Digital Trends
Hewlett-Packard Co.’s profit jumped 14 percent in the latest quarter, helped by cost-cutting and better results from its technology services division.
Those factors helped offset the fact that four of HP’s major divisions — personal computers, servers, software and printers — each reported big revenue declines from last year. HP’s overall revenue fell 8 percent.
Today, Dell’s Studio 17 Touch laptop with its new multitouch display became available, and the news of the release was barely spoken in a whisper. No need to be bashful, Dell, we know you’ve been going a little touchscreen crazy recently and we commend you on your fervent multitouch mission. Dell’s new 17-inch system adds multi-touch input and carries the company’s own suite of touch apps.
Looking for a convenient and wireless way to view your PC’s content on your crisp HDTV? HD semiconductor manufacturer AMIMON may have the connective solution for you. Today, AMIMON introduced its WHDI modules which can be embedded into notebook and netbook PCs for a “seamless” wireless HD connection to your HDTV. Meaning: You can watch Hulu on an actual big screen, rather than the maximized screen size of your laptop.
Independent warranty provider SquareTrade has released a study of more than 30,000 notebooks tracked through its extended warranty plans—and the results are a little surprising. Computer makers Asus and Toshiba led the pack in terms of notebook system reliability, with fewer than 10 percent of their systems needing repair after two years, with three-year failure rate projections of about 15.6 and 15.7 percent (respectively). And who’s in last place? Top computer maker Hewlett-Packard, with more than 15 percent of its systems failing after two years, and a three-year projection forecasting over a quarter of them will fail in three years.
Lawmakers are moving to ban the use of computer laptops and other personal electronic devices in airline cockpits to prevent another incident like the Northwest Airlines plane that overshot Minneapolis by 150 miles.
Sen. Byron Dorgan, chairman of the aviation subcommittee, said in an interview that his staff is working on a bill that he expects to introduce in about a week. He said he was surprised to learn after the Oct. 21 incident that the Federal Aviation Administration doesn’t specifically prohibit pilots from using laptops, DVD players, MP3 players and other devices during flight except below 10,000 feet while the plane is taking off or landing.
Ruggedized PC maker Getac wants to make sure its customers can jump on the Windows 7 bandwagon from day one, and to that end has announced that its complete line of ruggedized notebook and tablet PCs are all compatible with Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system, and will begin shipping with Windows 7 on October 22, the same day the OS becomes available to consumers. Moreover, Windows 7’s multi-touch and gesture capability will improve the operation of Getac’s recently introduced resistive multi-touch technology so users can manage media, copy-and-paste, zoom, and rotate items onscreen using gestures—and unlike most touchscreen systems, Getac’s resistive touchscreens even work through heavy industrial gloves.
Gateway unveiled its new slim EC series notebooks today—the EC58, EC54 and EC14. Gateway says these notebooks are meant for “all-day productivity” due to their 6-cell Li-ion battery that can provide up to 8 hours of battery life. The EC58 and EC54 have15.6-inch LED-backlit HD widescreen display and weigh only a little over 5 lbs. The EC54 and EC58 models also come with Gateway Powersave, a one touch key to switch to a power saver mode.
Thought the heretofore booming netbook industry was on a major upswing as price-conscious PC owners flocked to score one of the low-cost, highly portable laptops that emphasize performance over power? Guess again, as industry experts warn that the companies producing these systems and actual consumers buying them may be on different wavelengths.
With the holidays nearing and the machines’ stocking-stuffer-ready size and cost, netbooks are anticipated to be a big buy this gift giving season. But with the introduction of 12-inch screens, ION processors and rising sticker prices, some technology insiders say the lines may be getting a little blurry for these pint-size PCs. Many industry analysts noted that, in the coming months, we may see netbooks grow rather than shrink—a little “switcheroo” for the technology world—as unlike most machinery, dwindling in size with advancement, this hardware is growing and ultimately defeating its original purpose.
Sony had a couple of tricks up its sleeves this evening. The electronics giant released information on its three new editions to the Vaio family: The Vaio L Touch-screen HD PC/TV, the Vaio X notebook, and new colorful Vaio CW notebooks.
The Vaio L Touch combines TV, Internet and a Blue-ray player all on one touch-enabled monitor. The Vaio L Touch PC/TV comes with Windows 7 Home Premium, or Professional, 64-bit operating system. Select models feature a built-in tuner that connects to your digital cable TV service so you can watch television on your PC. Equipped with a 24-inch WUXGA (1920×1080) widescreen panel, the company is declaring it “the ultimate multi-media hub.”
Computer maker Hewlett-Packard—who, let’s not forget, has unseated Dell as the top PC manufacturer on the planet—has taken the wraps of several new computers for the important end-of-year buying season, including new thing-and-light notebook computers, a stylish new netbook, and a new all-in-one PC designed for general-purpose computing in the home. And—as one might expect for a bunch of PCs due to launch in late October—the bulk will be pre-installed with Windows 7.
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