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

Seagate announces its GoFlex Satellite, its first wireless storage device connecting to any wifi-enabled device, including mobile phones and tablets.

It connects to devices over wifi 802.11 b/g/n via either web browser or GoFlex Media app (available for iDevices) and also includes a USB 3.0 port.

Seagate says it has up to 5 hours of battery life, with 25 hours' worth of standby time.

The GoFlex Satellite will be available this summer, with 500GB storage capacity.

Go Seagate GoFlex Satellite

Argos' Q1 2011 sales fall by -9.6% Y-o-Y, a decline the retailer's owners Home Retailer attributes to the "more difficult and volatile" situation on the high streets.

The CE market-- particularly TV and videogames-- represents a "substantial proportion" of Argos' sales. Home Retail says TV sales are down by 20% and videogame sales are down by 25%.

Argos' TV sales for Q1 2011 total 150000 units, while its total TV sales for 2010 reach 1.5m units.

The retailer's only well performing product is laptops-- its only CE category showing growth.

Home Retail now expects a "mid-single digit" Y-o-Y decline for Argos in 2011, due to what analysts describe as a "weak consumer environment", with Q2 2011 proving to be particularly tough.

Argos is still hoping to reverse the sliding trend in sales by launching its TV channel in a few weeks' time. Time will tell whether the move will prove effective.

Go Home Retail group Interim Management Statement

Lenovo seeks to increase its stake in Europe by buying German retailer Medion AG.

The company wants its PC market share to grow further-- up to 14% in Germany, and to around 7.5% in W. Europe. Currently almost 50% of Lenovo's business comes from China (alongside most of its enterprise customers).

Medion's speciality is low-cost computers, alongside CE and mobile devices.

The deal comes few months after Lenovo signed a joint-venture deal with Japan's NEC. Meanwhile analysts also say the company is planning to expand its business, particularly due to tablet device's effect on the PC market.

Go Lenovo Acquires Medion AG

Yanko Design gazes into its peculiar crystal ball and predicts future portable PCs will not be thin and flat, but cylindrical. And thus, the Roll Me concept is born.

The Roll Me consists of a flexible, roll-able e-paper display and a cylindrical keyboard unit, around which the display wraps for storage. The keyboard itself is hollow, for both keeping the device cool and storage of a flexible solar panel charger powering the device when in use.

Will any OEM pick up Yanko's vision, should the technology pick up with it? A cylindrical form factor might be great for travelling, but the flexible display might not be too comfortable to actually use (since it would need something to hold it up).

Futuristic food for thought, either way.

Go Yanko Design Roll Me