3994535
submission
ericatcw writes:
Intel is giving up control of its Moblin netbook operating system to the Linux Foundation. The move could rejuvenate the Linux OS, which hasn't made much of a dent against Windows XP and has lost open-source developers to the Google-backed Android OS. It could also open the door for Moblin, which runs only on Atom and Core 2 CPUs and integrated graphics chips all from Intel, to be ported over to Intel's rivals, such as Nvidia's Ion (Atom CPU + Nvidia GPU) or the ARM smartphone processor being touted as the next big thing for netbooks.
3974293
submission
ericatcw writes:
Graphics powerhouse Nvidia is adding virtualization capabilities to its latest Quadro graphics cards, reports Computerworld. The cards enable complex 3D graphics rendering to be offloaded to them, rather than asking the virtualization software to handle (a slow process). This enables CAD, CAM and animation apps on both Windows and Linux to be run side-by-side on the same workstation. Parallels introduced new virtualization software that work with the Quadro cards. But the solution ain't cheap.
3908115
submission
ericatcw writes:
Do you love the smooth, silky performance of a multi-core PC loaded to the gills with the fastest RAM? Take a look at Dell's new Precision T7500 desktop. According to Computerworld, the T7500 will come with 12 memory slots that can accommodate 16 GB of PC-106000 (1333 MHz) DDR3 RAM for a total of 192 GB. Dell's not the only one — Lenovo, Cisco (with blade servers reportedly up to 384 GB in memory) and Apple are all bringing out computers that leverage Intel's new Nehalem architecture to enable unprecedented amounts of RAM. But beware! Despite the depressed DRAM market, loading up on memory could see the cost of RAM eclipse the cost of the rest of your PC by 20-fold or more.
3664913
submission
ericatcw writes:
Everyone knows about buying OEM or academic versions of Microsoft software to avoid paying the full retail price. But there are two other ways that you can get Redmond's wares such as Office 2007 on the cheap, according to Computerworld. One is the 'Military Appreciation' version of Office 2007, which is available until June 30 for just $50. Tens of millions of active military personnel, veterans and their dependents are eligible. Even cheaper is the Home User Program, which lets workers whose employers license Office in volume get the Enterprise version of Office 2007, loaded with the same goodies as Office 2007 Ultimate, for just $30. Power telecommuting indeed!
3055803
submission
ericatcw writes:
According to Gartner, PC market revenues during the key Christmas 4th quarter plummeted by 15% to 20% from the same period in 2007, reported Computerworld. As feared, netbook computers were the cause, forcing vendors to slash the prices of their larger, more-expensive notebook brethren, or cannibalizing laptop PC sales, anyway.
Though the number of PCs shipped worldwide actually grew 1.1% year-over-year, those numbers were overshadowed by "steep declines" in the average selling price (ASP) of PCs, said Gartner analyst, Mika Kitagawa.
This would be the worst decline for the PC market since the third quarter of 2001, when PC revenues fell 26% year-over-year.
For all their impact, netbooks still comprised just 5% of total PC shipments, said Kitagawa, who said it was too early to declare them a "sustainable" trend.
2791869
submission
ericatcw writes:
With many users now used to having multiple monitors at home or work, you had to figure someone would try to offer a 'desktop replacement' laptop that offered the same. Lenovo is the first. Its new W700ds laptop will offer a 10.6 inch LCD screen in addition to the 17-inch primary one, reports Computerworld. The W700ds also sports a quad-core Intel Core 2 CPU, up to almost 1 TB of storage, and an Nvidia Quadro mobile chip with up to 128 cores. A Lenovo exec called this souped-up version of the normally buttoned-down-for-business ThinkPads the "nitro-burning drag racer of ThinkPads." There is even a Wacom digitizer pad and pen for graphic artists, who are expected to be the target market, along with photographers and other creative types who are willing to trade shoulder-aching bulk (11 pounds) and price (minimum of $3,600) for productivity enhancements.
838735
submission
ericatcw writes:
Avant-garde director Michel Gondry may be directing the Windows ad starring Jerry Seinfeld that is due to appear in early September, reported Computerworld. Gondry is best known for directing 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,' which featured his trademark inventive visual style, and this year's lower-key 'Be Kind, Rewind.' He has also done many critically-acclaimed commercials for (see YouTube links) Levi's, Nike and others. According to numerous Brooklyn blog reports, Gondry and his production company Partizan Entertainment filmed at locations throughout the borough in mid-July. Advertising Age reported that reps from Crispin Porter & Bogusky, which The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday is overseeing the $300 million Windows advertising campaign starring Seinfeld, were spotted at the shoot. For tech companies, Gondry has filmed commercials for Motorola's RAZR2 cellphone and HP. For HP, the 45-year-old Frenchman actually starred in the ad and talked about using an HP desktop PC to edit film footage, record music and produce his Web site.
835281
submission
ericatcw writes:
Most anti-piracy solutions shut down an app if the user fails to enter a legit license code. Think Windows Genuine Advantage. But V.i. Labs thinks it has a better way, reports Computerworld. Its new CodeArmor Intelligence product, when integrated into an app, lies dormant and undetectable to the tools used by pirates who crack 'warez,' claims the startup. Then, after the software is used a set number of times, it activates, and starts to stealthily send information back to the vendor on who is using the software and why. Rather than siccing the BSA or SIIA on them, the vendor can use that information as leverage when approaching the offending firm, to help turn them into an paying user and, eventually, a loyal customer. Because it is aiming at makers of CAD, EDA, PLM and other heavy-duty, expensive niche apps, V.i. isn't worried that a shift to cloud computing will erode their market.
663208
submission
ericatcw writes:
Microsoft's plan announced last month to fill its mammoth upcoming Chicago data center with as many as 220 40-foot shipping containers, each pre-configured with 2,000 servers each, has generated wild curiosity or baffled enthusiasm from the IT crowd. To get a different sample, Computerworld interviewed the president of a data center construction firm, a power engineer-turned-CIO, an operations executive for a data center operator and a 'green' data center consultant, who who outlined six reasons they were skeptical about Microsoft's vision: from the electrical 'harmonics' containers would encourage that would "crap up power" throughout the data center, to their incredulity over the inefficiency of Microsoft's plan not to fix dead servers inside a container, which would waste valuable electricity and real estate.
661654
submission
ericatcw writes:
The New York Times' Bits blog reported today that Microsoft Office Ultimate is available online for $60, or 91% off its regular price, for students, until May 16. Computerworld notes three things: 1) isn't it a little odd that a company with such a purported strong anti-piracy stance as well as a byzantine set of licensing rules would call the Web site with the offer "The Ultimate Steal"? 2) any graduate of a U.S. college or university can effectively get the discount, too, since all that is required is a .edu e-mail address (given by most schools to alumni) and proof "upon request" that you are enrolled, though that need only be as little as 0.5 credits; 3) the beta for OpenOffice 3.0, with improved Mac OS X graphics, was released to the public earlier this week.
638834
submission
ericatcw writes:
Computerworld reports that a day after the resignation of the One Laptop Per Child project's president was publicly revealed, the OLPC's founder and chairman said that the group's XO laptop may evolve to use only Windows XP as its operating system, with open-source educational applications such as the homegrown Sugar software running on top.
OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte also told The Associated Press that an insistence upon using only free, open-source software had hampered the XO's usability and scared away potential adopters.
For instance, the Sugar graphical user interface aimed at children "grew amorphously" and "didn't have a software architect who did it in a crisp way," he said. Also, the laptops don't support the latest versions of Flash animation, which is widely used on children's and educational Web sites.
"There are several examples like that, that we have to address without worrying about the fundamentalism in some of the open-source community," he said. "One can be an open-source advocate without being an open-source fundamentalist."
632136
submission
ericatcw writes:
In the latest death knell for Outlook Express, Microsoft Corp. is turning off access to its Web-based Hotmail service from the desktop e-mail software at the end of June.
Microsoft is nudging users towards its free Windows Live Mail client, which succeeds both Outlook Express and Windows Mail. But users can use any POP3 mail client, such as Thunderbird. Users of Microsoft's Outlook and Entourage (for the Mac) are unaffected.
First introduced in 1997 in a bundle with Internet Explorer 4.0, Outlook Express was at one time probably the most popular e-mail software in the world. Malware problems early in this decade hurt its reputation. And it hasn't been updated since version 6.0 was released in August 2004.
