ConsumerIT - For Europe's High Volume PC Retailers, Distributors & Builders

European Ingram Micro revenues remain flat Y-o-Y during Q1 2013 as the distributor sees higher global sales worth $10.26 billion and lower operating income reaching $90.8 million.

GAAP net income for the quarter is $49.8m, down from $90m for Q1 2012. However Q1 2012 did see a net discreet tax benefit worth $28.5m and favourable HDD pricing.

Gross WW profit totals $585.3m, up from $467.6m for Q1 2012..

"In addition to shifting market dynamics, we also saw increased competitive pricing this quarter due to the sluggish economic environment in Europe," CEO Bill Humes says. "However, even though we expect some relief in the mid-term, we recognized many quarters ago that strategically we needed to develop and grow markets where inherently better margins are available.... we have made, and continue to make, investments in several of these areas, which, while they impact our near-term expense levels, are consistent with our strategy to increase the ratio of our higher margin, and better returns businesses."

Toshiba goes for the more business-savvy customer with the WT310-- a Windows 8 Pro tablet with an 11.6-inch 1920x1080 display, Intel Core processor and "DigitiserPen" stylus.

Supposedly optimised for business use, the tablet features a DigitizerPen stylus able to turn hand-written scrawls into editable documents, as well as SSD storage, HDMI-out, SD card slot, USB 3.0 port, wifi connectivity (WiDi-compatible), Bluetooth 4.0 and optional HSPA+/LTE radios.

Pre-installed utilities include Trusted Platform Module, Intel Active Management technology and Anti-Theft software.

The company does not detail further on specifications, but does add it will soon offer an optional cradle featuring additional USB and HDMI ports.

Available in steel-gray "resilient plastic coating," the WT310 should start shipping from Q2 2013.

Go Toshiba

Curious developers and customers can now test out the Mozilla's Firefox OS, courtesy of a pair of developer preview units from small Spanish phone maker Geeksphone.

Once an Android handset maker, Geeksphone now makes part of the Firefox OS evangelists, alongside the likes of ZTE and operators such as Telefonica.

What makes the platform different is the way it handles HTML5 apps-- web apps written in the language are native, meaning Firefox OS apps built should run on other smartphone platforms.

“With early access to hardware, developers can test the capabilities of Firefox OS in a real environment with a mobile network and true hardware characteristics like the accelerometer and camera that are not easily tested on the Firefox OS Simulator,” a Mozilla blog post by head of developer engagement Stormy Peters reads. “Plus, new hardware is fun to play with!”

Geeksphone offers 2 Firefox OS phones-- the Keon (a low-cost, modestly-specced 3.5-inch number with a 1GHz Qualcomm processor and a 3MP camera) and the Peak (a 4.3-inch number with a dual-core Qualcomm 1.2GHz processor and 8MP camera). Both devices also feature 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage, MicroSD slot, wifi, Bluetooth and micro USB port, and should be shipping now.

Go Geeksphone

Go Geeksphone to start Selling Firefox OS Developer Preview Phones (Mozilla blog)

Netgear announces the first products supporting its Beamforming+ technology-- the R3600 802.11ac dual-band gigabit router and the A6200 802.11ac dual-band wifi USB adapter.

Beamforming+ is the Netgear implementation of the Beamforming signal-focusing technology standard. According to the company it improves wifi performance and range by recognising wireless device location(s) before directing wifi signals right at them.

The targeted approach adjusts transmitted signal phase, delivering stable wifi connections for faster downloads, clearer voice calls and smoother streaming video.

“With Beamforming+, we raise the bar further by providing significant improvement in performance, especially at long distances where connection speeds and reliability are challenging," Netgear says. "Our test data demonstrates that when we enable Beamforming+ on our R6300 WiFi Router, we see performance increase by 60% at a distance of around 15m when connecting to an 802.11ac device.”

Beamforming+ is available now as a free firmware upgrade for current R3600 and A6200 users.

Go Netgear 802.11ac Router Goes Faster and Farther with Beamforming+