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

Verbatim has a product suggestion for the tablet-using customer on the go-- the Ultra-Slim Wireless Mobile Keyboard, ideal for use with any Bluetooth-enabled device, including both tablets and smartphones.

It comes in a compact design, and even has a set of smart keys controlling copy, paste and undo functionality, music playback and screen locking.

The package also includes a carry case and a USB charger, and is available in either black or white.

Go Verbatim Ultra-Slim Wireless Mobile Keyboard

Printers are the least friendly and cute pieces of equipment, right? Not according to Berg-- the London-based design studio announces The Little Printer, a little device printing content from the web on receipt-style rolls of paper.

And it looks cute while doing the job, too.

The Little Printer picks up content from various online sources (launch partners include Arup, foursquare, Google, the Guardian and Nike) via in-built wifi, after users configure what the printer "collects" via iPhone app.

On top of the printer is a single button, which the user presses to print what the printer receives-- news, pictures, horoscopes, puzzles, and the like-- in the form of a mini newspaper. One can even send messages to friends' printers.

Handling all storage and processing is an other Berg announcement-- the Berg Cloud, a device plugging to wifi routers acting as a wireless "nervous system" for the Little Printer and other products Berg plans to launch in the future.

No PC is required to use the Little Printer, and it will be available sometime in 2012, with no mention of pricing as yet.

Go Berg Little Printer

Watch The Little Printer in Action

Can hackers really access a printer and order it to overheat until it catches fire? Or, even, worse, use it as a copy machine for identity theft? Sounds far fetched, but not according to researchers at Columbia University.

The researchers claim to discover a security exploit in internet-connected HP Laserjet printers using little more than an infected firmware update. Hackers could send a file containing the hack directly to a device, since most printers look for firmware updates every time a job is received-- but rarely check the validity of incoming files.

In a demonstration, the researchers hijack a printer and make it overheat the fuser unit (the heated rollers bonding toner particles to paper), nearly burning the paper inside until the thermal switch inside the printer shut the system down.

The researchers say this way cheaper printers lacking a thermal switch can turn into a potential fire hazards.

HP of course challenges such claims-- saying the "potential security vulnerability" has been identified and fixed already. The company is also working on a firmware upgrade to "mitigate the issue," and suggests users should secure their networks by placing printers behind a firewall and disable remote firmware uploads on exposed printers.

Go Millions of Printers Open to Devastating Hack Attack Researchers Say (MSNBC)

Go HP Refutes Inaccurate Claims, Clarifies on Printer Security

Global PC shipments reach 90.4M units in Q3 2011, growing by just 2.6% Y-o-Y (from 88.1M in Q3 2010) according to IHS iSuppli-- lower than earlier forecasts from the analyst of 6.8% Y-o-Y growth.

"The attainment of any growth at all represents a victory for the market," iSuppli says as it tries to find the silver lining at a time of "weak consumer sales and a strong challenge from alternative platforms [tablets]."

Europe remains a struggling market as economic conditions in both Eurozone and elsewhere remain weak, to say the least.

One vendor showing surprisingly strong growth is Lenovo-- beating Dell to reach 2nd place in the global Q3 2011 PC vendor rankings, thanks to strong PC demand in home market China (the one territory truly showing growth). Lenovo Q3 2011 shipments total 12.5M with 14.5% Y-o-Y growth and 13.9% WW market share.

HP remains on top, with shipments growing by 2.6% Y-o-Y to reach 16.3M units, despite uncertainties for the HP PC unit's future under ex-CEO Léo Apotheker.

Dell now lies in 3rd place, with Q3 2011 shipments totaling 11.1M units and a -0.3% Y-o-Y decline. Dell WW market share now amounts to 12.5%. According to iSuppli, 4th placing Acer also takes a beating in Q3 2011, with a -20.9% Y-o-Y decline and shipments reaching 9.5M units.

Meanwhile Asus-- another "Asian Tiger"-- shows the strongest Q3 2011 growth among the top PC vendors, growing by 27.1% Y-o-Y. iSuppli says Apple (7th) and samsung (8th) also show strong Y-o-Y growth of 27% and 36% respectively.

Go iSuppli Q3 2011 PC Market Tracker