Pay Per Click Advertising and SEO » Hardware

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!

Costly redundancies at AMD

Matt Thomas — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:34:59 +0000

Computer chip maker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), has made 600 people redundant. The move had been widely predicted after a final quarter of 2008 that saw sales fall by 25 per cent from the previous quarter. To put that in perspective, that’s a difference of about $396 million dollars.

It can’t then, have come as a huge surprise to AMD’s employees that there would be redundancies, in fact the company had all but announced that 500 of its staff would be moving on. However, the fact that the eventual figure was considerably larger than that has come as a surprise to many.

The streamlining process will be far from cheap for AMD and is set to cost them around $34 million dollars in benefits and other severance payments. About $13 million more is expected to go on wrapping up projects and terminating contracts prematurely, closing down offices and factories will cost a mere $6 million. All of which wipes a cool $17 million off the value of the company’s assets as a whole.

Ironically, the cost-cutting plan is set to cost them $70 million all told, around $20 million more than they were expecting to spend.