The 2009 Adobe Design Achievement Awards give higher education students from around the world the shortcut to brillance to propel their careers in the future. Enter in 12 categories in 3 media areas endorsed by the industry. Cash prizes will be awarded during the Icograda World Design Congress in Beijing, China.

Submissions close June 5, 2009. For more information and to submit: www.ADAAentry.com

Adobe Design Achievement Awards 2009 Poster

New Nitro Engine Runs JavaScript More Than Four Times Faster

MARKHAM, Ontario—February 24, 2009—Apple® today announced the public beta of Safari® 4, the world’s fastest and most innovative web browser for Mac® and Windows PCs. The Nitro engine in Safari 4 runs JavaScript 4.2 times faster than Safari 3.* Innovative new features that make browsing more intuitive and enjoyable include Top Sites, for a stunning visual preview of frequently visited pages; Full History Search, to search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages; Cover Flow®, to easily flip through web history or bookmarks; and Tabs on Top, to make tabbed browsing easier and more intuitive.

“Apple created Safari to bring innovation, speed and open standards back into web browsers, and today it takes another big step forward,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Safari 4 is the fastest and most efficient browser for Mac and Windows, with great integration of HTML 5 and CSS 3 web standards that enables the next generation of interactive web applications.”

Safari 4 is built on the world’s most advanced browser technologies including the new Nitro JavaScript engine that executes JavaScript up to 30 times faster than IE 7 and more than three times faster than Firefox 3. Safari quickly loads HTML web pages three times faster than IE 7 and almost three times faster than Firefox 3.*

Apple is leading the industry in defining and implementing innovative web standards such as HTML 5 and CSS 3 for an entirely new class of web applications that feature rich media, graphics and fonts. Safari 4 includes HTML 5 support for offline technologies so web-based applications can store information locally without an Internet connection, and is the first browser to support advanced CSS Effects that enable highly polished web graphics using reflections, gradients and precision masks. Safari 4 is the first browser to pass the Web Standards Project’s Acid3 test, which examines how well a browser adheres to CSS, JavaScript, XML and SVG web standards that are specifically designed for dynamic web applications.

Safari for Mac, Windows, iPhone™ and iPod® touch are all built on Apple’s WebKit, the world’s fastest and most advanced browser engine. Apple developed WebKit as an open source project to create the world’s best browser engine and to advance the adoption of modern web standards. Most recently, WebKit led the introduction of HTML 5 and CSS 3 web standards and is known for its fast, modern code-base. The industry’s newest browsers are based on WebKit including Google Chrome, the Google Android browser, the Nokia Series 60 browser and Palm webOS.

Innovative new features in Safari 4 include:

• Top Sites, a display of frequently visited pages in a stunning wall of previews so users can jump to their favourite sites with a single click;
• Full History Search, where users search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages to easily return to sites they’ve seen before;
• Cover Flow, to make searching web history or bookmarks as fun and easy as paging through album art in iTunes®;
• Tabs on Top, for better tabbed browsing with easy drag-and-drop tab management tools and an intuitive button for opening new ones;
• Smart Address Field, that automatically completes web addresses by displaying an easy-to-read list of suggestions from Top Sites, bookmarks and browsing history;
• Smart Search Field, where users fine-tune searches with recommendations from Google Suggest or a list of recent searches;
• Full Page Zoom, for a closer look at any website without degrading the quality of the site’s layout and text;
• built-in web developer tools to debug, tweak and optimize a website for peak performance and compatibility; and
• a new Windows-native look in Safari for Windows, that uses standard Windows font rendering and native title bar, borders and toolbars so Safari fits the look and feel of other Windows XP and Windows Vista applications.

Pricing & Availability

Safari 4 is a public beta for both Mac OS® X and Windows and is available immediately as a free download at www.apple.com/ca/safari.

Safari 4 for Mac OS X requires Mac OS X Leopard® version 10.5.6 and Security Update 2009-001 or Mac OS X Tiger® version 10.4.11, a minimum 256MB of memory, and is designed to run on any Intel-based Mac or a Mac with a PowerPC G5, G4 or G3 processor and built-in FireWire®. Safari 4 for Windows requires Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista, a minimum 256MB of memory and a system with at least a 500 MHz Intel Pentium processor. Full system requirements and more information on Safari 4 can be found at www.apple.com/ca/safari.

*Performance will vary based on system configuration, network connection and other factors. All testing conducted on an iMac® 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo system running Windows Vista, with 2GB of RAM. JavaScript benchmark based on the SunSpider JavaScript Performance test. HTML benchmark based on VeriTest’s iBench Version 5.0 using default settings.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

© 2009 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, Safari, Cover Flow, iPhone, iPod, iTunes, Leopard, Tiger, FireWire and iMac are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Apple Canada will be on campus at the Barrie Camus on Thursday February 19th, from 11am till 3pm in the Library Commons Foyer to talk about iLife ‘09. Stop by the booth to talk with an Apple rep and enter your name to win an iPod Touch.

Samsung Canada would like to help you live a greener lifestyle with products that are eco-friendly from start to finish. That’s why Samsung is honoured to announce the launch of Samsung Recycling Direct—their national electronics recycling program.

For more information on this program or to find the closest recycling depot please visit the Samsung website.

Next generation professional pen tablet delivers new proprietary pen technology and an elegant, ergonomic design loaded with new features.

Intuos4 Small PTK440 $299.95
Intuos4 Medium PTK640 $469.95
Intuos4 Large PTK840 $629.95
Intuos4 XL PTK1240 $979.95

Taxes Extra. Special Order item.

Intuos®4, a revolutionary new professional pen tablet that delivers new features and unparalleled performance to photographers, designers and artists seeking optimal control and improved productivity. Inspired by members of Wacom’s professional community, the next generation Intuos is anchored by the Intuos4’s amazing new pen performance, capable of capturing the slightest nuance of pen pressure against the tablet surface, as well as offering 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity. Other innovative product enhancements include a refined and intelligent industrial design that provides real advancements in looks, comfort and control. Specific workflow and productivity tools to savor include the customizable shortcut and modifier keys with accompanying OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) displays, which allow users to see, via the displays, what the keys are currently set to.

All New Pen Performance
The Intuos4 Grip Pen features Wacom’s new proprietary Tip Sensor technology, offering users near-zero (one gram) starting pressure for the most sensitive Intuos pen tablet performance to date. “Now, pressure-sensitive support can start with an incredibly light touch, emulating the same feel, response and result derived from working with traditional creative tools such as brushes, markers and pens,” said Don Varga, Senior Product Manager for Wacom Technology Corp. Additionally, the Intuos4 pen delivers 2048 levels of pressure, doubling the resolution of the pen’s pressure curve to further enhance feedback and expand the creative effects within software applications that support pressure sensitivity. “Delivering a consistently responsive and fruitful pen tablet experience starts with the pen and the Intuos4 Grip Pen provides a broader range of input options that will delight even the most discriminating professional,” continues Varga. “In addition, our latest pen technology should encourage Wacom’s software partners to continue to expand pen-related features and functionality.” The Intuos4 Grip Pen also features a pressure-sensitive eraser and two customizable side switches that can be customized for commands such as double-click and right-click. For those looking for a pen with a thicker barrel, a wide-body Intuos4 replacement grip is being made available as an optional accessory.

Breakthrough Design Improves Workflow, Boosts Productivity
With its ergonomic design, the ultra-slim Intuos4 pen tablet is the ideal creative instrument for working with digital content in comfort. Available in four sizes, small, medium, large and extra large, all wide format, the Intuos4’s new asymmetrical design puts all of the customizable ExpressKeys™ and Touch Ring on one side of the tablet, making them all available to the users’ non-dominant hand. The application-specific ExpressKeys are instrumental in helping improve workflow and boost productivity by placing commonly used commands right at the fingertips. The close proximity of these tools to the actual work area is efficient and comfortable and helps save valuable time by minimizing dependence on the keyboard without taking focus away from the pen hand. New to the Intuos4 are illuminated (OLED) displays (not featured on the Intuos4 small) that provide a helpful reminder as to the current function of each ExpressKey. With past Intuos versions, users had to rely on their memory to recall the position of their specific settings. As these settings can be application specific, the displays will update immediately as the user changes between applications. To switch the tablet from right-handed to left-handed use, simply rotate the tablet 180 degrees and change the orientation of the illuminated icons within the Wacom Tablet driver software.

“Wacom’s new Intuos4 provides Adobe® Photoshop® CS4 and our latest Creative Suite products with an approachable interface, enhanced pen performance, elegant design and new non-dominant hand features,” said Julieanne Kost, Senior Digital Imaging Evangelist for Adobe. “For me, the Wacom pen tablet has always been particularly beneficial when working on photo compositing projects within Photoshop and it did not take long to discover the vast improvements in workflow this new pen tablet delivers. By combining the super-accurate pen with OLED-displayed keyboard shortcuts, I am able to navigate and complete Photoshop work sessions quickly and efficiently.”

Also new to the Intuos4 is the introduction of a user-defined Touch Ring capable of controlling up to four different functions in any application. A button located in the center of the ring “toggles” the ring between functions such as zoom, scroll, brush size adjustment, canvas rotation and layer selection. The position of the illuminated LED located along the perimeter of the Touch Ring indicates the current function. “The Intuos4 design carries form and function to new heights,” said Varga. “Never before has a Wacom pen tablet so elegantly provided such tangible workflow and productivity enhancements.”

More Intuos4 Innovations
A new weighted pen stand not only provides a convenient pen holder, but also functions as a handy twist-off storage compartment for pen nibs and handy nib removal tool. Standard, felt, stroke and flex nibs ship with the Intuos4, allowing users to simulate the feel of working with a variety of traditional art and design materials. If users have a task for which they prefer a mouse, the Intuos4 includes the most advanced, cordless, battery-free mouse that Wacom has ever developed. A technology upgrade in the mouse allows the cursor to move based on both the direction and orientation of the mouse, delivering smooth and accurate tracking across the tablet surface. Each of the five buttons and the scroll wheel can be customized by the user.

Valuable Software
Purchase of an Intuos4 entitles professionals to pick and choose valuable software titles based on individual needs. Wacom has instituted a new online download system, available in the Americas only, whereby Intuos4 owners will be able to make a pre-defined number of selections from the following valuable creative software applications: Wacom Brushes 3.0, Nik® Color Efex Pro™ WE6, Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 7 for the PC (Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 6 for the Mac), Autodesk® SketchBook® Express 2010, and Corel® Painter™ Sketch Pad. In addition, Intuos4 users will appreciate the significant upgrades to Wacom’s powerful, user-friendly driver software, including the introduction of radial menus for quick “penpoint” access to additional customized shortcuts.

“Wacom totally nailed it with the Intuos4 and it has already changed the way I work in Adobe Photoshop,” said Scott Kelby, President of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals. “From the design of the tablet and the way it responds, to the brilliant way Wacom has incorporated OLED displays to show which shortcut or modifier tasks are assigned to what ExpressKey on the tablet surface, you instantly know that this is a tool designed for creatives. This will be the tablet that made everyone who has ever wondered if they should be using a tablet finally get on board. It’s that good!”

Noteworthy Accessories
In order to provide the best pen tablet experience possible, Wacom has created a line of accessories that includes several types of pens. For example, the Art Pen supports the barrel rotation feature within such applications as Adobe Photoshop®, Illustrator® and Corel® Painter® 11, allowing users to create natural brush effects by rotating the pen, much like a calligraphy pen. The Art Pen is newly designed and features a round barrel with two nib options, standard and chisel-tip. Another pen, the Intuos4 Airbrush, offers users a digital airbrush that has a similar form and wheel based control as a traditional airbrush. It provides creative, fun effects when combined with select applications. Intuos4 accessories, available soon, are conveniently located at the www.wacomdirect.com Internet site.

“By listening to our customers we are able to deliver today a revolutionary pen tablet packed with new technologies and features that exemplifies Wacom’s commitment to the professional creative community,” said Joe Deal, President of Wacom Technology Corp. “The Intuos4 is a sophisticated pen tablet that artfully addresses their needs with exciting new pen performance and thoughtful detailing.”

March 31, 2009

The Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES) launched an ambitious program that over the next five years will divert an additional 160,000 tonnes of waste electronics such as computers and televisions away from landfill and into reuse and recycling solutions.

The industry-developed and operated Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) program is setting up a network of collection sites where consumers and businesses can drop off unwanted electronics with assurance that they will be recycled according to established North American environmental standards. Currently about 25,000 tonnes of WEEE are collected annually in Ontario through public and private sector programs.

Products captured under the program include desktop and laptop computers and peripherals
such as mice, keyboards and disk drives; monitors; desktop printers; fax machines and
televisions. Other electronics such as cell phones and cameras will be added in later phases
of the program.

Effective April 1, 2009 all computers, laptops, printers and monitors sold through the Bits & Bytes Computer Store are subjet to the new WEEE Fees introduced by the OES.

The fee structure is as follows:

Apple Mac mini or Xserve (no keyboard or mouse) $13.44
Apple Display $12.03
Apple Portable (MacBook/MacBook Air/MacBook Pro) $2.14
Apple iMac with Keyboard and Mouse $14.08
Apple MacPro with Keyboard and Mouse $14.08
Desktop Computer $13.44
Portable Computer $2.14
Monitors $12.03
Printing Devices $5.05

These fees are in addition to the cost of the item you are purchsing and will be added to your bill as a seperate line item. These fees are subject to GST and PST.

For further information on the WEEE Program please visit the OES website at: http://www.ontarioelectronicstewardship.ca