Hardware

When These Chips Are Down, They Fix Themselves
March 12, 2013

The mean cyborg of Terminator 2 was unstoppable until it was immersed in a vat of molten iron. It might have survived, however, if it had self-healing processors at its core like the ones announced Monday by a team of researchers at the California Institute of Technology. The researchers said they had built tiny power amplifiers for chips that recovered functions even after many of their components had been vaporized in tests.

Bringing Icahn Into Dell's Henhouse Could Be Foxy Move
March 11, 2013

Carl Icahn has been pushing back against Dell's proposal to go private in a $24.4 billion deal. Dell finally gave way -- a little -- and is allowing Icahn to examine the company's confidential information. Dell has been battling shareholders about the proposed leveraged buyout almost since it was unveiled in February.

Swamped Servers Barricade SimCity From Players
March 07, 2013

Virtual city planners faced a crisis this week as a plague of server issues kept SimCity 5 gamers from connecting. This meant that building virtual roads, zoning communities, and all other jobs involved in creating a city in the game couldn't be accomplished. While essentially a single-player game, SimCity 5 requires that players have an Internet connection to play.

The Puzzling Case of the Chromebook Pixel
March 07, 2013

Here in the Linux blogosphere, most fans of FOSS are nothing if not outspoken with their many opinions. Those opinions tend to be unequivocal on matters large and small, so it's always notable when a new technology comes along that leaves bloggers scratching their heads in uncertainty. That's a rarity, needless to say, but just recently a shining example emerged: the Chromebook Pixel.

News Corp. Goes Back to School With a Teacher-Friendly Tablet
March 06, 2013

Amplify, the education subsidiary of News Corp., announced Wednesday a 10-inch Android tablet platform for K-12 schools. The Amplify tablet will run the latest version of Android Jelly Bean, and will be available in WiFi-only and a 4G LTE version running on AT&T's network. The education market "is a more or less open field," said Charles King, principal at Pund-IT.

Open Source's Deep Dive Into the Enterprise
March 06, 2013

Server provisioning and configuration management and automation are the latest examples of where the tech industry is being driven, largely by open source software. The leading open source server and IT infrastructure automation frameworks, Opscode Chef and Puppet Labs' Puppet, sit on the leading edge of significant trends under way in enterprise IT.

IE 10: It's Not Just for Windows 8 Anymore
February 26, 2013

In what could be a boost for Microsoft in the browser wars, the company on Tuesday began offering Internet Explorer 10 to Windows 7 users, giving them the same enhanced Web surfing features previously only available to those who had access to Windows 8. The company will automatically update Windows 7 users' browsers in 95 languages over the next few weeks.

Week of Weird: Sony Jumps the Gun, Google Luxury-Prices Its Yugo
February 25, 2013

This really has been an entire month of the strange. We had Boeing's Dreamliner sidelined for batteries that catch fire. We had Tesla locking horns with the NYT. We had Sony announce its new game system nearly nine months before it would be available -- but not actually show it. Biggest of all, despite Chromebooks failing to sell in the $250 range, we had Google offer a refresh priced at $1,500.

Google Propels Chromebook Pixel Into a Blurry Future
February 21, 2013

Google on Thursday announced the Chromebook Pixel, a branded touchscreen netbook with a price tag that consumers may balk at, considering the cost of rival offerings. The Pixel will be available in WiFi-only and 4G LTE versions, priced at $1,300 and $1,450, respectively.

Intel Chips In With Its Own Web TV Service
February 13, 2013

Intel is getting inside Internet TV. What's been grist for rumor mills for weeks was finally confirmed Tuesday. Intel's TV offering -- which won't be branded with the Intel name -- will be a combination hardware, software and content package designed to "delight" consumers, said Erik Huggers, general manager for Intel Media, during the All Things D Dive Into Media Conference.

Samsung, Linux and the Bothersome Bricking Problem
February 11, 2013

If Linux Girl didn't have to spend such a large proportion of her salary dry-cleaning her cape each week, there's no doubt she would invest those extra fortunes in some of the many purveyors of ibuprofen and other pain-relieving medicines. Why? Because of all the headaches FOSS fans are forced to endure here in the Linux blogosphere.

Nemo, Early Reviews Freeze Out Surface Pro Launch
February 09, 2013

Microsoft scrapped plans for Friday night's launch of its Surface Pro tablet at the Best Buy store in New York City because of an impending blizzard meteorologists have dubbed "Nemo." "Surface Pro launch activities in NYC have been canceled due to weather," said Microsoft spokesperson Dani Reese.

Count the iPad, and Apple Rules PCs
February 08, 2013

Apple lands the top spot among PC makers for the holiday quarter -- as long as the iPad is included in the figures, according to the latest report from Canalys. The market research firm, which includes tablets in its worldwide PC numbers, reported this week that overall PC shipments increased 12 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, with 134 million units shipped during the holiday season.

Google Victorious in 6-Year Aussie Legal Battle
February 06, 2013

A court in Australia has ruled in favor of Google in its lengthy legal fight with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The case, which lasted six years, concerned search results from 2006-07. The Commission claimed that sponsored links published by Google diverted users to rival companies.

Dell Hightails It Into Private Territory
February 05, 2013

After years of diminishing returns amid a slumping PC market, Dell announced Tuesday that it would take itself private in a leveraged buyout estimated at $24.4 billion. Chairman and CEO Michael Dell will buy back the company he founded in a University of Texas dorm room in 1984.

HP Enters Pavilion 14 in Chromebook Games
February 05, 2013

After years of being one of Microsoft's biggest supporters in the Windows-based laptop market, HP has officially released its first Chromebook: the Pavilion 14 running Google's Chrome OS. Now that HP has followed Samsung, Acer and Lenovo in jumping on the multi-OS bandwagon, the question is this: Can this portable computer maintain the Chromebook shine?

Linux Netbooks: Hiding in Plain Sight
February 05, 2013

You just think that's a Chromebook beckoning you with an open source OS, easier upgradeability and fast connections to the cloud. All those qualities could make it a Linux netbook in disguise -- or at least what the netbooks of a few years ago promised before they all started selling preloaded with Windows. The key? More manufacturers buying into the flexibility of the Linux kernel in the Chrome OS.

HP Horns In on the Chromebook Action
January 29, 2013

The brief appearance of a spec sheet on HP's online shopping website Monday seemed to indicate the company has joined the list of Microsoft partners offering Chromebooks. The sheet listed details of the HP Pavilion Chromebook 14-c010us PC and carried an advertisement embargo date of Feb. 17. It may have been placed on the Web by accident, but it's also possible it was a marketing ploy.

Dell Deal Could Set Microsoft Back a Few Years
January 25, 2013

Microsoft reportedly is in talks to invest in Dell as the struggling PC maker explores its options outside the public market. The software giant has been meeting with representatives from Dell and Silver Lake Partners to discuss a deal that would involve an investment of up to $3 billion. That could give Microsoft as much as a 13 percent stake in Dell.

Investors Rattled Ahead of Apple Earnings
January 23, 2013

Investors' eyes are on Apple as the company prepares to announce its quarterly earnings report on Wednesday. The company's recent stock market losses and several analysts' lowered expectations on iPhone sales suggest this quarter might not be as flush as some in its recent past. Investors' pessimism stems in part from the increasingly fierce competition in the smartphone market.