours of non-stop entertainment that allows audiences to experience the film as the director originally intended.

Based on the legendary battle in which a force of fifty thousand men defeated an army of nearly one million, Red Cliff follows shrewd Prime Minister Cao Cao who convinces his fickle Emperor that declaring war on the remaining kingdoms is the only way to unify China. Under a brutal military campaign of unprecedented scale, the remaining kingdoms are forced into an unlikely alliance. Waging several battles of strength, this newly unified force faces their ultimate and final battle at shores of Red Cliff, which would change the course of Chinese history forever.

Both the Battle of Red Cliff and Red Cliff: Special Edition- Part 1 + 2 will be available to rent or buy on Blu-ray & DVD, January 6, 2010

  Director:
  John Woo (Mission: Impossible II, Face Off)
  Genre:
  Action
  Cast:
  Tony Leung (Hero)
  Takeshi Kaneshrio (The House Of Flying Daggers)

Touch-friendly puzzle game available on the App Store for $1.99 in the US, £1.19 in the UK and €1.59 for the rest of Europe

Gothenburg, Sweden & Tampere, Finland – November 20^th, 2009 – Legendo Entertainment and Innogiant today announced that Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!!, an original falling-block puzzle game wrapped up in the adventures of wacky spirit wardens Becky and Tim, is now available on the iTunes App Store. The game, which offers game modes for all types of gamers, can be downloaded from:

http://itunes.apple.com/app/spooky-spirits-puzzle-drop/id339559266?mt=8

Developed by the handheld specialists at newly founded Innogiant, Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!!, will have players traveling the world, capturing  runaway spirits in various fun and exciting game modes designed for puzzle fanatics and casual players alike. Having fallen asleep on their watch and lost the Spookies, Becky and Tim are banished and risk losing their spirit warden jobs unless they manage to recapture these pesky ghosts. The unfortunate duo must search haunted locations on Earth to track down the Spookies including the Sphinx of Egypt, a Haunted House in England and an abandoned crypt in Finland featuring none other than Dead Santa himself.

Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!! offers a unique twist on the classic falling block and “match-2” gameplay format. In the game, players build and expand stacks of Spookies in any direction and in any amount.

Three Game Modes:

• In the Panic Mode, players must clear each level by catching an appropriate amount of Spookies before the screen overfills.
• Puzzle Mode is a relaxed mode with no stress – players must outsmart the Spookies’ clever puzzles and beat them in their own game using only a limited number of blocks.
• Eternity Mode is a Tetris-inspired exhaust mode that just keeps going for as long as players can keep it at or reach the max-score of 9,999,999 points (that’s A LOT of Spookies to catch!).

Touch Controls:

• Swipe the screen to control the game, left and right selects blocks, up swaps them and down drops them!

Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!! can be downloaded from the Apple App Store via iTunes or directly from compatible handsets and costs $1.99 (£1.19 or €1.59).

About Legendo Entertainment
Legendo Entertainment is an independent publisher and developer of computer and video games based on myths, legends, classic novels and historical events. Though its headquarters are located in Sweden, Legendo uses a distributed development model employing top talent from across the world. Legendo currently publishes and develops for the PC, Nintendo’s Wii system and Apple’s iPhone / iPod Touch.

About Innogiant
Innogiant is a newly founded games outfit located in Tampere, Finland. The studio specializes in developing downloadable games for handheld devices with its first title being Spooky Spirits: Puzzle Drop!! for Apple’s iPhone / iPod Touch.

Last night Steam rolled out an update for Shattered Horizon which added three popular features requested by our community.

“ROLL LEFT” AND “ROLL RIGHT” CAN NOW BE ASSIGNED TO INDIVIDUAL KEYS.
Fans of Descent, space-sims, and other six-degrees-of-freedom games now have more options to set up and play Shattered Horizon the way they want.

EACH GRENADE TYPE CAN BE ASSIGNED TO A QUICK SELECT KEY.
A quick-key for each grenade type makes it easier to select and fire the right one when under pressure.

CHANGES TO THE COLOR OF THE EMP GRENADE EFFECT.
The color of the EMP lightning effect on players has been changed from blue to white to better balance the effect on MMC players.

OTHER NEWS: GUEST PASSES
This week we have been giving Steam Guest Passes to all of our existing players. Those looking to try Shattered Horizon before they buy should have no problem getting a pass from a friend with the game or from one of the many generous people in our community forums.

Shattered Horizon forums:
http://futuremark.yougamers.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=93

Shattered Horizon forums on Steam:
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=755

Full details of the update are listed below. If you have any questions about Shattered Horizon please feel free to get in touch.

PATCH NOTES – Shattered Horizon 1.0.2.3

NEW CONTROL OPTIONS
- Each grenade type can now be assigned to a separate quick-select key.
- “Roll left” and “Roll right” can now be assigned to individual keys.
You can adjust the roll speed when rolling with keys. While you are rolling with keys the mouse is completely free to aim.
- Both the mouse and the individual keys can be used to roll in-game, you don’t have to choose between them so are free to use different roll methods depending on which you prefer for each situation.
- Help screens and FPS-counter controls can now be bound to different keys in the controls menu.
- Added mouse wheel support to controls.

GAME CHANGES
- The color of the EMP lightning effect on players has been changed from blue to white. This change is to reduce confusion when MCC (yellow) players are EMPed. The EMP particle effect however is still blue and will be changed in a future update.
- When typing a message using in-game chat, a history of all in-game chat messages will appear. The text will disappear automatically after a short time.

BUG FIXES
- Firing the weapon in silent running mode now plays the correct muffled audio.
- Fixed a rare bug that caused rendering to freeze while the game continued running.
- Fixed an occasional issue that resulted in a player spawning into a level with too much speed.
- Fixed an issue with shadows initializing incorrectly, which could cause aliased sharp edges.
- Fixed a bug with in-game chat where lines of text could appear on top of each other.
- Fixed a bug that allowed in-game chat to be used while in silent running mode.

DEVIANTART CHALLENGES ARTISTS WITH  DARKSIDERS: THESE ARE YOUR LAST DAYS CONTEST 

Submit Your Interpretation of the Apocalypse to Win Video Game Prizes 

Hollywood, Calif., November 20 – deviantART today announced the Darksiders: These Your Last Days Contest, based on the highly-anticipated action-adventure game from THQ, Darksiders.  The contest will challenge deviantART’s online community of millions to create artwork depicting an apocalypse vision of their own.  The winners will be personally selected by Joe Madureira, the legendary comic book artist and Creative Director at Vigil Games, the development studio behind the game. Darksiders is scheduled to be available January 7, 2010 for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system 

Artists can submit their entries online to win prizes.  For rules, and more information about the Darksiders: These Are Your Last Days Contest, please visit  http://www.deviantart.com/darksiders 

“We are really excited to partner with THQ to bring this contest to the deviantART community,” said Heather Wetzler, deviantART’s vice-president of Advertising Sales “It’s a great opportunity to engage with both artists and gamers, and a privilege to be working with Joe Madureira.”  

Darksiders is an original action-adventure game that will plunge players into a near future world devastated by the apocalypse.  Developed by THQ’s internal development studio Vigil Games, Darksiders gives players the ability to experience the supernatural destructive power of WAR, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, as he explores a demon ravaged world – seeking revenge and ultimate redemption with a vast array of modern and mythical weaponry. 

About deviantART

deviantART, Inc. runs the largest online art community in the world with over 80 million unique pieces of artwork and 30 million monthly unique users worldwide. Its past advertising integrations have included brands such as adidas, Wacom, nVidia, Focus Features, Mountain Dew and Scion. 

About THQ

THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found at www.thq.com and www.thqwireless.com. THQ, Vigil Games, Darksiders and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc. 

Microsoft, Xbox 360 and the Xbox logos are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or in other countries and are used under license from Microsoft. 

“PLAYSTATION” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. 

All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.