Business News Holding

Tag: hardware-and-technology

  • Pre Launch Kicks Off Smartphone Summer


    So the launch of the Palm Pre is June 6th – and the scene is all set for what is likely to be an exciting summer for the smartphone industry.

    Those joining Palm in announcing new – or updated handsets – over the next few months are Apple with an upgraded iPhone and new phones using the Android operating system from Google.

    The launch season has already begun in the US, with T-Mobile announcing the introduction of the Sidekick LX, while AT& T unveiled the Samsung Jack.

    But the peak time is the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day – a spell that will be a crucial one for the industry in the US, according to the New York Times.

    How the Pre fares is certain to determine the future of loss-making Palm.

    It is a little surprising, then, to hear that Dan Hesse, Palm’s CEO says he expects a shortage of Pre handsets at launch.

    If true, it will certainly lead to headline-making lines forming outside of stores on June 6th.

    But even if it is a sales tactic, it’s a risky one for a company in Palm’s financial situation.

    The stakes are also high for Sprint Nextel, which has exclusive rights to the Pre in the United States.

    Striking a positive note, the NYT comments that with only 100 million smartphones out of the four billion mobile devices in the world, the market is capable of sustaining more than one succesful handset.

    The summer launches will add spice to the general mood of optimism within the smartphone industry.

    Lee Williams, chief of the Symbian Foundation, has predicted smartphone sales will grow 12-15 per cent in 2009, while Marvell Technology Group’s chief executive Sehat Sutardja reckons smartphones will soon make up 50 per cent of the mobile market.

    And the latest figures for smartphone sales suggest demand in unflagging.

  • Toshiba Launches First PC With 512GB SSD


    Toshiba has launched what it claims is the first PC integrating 512GB SSD (Solid State Drive).

    The top-of-the-range Portege R600-ST4203 (known as dynabook SS RX2/WAJ in Japan) is a notebook PC employing a 2-bit-per-cell multi-level NAND flash memory.

    The company says this is the largest capacity SSD, with four times the density of SSD integrated into currently available products.

    A new controller allows high-speed parallel processing with the multi-level NAND flash memory, boosting data access speeds by approximately 230 per cent for read (max. 230MB per sec) and 450 per cent for write (max.180MB per sec), compared with SSD integrated into current PCs.

    The Portege also boosts data access speed by approximately 300 per cent for read and 250 per cent for write, compared to a hard disk drive (HDD).

    The Portege R600-ST4203 is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo ULV SU9400 processor, 3GB RAM, and integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics.

    It comes with a 12.1-inch 1280×800 LCD display with LED-backlit, a DVD SuperMulti burner, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.

    Obviously all this comes at a price – the Portege R600-ST4203 is now available for pre-order for USD $2,999.00.

    Other features of the Portege include:

    • weight approx.1,095g
    • thickness 19.5mm to 25.5mm
    • long-time battery operation (12 hours) helped by ultra-low voltage CPU, a transreflective LCD that uses natural sunlight to make screen images more visible even without switching on the backlight

  • Clearwire and Cisco Team Up To Deliver WiMAX Network


    Clearwire Corp has agreed a deal with Cisco Systems that makes it the main supplier of new mobile business and WiMAX devices for the CLEAR 4G mobile WiMAX service.

    The high-speed wireless network is still being built – Clearwire currently only offers service in Baltimore and Portland.

    But nine further markets are due to be launched this year and up to 80 markets by the end of 2010.

    The companies said that as part of their multiyear agreement, Clearwire has selected Cisco as its supplier of Internet equipment on a national basis.

    Cisco is to build devices for Clearwire’s WiMax network targeted at consumers, small offices and home offices as well as small and medium-sized business and plans to introduce its first WiMax device later this year.

    Scott Richardson, Chief Strategy Officer at Clearwire, said the agreement with Cisco would result in a robust and cost-efficient next-generation network designed specifically for delivering rich broadband services.

    "In addition, Cisco plans to develop WiMAX technology for end-user devices, which will give consumers and businesses more compelling ways to stay connected through our CLEAR 4G service," he said.

  • Sony Launches Coin-Sized HD Camera


    Sony has developed a coin-sized high-def camera module that can be used for security and industrial applications.

    The 8.3-megapixel camera, which measures just 9.5 x 7.1mm, is capable of delivering 720p, 30fps video.

    Called the MCB1172, the device from Sony Europe’s Image Sensing Solutions Division includes movie stabilisation, face detection, autofocus and motion autofocus.

    It also boasts a high sensitivity mode and a slow-mo function, delivering 120fps as well as the option of 16x zoom.

    Sony says it the HD camera is available now for mass production and products with the module are expected to reach business markets later this year.

  • Next-Gen iPhone Will Be Modest Upgrade?


    Apple’s next-gen iPhone could be unchanged in physical design but include changes relating to speed, memory and the camera.

    At least that’s according an unnamed employee at Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn, who claims to have used prototypes of the handset.

    The main changes are increases in clock speed and memory: the roughly 400MHz Samsung ARM processor used in the current iPhone 3G will be upgraded to a 600MHz part, according to a post on a Chinese site

    Writing anonomously, the commentator also said that system RAM will be doubled to 256MB and the handset will ship in 16GB and 32GB configurations.

    It is also said to have a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus.

    While the information is unsubstantiated, if true there could be some disappointment.

    Among the improvements being sought are an improved battery, a better GPU, a more elegant housing and – ideally – an OLED display.

  • Powerfile Launches Fixed Content Storage Platform


    PowerFile has announced its new enterprise-class Hybrid Storage Appliance optimized for long-term storage of fixed content.

    The storage provider said the purpose-built platform delivers "the performance of disk, the economy of tape, and superior reliability and data integrity".

    The PowerFile HSA offers petabyte-class scalability and virtualization of the underlying storage technologies to create an integrated appliance.

    PowerFile said that by combining intelligent storage management software and sophisticated file management with cost-effective, robust hardware, the HSA could significantly lower both CAPEX and OPEX.

    Leading analysts estimate that up to 80 per cent of enterprise data is fixed content and organizations are holding onto that data for longer retention periods based on corporate policies for litigation support and regulatory compliance.

    Relocating this data from Tier 1 or Tier 2 disk to a PowerFile HSA can provide a huge advantage in driving down the cost of enterprise storage, eliminating the cost of unnecessary data migration operations every three to five years.

    Kirk Dunn, CEO at PowerFile, said there is no debate that using hard disk-based solutions for long-term storage of fixed content data is an unsustainable strategy for enterprises, given the crushing capital and ongoing operations expenses.

    "PowerFile’s hybrid storage approach breaks with convention by creating a new storage platform that provides performance when you need it, economy when you don’t and in the process eliminates most of the costs associated with the storage tax resulting in up to a 10x cost advantage over disk-based storage,’ he said.

    The new PowerFile Hybrid Storage Appliance has a data center-optimized design with up to 500 terabytes of capacity in a standard 42u rack.

    The energy-efficient design consumes 5 watts per TB, approximately 5 to 10 per cent of the energy usage compared to spinning disk, delivering substantial OPEX cost savings.

    It significantly reduces energy requirements for data centers that are nearing the limits of available energy capacity.

    The HSA is composed of three scalable units: the HSA System controller, utilizing dual quad-core processors to power the HybridOS operating system at enterprise speeds, the HSA Cache Array, a 12 to 48TB RAID array that provides sustained data ingestion to the HSA, and the HSA Library, a 4u enclosure with 25 TB of removable, Blu-ray-based capacity and up to 12 industry-standard Blu-ray drives.

    Up to 24 library modules can be added to a single HSA for a total system capacity of 1.2 petabytes. HSA components are connected via a high-speed, high-availability switched Ethernet backbone with Gigabit and 10 Gigabit options to precisely match the customer’s cost and performance requirements.

  • Service Offers To Double iPod Capacity To 240GB


    A US Company has started an iPod upgrading service that can expand an iPod to 240GB – or 48,000 tracks.

    Apple’s largest iPod is the 120GB classic which allows up to 24,000 tracks to be stored.

    While this would seems sufficient for most users, it seems it’s not enough for everyone.

    Rapid Repair offers to remove the old, "small" Apple HDD and replace it with a more advanced but same-sized 1.8" Toshiba 240GB storage unit.

    The operation also invalidates the Apple guarantee, according to SmallBusiness.

    To double the MP3 player’s capacity will cost USD $300 plus postage.

    Rapid Repairs says it is looking to extend its services to Zunes and other MP3 machines.

  • IBM Expands Midmarket Express Advantage Line


    IBM has broadened its lineup of Express Advantage products for midmarket with the launch of BladeCenter Express servers, a new data protection hardware/software package.

    It also unveiled the LotusLive Meetings hosted Web conferencing service.

    Express Advantage products and services are largely sold through IBM channel partners and are frequently offered with financing packages.

    Topping the list of the new products are the BladeCenter JS23 and JS43 Express servers, which are based on the Power6 processor technology and run on AIX, IBM i and Linux operating systems.

    IBM said the servers are ideal for midsize organizations undergoing infrastructure consolidation or running applications that require scalable performance and high memory capacity.

    A new hardware/software package that IBM is calling a "comprehensive data protection solution" includes the Tivoli Storage Manager FastBack software bundled with the DS3000, DS4000 and DS5000 Express series disk systems, and the System x 3550 server.

    IBM said the package offers a complete data storage and data recovery system.

    Many companies are increasingly using Web conferencing as they impose travel restrictions to cut costs.

    The Express Advantage services now include LotusLive Meetings, a Web conferencing service added to the LotusLive online services IBM unveiled earlier this year.

  • HP and RIM Announce Strategic Alliance to Mobilize Business on BlackBerry


    RIM and HP are partnering together to offer Blackberry business users some features which they say will allow mobile workers to increase their productivity levels.

    Among the first applications and services for the smartphones is printing service that enables users to easily print to the nearest printer.

    Called CloudPrint for BlackBerry, it will allow users to store and print documents, photos and web pages while traveling using the smartphone.

    The service is printer-agnostic and driverless and requires simple Internet access.

    Another offering will allow the management of companies’ BlackBerry smartphone deployments to be outsourced.

    HP and RIM plan to design and launch other offerings targeted at the growing number of global mobile employees.

  • Vudu Extends Content To 3rd Party Hardware


    Vudu is to make its 14,000-plus movie library available on Entone set-top boxes and DVRs.

    The deal is the first time Vudu’s content, including around 1,500 HD movies, has been made available on third-party hardware.

    Entone supplies set-top hardware to smaller regional US telco video providers, many of whom have limited or non-existent video-on-demand offerings.

    Users of Entone units will only require a software upgrade to add the entire functionality of the Vudu BX100, including on-demand access to HD and HDX movies.

    While Vudu has cut the price of its entry-level box to USD $149, the possibilities offered by extending its pay-per-view content to a much wider audience are huge.

    By moving from being a box manufacturer to a service provider, Vudu could extend itself into network-enabled consumer electronics.

    This would allow it to join the likes of Netflix and Amazon Video-on-Demand as a supported feature in everything from HDTVs and Blu-ray players to home theater systems and game consoles.

    Entone said Vudu-compatible Entone set-top boxes are expected to get the software upgrade sometime this summer.

    It should include all the features available on the existing Vudu hardware, including the Vudu Labs features that include access to YouTube and Flickr.