Comprehensive range of products on the FGL IT stand at Informatix 11/03/2009 No fewer than 28 notebooks in the Sony VAIO and HP range were on display at the Forestals stand at Informatix from 6-8 March, 2009. Prices range from €749 for the HP 2133 to the Sony VAIO VGN-Z11WN/B at €2,475. Two Sony VAIO notebooks stand out among the rest: the VGN-AW11S/B and the VGN-TT11LN/B. The first comes with an 18.4-inch screen and weighs in at 3.8 kg. Specs include Intel Core2 processors of 2.26 GHz each, a good graphics card, Blue Ray writer, built-in camera, HDMI out, separate numerical keypad and fingerprint security access. The second has an 11.1-inch screen and weighs just 1.3 kg but comes with 7 hours of battery life. With this VAIO you can browse the Internet without a wi-fi connection simply by using your sim card. Among the PCs on display was the top-of-the-range HP XW4600 with Intel Quad Core processors of 3 GHz each, a 500 GB hard drive, and 4 GB of RAM expandable to 8 GB. This machine could easily be used as a server in a small office. Server display It is unusual to see a display of servers, but that was what there was, including a rack system complete with the Room Alert monitoring system. This monitors room temperature, humidity, server status, power status and the air-conditioners in the room. Should any parameter not be correct, the system administrator is notified via e-mail, visual and audio prompts and he/she can log in via Internet to view the status of the server room. The HP BladeSystem can accommodate up to 32 servers in an 10U space, has a lower power consumption and lower heat output, uses fewer cables and is easier to administer. HP Tower servers are ideal for SMEs, accommodating e-mail, stock records and other mission critical data. They are small, quiet, very reliable and have lots of redundancy with components like power supplies and hard disks having the capability to be hot swapped. The HP ProCurve network products come with a lifetime guarantee. Forestals works with resellers, consultants and UK companies who sub-contract the company to do work for them. Printers There were three multifunction printers with a cashback offer: €50 for the HP OfficeJet J6410 MFP; and €100 for either the HP LaserJet M1522NF MFP or the HP Colour LaserJet CM1312NFI MFP. Your old printer could be of any brand and in any condition for it to be replaced with the new HP printers. These printers can print, scan, photocopy and fax. The OfficeJet is a full colour printer with a lower cost than a LaserJet. The monochrome LaserJet is for larger volume printing while the Colour LaserJet boasts smart printing technology with no need to change the drum when changing the ink. This third model comes with a full colour LDC screen to enable you to browse photos via a memory card without having to see the images via a computer and separate screen. Two other notable printers were on display at Informatix: the HP Designjet Z2100 photo printer and the HP Photosmart D5460 with LCD. The photo printer can print widths of 24 inches and 44 inches and is targeted at architects and designers; the Photosmart can print through either USB or memory card but can also print directly on CDs or DVDs, and can also be used as a regular colour inkjet printer. Launch of Promethean Interactive Whiteboard range Teachers across Malta and Gozo have been invited to join the largest global on-line community of teachers – over 280,000 – gaining access to some 10,000 teaching resources for free. This was announced during the Informatix Fair at a presentation during which a range of interactive whiteboards, backed by software and content to enable lessons to be more attractive and inspiring to students in the classroom, was launched in Malta. Alejandro Gutierrez of Promethean, makers of the ActivBoard range, invited teachers to log on the www.prometheanplanet.com and register for free to gain immediate access to the free content. Promethean has devised a suite of tools, called ActivClassroom, to promote a unique educational experience which is now available to all those involved in education in Malta and Gozo. These include dedicated software to bring the whiteboards to live in bright colour, full movement and hands-on interaction; Learner Response Systems; one-to-one learning and tools to engage students in the learning environment.