News Archive for 09/02/24
Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.
Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.
Intel has joined the fight against Psion over the "netbook" trademark, arguing that the public already uses the term in a generic manner to represent "extensions of the notebook category, smaller computers purpose-built for mobile Internet access," according to the Courthouse News Service. The chip-maker also pointed out that Psion trademarked the term for for a line of notebook computers that has been out of production since 2003.
Other World Computing has launched the Mercury Pro BDR-203, a quad-interface external Blu-ray burner that supports 8X write speeds of up to 2GB per minute. Interface options include FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0 and eSATA, with plug-and-play support for both Windows and Mac platforms. Along with Blu-ray discs, the burner can also write to DVD-RAM, DVD Dual-Layer R/RW, DVD-R/RW and CD-R/RW.
Google has jumped into the conflict between the European Commission and Microsoft, backing the EU in the antitrust proceedings. The commission has objected to the practice of bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, which it claims "harms competition between web browsers, undermines product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice." The search-engine giant must first ask for permission from the EU to provide arguments, as a third party, in the ongoing litigation.
For the second time in as many months, a list compiled by AvianResearch reveals the BlackBerry Curve is the best-selling handset in retail stores, with Apple's iPhone 3G again taking the runner-up spot. The sales numbers were collected for the month of December from the four major US wireless carriers, including AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, which collectively account for 85 percent of all wireless subscribers.
Toshiba has shown a 300mm wafer with 32nm, 32-gigabit (4GB) NAND flash memory chips at the recent International Nanotechnology Exhibition & Conference. The flash memory chips are based on 3-bit per cell technology that lets the company produce store much more data in a similar amount of space. Despite this, Toshiba notes it didn't make any significant changes from its earlier 43nm wafers, which used a similar floating gate structure to manage the flow of power.
Arizona State University's Flexible Display Center (FDC), along with its military and industry partners, are laying claim to producing the first active-matrix display with a flexible touchscreen. The device uses an active-matrix electrophoretic display tech from E-Ink Corp. along with materials from DuPont Teijin Films for the flexible touchscreen instead of the typical glass used in today's touchscreens. Using a solid glass touchscreen panel defeats the purpose of a flexible display as the package cannot be folded without incurring damage.
With just images to go on, a new leak obtained by SlashGear shows a new variant of Acer's 10-inch Aspire One netbook. The images show a chassis thinner than that of the recently outed D150 which sported a 160GB hard drive, suggesting less necessary space; the return of the SD memory expansion slot also implies it will be used to bolster reduced storage inside. Before Acer moved to 10-inch netbooks from 8.9-inch versions, it used such a slot to bolster the limited storage capacity for its SSD-equipped Aspire Ones.
The latest update in the long-running European Commission anti-trust case against Intel has the chipmaker finally responding to the Supplementary Statement of Objections (SSO) filed by the EU in July. Intel has confirmed it made a response on February 5th but has been declined an opportunity to immediately defend itself in an oral hearing. The rejection comes after the company had failed to provide a response for seven months since the July start of the case and had been denied further delays.
Australia's Kogan is set to launch a 10-inch netbook running on an open-source Linux operating system, according to a Monday report that includes an interview with company founder Ruslan Kogan. Like others in the category, the netbook will reportedly sport an Intel Atom CPU and a 160GB hard drive but will drop the usual Windows XP in favor of its free, open-source alternative. Exactly which Linux kernel will be used is still being decided, however. Users will be able to upgrade the netbook's 1GB of RAM to 2GB.
After making a clerical error on the severance pay of 25 laid-off employees, overpaying them and asking for the difference back, Microsoft has said it will let affected ex-employees keep the money. Lisa Brummel, the senior vice president of human resources at the software giant, calls the error a unique circumstance and that the "normal course of business doesn't really apply." The overpayments range from a few hundred dollars to more than $5,000, but average between $4,000 and $5,000.
Apple's release of a public beta for Safari 4 is the company's first truly major attempt to compete in the web browser space since, arguably, Safari 2. But while it incorporates several new features that are absolutely crucial to its acceptance as a mainstream app, a number of its most important features are actually drawn from some of its closest competitors, especially Google's Chrome. We examine why this is a good thing, as well as some of the more original features, in a special first look at what might be Apple's most important release yet.
Dell has seen steady sales growth and low return rates with its Inspiron Mini 9 netbooks running Ubuntu, despite reports that MSI experienced substantially higher return rates with its Wind series running SuSE Linux compared to the XP platform, according to Laptop. A third of the Mini 9 devices are shipped with Linux. "We have done a very good job explaining to folks what Linux is,” says Jay Pinkert of Dell.
As part of a wide plan to cut costs, Nokia is now encouraging its employees to take advantage of a voluntary resignation package or go on short-term unpaid leaves or sabbaticals. The company is also pushing employees to take their holiday as time off instead of cash compensation. "If successful, the voluntary initiatives will lessen the need for involuntary redundancies," said Hallstein Moerk, Nokia's Head of Human Resources.
As the competition between rivals Intel and NVIDIA heats up, recently even crossing into the legal arena, Intel has released a document called "Nvidia Ion Competitive Positioning Guide," which brazenly criticizes the new platform. The document, spotted by bit-tech.net, claims that the Ion is nothing new and simply another SKU in the chipset family that contains the GeForce 9400, 9300, 9100M G or 8200M G components.
Taking advantage of its in-house Destination PlayStation event, Sony today gave the PSP a pair of new bundles that include a rare new color option. The Hannah Montana Entertainment Pack both includes a copy of the singer's PSP game as well as a new lilac PSP to suit its target audience; while the system itself is similar to the current PSP-3000 with a built-in mic and improved screen, the new pack adds a UMD with Hannah TV episodes, a 2GB Memory Stick and stickers to customize the look.
Dell is using Singapore as the first venue to offer its upgraded Studio 15-series notebook, the Studio 1555. It sports a new LED-backlit, 15.6-inch screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1366x768 resolution. The notebook offers the first application of ATI's newest mid-range graphics chip, the Mobility Radeon HD 4570, with a dedicated 512MB of video memory.
Presenting today in a "Strategic Update Meeting" mainly intended for financial analysts, Microsoft has additionally revealed that Office 14, the next anticipated version of its productivity suite, will not ship this year. Rumors had suggested that the software would launch by the end of 2009, in keeping with an accelerated launch for Windows 7. A single release candidate for Windows 7 is scheduled for April 10th, which may foretell a summer ship date instead of one in late 2009 or early 2010. A simultaneous Office release could help spur corporate upgrades.
Marvell on Tuesday announced the introduction of Plug Computing, a concept which involves a tiny computer module that plugs into a wall socket and hooks up to a home network via a gigabit Ethernet cable to run network-based services while saving energy compared to traditional PCs. The small PC will let users access services such as social networks, multimedia sites or personal libraries via their wireless networks on their personal electronics devices without the need for a server or PC to be up and running.
NVIDIA is poised to update its flagship notebook graphics chipsets at the CeBIT expo with new models that should include firsts for the category, a new scoop reveals. Without pointing to specific sources, Fudzilla claims the GeForce GTX 260M and 280M will appear next week and will be based on a smaller, more recent 55 nanometer process that will let NVIDIA include a full 128 visual processing cores and a 256-bit wide memory bus, both of which are relatively new to notebooks. NVIDIA is said to expect the top-end 280M to run about 30 percent faster than AMD's ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 and also outperform its own 9800M GTX.
Microsoft on Tuesday announced its SideWinder X8 wireless gaming mouse introduced in the fall will be shipping this week. The peripheral is Microsoft's most advanced with a BlueTrack blue LED sensorand has a tracking range of between 250dpi to 4,000dpi while also updating at 13,000 frames per second and covering distances of up to 120 inches per second.
The European Commission late Monday said it plans to require that Microsoft offer web browsers other than Internet Explorer in Windows. The EU body's spokesman Jonathan Todd says a final decision in the matter would mandate a choice of which browsers to download and install in addition to the existing ability to specify a default app. The feature would potentially involve a portal that lets users choose the browser early on.
Samsung announced on Tuesday that it will soon begin shipping its newest handset, the W7100, which is marketed to women and children for its personal security features. The flip phone can emit an emergency signal as loud as 100dB to call passersby for help as well as send its location to local authorities along with an emergency help message. The handset can also be programmed to send the emergency message as it's being turned off. The W7100 will also emit a bright flash when lost in darkness, though how it knows when it's been lost isn't specified.
Microsoft today fulfilled rumored plans and unveiled a special, Resident Evil 5 limited edition of the Xbox 360. The new model paints the 120GB Xbox 360 Elite in red with a matching controller and bundles both a copy of the edition's namesake survival horror game as well as a code for a free copy of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. A wired headset also translates from the normal black model.
SanDisk's opening moves for PMA began today with two new high-speed card readers. The ImageMate All-in-One and ImageMate Multi-Card both have a more compact design with a removable tripod that lets them sit upright in tight spaces. They also transfer more quickly than past models: the All-in-One can sustain up to 34MB per second for an Extreme IV CompactFlash card, while the Multi-Card peaks at the maximum 30MB/sec read and 27MB/sec write speeds of an Extreme III SDHC card.
VUDU on Tuesday staked out its position network media hubs by becoming the first to sell permanent downloads of movies in HD for its own device. The VUDU Box, XL and XL2 can now keep full-length titles in either the company's regular HD as well as in its 1080p HDX format rather than having to rent them. The initial lineup will include movies like Man on Wire and War, Inc. and should see every future movie made available to buy as well as rent in HD on the same day as it's available on DVD.
Olympus this morning preceded PMA with a launch for the E-620. The camera replaces the mid-grade E-520 and is not only smaller but also billed as the smallest DSLR with in-camera image stabilization; it also gets the 12.3-megapixel sensor depth and TruePic III+ image engine of the E-30 that let it shoot between ISO 100 (in extended mode) and ISO 3,200, but scales back to 4 frames per second and a 7-point autofocusing system.
Hitachi GST today has announced it will be acquiring Fabrik, a privately-held supplier of personal and professional storage devices. As a result of the integration, Fabrik will remain intact and work as the core of Hitachi GST’s newly-formed external storage business. In addition, Hitachi will also be offering full support of Fabrik’s G-Technology and SimpleTech storage brands. According to President of Hitachi Steve Miligan, the combination of the two companies will expand their market reach and bolster their combined product range.
Motorola has found a buyer for Good Technology, its mobile e-mail division that it acquired two years ago for $500 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. Visto Corp will acquire the business, adding to its current mobile messaging services that are available through carriers such as T-Mobile International and Vodafone Group PLC. The purchase could help the provider compete against RIM, the company that currently holds a dominant market share in the mobile e-mail segment.
Network Headlines
Most Popular
Sponsor
Recent Reviews
Logitech FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad
Since the fourth-generation iPad didn't evolve much over its predecessor, the market for iPad accessories has remained somewhat static ...
Huawei Ascend Mate
The Huawei Ascend Mate is a phone that fits the screen-size gap between the 4 to 5-inch smartphone and the seven-inch or more tablet, ...
MaxUpgrades MaxConnect for 2006-2008 Mac Pro
Nobody outside of Cupertino's privileged bunch knows the future of the Mac Pro line for sure. Despite Apple's reluctance to tell us wh ...
Sponsor
