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Tag: hp

  • Facebook, Google and Amazon reportedly outsourcing new storage product orders to Taiwan-based ODMs

    Inexpensive data storage boxes from Taiwan are being picked up in lieu of storage arrays from Dell, EMC, HP and NetApp by Facebook and other vast data-centre operators such as Google and Amazon.

    Supply chain insiders say that the juggernaut that is Facebook is about to buy bargain storage kits from original design manufacturers, or ODMs, based in Taiwan. Original design manufacturers work with customer specifications to design and produce hardware. Both Quanta Computer and Wistron will be likely bidders for Facebook's supply contracts.

    Facebook looks to save a small fortune by using arrays defined by its Open Compute Project standard and running its own software. It's quite possible this may not even occur, as reports from Far East supply chain sources tend to be a little questionable, but the information is interesting nonetheless.

    Using ODMs for storage gear doesn't come as a big surprise; Facebook is merely following a trend. According to Digitimes, Google buys all its servers from ODMs and Amazon follows suit about 30 per cent of the time.

    Sales of standardised hardware via distribution channel partners to the West and beyond could start happening anytime. Amazon, Baidu and other cloud giants are likely to expand their services into the cloud; businesses are purchasing fewer storage arrays because of the cloud, so it's no surprise that Amazon, Baidu and others are making forays into this area.

    DEY Storage, a startup company, claims it can follow the trend started by Amazon, Facebook and Google. The company claims they can unbundle "storage management from the physical layer to provide customers with a storage system which is massively scalable and designed to align and integrate with their services-based infrastructures".

    The current crop of servers, storage and network switch vendors may have to look to Taiwan for a new model if they want to continue to be successful.

  • iSuppli: HP’s Palm Acquisition Opens up a Tablet of Possibilities

    Hewlett-Packard planned acquisition of Palm immediately puts the PC-centric company knee-deep in the smart phone race, but perhaps more importantly positions the company to compete in the burgeoning tablet market, says iSuppli.

    According to the research firm, the acquisition gives HP the means to use Palm’s WebOS platform to release a tablet device that will compete against Apple’s iPad as well as whatever arises from the relationship between Nokia and Intel.

    iSuppli forecasts worldwide tablet shipments will expand to 11.0 million units in 2010, up from just 2.0 million units in 2009 and 1.8 million units in 2008. Most of the shipments in 2010 will be made up by sales of the iPad, and sales will continue to expand in the coming years as a range of competitors enters the tablet market.

    iSuppli believes that a key component in HP’s strategy will be to utilize its common WebOS operating system as a basis for developing a tablet that can use the same applications and services being employed by the company’s existing smart phone product line.

    According to the analysts, the challenge for HP is to develop an ecosystem around a platform that will be able to compete with the centralized apps store Apple has created. That also means garnering support from leading developers in order to get the right apps and features available for multi-platform mobilized devices.

    What this means is that there are now three major competitors positioning for a fully interoperable, multi-device platform: Nokia/Intel, Apple and now HP with its Palm purchase.

    “Even so, this doesn’t even address the number of Taiwanese and other vendors that are developing their own tablet PCs in what will surely be a highly competitive market in years to come,” as iSuppli claims.

    Related articles
    HP to Acquire Palm for $1.2 Billion
    iSuppli: iPad Will Be a Sales Success for Apple
    The Apple iPad is Here

  • HP to Acquire Palm for $1.2 Billion

    Although a week ago Palm’s CEO Jon Rubinstein still believed that “Palm can survive as an independent company” (FT), Palm was already up for sale and it was pretty obvious they would quickly find a buyer.

    And they did. The company announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with HP, under which HP will purchase Palm at an enterprise value of approximately $1.2 billion.

    The transaction has been approved by the HP and Palm boards of directors.

    “The combination of HP’s global scale and financial strength with Palm’s unparalleled webOS platform will enhance HP’s ability to participate more aggressively in the fast-growing, highly profitable smartphone and connected mobile device markets,” according to the press release.

    The companies claim that Palm’s webOS will allow HP to take advantage of features such as “true multitasking” and “always up-to-date information sharing across applications.”

    Under the terms of the merger agreement, Palm stockholders will receive $5.70 in cash for each share of Palm common stock that they hold at the closing of the merger.

    The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of domestic and foreign regulatory approvals and the approval of Palm’s stockholders. The companies informed that the transaction is expected to close during HP’s third fiscal quarter ending July 31, 2010.

    Palm’s current chairman and CEO, Jon Rubinstein, is expected to remain with the company.

    According to HP’s executive vice president Todd Bradley, Palm’s OS provides an ideal platform to expand HP’s mobility strategy and create a “unique” HP experience spanning multiple mobile connected devices.”

    “And, Palm possesses significant IP assets and has a highly skilled team. The smartphone market is large, profitable and rapidly growing, and companies that can provide an integrated device and experience command a higher share. Advances in mobility are offering significant opportunities, and HP intends to be a leader in this market,” he said.

    Jon Rubinstein said: “We’re thrilled by HP’s vote of confidence in Palm’s technological leadership, which delivered Palm webOS and iconic products such as the Palm Pre. HP’s longstanding culture of innovation, scale and global operating resources make it the perfect partner to rapidly accelerate the growth of webOS.”

  • Taking Technology to Higher Level: Interview with Manoj Bhoola, Country Manager at HP

    Does your organisation need technology products, solutions and services that drive innovation and rapidly scale up or down to meet changing times?

    Well, look no further than HP, the world’s largest technology company, says Manoj Bhoola, Country Manager, HP Enterprise Severs, Storage and Networking, HP Enterprise business.

    HP has unleashed new products onto the market, among them HP Neoview Advantage, an enterprise data warehouse platform which supports real-time insight and decision making, allowing customers to respond to business events faster.

    This release offers dramatic improvements in perfomance, capacity, footprint and manageability, says Bhoola.

    HP Neoview Advantage is also designed to reduce the cost of ownership with industry-standard components and prebuilt, pretested configuration optimised for warehousing.

    Manoj Bhoola

    "The HP Neoview Advantage solution is flexible to be used for a very large data warehouse solution, as well as a data warehouse that is much smaller, but requires high through-put.

    "This is an enterprise solution based on our robust Non-Stop architecture within a bladed solution," says Bhoola.

    HP has also launched the HP Converged Infrastructure Architecture, a solution which delivers a technology environment that rapidly adjusts to meet organisation’s changing needs.

    HP Converged Infrastructure addresses IT sprawl, the main cause of technology spend being focused on maintenance instead of innovation.

    "Technology is a fundamental contributor to business innovation," says Bhoola.

    "With HP’s portfolio of products, services and solutions, organisations can build technology environments that deliver the outcomes that matter today and tomorrow," he adds.

    For customers who do not want to build infrastrature themselves, HP Enterprise Services provides a full range of IT outsourcing services to deliver an HP Converged Infrastructure.

    Organisations can outsource all or part of their infrastructure based on their business needs.

    HP also offers flexible financing solutions for customers deploying an HP Converged Infrastructure through HP Financial Services, the company’s leasing and life cycle asset management services subsidiary.

    HP Financial Services makes it easy for customers to deploy technology that meet their rapidly changing business needs.

    Asked if the global recession had anything to do with the timing of the launch of the new products, Bhoola said it was important for companies to be proactive to survive difficult times.

    "During an economic downturn organisations look towards all areas within their business to either reduce costs or find new innovative ways to increase profits.

    "HP has an ideal solution that will reduce costs by implementing a converged infrastructure, as well as make organisations data warehousing more effective by providing a solution that is built on their Non-Stop architecture with the flexibility of a bladed system," says Bhoola.

    New research conducted on behalf of HP shows that more than 90 percent of business decision makers believe business cycles will continue to be unpredictable in the next few years. As a result, 80 percent recognise a need to be far more flexible in their approaches to business and technology.

    And given this situation, how is HP responding to ensure that it is always on top of the situation?

    "Products are continually innovated and updates are provided to meet certain business requirements.

    "HP’s solution offerings has evolved with the current unpredictable market conditions in mind, and launched products that will assist organisations to become more flexible to adjust to their business requirements.

    "Businesses more than ever need to have the ability to see around the corner, and a strong Business Intelligence (BI) solution will assist with this.

    "The HP Neoview Advantage will provide a robust infrastructure that will support these requirements," says Bhoola, who has a background in computer science and marketing and has been in the IT industry for over 25 years.

    Bhoola attributes HP’S success to continuous investment in its people and innovation.

    "Many organisations have reduced product lines to reduce costs and cut back on innovations.

    "HP continues to improve solution offerings to better optimise customer infrastructure by leveraging off of industry standards and providing unified management software to enable improved elasticity of customers’ infrastructure investment.

    "HP is unique in that they have continued to invest in innovation and continually update their product offerings responding to the market requirements," says Bhoola.

    Although the African continent is a huge growth area for HP, Bhoola says South Africa remains the major driving force of technology.

    "Many organisations still set up offices in South Africa and then launch their Africa business from SA. Doing business in Africa is becoming much easier in that the infrastructure is being addressed and matches many first world countries," adds Bhoola.

  • DTM Systems Achieves HP Virtualization Solutions Elite Partner Status for Advanced Virtualization Expertise


    DTM Systems Corporation has achieved HP Virtualization Solutions Elite Partner status for Advanced Virtualization Expertise.

    To be selected as an HP Virtualization Elite Partner, companies must provide expert service and support and offer clients complete virtualization solutions – from capacity planning assessments to design, installation, configuration, data migration, training, and post-installation services.

    DTM Systems is also a HP Storage Elite Partner, HP ProCurve Elite Partner and the #1 HP Enterprise Partner in B.C.

    Virtualization technology has quickly become the primary focus for many businesses; it not only provides consolidation for x86 servers but has now moved into every aspect of I.T., from servers and storage to desktops and applications. Virtualization lays the foundation for Cloud Computing and will continue to be the most important development in I.T. for the next decade.

    As Hewlett Packard continues to remain at the forefront of Virtualization solutions, they recognize the role of partnerships, like DTM Systems in bringing this concept to life to address real-world technology issues.

    As businesses increasingly demand adaptive, efficient I.T. infrastructures, HP remains our most important strategic partner," says Ted Smith, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for DTM Systems. "We’re honoured to be recognized for our virtualization expertise and our ability to build virtualization solutions around HP’s broad portfolio of technology offerings."

    In addition to being a HP Virtualization Solutions Elite Partner, DTM Systems is a VMware Enterprise, VIP Partner, Citrix Gold Partner and Microsoft Gold Partner with certifications and expertise with the three leading providers of Virtualization technology.

    DTM Systems has been in the technology industry for 30 years and has always been at the leading edge of its evolution.

    We design and implement solutions to help organizations adapt and thrive in the face of an ever changing economy and we pride ourselves on forming the best partnerships with companies that follow our core values of competency, integrity and trust.

  • HP's Consumer PC to Come With Symantec Backup Storage


    Symantec has announced an agreement to distribute Norton Online Backup on HP consumer desktop and notebook PCs worldwide.

    The move is part of Symantec’s plans to expand its consumer business beyond its line of Norton security products.

    The 30-day trial offer of Norton Online Backup will come preinstalled and will provide five gigabytes (5GB) of secured online storage. It will be followed by an annual subscription for USD $50.

    While nearly half of consumers report having lost files in the past, less than a third regularly back up.

    By providing the online backup solution, Symantec is hoping to benefit from its ease of use and HP’s market strength.

    The cloud backup service is one of various new products Symantec has launched in the last 12 months to drive sales.

    However, analysts suggest it may take some time for the backup product to substantially boost sales.

    Symantec already has a PC distribution agreement with HP, through which it sells Norton Internet Security, a suite of programs to fight hackers and other threats.

  • HDTV Was Too Far From HP's Core Business


    Hewlett-Packard is just the latest PC OEM to learn a lesson about straying from its core business, according to Michael Wolf, Digital Home research director at ABI Research.

    Wolf’s comments follow reports that suggest HP is about to cease production of its HP MediaSmart LCD TV range in favor of focusing efforts on their HP MediaSmart Connect extender.

    Citing the experiences of Dell and Gateway, he asserts that it’s hard for a PC company to make a business in living room consumer electronics.

    "What was interesting about HP’s business was their focus on next-generation network connected HDTVs, adding Media Center functionality and IP connectivity to all of their devices," he said in his blog.

    "I don’t think this exit is so much a judgement on the idea of Internet connected HDTVs as it is on the ability of a PC OEM to enter a business that is much different than its core PC business.

    "PC brands, particularly around high-end systems like an HDTV, haven’t been successful at transferring their brands."

    Wolf’s advice to others considering entering new markets is to start a wholly new brand.

    He said this allows consumers to develop their own fresh connotations around the new brand – rather than associating it with established brands linked to "IT" or "PC".

    Do you agree? Please send us your comments.

  • HP To Target Consumer Smartphone Market


    Hewlett-Packard is seeking to capitalise on the success of the iPhone by launching a smartphone that gives it a stronger footing beyond the enterprise market.

    The new device will fall into the HP iPAQ line that has been developed around Windows Mobile for business use.

    While the new smartphone will still be marketed at corporate users, it is expected to also be targetted at the consumer market.

    Details on the consumer mobile are sketchy but reports suggest it will have a touchscreen, keypad and run Windows Mobile 6.1.

    Expected in Europe before the end of 2008 it will be be released worldwide in early 2009.

    HP is among a host of big names, including Nokia, RIM and Google with its Android platform, seeking to capitalise on the success of the iPhone in the consumer market.

  • Smartphone isn't spelt A-P-P-L-E?

    As the iPhone notches up one million sales Palm and HP launch their latest smartphones with a little less fanfare

    With hardly a whimper Palm’s Treo 800w and Hewlett-Packard’s iPaQ 910 have been released on to a smartphone market still largely focussed on Friday’s iPhone launch.

    Sprint and Palm have unveiled the Treo 800w, a Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone targeted at business users.
    With integrated Wi-Fi, GPS, EV-DO Rev. A, and a slimmer design, the Treo 800w is available US$249.99 with a two-year contract and after rebates and discounts.

    Elsewhere, HP made available its new Windows Mobile smarthphone, the HP iPaQ 910, which is now available for US$499.99 from HP’s website.
    It’s loaded with high-end features, including a 2.4-inch touchscreen display, full QWERTY keyboard, HSDPA for connecting to the web at 7.2 Mbps, 3.0-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, built-in Google Maps and GPS, 128MB of RAM, and a 416 MHz Marvell PXA270 processor.

    Aimed at the business market, the iPaQ 910 runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional and is loaded with various Microsoft programs including Office Mobile, Office Outlook Mobile and Internet Explorer Mobile.

    While Apple has made no secret of the fact that it would like a share of the corporate pie, no-one at the company will be complaining about its new handset’s initial sales figures.

    Three days after launching, the iPhone 3G is now available in 21 countries and will go on sale in France on July 17.
    Despite the outages, shortages, and related hand-wringing associated with the launch and release of the iPhone 2.0 firmware, Apple said there were nevertheless 10 million downloads from its new App Store in its first weekend of existence.

    Apple founder, Steve Jobs, said the 3G phone had got off to a ·great start” and described the App Store as a “grand slam”.
    “Developers have created some extraordinary applications, and the App Store can wirelessly deliver them to every iPhone and iPod touch user instantly,” he said.

  • Chinese firm launches USB dongle for live HDTV


    European viewers can now watch live high-definition television programming on their mobile devices using a USB TV dongle developed by the Chinese company Aigo.
    The dongle, first released for the Chinese market in April, is compatible with European HDTV standards.
    It will enable users to watch live HDTV on their laptops, desktop computers, portable video players and portable navigation (GPS) devices.
    Viewers simply plug the device into their PC or portable video player’s USB port to capture HD programming wirelessly from local TV stations.
    Feng Jun, president and founder of Aigo, said: “People across China, and now also in Europe, will have access to live HDTV on their laptops and portable video players.”
    The new product costs approximately USD 100 and requires no subscription fee.
    Legend Silicon was involved in the design of the dongle receiver.
    The company, in conjunction with Intel, has been working with laptop computer manufacturers and USB dongle receiver manufacturers to build an ecosystem that promotes HDTV on laptops.
    A key element of this has been the Intel Centrino platform, whch has advantages in supporting mobile HDTV on laptops.
    The platform allows speedy decoding and smooth displaying of HDTV and is capable of running multiple tasks while displaying a TGV program.
    The Centrino platform’s low power consumption technology makes the laptop thinner, lighter and offers a longer battery life, as well as improved mobile reception.
    In addition, advanced wireless technology offers a smooth upstream channel, allowing audiences to interact with programs that they are watching.
    Major laptop manufacturers have shown their willingness to collaborate with Legend Silicon and Intel to promote this new usage model.
    Lenovo, HP, ASUS, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, among other major brands, all agree that the advanced Intel Centrino platform, integrated with the HDTV DTTB USB dongle, will expand the multimedia and entertainment functionality of laptops.
    The HDTV viewing feature is expected to be a stimulus for laptop sales.
    Aigo, a brand of Beijing Huaqi Information Digital Technology Co. Ltd, is headquartered in Beijing’s Zhong Guan Cun – a technology hub known as the “Silicon Valley of China”.
    Founded in 1993, the company has established itself as China’s strongest consumer electronics brand through aggressive R&D investment, coupled with strong marketing and branding.
    It is the first Chinese partner of the F1 McLaren Mercedes team (Hamilton, Alonso),
    Huaqi sales revenue has increased 60 per cent annually for the last decade. Its products are exported to North America, South America, Europe, SE Asia and various other regions.