Hardware

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.

RIM May Scotch BlackBerry Hardware
January 22, 2013

CEO Thorsten Heins has suggested that Research In Motion may one day license its BlackBerry operating system and stop producing handset hardware. Whether such a move would help put the embattled company back on track or be the final step in a march to oblivion -- much like the path Palm took just two years ago -- is the question.

Lenovo, Linux, and the Coming of the Chromebooks
January 21, 2013

However great the strides made by user-friendly distros such as Ubuntu and Mint in recent years, it seems fair to say that Linux has not yet enjoyed any sweeping successes on the desktop the way it has on the mobile side with Android. That, however, may be changing. Thanks once again to none other than Google, Linux is now appearing with increasing frequency in the PC lineups of hardware makers.

Lenovo Chromebook Starts School Fight With Tablets
January 18, 2013

Lenovo on Thursday announced the ThinkPad X131e Chromebook for schools. Aimed at the K-12 market and up, the laptop is ruggedized with a rubber bumper around the top cover and stronger corners for protection in case it is dropped. The hinges and hinge brackets have been strengthened. The ThinkPad X131e Chromebook will be available to K-12 schools beginning Feb. 26 at $429 through special bid pricing.

Set Up Windows 8 to the Beat of a Different Drum
January 17, 2013

Microsoft's latest version of its operating system, Windows 8, has more personalization options than any predecessor. Backgrounds, themes, colors, start screen, apps, picture passwords and more can all be customized. You can choose a new theme by opening the Search charm and typing "personalization." Then click on the Settings tab. Click Change the Theme to enter the control panel's Appearance & Personalization area. Then choose a theme.

Dell May Be Dickering for Private Deal
January 15, 2013

Investors sent Dell stock soaring Monday when reports surfaced that the struggling PC maker is in discussions to go private. Representatives from the third-largest PC maker are reportedly in talks with TPG Capital and Silver Lake about a private-equity investment that would give Dell breathing room to regroup outside the public eye.

Sluggish Sales Hint at End of PC Era
January 14, 2013

PC sales sank in the fourth quarter of 2012 due to increased competition from smartphones and tablet devices, Gartner said in a report released Monday. Shipments totaled some 90.3 million units -- a 4.9 percent decline from the fourth quarter a year earlier, the firm found. In the U.S. market, PC shipments fell 2.1 percent from the year prior to 17.5 million units.

CES 2013's Big Untold Stories
January 14, 2013

While the announcements at CES tend to eclipse everything else at the show, including the prior announcements, often the bigger events are going on behind the scenes. This year, Nvidia, Microsoft, Qualcomm, and a bunch of Chinese companies you've never heard about -- and one you have -- were far more interesting than the headliners.

Using 2 Monitors in a Windows 8 Environment
January 10, 2013

With screen real estate, as with the dirt version, more is generally better. Like earlier incarnations of the OS, Windows 8 has external monitor functionality that lets you spread out. However, there are Windows 8-specific features that especially benefit from having more screens.

Nvidia Rocks the Gaming Establishment
January 08, 2013

Nvidia came out Monday with a handful of announcements expanding its presence in the gaming world well beyond the graphics processing units for which it's best known. Taking the stage at CES 2013, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang introduced Project Shield, a prototype handheld gaming console with a high-definition screen, as well as the Nvidia Grid Cloud Gaming Platform.

Lenovo's Horizon Does Double Duty: Table PC or Huge Tablet
January 07, 2013

Lenovo on Monday announced a 27-inch table PC that doubles as a monster tablet and a desktop at the 2013 CES in Las Vegas. The IdeaCenter Horizon Table PC has a two-legged kickstand in the back that, when extended, props the device up for vertical use. It has a 10-point multitouch screen that's optimized for Windows 8.

Asus Takes Giant Leap Into Gesture Tech
January 03, 2013

Leap Motion announced on Thursday that its touch-free 3D motion sensing and control technology will be bundled with high-end notebooks and premium all-in-one PCs high-tech vendor Asus will launch later this year. The Leap Motion controller can track movements smaller than the tip of a pin with no visible lag time.

Apple May Give Next-Gen iPhone a Splash of Color
January 02, 2013

This year will be the year of an iPhone of many colors and even different sizes, according to the latest Apple speculation by analyst Brian White at Topeka Capital Markets. Apple's newest smartphone might come in three screen sizes, White reportedly predicted in a research note.

LG Ships a Big, Bright OLED That Makes Flat-Screens Look Fat
January 02, 2013

LG Electronics on Monday became the first manufacturer to make a 55-inch OLED TV available on the market, taking preorders in Korea for its device. The device is the LG Model 55EM9700. It is listed at $10,000, and will begin shipping in February. With the announcement, LG has taken pole position in the race for the 55-inch OLED TV market over rival Samsung.

2013: Chip Makers to Go All In
January 02, 2013

Despite the arrival of a plethora of new tablets and Ultrabooks, plus a new operating system from Microsoft that was expected to drive PC sales, 2012 was a gloomy year for chip manufacturers. As any confident gambler might do when the chips are down, the leading consumer electronics original equipment manufacturers are expected to double down in 2013.

Where's My Autonomous Car?
December 28, 2012

The world cheered -- well, at least the nerds cheered -- when Google's autonomous cars drove 1,000 miles with no human intervention and another 140,000 miles with occasional human intervention in 2010. Since then, the cars are still tooling about in a series of tests as early fans watch them in action on YouTube and Vimeo.

Linux, the 386, and Days of Auld Lang Syne
December 20, 2012

The year 2012 may not yet be over, but here in the Linux community another kind of curtain was recently dropped for the last time. It's the end of the line for Linux's support of Intel's 386 chip, specifically, and tears are being shed across the land -- or not.

All Things Appy: 5 Best Windows 8 Entertainment Apps
December 14, 2012

Windows 8, Microsoft's latest operating system, has its own app library. In many cases, these apps can replace now-aging bookmarks or favorites, and the software that we used to install from floppies, CDs or downloads. Windows 8 apps are often usable on both desktop or laptop PCs, as well as tablets.