Compiled by Patrick Avenell

Acronis has appointed Mark Weinstein to the newly created southern region business development manager position. Originally from South Africa, Weinstein has 12 years in sales and management experience, at companies including ASI Solutions and Brennan IT.

Weinstein’s beat will be New South Wales south of Sydney, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and New Zealand.

Here’s Acronis GM, Pacific, Karl Sice:

“We see this move as both an investment to grow the business and also a resource to support the considerable levels of enquiry resulting from the recent announcement of Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.”

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Jabra has today released its latest in-car Bluetooth speaker for mobile handsets. Called Drive (RRP $59), this device can be paired with two phones so that both the driver and one passenger can make and receive hands-free calls.

Features include echo and noise cancellation, auto-pairing, audio streaming from GPS devices and alerts for battery status. The Drive has a reported talk time of 20 hours and 30 hours of standby time. The pack comes with an in-car charger and a Micro USB cable.

“The Jabra Drive is for everyone from the tech-savvy to the technologically challenged, from mums to grandfathers,” said Jabra ANZ mobile division regional sales manager Karen Powell. “We have designed the Drive to be as intuitive and simple as possible: all you have to do is press the button and talk and we’ve taken care of everything in between.”

Hands-free: the new Jabra Drive.

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Acer has released a new 3D monitor (HN274H, RRP $899), which can be used traditionally with a PC, as a TV via HDMI to a set top box, or for console gaming.

This Full HD LED 27-inch monitor comes with a pair of active shutter glasses to create the 3D effect, which is available on playing compatible PC and console games. According to Acer, there are over 400 gaming titles that support 3D playback.

“For those looking to completely immerse themselves in 3D, the HN274H monitor is the first 27-inch LED-backlit monitor supporting both HDMI 3D and nVidia 3D Vision,” said Acer display product manager Gaba Cheng.

“You may want to play a PC game or a PlayStation 3 title, view a 3D Blu-ray movie or attach a 3D compatible HD set top box. Using the three HDMI ports, you can connect multiple devices and easily switch between them.”

3D versatility: the Acer 3D Monitor.

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Pure play online retail Ohki.com.au is now selling Breville and Kambrook home and small appliances. Categories for sale at the standalone online store include irons, coffee machines, food preparation and heating appliances.

These products join Ohki’s cornerstone ranges, such as TVs, digital cameras, GPS devices and audio systems.

“Ohki now offers more than 400 products and will continue to expand its range to offer Australians the best choice of electronics and home appliances available anywhere,” said Ohki director Lucas McEntree.

“Australians are demanding cheaper products, but they also want the ability to shop, browse and compare products in the one place. Ohki’s aim is to make online shopping an easier, more consistent and far more time effective by offering everything in one place.”