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HSBC goes green to save computer running costs

Andy Russell — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 08:00:43 +0000

Banking giants HSBC have demonstrated the benefits of ‘going green’ in the office, by saving over one million dollars worth of electricity in a new initiative to support environmental effectiveness. The organisation supplied software within its international network to switch off PCs automatically over evenings and weekends.

HSBC operates across 88 countries, and has approximately eight thousand offices. The bank has rolled out energy saving software which closes down 300 thousand computers so far. The software, called NightWatchman, makes sure all open or unsaved data is secured, before turning machines off for the evening. It has been made possible by HSBC having standardised technology across their entire suite of offices, globally.

The software is compatible with HSBC’s existing Windows infrastructure, as their MS systems management server supports their full suite of machines. The head of Group Communications Systems and Support, Matthew O’Neill, commented: “A key part of our desktop strategy to minimise total cost of ownership is through ruthless standardisation of our environment. We deploy a single Windows image to all of our desktops worldwide and ensure that all additional solutions we provide are globally scalable. Within this environment, we are responsible for establishing all of the desktop settings, including our global shutdown policy, to ensure that this is adhered to across the organisation, maximising the energy savings.”

A study from IT services supplier Computacenter and Fujitsu Siemens Computers, for example, shows that the UK’s top 200 listed companies waste more than £61m in electricity a year by not maximising the energy efficiency of their desktop computers. However, green operating is becoming more prevalent in organisations, as a key part of their overall strategy. According to an Intel survey of 200 IT managers in the UK, 66% said that energy consumption had become a board-level issue, and 69% stated that decreasing energy consumption was viewed as a business priority going forward.

Sony recalls half a million laptops following complaints of malfunction

Jenny Sanderson — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:30:29 +0000

Sony has been forced to recall half a million of their Vaio laptops, following issues with the machines becoming too hot. The problem is thought to be affecting the C and F-series Vaio laptops which were released for sale in January this year.

A report by the American Consumer Product Safety Commission (ACPSC) states that the machines pose a hazard for users through overheating. Sony have responded to the issue by suggesting that the only requirement to prevent overheating in their laptops is to issue and implement a software patch.

No consumers have reported being injured as a result of the problem, but it is thought that 52,000 machines in Japan, 120,000 in South East Asia, 103,000 in Europe and 260,000 in the US need to be fixed through the software patch.
Although Sony have been asked to recall their product, they have asserted that a simple process of updating online firmware will resolve the problem. Over the past few years, Sony have undertaken recalls on machines for overheating and exploding laptops, wiring faults and battery issues.

Commenting on the issue, the editor of PC Pro magazine stated: “Laptops are particularly susceptible to overheating; hardly surprising when you are cramming so much hot running hardware into such a small space. One firm who may be concerned is graphics card manufacturer nVidia as its chipset is featured in a laptop that is overheating, even if we don’t yet know the exact cause. In 2008 Hewlett Packard recalled tens of thousands of their Pavilion laptops due to overheating issues and that also used an nVidia chipset.

“We don’t yet know how many people are actually suffering from overheating issues. So we don’t yet know how many people will actually return their laptops or patch their computer. The only real risk to Sony is damage to their reputation, but that – like other recalls – swiftly diminishes over time.”

Gadget consumers confused by technical specifications

Jenny Sanderson — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:59:23 +0000

Which? consumer magazine has issued a report stating that many people find the technical specifications for technology gadgets misleading or confusing. Which?, the comparison magazine for people looking at different brands of gadgets, conducted a survey to asses people’s reactions to various technical help solutions and labels.

Which? examined a number of gadgets and assessed their efficacy when it came to clear labelling and consistent help materials provided upon purchase. The magazine found a number of inconsistencies which presented misleading information, clouding consumer judgement when it came to purchasing decisions.

The magazine identified laptops which were labelled as having Bluray, but did not actually have a Bluray device enabled within the machines. This kind of information, Which? reported, is creating a minefield of issues associated with consumer knowledge. The obscure jargon used by many manufacturers confuses people looking to purchase certain gadgets.
Another issue found by the consumer experts focused on the way in which technical specifications are presented. Which? reported that statistics listed by different manufacturers were not possible to compare, making it tough for purchasers to make an informed decision when buying projects of an equal standard. Which? evaluated a number of gadgets including televisions, laptop computers and cameras.

Matt Beth, Technology Editor at Which? stated: “Televisions make a lot of claims and use a lot of big numbers. One set claimed to have ‘four trillion colours’ – which sounds fantastic. The trouble is, programmes aren’t broadcast in that many colours and in any case, we can’t see that many; it’s meaningless. It’s certainly marketing hype. Plastering products with big numbers will make some consumers choose the brand which sounds more impressive. But when it comes to technology, bigger doesn’t mean better.”

Mr. Beth warned people against comparing statistics for equivalent products, as data such as contrast ratios do not have a common standard, so people could potentially make purchasing errors based upon the information which accompanies certain goods.

Cloud-oriented servers launched by Dell

James Oliver — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 08:56:02 +0000

As part of a broad initiative toward cloud computing, Dell have announced launched three cloud-oriented servers. They are naming it the “PowerEdge” series, the cloud dedicated servers will be aimed at organisations that haven an interest in running cloud applications.

The servers will be fairly similar to Amazon’s EC2 range but Dell claim that they will be sold at a more competitive price than the Amazon offering. A dell spokesman said: “EC2 can be costly and has compliance obligations that can push public cloud bills up.”

Each of the servers will have their own particular features that are likely to help in the user’s choice of which server to buy.

The PowerEdge C6100: The C6100 has a lot of power under the hood with four motherboards in the chassis which make the server more compact.

The PowerEdge C2100: This server is designed for businesses which use web-analytics and is likely to be used for more internet based companies.

The PowerEdge C1100: This will be for applications that are more memory hungry, the server has slots for up to 144gb of RAM per unit.

Not only do they come with a range of options the servers also have other cost savings as they all include fixed fans rather than ones that the user has to remove.

Dell appear to be following in the foot steps of Microsoft who are dedicating a lot of their time to cloud computing, this new range of cloud oriented servers are aimed at bringing servers to a wider audience.

Skype to be made available on HDTVs

James Oliver — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:00:58 +0000

Jack of all trades electronics company Samsung have this week announced that we will soon be able to see our long lost relatives or faraway friends in glorious HD on their new range of televisions.

Much like their rivals Panasonic and LG, Samsung will be releasing new 7000 and 8000 series TV’s that will have Skype enabled access. The TV’s will have an ‘apps service’ (where have we heard that before?) that will allow users to access different applications such as Skype and the recently announced BBC iPlayer.

Do not be fooled though, the TV does not actually come with a built-in webcam, Skype will be selling separate HD video processing cameras that will have to be attached separately, meaning that the TV’s come as Skype compatible but not Skype ready, much like the whole ‘HD Ready’ debacle.

These HD video processing cameras will retail from the Skype store at around $200 (£131).

Users will be able to log into their Skype account or create a new one (just like on the computer or phone) using the televisions remote which will control the program.

Skype have said that they will be using their SILK audio codec for voice calls which will give the user the best possible calling experience along with the camera.

Skype is becoming more and more popular with more then 20 million users online at any one time, now that it is being made available on such other platforms as TV and mobile phone we may soon see an end to paid telephone contracts as everyone will be ‘skyping’, whether or not it proves a popular addition to TV’s is yet to be seen though.

New Computer for the Elderly is SimplicITy itself

Matt Thomas — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:00:57 +0000

Simplicity computing has released a brand new computer called SimplicITy. The computer is intended to serve as a greatly simplified way for the elderly to start using computers and do the main things that they need to online without any unnecessary complications. The OS is Linux based and has a touch screen interface with only six buttons that cover core tasks such as emails, videos etc.

The SimplicITy is being launched in conjunction with co-founder of Discount Age, Valerie Singleton. The former Blue Peter presenter features in 17 videos that are pre loaded onto the system explaining to the user exactly what they need to do to use the computer effectively.

Project manager Wayne Cooper explained the thinking behind the development of SimplicITy… “Everyone has been focusing on the cutting edge and trendy things and the older generation have been left behind.”

The company has launched two versions of the computers and is already getting deluged with orders from nursing homes and community centres. It’s also garnering some very favourable publicity with endorsements rolling in from charities like Age Concern and Help the Aged.

Dell expands into Services Sector

Matt Thomas — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:10:20 +0000

Yesterday PC manufacturer, Dell announced plans to considerably expand its operation by acquiring services provider, Perot Systems in a deal thought to be worth $3.9 billion dollars. The company has said in the past that they intend to step up acquisitions in the coming months, though it is unknown whether or not this is just the beginning. It is thought that the higher margins in the services sector are behind the decision to move into this area.

The acquisition talk has pushed shares in Perot to almost double in price from $17.91 to $29.68 and Dell has indicated that they now intend to launch a tender offer to buy up all the remaining ordinary shares.

In addition, a further $4 billion dollars has apparently been earmarked for integration costs between the two companies various overlapping arms, a process that Dell predicts will lead to savings of between 6 and 8 per cent.

The Perot family may not be fully frozen out of the new company with Chairman of the board, Ross Perot junior being considered for appointment to the Dell board.

Kindle now on the iPhone

Matt Thomas — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:54:54 +0000

Late Tuesday night Amazon.com released Kindle for iPhone as a free download from the iPhone App Store. The app allows iPhone users to download and read over 240,000 ebooks that have been specifically formatted for Kindle.

The app is intended to work alongside a Kindle reader and allows you to access all the Kindle books in your Amazon account from your iPhone. After you enter your Amazon user name and password the application will automatically download your Kindle books and store them on your iPod touch or iPhone.

A clever aspect of the app is that it will periodically transmit your place to Amazon.com, this information can then be sent to your Kindle reader, ensring that you never loe your place when switching between iPhone and Kindle.

The app is far from perfect however. One thing thats sure to annoy people is the fact that you cant buy your kindle books directly from the app, also the it doesnt appear to support newspaper or magazine subscriptions which will hamper its adoption amongst business users.

All that being said, this app does appear to solve the inconvenience problem associated with carrying a Kindle reader absolutely everywhere with you. Whether it has done so without making the device obsolete is another matter.

Intel sues Insurer

Matt Thomas — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:15:30 +0000

Another day, another story about somebody suing somebody else in the technology sector. This time it’s the turn of Intel to flex their legal muscle as they take on pithily titled insurance provider, American Guarantee and liability insurance.

The suit centre’s around the alleged breach of a contract between the two companies. It seems the insurance company failed to pay Intel’s legal costs when they were sued by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) for alleged unfair business practices and anti-competitive conduct concerning the sale and advertisement of its chips.

Intel took out insurance policies with two other companies (Old Republic and XL insurance) to cover legal fees in the event of a suit against them. Once they had exhausted those, to the tune of $66 million (most of which was payed by XL), American Guarantee apparently refused to pay up a dollar of the $50 million policy that Intel took out with them.

Intel put it like this in their complaint, apologies for the legalese…

“Despite the clear potential of covered liability presented by the AMD litigation, AGLI summarily denied coverage leaving Intel to defend itself in the AMD litigation without the benefits owned under the AGLI Policy.”

American Guarantee have so far declined to comment.

US Military secrets found on MP3 Player

James Oliver — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:59:13 +0000

It’s nice to know that our own government isn’t the only one capable of losing important, top secret documents. New Zealander, Chris Ogle got a huge surprise when he inspected the contents of an MP3 player he’d bought in an Oklahoma second-hand shop.

Ogle found 60 US military files which included the names and personal details of American soldiers many of whom had served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The personal details were only the start of it however. When the 29-year-old from Whangarai connected his new MP3 player to his computer he was also greeted with details of the equipment in use at various different bases and a full mission briefing transcript.

“This [the information] is something that should not be in the public domain,” said Ogle, adding, “The more I look at it, the more I see and the less I think I should be.”

The New Zealander is yet to hand the MP3 player in to the authorities, though he has said that he is willing to do so if the US Defense Department request, particularly as the device doesn’t work as a music player at all.

IBM next in EC Firing Line

Matt Thomas — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:38:12 +0000

We reported recently that Microsoft had been charged with breaking competition laws by the European Commission and were liable for an extremely hefty fine as a result. Well, it would seem that the EC isn’t done with the tech industry – IBM may be next.

Small, Florida-based mainframe maker, T3 technologies, last week claimed to have filed an antitrust complaint with the EC against IBM. T3, it seems, are unhappy with IBM for declining to sell T3 customers the z/OS operating system, thereby rendering their mainframes irrelevant and isolated.

It seems the EC is listening. To paraphrase one of their spokesmen, the EC were already looking into the issue of competition and fairness in the mainframe market. The investigation is not, at this stage, a formal one though there is nothing stopping it becoming one if they feel there have been abuses or violations of EU laws.

If Microsoft is anything to go by, IBM might have to dust off the company cheque-book in the near future. However, the computer giant is remaining bullish in the face of T3’s allegations, rejecting their claims out of hand and going as far as to accuse the small company of violating their intellectual property.

It’ll be interesting to see how this one goes after the Microsoft precedent.

New Low Power Chip from AMD

James Oliver — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 09:09:04 +0000

Chip maker, AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) plans to add a new processor to its line this year. Nothing particularly newsworthy there, I know, except that the new chip will be ultra low-power. The reason that’s useful is that it minimises problems with heating and cooling, so that the chip can be installed in large servers that get a lot of use. However, so far, the company is declining to say just how much power usage they have managed to cut with their new Opteron processor.

The development this particular chip was no doubt inspired by the announcement that Microsoft would be using Opteron processors for their Windows Azure service – a large cloud computing initiative.

AMD apparently believes in cloud computing, and is betting on the idea that low power chips will become more and more popular in the near future due to the rise of the massive data centres, being built by Google, Microsoft, et al., which will facilitate it.

That is not their opinion alone. Last year Intel released its 50-watt Xeon chip, with a similar view to minimising heating and cooling issues in large installations. It would appear that a new battlefront has opened up it the chip making war.

Intel slashes Prices

James Oliver — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:48:36 +0000

It seems that no one is immune to the recession, even the giants of hardware manufacture. Intel, the biggest Chip maker in the world has cut its prices and when I say cut, I mean cut. The cost cutting bonanza at Intel has seen some of their products’ prices drop by as much as 48 percent!

The cuts have been put down, obviously, to slumping demand during the recession as people across the world decide they don’t actually need that new computer, but also to increased competition from Advanced Micro Devices. For a while now, AMD have been cutting into Intel’s market share with lower cost chips. This move is seen as a good way to pull the rug out from under them.

The Intel Celeron processor, designed specifically to work with laptops has seen the biggest cut, dropping 48 percent to a new price of $70 dollars. In addition, some Quad Core models – that’s the one with four processors in one product – have been slashed by 40 percent to a price of $316 dollars. Intel have however, kept the prices of their three most expensive chips absolutely unchanged.

Intel are optimistic that these changes will do the trick, expecting sales to bounce back by the end of the year.

Logitech ships billionth Mouse, just ahead of its 40th Birthday

James Oliver — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:00:39 +0000

According to mouse manufacturer Logitech, they have this week shipped their billionth mouse, just before the forty year anniversary of the device’s existence at the end of December.

It is a huge coincidence and may well have been massaged by the Logitech PRs, even so the number is roughly right and shows a huge achievement both in terms of the proliferation of the personal computer and for Logitech itself. To put it in perspective, it is thought that there are now only slightly fewer computer mouses (yes that is the plural form, trust me) than there are actual rodent mice in the world.

The significance of the mouse to computing cannot be overestimated. It drastically simplified the interface between user and OS, making it possible to use a computer without having to be an expert in computing. The first one was a wooden block, showed off to peers by Douglas Englebert at Stanford University in 1968 at a time where nobody really knew how big an invention it would turn out to be.

The future of the device may be in doubt, with the proliferation of things like touch screen technology. Still, it’s a hell of an achievement. Happy birthday mouse!