Hardware
HP flash-floppy USB drives sold with virus
You can’t trust anybody. HP admits that that it has been selling virus-infected USB drives. PC World reports:
Hewlett-Packard has been selling USB-based hybrid flash-floppy drives that were pre-infected with malware, the company said last week in a security bulletin.
Dubbed “HP USB Floppy Drive Key,” the device is a combination flash drive and compact floppy drive, [...]
Microsoft extends XP
From Sol Libes:
It took a little time but Microsoft has awakened to the fact that many users of ultra portable laptops (e.g. Asus EeePC and the Everex Cloudbook) have removed the Linux operating systems from their systems and installed Windows XP home. These systems are too small to run Vista, but, XP with [...]
Dell changes business model
Dell was a pioneer in the build-to-order way of selling computers. It also had the advantage of selling only by telephone or on the Internet without the costs of a brick-and-mortar store. Dell prospered and became number one in selling PCs. But then Dell stumbled and lost its way. The founder, Michael Dell, came out [...]
How will low-cost laptops affect the market?
The previous post discusses the the recent advent of various low-cost laptop models. They may already be affecting Microsoft’s marketing of XP and an article at PC Magazine says that they are affecting the hardware manufacturers as well:
A new class of small laptops entering the market has some of the major laptop vendors on edge. [...]
Windows XP to remain available for low-cost laptops?
Recently, a number of low-cost laptops have become available. Some are for less developed areas of the world or children and others are ultra-portable models. Intel is about to announce a new family of processors called “Atom” designed for these types of systems. One characteristic of the low-cost systems is that they can’t run [...]
AMD looking shakier
I have commented before that consumers should hope for AMD to continue as a going concern so that Intel will have some competition. Unfortunately, AMD’s future is looking gloomier. Adrian Kingsley-Hughes writes:
So that leaves me worried about AMD’s future, and the effect that will have to the entire chip industry. Not because I have [...]
The ultimate thumb drive?
PC Magazine has an article surveying a number of the things you can put on a USB thumb or key drive. The article is called The Ultimate USB Key and begins:
The USB key is used mainly as a kind of digital briefcase—a place to store various files while you carry them from one location to [...]
Cell phones a must-have with many users
Search Engine Land reports a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project and comments:
Cellphones are now more important to US adults than the internet, television, landline phones and email. In addition, an increasing number of consumers are using their mobile phones for things other than voice communications, including accessing mobile internet content.
Overdoing computer decoration
Unless I am attracting a different audience than I think, no one who reads this blog is going to buy one of these but you can get a look at the height (or is it nadir) of customized computers at the PC World article, 11 Pimped-Out PCs. Actually, none of these match the platinum, diamond-studded [...]
High definition DVD format war ends
Two incompatible formats for high definition DVDs have been fighting it out in the marketplace but it looks like the “Blu-ray” format has won over the “HD” version. Toshiba, the backer of HD, has given up. Buyers of the special players for HD, which won’t play Blu-ray, are unlikely to see many future releases. Ordinary [...]