What appears to be a rebadged Nokia E90 handset is actually a ViewSonic handset, the VCP08, which is running on Windows XP. The device is said to have an Intel ULV-series processor at its core and otherwise has a 4.3-inch display, along with 512MB of RAM and 8GB of integrated storage space.
A three-month old investigation by Russian anti-monopoly service FAS into the supposed violations of local anti-trust laws by software giant Microsoft has been closed, with no wrongdoing found. Microsoft was accused of cutting back shipments of its Windows XP operating system both as a standalone product and preloaded onto PCs and over the pricing policy on the aging but still popular OS.
South Korea-based Daewoo has recently announced the upcoming release of a convertible tablet netbook, the LUCOMS Solo Tablet C920-mini. As with many other tablets, processing power comes from a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU and there is 1GB of RAM onboard. Graphics are handled by the Intel 945 Express components and users can interface via the 8.9-inch, 1024x600 resolution touchscreen when in tablet mode. The 60GB 1.8-inch, 4200rpm hard drive is preloaded with Windows XP Home.
The Android platform for mobile phones, developed by Google, may soon be used in netbooks, with HP confirming interest and ASUS and Dell rumored to be developing devices as well, says the Wall Street Journal. HP says its engineers are testing the technology, but the decision has not yet been made to go ahead with the plan. The free open-source software could drop the prices of netbooks, which are entry-level devices with low margins that make ultra-low price points hard to achieve. Taiwan's ASUS has said it is considering Android-powered netbooks; Dell may be more likely to develop Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) with the software, but neither company has elaborated on statements.
A new ASUS Eee PC 901 model has been spotted for sale in France that offers a high-speed 16GB solid state drive (SSD) along with a new, six-cell 8700mAh battery that is good for 7.2V and should provide users with as much as eight hours of battery life. An Italian Eee PC 901 GO offers the new SSD as well. The 8.9-inch netbook uses Windows XP or Linux operating systems. Previously, the Eee PC 901 offered 20GB of SSD storage for the XP version and 12GB in the Linux versions.
Linux is no longer a choice of operating system on the Picobook Pro, according to Apricot. Although the netbook was only released last week, Apricot has decided to remove the option of SuSE Linux Enterprise Edition, which cost only £279 ($454) instead of the £328 ($534) for a Windows XP system. In compensation the company has lowered the price of the latter, which is now £299 ($487).
Dell recently announced the last day to purchase one of the company's Inspiron laptops, desktops or workstations with an OEM Windows XP license, which is due to expire on June 30 as per Microsoft's Windows Life-Cycle Policy. Buyers have until June 18 to purchase computers thus equipped, and have the option of buying Windows Vista Business or Ultimate with a downgrade service to Windows XP Professional thereafter. This news confirms earlier reports that the PC and laptop maker will not offer Windows XP pre-loaded onto its products past the Microsoft-imposed deadline.
Owners of Windows XP and Vista should avoid using Apple's Safari browser for the foreseeable future, Microsoft has warned. The company notes that while there is a vulnerability in how XP and Vista handle executables on the desktop, this may not be an immediate issue except that browsers like Safari do not ask permission to download a number of files. An independent analyst, Nilesh Dhanjani, suggests that this could be used to litter websites with automatic malware downloads, effectively "carpet-bombing" PCs.
