A 10-inch smartbook from Pegatron was spotted at the Connected Community Technical Symposium on Friday. It runs on Linux Ubuntu and is powered by an ARM processor, though other details are scarce. The sighting comes just one day after Pegatron GM Chou Biao Sheng said the company will bring out a smartbook in the first quarter of 2010, priced at less than $200.
A resident of Roseville, California is auctioning off an original Apple I, according to the Detroit Free Press. The computer was the first put into production by Apple, launching in 1976 in a limited run of 200 units. It was distinctive at the time for being produced and sold by a two-man team -- Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs -- and building in its own terminal circuitry, requiring only a separate keyboard and TV set.
Initial information has surfaced of Intel's sequel to its imminent Pine Trail platform for the Atom processor. Appropriately codenamed Cedar Trail, the 2011 update should be the first built on a 32 nanometer process and will take advantage of this through a new integrated graphics core. The new version will support DirectX 10-level 3D as well as HD video decoding. It should additionally bring dual digital outputs that recognize DisplayPort and HDMI as well as older formats.
Dell today posted disappointing results for its latest quarter ended in October. The company saw its year-over-year revenue drop 15 percent to about $12.9 billion and its net income drop even further, falling 54 percent to $337 million. Both decreases were blamed on poor results both in the public sector and in its staple home PC business, where its shipments were up about 17 percent compared to a year earlier but its revenue was down 10 percent, an indication that many buyers were opting for less expensive PCs.
Microsoft announced on Thursday it will soon release Power Pack 3 for Windows Home Server. The update is meant to improve the integration of Windows Home Server with Windows 7 and Windows Media Center by allowing backup and restore of Windows 7 comptuers, Windows 7 Libraries integration, new features in Media Center and added support for netbooks. Windows Home Server is meant for network-attached storage devices.
Dell today quietly slipped the Studio 17 Touch into its lineup as its first touchscreen notebook. The 17-inch system adds multi-touch input and carries Dell's own suite of touch apps, such as its photo browser. Most of the design remains the same and is treated as a desktop replacement and media center hybrid with a 2.1-channel JBL speaker system and HDMI output.
AT&T on Thursday announced it will soon add the HP Mini 110 netbook to its range of 3G mobile broadband equipped netbooks. The Windows 7-equipped netbook sports a 10.1-inch LED display, an Intel Atom CPU and 1GB of RAM. There is otherwise a 160GB hard drive, along with a webcam and built-in microphone.
Despite an official promise of launching its 9-inch mobile tablet PC at the end of October, Archos has not delivered and is now saying the device will not see store shelves until early in 2010. The device will ship early in December, but retailers such as Amazon and Walmart will not get the device until the new year. Its specs are expected to carry over, including the inclusion of Windows 7 Starter Edition and the $500 price tag.
Intel's first Celeron processor based on its 32 nanometer Arrandale design should ship this spring, a leak says today. The P4500 will clock in at just 1.86GHz but should be a dual-core example and have 2MB of Level 2 cache and perform faster than an older 45nm Celeron. Both Hyperthreading and Turbo Boost will reportedly be disabled, as with the Core i3, to keep the price down and differentiate from faster Core i5 and i7 models.
Two of Lenovo's first notebooks to use AMD processors have been given hard specs in a German leak. True to form, the ThinkPad X100e is now known to be Lenovo's first portable in between netbooks and notebooks and should use a 1.6GHz Athlon Neo, an 11.6-inch 1366x768 display and a multi-touch trackpad. Configurations will vary but should hold up to 4GB of RAM, a 3- or 6-cell battery, and between 160GB and 500GB of hard drive space.
The MacBook and the iPod touch have both taken positions on a Time list of the top 25 travel gadgets for 2009. The updated plastic MacBook is complimented for being tougher than its predecessor, and having LED backlighting, which contributes to a maximum seven-hour battery life. The magazine also remarks on the presence of a glass multi-touch trackpad, and the removal of mercury and arsenic from materials.
iBuyPower on Wednesday introduced its latest gaming PC, the Chimera 2. The various hardware components are housed in a new Chimera Inferno II Chassis with a wraparound flame color scheme. Users can spec a 2.66GHz Intel Core i5 or i7 but can also switch over to AMD’s 2.8GHz or 3.2GHz Phenom II processors.
ASUS' Eee PC 1201N today received more definitive release details for the US. The American version will have both the 1.6GHz dual-core Atom 330 and NVIDIA Ion chipset that should give it both faster overall performance and the option of 1080p video, including in Flash 10.1. The netbook will be one of the first to come with Windows 7 Home Premium and accordingly come with 2GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive.
Apple is likely to sell between 2.8 and 2.9 million Macs in the December quarter, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. The forecast is based on October sales data from the NPD Group, which indicates that the month's Macs were up 7 percent year-over-year. Should Apple meet expectations, overall growth for the December period should be 14 percent.
ASUS today officially took the wraps from the first notebook to use NVIDIA's GeForce 3D Vision. The G51J 3D uses both NVIDIA's special glasses and a 120Hz LCD to add spatial depth to games that support it, such as Arkham Asylum and Borderlands. The combination of a 1.6GHz Core i7 and a GeForce GTX 260M help run the games at the 15.6-inch notebook's native 1366x768 resolution.
Google's rumored Chrome OS release should primarily center on its first public demo of the platform, a notice tonight. An event is said due on Thursday that should include a "complete overview" of the web-centric OS, including its technical underpinnings as well as demos. It's now thought by TechCrunch that a code release is possible but that a more formal release isn't coming until 2010.
Sony on Tuesday launched the first VAIO W series netbook for its Signature Collection, with the Holiday Sparkle. The 10.1-inch netbook sports a white exterior peppered with a decorative snowflake pattern that will appear different depending on the angle it's viewed from. Other specs of this special edition netbook remain the same as other W series netbooks, including the 1.66GHz Atom, 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive.
HP was sued late last week for allegedly neglecting a major flaw in its Pavilion Elite desktops. Plaintiff Michael Kent and owners whose systems use an Intel Core i7 processor along with Pegatron's "Truckee" mainboard, including the e9150t, e9180f, e9180t, m9600t and m9650f, have reported in HP's forums and elsewhere that the systems regularly seize up after about 30 minutes of use. In some cases, the system produces an "uncorrectable hardware error" or a "timing issue" and leaves the user with no choice but to reboot, while at others it simply freezes the display.
Microsoft today lost a lawsuit that could temporarly block it from selling netbooks and other PCs in China (registration required). A Beijing Intermediary People’s Court determined on Tuesday that two fonts used in Windows 98 SE, 2000, XP and Server 2003 weren't properly licensed from Zhongyi Electronic and that Microsoft must pull sales of any of those releases from the Chinese market. The two companies already had a license agreement but have disagreed over what it covered.
Origin PC on Tuesday introduced new customizable gaming PCs, with the Genesis desktop and 18.4-inch Eon18 notebook. The former can be had with a choice of processors, including a quad-core Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 975 that's been overclocked to 4.2GHz. As a gaming PC, the former can also be equipped with up to three 1GB GeForce GTX 285 video cards.
Dell today at last began taking orders for the Adamo XPS teased over the past several months. The system comes in just one default configuration and color, arriving for $1,799 with a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM and a 128GB solid-state drive loaded with Windows 7 Home Premium. Contrary to earlier reports, the system will use just Intel's GMA 4500 graphics instead of NVIDIA hardware.
MOTO Development Group on Tuesday showed off its first round multi-touch casino gaming table prototype at the Global Gaming Expo 2010 in Las Vegas. Similar in concept to the Microsoft Surface, the touch table has Blackjack and Texas Hold ‘Em poker games built into it. The table has one large integrated touchscreen that supports multi-touch inputs from many players.
Dell today boasted an industry first by becoming the first to ship its computers in bamboo packaging. The Mini 10 and 10v will have boxes made primarily of the more efficient material, which regrows much faster than the trees used for cardboard and is more easily renewable. As it takes as much stress as steel, it even provides more protection and replaces not just cardboard but also the foam normally used to cushion against an impact.
A recent FCC filing reveals that a new notebook from Lenovo is coming soon, powered by a 2GHz Intel chip believed to be the quad-core Core i7-920XM. The FCC filing points to the finished product as the ThinkPad W701 and confirms this with the presence of a Wacom digitizer, which has only shipped as part of the earlier W700.
ASUS has quietly staked out a claim to the fastest CULV-based ultraportable by adding the UL30Vt to its stable. The system takes the familiar 13.3-inch display and 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo of the original version but adds a GeForce G 210M. The gesture lets the under 1-inch thick PC handle HD video and some modern 3D but includes a switchable graphics system that optionally reverts to the more miserly Intel GMA 4500 graphics when the system is running on battery power.
A new study published by SquareTrade revealed that the smaller name brand notebook manufacturers are usually more reliable than their larger rivals. Of the top nine, ASUS has the lowest tracked breakdown rate with fewer than 10 percent of its notebooks failing in the past two years. Toshiba, Sony and Apple also have better-than-average performance and are either just over or under the same figure.
SGI has introduced the Altix UV, a new series of supercomputers geared for large databases or analysis operations. The computers are based on Intel's Nehalem platform, with support for configurations utilizing quad-, six, or eight-core Xeon CPUs. Devices can be scaled to integrate up to 2,048 cores, with architectural provisioning for up to 262,144 cores.
Gartner today said the computer industry is recovering much faster than expected. Based on processor sales, the analyst group estimates PCs have turned from double-digit year-over-year declines at the start of the year to slight increases by the end. It still expects processors, flash memory and other chip technology to face an 11.4 percent decline for all of 2009 but also anticipates levels jumping back to an all-time high seen in 2008.
NVIDIA today provided details of the first official hardware to use its upcoming Fermi architecture. The Tesla 20 series is even more optimized for general-purpose computing standards like OpenCL or NVIDIA's own CUDA and handles complex math that previously hasn't been as practical, such as ISO standard double-precision math and C++ code processing. Unlike past models, though, the card model also has a video output and works as a video card rather than just as a companion device.
IBM's Roadrunner supercomputer has been dethroned from the TOP500 list in terms of computing performance by the Cray XT5 supercomputer, nicknamed Jaguar. The XT5 uses AMD Opteron cores and posted up a 1.75 petaflop/s speed in the Linpack test, outpacing the Roadrunner's 1 petaflop/s performance.
Intel today promised a version of its Xeon processor specifically tailored to high performance computing (HPC). The design will share the same architecture as the eight-core Nehalem-EX but drop to six cores in return for greater overall performance. Clock speeds should be higher and will still take advantage of the extra bandwidth of the new platform, making it a better pick for clusters and multi-processor servers.
ASUS could push its way to near the top of notebook market share by buying out one of its largest competitors, company chairman Jonney Shih reportedly revealed today. He hopes for ASUS to reach the top three in notebook builders by 2011 and says the company has talked to Toshiba about buying its notebook business. Nothing has been finalized, and it remains unclear how close if at all the two may be to a deal.
(Updated with pricing) AT&T added to its netbook range with its first Samsung model. The Go is a rebadge of the NC310 that comes with 3G for the carrier's network as well as Windows 7 Starter Edition in place of Windows XP. Samsung promises about four hours of battery life using the stock battery pack.
The 27-inch iMac is already a milestone for Apple through its inclusion of a truly greater-than-HD display, but the addition of Core i5 and Core i7 processors transforms it into a near powerhouse. This is the first iMac in recent memory to come close enough to Apple's workstations that it could replace one of them. Our review of the Core i5-equipped iMac will find out how close it comes to that goal and whether it's a worthwhile option for any other prospective Mac desktop owner.
Apple this week won a decisive victory in its lawsuit against clone maker Psystar. Judge William Alsup has ruled in a summary judgment that the Florida-based defendant had violated copyright laws, including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) through creating and selling PCs with unauthorized copies of Mac OS X. By modifying the Mac OS X bootloader and kernel extensions to allow non-Apple hardware to run, Psystar has violated Apple's "exclusive right" to determine how and where Mac OS X runs, the judgment reads.
A recently spotted FCC filing reveals that the netbook formerly known as the élan from Mobinnova will soon be coming to wireless provider AT&T, as evidenced by the BEAMATT product ID. If the specs remain the same as the élan, this means an 8.9-inch screen and processing power from NVIDIA's Tegra processor, which combine to output 720p HD video files and accelerated Flash content.
ASUS will release a 17.3-inch 3D notebook, the G72GX, early in 2010 with high-spec features such as an Intel Core i7 CPU, GeForce GTS 160M graphics, 4GB of memory and two 320GB hard drives, according to Chinese daily Digitimes. Before that, however, the computer maker will unveil a smaller, 15.6-inch version known as the G51J3D that should otherwise have near-identical specifications.
Intel today addressed its ongoing legal troubles with word that it has hired Douglas Melamed as both its new senior VP and general counsel. The new executive has over 30 years of experience with antitrust and regulatory issues both in private business as well as five years of service in the US Department of Justice through two assistant attorney general positions. Company chief Paul Otellini characterizes Melamed as an "outstanding fit" precisely for his experience with competition cases and government.
The flyer for Best Buy's Black Friday/Thanksgiving sale has been leaked on the Internet ahead of its official release thanks to a copy posted today. Among the 'doorbusters' are a $300 PS3 bundle that includes two games, while an Xbox 360 bundle with six games will carry the same sticker price. Another front-page deal involves a 46-inch, 120Hz LED-backlit Samsung HDTV with free home delivery, hook-up and recycling for $1,600, or $1,000 off.
Google's Chrome OS could be available to try in as little as a week's time if a rumor proves true. A promised early version is now said by TechCrunch to be arriving sometime next week. Few details are available, though it's presumed that a lack of broad driver support will limit it to certain computers or environments.
Intel plans to fill out the low- to mid-range of its notebook processor range when it launches its Arrandale-based 32 nanometer models early next year, a roadmap leak explains on Friday. The mobile Core i5 line should be headed by two dual-core models, the 2.4GHz i5-520M and 2.26GHz i5-430M, as of early January 2010. Like their desktop counterparts, they won't support Hyperthreading but will support Turbo Boost and should clock up to as high as 2.93GHz and 2.53GHz respectively when they can afford to shut down one core.
Electronista has received one of the first Core i5 iMacs and is putting it through its paces. Since many already are already familiar with the 27-inch iMac in Core 2 Duo form, we'll provide impressions specific to the faster model. We also have some of the first benchmarks of the system, which is Apple's first quad-core system ever outside of its Mac Pro workstations.
Qualcomm at its investor conference today showed what should be one of the first production smartbooks. The Lenovo design (pictured) would sit in between netbooks and smartphones in size and will run one of Qualcomm's own Snapdragon processors. It's similarly expected to use AT&T-based 3G for Internet access beyond Wi-Fi.
Intel is planning on releasing three new 32nm dual-core CPUs for ultrathin notebooks in the first half of next year, Digitimes reported on Thursday. Their notebook manufacturing sources claim the 1.2GHz Core i7-640UM, 1.06GHz Core i7-620UM and 1.06GHz Core i5-520UM would be aimed at the high- to mid-range ultraportable markets and replace the current 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo SU9600. As Core i7 models, the two faster chips would support Hyperthreading and sometimes give these chips the behavior of quad-core models.
(Updated with info from conference calls) AMD and Intel this morning unveiled a surprise deal to end all of their respective antitrust and patent cross-licensing disputes. The move ends AMD's lawsuits against Intel in both the US and Japan as well as its "regulatory complaints" worldwide. In exchange, Intel promises to pay AMD $1.25 billion and to abide by a new set of business practices. The two have also entered into a five-year cross-licensing deal for each other's technology.
Dell this morning officially unveiled its most direct attempt at claiming the ultra-compact desktop space currently held by the Mac mini. Shown after multiple teases, the Inspiron Zino HD occupies roughly the same footprint as its Apple counterpart but uses AMD processors to keep the costs low while still supplying options its rival doesn't have. The micro PC is seen as a home theater PC and comes with native HDMI output as well as options of discrete Radeon HD 4330 graphics and a Blu-ray drive.
Apple's rumored tablet may have the option of a pen for input, a US patent filing published today suggests. The application for a patent on getting ink data from "pen-aware computer systems" shows an example device with slight interface cues from the Newton, such as the bottom icon tray, but with a significantly different design and a different engine. Apple in the description makes clear that the technology would be an improvement on the writing systems implemented in the defunct PDA.
AMD in its annual analyst event provided details of some of its future processors and platforms. The highlight for the semiconductor firm is "Bulldozer," a major revision for both desktops and notebooks that should be much more efficient at multithreaded codethan existing designs. It will be particularly optimized for pairing with graphics chipsets and will be supplemented by "Bobcat," a variant of Bulldozer tailored to ultraportables.
HP in a late afternoon update said it had bought 3Com in a cash deal the equivalent of $2.7 billion. The deal is meant to help HP's involvement in the server and networking businesses and turns the PC builder into a near-total source for datacenters and other large-scale server environments. The two partners are still waiting on government approval but hope to complete the deal sometime in the first half of next year.
A UK SimplicITy branded desktop computer is being made for first-time PC and Internet users who are over 60 years old. The simple interface has just six buttons that lead to commonly used tasks or applications such as e-mail, chat, documents, and the Internet in a main screen labeled Square One. There is also an About Me and video tutorial page.
