| Pantech's UML290 LTE modem for Verizon gets official Mac support Posted: 31 Jan 2011 10:11 AM PST Though it was predated by a usable hack, the Pantech UML290 USB modem -- one of just two devices launched so far for Verizon's LTE network -- has finally been blessed with an official Mac OS driver. What does this mean? Well, technically, it means that this is the very first time Mac users are getting any LTE love in the US whatsoever -- though with that Samsung-sourced mobile hotspot on the horizon, USB modems might be a tough sale at this point. On a bright note, the availability of the driver today means that Verizon beat its own estimate of February; the UML290's counterpart from LG, the VL600, is still Windows-only, though we imagine that'll be hitting soon as well. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] |
| HTC Thunderbolt might be getting simultaneous voice and data on 3G after all Posted: 31 Jan 2011 09:49 AM PST We won't lie: we've been pretty skeptical of the rumors so far that the HTC Thunderbolt would have support for simultaneous voice and data over EV-DO -- SVDO, as it's known -- turned on. Perhaps more than any other US carrier, Verizon has a reputation for testing the living daylights out of devices and locking out hardware that doesn't meet its reliability standards, and so we were a little leery of some supposedly leaked internal communication not long ago letting reps know that although it'll be enabled, it shouldn't be discussed because it doesn't offer an "experience... consistent with [their] brand." Well, we've just been fed a second document that features the same wording, so it looks like this might be real after all -- and what's more, it's got updated verbiage stating that mobile hotspot capability will be available at launch, contrary to other leaks floating around today. This particular document is dated today, so we're feeling good that the information is current -- and if anything, it should get potential Thunderbolt buyers more excited than ever. [Thanks, David] |
| Droid Bionic appears on Amazon with $150 price tag, quickly disappears again Posted: 31 Jan 2011 09:26 AM PST Something's seriously going on over at Amazon's Wireless store where the Droid Bionic, a Verizon sibling to AT&T's Atrix 4G, has today been spotted listed for sale with a $149.99 price. That matches the levy Amazon asked for the Atrix last week (before promptly yanking the page) and seems to confirm that the $150 price point is receiving some sincere consideration for these 4G-equipped handsets. The Bionic's page has now also disappeared into the ether, but the memory of its delectable promise remains. [Thanks, techcruncher] |
| Notion Ink delays some Adam shipments to February 14th due to touchscreens damaged in transit Posted: 31 Jan 2011 09:02 AM PST The growing pains of being a small company dealing with big demand have bitten Notion Ink again, as the company has had to dish out a disappointing email to some Adam buyers informing them their delivery has been delayed to February 14th. The culprit in this sad case is a shipment of damaged touchscreens, which company chief Rohan Shravan estimates will affect just over five percent of all orders. Touchscreen supplier Sintek has promised to work through the Chinese New Year to refill that stock, so hopefully the bump back to Valentine's Day will be the last, seemingly fitting, one for the Adam. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] |
| Samsung says Galaxy Tab sales to consumers actually 'quite small' Posted: 31 Jan 2011 08:38 AM PST When is a tablet sold not actually a tablet sold? When it's a Galaxy Tab, apparently. As The Wall Street Journal reports, those two million Galaxy Tabs that Samsung reported it had "sold" in the fourth quarter of last year were apparently not actual sales to consumers, but simply sales to distributors (which is a different matter altogether). Even more surprisingly, Samsung's Lee Young-hee further explained on an earnings call on Friday that so-called "sell-out" sales to customers were actually "quite small," but she wouldn't provide a specific number. Somewhat confusingly, however, she also later noted that while "sell-out wasn't as fast as we expected," Samsung still believes that sales to consumers were "quite OK," and that it is "quite optimistic" about 2011. |
| Motorola teases Xoom Super Bowl ad: '2011 looks a lot like 1984' Posted: 31 Jan 2011 08:13 AM PST Moto hasn't been shying away from the Apple jabs this year, and it's got another one in store for the Super Bowl this week with a commercial that'll poke fun at Cupertino's 1984 Macintosh ad, perhaps the most famous Super Bowl spot of all time. In it, the company says that "2011 looks a lot like 1984" with "one authority, one design, one way to work" while showing Planet Earth wearing a pair of shiny white iPod / iPhone buds. Boom, here comes a new planet -- a red, gaseous one with an "M" logo on it -- that pimps a bunch of wild features we'll be seeing in the Xoom like a dual-core processor, upgradeable 4G, and Honeycomb out of the box. In closing, Moto says "it's time to live a free life." We would've liked to have seen Motorola follow a format closer to that 1984 commercial, but it's a pretty well-played jab nonetheless -- and it's conceivable that this is just a teaser for the actual ad that'll air next weekend. Follow the break to check it out. |
| Editorial: The rise of the notbook, the fall of the netbook Posted: 31 Jan 2011 08:01 AM PST Notbook (n.) -- An affordable ultraportable laptop, typically with a 11.6-inch or 12-inch display that is not a netbook. It packs more power than a netbook (i.e. can handle 1080p video and Flash at fullscreen) and provides a more comfortable computing experience than the typical, 10-inch underpowered, shrunken Atom-based laptop. Most do not have optical drives, but do last for over five hours on a charge. Unlike pricey ultraportable laptops, notbooks are more affordable and start at around $400. About six months ago, the 11.6-inch Dell Inspiron M101z arrived on my doorstep for review. The AMD Neo-powered system looked like a slightly enlarged netbook, but in a briefing with Dell, the product manager reinforced quite a few times that the system was absolutely "not a netbook." I can't remember his exact wording, but he made it crystal clear -- the $449 Inspiron M101z was so much more powerful than an Intel Atom netbook that it could be one's primary machine. Obviously, I started calling these sorts of laptops "notbooks," and over the next few months, more and more of them started popping up. Some of them paired Atom with an NVIDIA Ion GPU (e.g. Eee PC 1215N), while others used AMD's Neo chip and more recently AMD's new Fusion Zacate APU. (Intel's Core ULV-powered systems are frankly too expensive to be considered in this category, though some Pentium / Core 2 Duo systems, like like the Acer Timeline X1810T, could qualify.) Uh, so what? There's a new crop of more powerful, affordable, and highly mobile laptops -- what's the big deal? Well, while many think tablets are what will ultimately cut the netbook market down to size, it's the notbooks that will also seriously hit the Atom-based lilliputian laptops of today where it really hurts. Don't get me wrong, ARM-powered tablets like the iPad and Motorola Xoom are going to impact netbook sales in a big way, too (heck, they already have!), but mark my words, notbooks or affordable ultraportables will take a noticeable chunk of both the netbook and the mainstream laptop market. There's finally a class of laptops that provide a terrific balance between primary and mobile computing without breaking the bank. Think I'm crazy? Hit the break to understand what I'm talking about. Obviously, the definition of a netbook has changed quite a bit over the past few years -- let's not forget that the first Eee PCs ran Linux and had 7- and 8.9-inch screens -- but for better or worse, today most consider a netbook to be a $250 to $400 10.1-inch laptop with an Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, and Windows 7 Starter edition. Sure, there are variations out there -- there's the Jolibook that runs the Linux-based Jolicloud OS and Google's Cr-48 with Chrome OS -- but for now those are niche devices. (That might change if and when Google and its partners start to put the marketing dollars behind Chrome OS.) I'm really talking about the Acer Aspire Ones, ASUS Eee PCs, and HP Minis of the world; the sorts of little machines that have come to be known as secondary systems with long battery life and just enough power to handle e-mails, surfing the web, and watching standard definition video (okay, maybe 720p when you're not doing anything else with the system). I'd say that we could call this new crop of affordable ultraportables "evolved netbooks" since people now associate small laptops with the word "netbook," but Intel's Atom has also become so closely tied to the term that it's almost hard to shed the slow and underpowered reputation. And that's because Intel's purposefully aimed to keep its netbooks, well, slow and underpowered. Since the introduction of the Atom N270 processor in 2008, Intel has kept its smaller laptop chips growing in endurance but stagnant on performance and graphics muscle. Even the evolution from the Intel N270 / N280 processor to the Pine Trail N450 saw very little performance improvement -- those netbooks still gasped for air when it came to playing HD video. While the more recent N550 processor picked up an extra core, the performance delta was still quite minimal. Intel's message has been clear: netbooks are meant for light productivity and web based activities, and if you want more power in a portable form factor, save up and buy a more expensive ULV-powered thin-and-light or an ultraportable. If you're just looking for power at an affordable price, Intel's answer has been buy an inexpensive, chunky 15.4-inch laptop for about $500. Source: Intel
Except, of course, more than just a few people out there want the best of both worlds: they want a three-pound, inch-thick machine with useful power without having to go over to a $1K-plus Core i3 ULV ultraportable -- something mobile but good enough for primary use. NVIDIA was one of the first to actually figure that out with its Ion GPU, which brought all the wonders that come along with a discrete graphics to Atom netbooks. For the most part, Ion systems like Eee PC 1215N are quite good, however the Atom processor makes the computing experience fairly uneven -- you can rock full HD and faster media stuff, but you can't multitask all that well. AMD has been trying to blend performance and graphics in an affordable package for a while now, and while the Neo CPU and Radeon graphics made a decent interim solution for systems like the Dell M101z, the long-promised Fusion platform is ready to seriously shake things up. Yep, AMD's Zacate Fusion APU (and to some degree the Ontario APU) is what finally makes notbooks a very viable and real category. As we have seen with the Pavilion dm1, AMD has finally delivered a chip that brings seriously solid performance and graphics to thin and light laptops without having to sacrifice battery life. If you haven't read our review of the new dm1, you really should -- the 11.6-inch laptop is extremely peppy and also lasts for about six hours on a charge. That's not as long as some eight-hour netbooks, but the system doesn't lag like Atom systems and the graphics / HD performance is pretty remarkable for the size and price. It also handles mainstream games and supports DirectX 11. And yes, it can do all the things most people want in a mainstream system -- edit photos and video, handle multiple applications without needing to pull over for air, and stream Hulu like a champ. 'I think most would search their pockets to find the extra $75 and go for the notbook.' | The real kicker? It only costs $450. Sure, it's about $50 to $100 more than your average netbook, but the power increase and comfort of a bigger screen and keyboard seems very well worth the relatively small premium -- especially since Fusion chip handily outpaces the CPU and GPU performance of some Pentium and Core 2 Duo Intel processors with integrated graphics. I think it's pretty darn obvious why a notbook like the dm1 is an obvious choice over an Atom-based system: would you rather have a $379 10-inch netbook, which takes 15 seconds to open a program and can't play Flash at full screen, or a slightly larger 11.6-inch laptop for $450, which is snappier and can even output 1080p video to a HDTV? Yeah, I think most would search their pockets to find the extra $75 and go for the notbook. And I even think it's pretty obvious why some would choose a notbook over a $500 mainstream 15.4-inch system, like the AMD Turion II HP G62 or Intel Pentium-powered Dell Inspiron 14. While those may provide bigger screens (though not necessarily with better resolutions) and larger keyboards, notbooks now pack just as much power and more graphics muscle than those aforementioned machines and don't require you to lug around a five-pound unattractive chassis to the coffee shop or airport. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying these ultraportables eat into the entire mainstream -- millions will still buy mid-range and high-end PCs with Intel and AMD's latest CPUs, but on the budget end, those looking for just good enough performance for surfing the web, light video editing, and solid multitasking will be able to get it in a seriously thin and light chassis for under $500. Seems like a no-brainer to me. What does it mean for a company like Intel that's been trying to protect its mid- and high-end product margins for so long? Well, Acer, ASUS, Toshiba, and HP are standing by their respective Atom-powered 10-inchers for the time being -- each of them claim there's a place for traditional netbooks next to their new tablet and notbook offerings. However, others like Sony have already made it clear that netbooks are getting the boot. That company's 11.6-inch AMD Zacate VAIO YB is set to hit later this month for around $550, and it plans to discontinue the VAIO W netbook. Of course, there's no telling whether Intel's marketing dollars can sway some of these companies to stay in netbook space, but it's obvious that as more of these Fusion systems hit retailer shelves, they will begin to eat into netbook and Atom sales. And that certainly doesn't bode well for Intel, especially considering the rise of ARM-based tablets and Microsoft's incoming ARM support. Hopefully, that new tablet / netbook unit formed at Chipzilla is working to address both the notbook and tablet threats as I think Fusion is as serious a competitor as ARM. To make matters worse, I've heard from a few sources that the Sandy Bridge ULV processors will be extremely pricey, leaving Intel's newer ultraportables north of $800. But hey, maybe Intel's putting that recent NVIDIA patent deal to good use and looking to soup up Atom or cheaper-ULV processors with awesome GeForce graphics. A girl can dream, right? Center: Toshiba Mini NB305. Clockwise from top: ASUS Eee PC 1215N, HP Pavilion dm1, iPad, Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, Dell Inspiron M101z. Now, I'm not saying netbooks or cheap mainstream laptops will totally perish -- I think netbooks will evolve into interesting form factors like the Samsung Sliding PC 7 Series and Inspiron Mini Duo. Or hey, maybe they'll return to their roots as simply internet connectivity machines, like the Cr-48, but even so, my guess is that there are still some out there that will continue to pick up $250 laptops because they're cheap. And thankfully, like some others have said, there's no golden rule that requires you to own just one mobile device. Still, the reality is the netbook has shots being fired at it from two sides now – extremely power-efficient ARM-tablets on the low end provide the next step in mobile computing with app-centric operating systems that can take care of email, web surfing, and media consumption, while affordable notbooks finally provide just the right amount of performance, graphics, and battery life for a very mobile full computing experience. A consumer at Best Buy now has more choices than ever before, and neither netbooks nor cheap, chunky 15.6-inch laptops seem as appealing as they did two years ago. And assuming that Intel catches up, two years from now we might just be calling notbooks... laptops. |
| Intel briefly shows off Medfield-based smartphone Posted: 31 Jan 2011 07:39 AM PST Intel promised way back in 2009 that we'd be seeing Medfield-based smartphones in 2011, and it looks like those have now gotten one step closer to reality. While there's unfortunately few details to be had, that's apparently a Medfield-based smartphone of some sort in the hand of Intel's Anand Chandrasekher above, who apparently showed off the phone (possibly a prototype) ever so briefly at the company's sales and marketing conference last week. Could it be a sign of things to come at MWC next month? Maybe, maybe not, but we'll be there to find out. |
| Intel finds Sandy Bridge chipset design flaw, shipments stopped and recalls beginning Posted: 31 Jan 2011 06:53 AM PST A problem requiring a "silicon fix" is bad news in the chipset business, and sadly that's what Intel is announcing. Its new Intel 6 Series chipset, Cougar Point, has been found to have a flaw, something to do with the SATA controller. Intel is indicating that the ports can "degrade over time," leading to poor i/o performance down the road. All shipments have been stopped and a fix has been implemented for new deliveries, but it sounds like recalls will be starting soon for those with this ticking time bomb silicon within. It isn't a critical problem right now, though, so if you own a Sandy Bridge Core i5 or Core i7 system keep computing with confidence while looking for a recall notice, but it is bad news for Intel's bottom line: the company is advising a $300 million hit to revenue. [Thanks, Matt] Show full PR text Intel Identifies Chipset Design Error, Implementing Solution
Updates Outlook to Incorporate Effects of Error, Infineon Acquisition and Expected McAfee Acquisition
Chipset circuit design issue identified, fix implemented, customers being notified
Infineon Technologies AG Wireless Solutions business (WLS) acquisition closed Jan. 31
McAfee, Inc. (MFE) acquisition expected to close by the end of the first quarter
Fourth-quarter, first-quarter and full-year outlook revised to reflect impact of chipset issue, WLS closure, expected MFE closure by the end of the first quarter
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- As part of ongoing quality assurance, Intel Corporation has discovered a design issue in a recently released support chip, the Intel® 6 Series, code-named Cougar Point, and has implemented a silicon fix. In some cases, the Serial-ATA (SATA) ports within the chipsets may degrade over time, potentially impacting the performance or functionality of SATA-linked devices such as hard disk drives and DVD-drives. The chipset is utilized in PCs with Intel's latest Second Generation Intel Core processors, code-named Sandy Bridge. Intel has stopped shipment of the affected support chip from its factories. Intel has corrected the design issue, and has begun manufacturing a new version of the support chip which will resolve the issue. The Sandy Bridge microprocessor is unaffected and no other products are affected by this issue.
The company expects to begin delivering the updated version of the chipset to customers in late February and expects full volume recovery in April. Intel stands behind its products and is committed to product quality. For computer makers and other Intel customers that have bought potentially affected chipsets or systems, Intel will work with its OEM partners to accept the return of the affected chipsets, and plans to support modifications or replacements needed on motherboards or systems. The systems with the affected support chips have only been shipping since January 9th and the company believes that relatively few consumers are impacted by this issue. The only systems sold to an end customer potentially impacted are Second Generation Core i5 and Core i7 quad core based systems. Intel believes that consumers can continue to use their systems with confidence, while working with their computer manufacturer for a permanent solution. For further information consumers should contact Intel at www.intel.com on the support page or contact their OEM manufacturer.
For the first quarter of 2011, Intel expects this issue to reduce revenue by approximately $300 million as the company discontinues production of the current version of the chipset and begins manufacturing the new version. Full-year revenue is not expected to be materially affected by the issue. Total cost to repair and replace affected materials and systems in the market is estimated to be $700 million. Since this issue affected some of the chipset units shipped and produced in the fourth quarter of 2010, the company will take a charge against cost of goods sold, which is expected to reduce the fourth quarter gross margin percentage by approximately 4 percentage points from the previously reported 67.5 percent. The company will also take a charge in the first quarter of 2011which will lower the previously communicated gross margin percentage by 2 percentage points and the full-year gross margin percentage by one percentage point.
Updated 2011 First Quarter and Full Year Outlook
Separately, Intel recently announced that it had completed the acquisition of the Infineon Technologies AG Wireless Solutions business, which will now operate as the Intel Mobile Communications group. The company also expects to complete the acquisition of McAfee by the end of the first quarter.
The effects of the chipset issue and these transactions are incorporated into the company's revised outlook. The company now expects first-quarter revenue to be $11.7 billion, plus or minus $400 million, compared to the previous expectation of $11.5 billion, plus or minus $400 million. Gross margin percentage is now expected to be 61 percent, plus or minus a couple percentage points, compared to the previous expectation of 64 percent, plus or minus a couple percentage points. Spending (R&D plus MG&A) is now expected to be approximately $3.6 billion, compared to the previous expectation of approximately $3.4 billion.
The full-year revenue growth percentage is now expected to be in the mid-to high teens, compared to the company's prior expectation of approximately 10 percent. Full-year gross margin is now expected to be 63 percent, plus or minus a few percentage points, compared to the previous expectation of 65 percent, plus or minus a few percentage points. Spending (R&D plus MG&A) is now expected to be $15.7 billion, plus or minus $200 million, compared to the company's previous expectation of $13.9 billion, plus or minus $200 million. Research and development (R&D) spending is now expected to be approximately $8.2 billion, compared to the previous forecast of $7.3 billion.
All other expectations for the first-quarter and full-year remain unchanged. With the exception of McAfee, the outlook for the first quarter and full year do not include the effect of any acquisitions, divestitures or similar transactions that may be completed after Jan. 31. The acquisition of McAfee is subject to customary closing conditions.
First Quarter Non-GAAP Outlook Comparison
GAAP
Non-GAAP
Gross Margin Percentage 61%, +/- a couple percentage points 62%, +/- a couple percentage points1
Full Year Non-GAAP Outlook Comparison
GAAP Non-GAAP
Gross Margin Percentage 63%, +/- a few percentage points 64%, +/- a few percentage points1
¹Excludes the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets and inventory purchase adjustments arising from acquisition accounting
Status of Business Outlook
During the quarter, Intel's corporate representatives may reiterate the Business Outlook during private meetings with investors, investment analysts, the media and others. From the close of business on March 4 until publication of the company's first-quarter earnings release, Intel will observe a "Quiet Period" during which the Business Outlook disclosed in the company's news releases and filings with the SEC should be considered as historical, speaking as of prior to the Quiet Period only and not subject to an update by the company.
Risk Factors
The above statements and any others in this document that refer to plans and expectations for the first quarter, the year and the future are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Many factors could affect Intel's actual results, and variances from Intel's current expectations regarding such factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," and their variations identify forward-looking statements. Statements that refer to or are based on projections, uncertain events or assumptions also identify forward-looking statements. Intel presently considers the following to be the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the company's expectations.
This release contains forward-looking statements and projections based upon estimates of the impact of the chipset degradation issue on Intel's future financial and operating results, including on revenue, gross margin, and inventory valuation, based on preliminary analysis and information which is subject to change. Among the factors relating to the chipset degradation issue that could cause actual results to differ are the number of units that may be affected, the impact on systems in the market, the costs we may incur in repairing or replacing impacted components the extent to which customers purchase parts from Intel's competitors as a result of Intel parts shortages or otherwise, and the extent to which Intel is able to increase production of substitute or redesigned parts for customers.
Among the risks related to the McAfee and Infineon AG Wireless Solutions business (Infineon WLS) transactions that could cause actual results to differ are that the closing of the McAfee acquisition may be delayed or may not occur, and that Intel may not realize the anticipated benefits of the transactions if the products, markets and business prospects of Infineon WLS and/or McAfee are not as presently anticipated by Intel. In addition, other risks associated with the acquisitions include whether Intel will retain the customer relationships and key employees of Infineon WLS and McAfee and will successfully integrate the acquired technologies or operations. Each acquisition will also involve the potential for unexpected liabilities that could become the obligations of Intel following the closing(s) of the acquisition(s).
The updated Business Outlook for Q1 2011 and full-year 2011 includes assumptions and projections related to the revenue, gross margin, spending and other financial results of Infineon WLS and McAfee. These assumption and projections are based upon financial information obtained and estimated by Intel prior to closings of the transactions and prior to the integration of those businesses with the other business operations of Intel. Future business, integration, roadmap and other operations, and financial estimates, involving Infineon WLS and McAfee and the remainder of Intel are subject to change as post-closing integration and direct ownership of Infineon WLS and McAfee proceeds. In addition, the gross margin forecast reflects preliminary valuations of assets acquired or to be acquired in the Infineon WLS and McAfee acquisitions; however the allocation of the purchase price is not yet finalized and may be adjusted as Intel completes the valuation analyses.
Demand could be different from Intel's expectations due to factors including changes in business and economic conditions; customer acceptance of Intel's and competitors' products; changes in customer order patterns including order cancellations; and changes in the level of inventory at customers.
Intel operates in intensely competitive industries that are characterized by a high percentage of costs that are fixed or difficult to reduce in the short term and product demand that is highly variable and difficult to forecast. Revenue and the gross margin percentage are affected by the timing of Intel product introductions and the demand for and market acceptance of Intel's products; actions taken by Intel's competitors, including product offerings and introductions, marketing programs and pricing pressures and Intel's response to such actions; and Intel's ability to respond quickly to technological developments and to incorporate new features into its products.
The gross margin percentage could vary significantly from expectations based on defects or disruptions in the supply of materials or resources; product manufacturing quality/yields; capacity utilization; variations in inventory valuation, including variations related to the timing of qualifying products for sale; changes in revenue levels; product mix and pricing; the timing and execution of the manufacturing ramp and associated costs; start-up costs; excess or obsolete inventory; changes in unit costs; and impairments of long-lived assets, including manufacturing, assembly/test and intangible assets.
Expenses, particularly certain marketing and compensation expenses, as well as restructuring and asset impairment charges, vary depending on the level of demand for Intel's products and the level of revenue and profits.
The tax rate expectation is based on current tax law and current expected income. The tax rate may be affected by the jurisdictions in which profits are determined to be earned and taxed; changes in the estimates of credits, benefits and deductions; the resolution of issues arising from tax audits with various tax authorities, including payment of interest and penalties; and the ability to realize deferred tax assets.
Intel's financial results could be affected by gains or losses from equity securities and interest and other that could vary depending on gains or losses on the sale, exchange, change in the fair value or impairments of debt and equity investments; interest rates; cash balances; and changes in fair value of derivative instruments.
The majority of Intel's non-marketable equity investment portfolio balance is concentrated in companies in the flash memory market segment, and declines in this market segment or changes in management's plans with respect to Intel's investments in this market segment could result in significant impairment charges, impacting restructuring charges as well as gains/losses on equity investments and interest and other.
Intel's results could be impacted by adverse economic, social, political and physical/infrastructure conditions in countries where Intel, its customers or its suppliers operate, including military conflict and other security risks, natural disasters, infrastructure disruptions, health concerns and fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
Intel's results could be affected by the timing of closing of acquisitions and divestitures.
Intel's results could be affected by adverse effects associated with product defects and errata (deviations from published specifications), and by litigation or regulatory matters involving intellectual property, stockholder, consumer, antitrust and other issues, such as the litigation and regulatory matters described in Intel's SEC reports. An unfavorable ruling could include monetary damages or an injunction prohibiting us from manufacturing or selling one or more products, precluding particular business practices, impacting Intel's ability to design its products, or requiring other remedies such as compulsory licensing of intellectual property.
A detailed discussion of these and other factors that could affect Intel's results is included in Intel's SEC filings, including the report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended Sept. 25, 2010. Intel plans to report its earnings for the first quarter of 2011 on Tuesday, April 19, 2011. Immediately following the earnings report, the company plans to publish a commentary by Stacy J. Smith, vice president and chief financial officer at www.intc.com/results.cfm. A public webcast of Intel's earnings conference call will follow at 2:30 p.m. PST at www.intc.com.
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world's computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.
Intel, the Intel logo, and Intel Atom are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. |
| City of Lights becomes City of Openness as ParisData goes live Posted: 31 Jan 2011 06:06 AM PST Paris is a city of many things, things like great wine, sweet romance, and towers that looked much bigger in pictures. Now it's also a city of open data. ParisData has launched, home to the "open data policy of the City of Paris." Here you'll find reams and reams of bits and bytes from the city's various municipal organizations, all released in the "spirit of transparency and open innovation." All is licensed ODbL, which is free to share and adapt so long as it stays open and stays attributed. What sort of data is there? Not an awful lot at this point, if we're honest, a few random lists of names and some other files, all quite naturally in French. But, we did find an interesting map listing locations of public parks and sidewalks, which René-Luc D'Hont used to create the mash-up above. We don't really understand all of it, but we're thinking the dark green dots are cafes and the lighter green bits no-smoking areas. |
| Ford Focus Electric unlikely to support DC quick-charging, slower than the Leaf after all? Posted: 31 Jan 2011 05:32 AM PST At its unveiling at CES, Ford missed no opportunity to talk up the ability of its Focus Electric to charge in half the time of the Nissan Leaf when connected to a Level 2 (220 - 240V) charger, of the sort that Best Buy will gladly install for you for just $1,499. Three to four hours is all it should take, indeed impressive compared to the eight hours the Leaf needs at the same voltage. However, the story doesn't end there, as the Leaf has another trick up its sleeve: DC fast-charging via the CHAdeMO standard. That gives 80 miles of range in just 30 minutes and, while not a global standard yet, it's certainly trying to be. The SAE is working on its own DC quick-charger standard, and that's the pony Ford is looking to back, saying: Fast charge will not be included on the Focus Electric until an industry standard has been set by SAE. Once an approved/accepted standard is in place, we will work on getting the car ready for [it]. That leaves us with two questions. First, will the SAE get its standard finalized before Ford gets the Focus Electric finalized? Second, will the SAE standard be compatible with the Japanese CHAdeMO standard? Sadly, our magic eight ball is not giving us much hope on either account. |
| Dell Streak 7 launching at T-Mobile on February 2nd: $200 with two-year contract, $450 without Posted: 31 Jan 2011 05:00 AM PST It's been an interesting few weeks of rumored Dell Streak 7 prices, but as promised, T-Mobile's setting the record straight with some official dollar figures. Yep, that predicted $330 price was indeed pretty far off -- turns out, T-Mobile will be offering the 7-inch, Android 2.2 tablet for just $200 (okay, $199.99 to be exact) on contract starting this Wednesday, February 2nd. Of course, you'll have to sign a two-year contract to get that sweet deal as well as send in a $50 mail-in rebate. Those looking for a bit more freedom can snatch up the NVIDIA Tegra 2-powered, T-Mobile HSPA+ slate for 450 bucks, which actually seems like a pretty sweet deal to us considering the Samsung Galaxy Tab is still about $500 off contract and $300 with two years of service. Sure, the Galaxy Tab has a few more things going for it, including a higher resolution display and bigger battery, but you'll just have to wait for our full review of the Streak 7 to find out if Dell's got a killer "4G" Android tablet hitting shelves later this week. |
| Water-propelled jetpack is no dream, can be yours for $99,500 this March (video) Posted: 31 Jan 2011 04:15 AM PST It's taken a long time since that 2005 patent was filed for, but Raymond Li is now finally ready to bring his water-propelled jetpack to the money-spending world. Nailing down a March 2011 launch date and a price of $99,500 hasn't been easy for the inventor, who says his efforts to procure capital and prototyping quotations were mostly met with incredulity -- "almost everyone thought I was crazy." His JetLev personal transporter relies on an engine and fuel tank (which remain on the water's surface) to pump H20 into a backpack that then shoots out streams of the drinkable stuff to keep your airborne. Top speed is 22MPH, max height is nearly 33 feet, and the fun factor is somewhere off the scale, whether you're talking metric or imperial. Levitate past the break for a video demonstration. [Thanks, Suraj]
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| Bloggie Touch software finally becomes Mac-compatible Posted: 31 Jan 2011 03:47 AM PST By this point, we suspect any owners of a Bloggie Touch and a Mac computer will have figured out their own ways to process media and share it with the world, but now they've get another option: using Sony's software designed specifically for those tasks. Yes, the streamlined editing and publishing utility that was available to Windows users from day one has at long last been made to work with Macs as well. You'll need to grab an update from Sony's site, though don't fret if you fear similar delays with future Bloggie models -- Sony promises that devices like the Bloggie 3D will have Mac-friendly software on board from the start. Video of the Bloggie Touch utility awaits after the break.
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| Scientists stumble upon bomb-sniffing laser with a boomerang effect Posted: 31 Jan 2011 03:08 AM PST You might think of a laser as light forced into a single, directed beam, but scientists have recently discovered that if you fire a laser in one direction, the air itself can fire another right back. Using a 226nm UV pump laser, researchers at Princeton University managed to excite oxygen atoms to the point that they emit infrared light along the same channel as the original beam, except this time pointed back where it came from. Since the return beam's chemistry depends on the particles in the air to generate the return beam, the "backward laser" could potentially carry the signature of those particles back to the source and help identify them there. That seems to be the entire goal, in fact -- the project, funded by an Office of Naval Research program on "Sciences Addressing Asymmetric Explosive Threats," hopes that such a laser can ID bombs from a distance by hunting for trace chemicals in the air. Sounds like the perfect addition to our terahertz specs, and one step closer to the tricorder of our dreams. |
| AMD has a 5W Fusion APU to put in your future tablet of choice Posted: 31 Jan 2011 02:26 AM PST The same Singapore event that brought us our first look at AMD's humongous Radeon HD 6990 has also served as the stage for the company's first showing of a new, even lower-powered Fusion APU. The regular dual-core Ontario ( C-50) variant requires a 9W power budget to operate, but AMD's managed to shrink that down to 5W in a chip designed specifically to be used in tablets. Clock speed remains at 1GHz and the core count hasn't bee touched, but the memory controller has been dumbed down and peripheral ports have been reduced to one of each type. This streamlined C-50 has already found a home in Acer's 10.1-inch Windows 7 tablet and should prove decently popular among manufacturers looking for an x86 alternative to the coming tidal wave of ARM-based devices. |
| Canalys: Android overtakes Symbian as world's best-selling smartphone platform in Q4 2010 Posted: 31 Jan 2011 01:35 AM PST One day somebody will write a book called "The rise and rise of Android" and this moment will be highlighted in bold. Canalys' latest smartphone sales figures show that Android phone makers managed to shift a cool 33.3 million handsets in the last quarter -- more than any other smartphone platform out there, including the previous leader, Symbian, which sold 31 million units. That's a mighty leap from the 20.3 million Android devices the stats agency estimates were sold in Q3 2010. Symbian itself grew from 29.9m in Q3 to 31m in Q4, but Android's pace of expansion has been so rapid as to make that irrelevant. Update: NPD's numbers are in as well, indicating that Google now has a 53 percent share in the US market, while Windows Phone 7 has managed to nab only two percent so far. Show full PR text Google's Android becomes the world's leading smart phone platform
- Canalys reveals smart phone market exceeded 100 million units in Q4 2010
Palo Alto, Singapore and Reading (UK) – Monday, 31 January 2011
For immediate release
Canalys today published its final Q4 2010 global country-level smart phone market data, which revealed that Google's Android has become the leading platform. Shipments of Android-based smart phones reached 32.9 million, while devices running Nokia's Symbian platform trailed slightly at 31.0 million worldwide. But Nokia did retain its position as the leading global smart phone vendor, with a share of 28%. The fourth quarter also saw the worldwide smart phone market continue to soar, with shipments of 101.2 million units representing year-on-year growth of 89%. The final quarter took shipments for the year to fractionally below 300 million units, with an annual growth rate of 80% over 2009 (see table below).
In Q4 2010, volumes of Google OS-based smart phones (Android, OMS and Tapas) were again boosted by strong performances from a number of vendors, notably LG, Samsung, Acer and HTC, whose volumes across these platforms grew 4,127%, 1,474%, 709% and 371% respectively year-on-year. HTC and Samsung together accounted for nearly 45% of Google OS-based handset shipments.
'2010 has been a fantastic year for the smart phone market. After a difficult 2009, the speed with which the market has recovered has required real commitment and innovation from vendors and they have risen to the challenge,' said Canalys VP and Principal Analyst Chris Jones. 'But vendors cannot afford to be complacent. 2011 is set to be a highly competitive year with vendors looking to use new technology, such as dual-core processors, NFC and 3D displays, to differentiate their products and maintain value.'
At a regional level, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) remained the largest market, with shipments totalling 38.8 million and a year-on-year growth rate of 90%. Nokia continued to lead in EMEA and Asia Pacific, but in 2010 it was overtaken by RIM in Latin America, which shipped over a million more units than Nokia in Q4 2010. The vendor was particularly helped by the popularity of its mid-range smart phones, such as its Curve family of devices.
The United States continued its reign as the largest country market in terms of shipments, at more than double the size of the Chinese smart phone market. RIM recaptured first place from Apple, as the latter experienced its usual US seasonal dip, and RIM benefited from the first full quarter of shipments for the BlackBerry Torch. HTC successfully maintained its third-place ranking in the US for the third consecutive quarter, driven by its speed to market with the latest Android updates and new Windows Phone 7 devices.
'The US landscape will shift dramatically this coming year, as a result of the Verizon-Apple agreement,' said Canalys Analyst Tim Shepherd. 'Verizon will move its focus away from the Droid range, but the overall market impact will mean less carrier-exclusive deals, while increasing the AT&T opportunity for Android vendors, such as HTC, Motorola and Samsung.' Android was by far the largest smart phone platform in the US market in Q4 2010, with shipments of 12.1 million units – nearly three times those of RIM's BlackBerry devices. Windows Phone 7 devices appeared too late in the quarter to take full advantage of holiday season purchasing. As a result, Microsoft lost share in the United States, from 8% in Q4 2009 to 5% in Q4 2010.
Analysis of the published country-level data shows that, around the world, the strength of smart phone performances remained diverse. In South Korea, for example, shipments grew from under 700,000 units in Q4 2009 to just under 3.4 million units in Q4 2010, making the country a top 10 market. In Japan, Android shipments have taken off over the past year, with nearly 1.4 million units shipping from local as well as international vendors, such as HTC. More Japanese vendors have also announced plans to launch Android devices in 2011, such as NEC Casio and Panasonic. Under pressure from Huawei and Samsung in particular, Nokia's share in China slipped to 56%, down from 76% a year ago, despite growing its volume in the country by over 70% in the same period. Albeit from a smaller base, the Chinese market grew 134% year-on-year, notably faster than the US market, which grew at 64% in the quarter.
Canalys analysts in Asia Pacific, the Americas and EMEA are available for press interviews on topics related to mobile devices and the growing ecosystem for mobile applications and services. There will also be a significant Canalys analyst presence at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from 14 to 17 February. To arrange an interview, please send a request to press@canalys.com. Photos and bios of analysts are available from the Canalys web site. |
| Samsung adds Lovefilm streaming to UK Blu-ray players Posted: 31 Jan 2011 12:55 AM PST Lovefilm, the closest thing Europe has to an answer to Netflix, was recently swallowed whole by the Amazon juggernaut, but that doesn't seem to have stunted its progress toward ubiquitous availability. Samsung has just announced its intent to include Lovefilm movie streaming as an app on all of its Blu-ray players in the UK, enhancing both the subscription service's profile and its own claim to providing the user with multifunctional, " smart" technology. It's disappointing not to see this rollout effective across all of Lovefilm's European markets, but we guess small steps are better than no steps. Show full PR text SAMSUNG INTRODUCES LOVEFiLM STREAMING TO ALL BLU-RAY PLAYERS
Samsung announces launch of movie streaming to its Blu-ray players and Blu-ray Home Theatre Systems with the new LOVEFiLM App
LONDON, UK – 31st January 2011 - Samsung Electronics Co. UK Ltd, today announces the launch of the new LOVEFiLM application to all Samsung Blu-ray players.
The App, once activated with a LOVEFiLM subscription of £5.99 or above, will allow users to stream thousands of movies on their Blu-ray player via Samsung's Internet@TV service. The huge choice of films available ranges from Hollywood blockbusters, to the latest Cannes Film Festival nominees and even critically acclaimed documentaries.
The news comes as Samsung Blu-ray players command the European market with outstanding technology and design. According to market research firm GfK, the Blu-ray player products of Samsung Electronics took a European market share of 25% in terms of sales and 24% in terms of units sold for the January-September period in Europe – topping the European market.
Andy Griffiths, Vice President, Consumer Electronics, Samsung UK comments, "Adding the LOVEFiLM streaming service to all Samsung Blu-ray players and Blu-ray Home Theatre Systems is great news for us at Samsung as we're dedicated to providing our customers with relevant and exciting content, all from the comfort of their own home."
"The Internet@TV service offers viewers a gateway to access great content in an exciting new way, unlocking the full potential of our connected devices. Services like LOVEFiLM will offer our customers more variety, choice and entertainment from our innovative products."
Samsung customers can expect the arrival of even more exciting new Apps throughout 2011 following the UK's first ever Application Developer Day where developers were encouraged to create their own App to populate in the World's first TV App Store with rich, relevant content. |
| CE-Oh no he didn't!: Netgear boss calls 'game over' for Microsoft, Jobs' 'ego' reason iPhone doesn't support Flash Posted: 31 Jan 2011 12:32 AM PST  Can't say that Patrick Lo is a name that immediately rang any bells around here. He's certainly not as recognizable as Netgear, the company that he chairs and rules supreme. But boy did he hit our radar screens this morning. Lo had plenty of criticism to spread around the Microsoft and Apple camps today during a press lunch in Sydney. Oh where to even begin? Let's start with Microsoft, and Lo's claim that, "Microsoft is over -- game over, from my point of view," when comparing Windows Phone 7's chance to compete with Android and the iPhone. Doubtful, not with Redmond's Windows 7 and MS Office cash cows fueling Microsoft's intense desire to execute on its new mobile strategy. Lo then turned his sights on Apple, having this to say on the topic of Steve Jobs' refusal to support Adobe Flash on Apple's mobile devices: "What's the reason for him to trash Flash? There's no reason other than ego." Funny, we thought it was due to performance, security, and power consumption issues. Lo later added, "Once Steve Jobs goes away, which is probably not far away, then Apple will have to make a strategic decision on whether to open up the platform." Classy. Hit the source link below if you're just dying to hear how "closed" systems are inferior to "open" systems all over again. |
| Windows Phone 7's live tiles turned into a pretty convincing iOS theme (video) Posted: 30 Jan 2011 11:46 PM PST Had enough of seeing grids and folders of static (Calendar app excluded, of course) icons on your iDevice? Well, here's one option to relieving your tedium: a Windows Phone 7 theme for the iPhone and iPod touch. You'll naturally need to jailbreak your iOS handheld in order to restyle it quite so dramatically, but once you do, you'll have all your precious apps sorted in a neat alphabetical pile on one screen, with the other waiting patiently for your customizations and live tile choices. It's a good looking little mod, we have to say, and it's currently going through beta testing, so why not grab your iPhone and see if it can survive a lick of Microsoft paint without self-combusting?
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| LG G-Slate makes guest appearance on MysteryGuitarMan's YouTube channel (video) Posted: 30 Jan 2011 10:38 PM PST LG's promotional strategy for the G-Slate seems to be to keep officially mum about the device, while letting random pseudo-celebrities tease it out in brief glimpses. A week ago, K-Pop artist Seungri gave us our first sighting of the dual-camera array on the back of the G-Slate, which has today made its triumphant return to YouTube, courtesy of one MysteryGuitarMan. The rear of the device here doesn't look identical to the one in Seungri's video, however the metallic strip separating the cams and its "with Google" branding look nearly identical to what LG has on the back of its Optimus 2X Android smartphone. We're also seeing a single LED flash for the first time, there are a couple of unidentified connectors at the bottom, at least one of them likely to assist docking in landscape mode, and we do get to see the tablet in profile for an idea of how thin it is. Video after the break.
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| NewerTech adapter turns eSATA into USB 3.0, makes legacy external HDDs feel young again Posted: 30 Jan 2011 09:39 PM PST There's a powder-blue USB 3.0 port on the side of your shiny new computer, whispering your name, but you simply can't afford to replace your perfectly good eSATA external hard drive for the sake of compatibility. You could simply resist the urge entirely, but if you have the need for speed, there's a USB 3.0 to eSATA adapter with your name on it, and it just might come in a NewerTech case. Sure, Addonics, Siig and Bytecc sell similar, but as Everything USB points out, NewerTech did the legwork here, benchmarking the cable to be sure it could handle 206.4MB / sec writes and 247MB / sec reads. That's enough to handle most solid state drives, and you should be completely covered when it comes to anything with spinning magnetic plates. You'll find it for $30 this week at the likes of OWC. Show full PR text NewerTech Announces Plug And Play eSATA To USB 3.0 Adapter For SuperSpeed Data Transfer At Macworld 2011
Newer Technology, Inc. announced today the NewerTech eSATA to USB 3.0 Adapter for using an eSATA interfaced equipped external hard drive with computers offering the 'SuperSpeed' USB 3.0 interface. The $29.95 MSRP adapter offers benchmark proven performance of up to 247MB/s reads and 206.4MB/s writes for the fastest data transfer rates available with external data storage/backup. NewerTech's exclusive distributor, Other World Computing (OWC) will be demonstrating the new NewerTech eSATA to USB 3.0 Adapter and other NewerTech high performance, yet Plug and Play upgrades and accessories in booth #513 at the Macworld Expo, which begins today in San Francisco, California.
Up To 6X Faster Than Typical Interfaces
The NewerTech eSATA to USB 3.0 Adapter offers benchmark proven 247.0MB/s reads and 206.4MB/s writes for up to 6X faster data transfer rates than other interfaces offered on external data storage/backup solutions. For comparison, the fastest commonly found interface on Macintosh computers, FireWire 800, offers 81.8MB/s reads and 78.6MB/s writes. Even slower is the commonly found USB 2.0 interface on PCs with 38.4MB/s reads and 32.2MB/s writes.
The NewerTech eSATA to USB 3.0 Adapter is available immediately from NewerTech's exclusive distributor, Other World Computing (OWC®), as well as through the retail channel, and comes with a one year NewerTech warranty. It is compatible with Mac OS X 10.2.8 and later and with Windows 2000 and later PCs.
High Speed Data Transfers As Easy As 1-2-3
Using the NewerTech eSATA to USB 3.0 Adapter with an eSATA interface equipped external drive to take advantage of high-bandwidth 'SuperSpeed' USB 3.0 performance is an easy three step process:
1. Power on the eSATA equipped external drive.
2. Connect the NewerTech eSATA to USB 3.0 Adapter to an external drive via a standard eSATA cable.
3. Connect the NewerTech eSATA to USB 3.0 Adapter to the USB 3.0 port on the computer via included USB 3.0 cable.
Product Features:
Supports SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) data rate up to 5Gb/s.
Supports 2.5″ and 3.5″ eSATA hard disk drives and SSDs.
Plug and Play, no software or driver installation.
Backward compatible with previous versions of USB 2.0/1.1.
Backward compatible with previous versions of eSATA devices (1.5Gb/s).
Compliant with Serial ATA Specification Revision 2.6.
Supports Hot-Swap.
Dimensions: 2.25″ D x 2.5″ W x .75″ H (57.3mm x 64.2mm x 19mm)
Weight: 1.0oz (28.35g)
"This Plug and Play adapter lets owners of USB 3.0 equipped computers experience the full performance potential of their eSATA interface equipped external drive," said Grant Dahlke, Brand Manager, Newer Technology, Inc. "While simple and affordable, this solution helps delivers up to 6 times faster data rate performance than the commonly found USB 2.0 interface." |
| HTC Thunderbolt rumored to be hitting Best Buy February 14th, sans mobile hotspot or Skype video? Posted: 30 Jan 2011 07:22 PM PST  The HTC Thunderbolt may have been officially announced way back at CES, but there's still quite a bit we don't know about the phone -- namely, a price or a release date. We now at least have what looks to be a fairly solid hint of the latter, however, courtesy of the above shot of a Best Buy inventory screen that lists an in stock date of February 14th. You'll note that the screen doesn't actually mention the HTC Thunderbolt anywhere, but some sleuthing by the folks at Android Central reveals that the product code matches one found on a Thunderbolt box that turned up in a recent hands-on video. Joining that rumor is a separate one from Droid Life, which has obtained some supposedly authentic Verizon materials that suggest the Thunderbolt won't be shipping with mobile hotspot functionality enabled at launch, and that Skype video chat won't be enabled initially either. No word on a reason for the delay (if there actually is one), but both features will seemingly be enabled at some point, and there will apparently be a placeholder icon in the case of Skype that will display a "coming soon" message if it's launched. |
| Inhabitat's Week in Green: the power plant you can ski, and NASA's orbiting Nanosail-D Posted: 30 Jan 2011 05:15 PM PST |
| Golden Gate Bridge plans to collect all tolls electronically by September 2012 Posted: 30 Jan 2011 03:37 PM PST San Francisco's world-famous Golden Gate Bridge looks much like this right now, but come September 2012 the last of those yellow "cash" signs are scheduled to wink out. That's because the bridge's board of directors voted 13-2 to approve a $2.9 million plan that will replace the bridge's 30 full-time human tolltakers with a fully electronic system. Don't say you didn't see this coming, folks. The existing FasTrak subscription RFID transponder system will continue to work, and there will be a camera-based backup as well -- if you pass through the bridge without a FasTrak pass, bridge-mounted cameras will take a picture of your license plate and you'll get a $6 bill in the mail. Planners estimate the move will save about $19.2 million by the year 2020 in salaries and benefits that would otherwise go to the friendly meatbags who work there now, and should things stay on track the revamped system will debut in February of next year. |
| The Engadget Show Live! with Steve Wozniak Posted: 30 Jan 2011 02:00 PM PST Humans, keep your eyes tuned to this post -- because at 6:00PM ET, we'll be starting The Engadget Show live with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, joining us for a evening of frank, eye-opening and all-around awesome conversation. There'll be mind-blowing devices, crazy giveaways, and much, much more! We've even got music from Zen Albatross. You seriously don't want to miss it. Update: That's all for now! The recorded version should be up on the site around afternoon on Monday. |
| MSI's GT680 gaming laptop reviewed: potent at 720p, some battery life too Posted: 30 Jan 2011 01:05 PM PST MSI is calling this GT680R the world's fastest gaming laptop. Spoiler alert -- it's not -- but if you drop $1,650 to nab one starting this week, you'll certainly be getting some bang for those bucks. Trusted Reviews and Hot Hardware recently got their hands on the first Sandy Bridge-equipped portable monster of a gaming rig, and found the experience quite satisfying on the whole. Though Hot Hardware discovered that the 2.0GHz Core i7-2630QM chip and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M graphics weren't quite capable of playable framerates in the most demanding DX11 titles at native 1080p, lowering the resolution to 720 lines usually did the trick, and when it came to raw CPU benchmarks that Core i7 held its own against even last-gen desktop processors with little trouble to speak of. What's more, equipped with a nine-cell battery Trusted Reviews managed to eke out three hours of life in a basic productivity test, practically unheard of for a laptop of this class, though we suppose you're not likely to be carrying around this 7.7 pound beast for the sake of portable spreadsheets, eh? Hit up our source links for more details. |
| PSA: Change your old Amazon.com password for better security Posted: 30 Jan 2011 11:39 AM PST Amazon's allegedly got an security flaw where hackers can find your password much easier than they would otherwise, and there's already a fix in place. But get this -- you'll probably need to change your password for the fix to take effect, if you haven't already done so in the last couple of years. According to Reddit users, the Amazon.com login system will actually accept any phrase so long as it begins with your password, such as "password123" when the magic word is simply "password" by itself. That apparently makes it that much easier for a computer to guess your password via brute force methods, no matter how counter-intuitive that seems, so if you simply change it immediately -- and to something other than "password," please -- you'll have much sounder dreams. |
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