Feb 15 - Sunday Shopping Watch
Best Sunday Deals - See our Best Sunday
Ad Deals Table below for specific system prices.
Weekly Comparison. President's Day, another good
computer shopping holiday. A very good weekend to buy new computers
and peripherals.
This Sunday's Special Discounts and Financing.
In addition to sales on specific items, the following store-wide sales
are advertised this week. (Note that these
ads are for the Dayton, Ohio area. Prices or offerings may be different
where you live.)
Best Buy is offering 24 month no-interest financing on all desktop
and laptop purchases, and $150 mail-in rebates on advertised laptops
and desktop packages and an additional $150 rebate on Celeron notebooks.
Circuit City is offering
12 months no interest financing, and up to $150 mail-in rebates, on
advertised desktop packages and notebooks.
Office
Depot
is offering no payments, no interest, for 6 months on advertised notebooks.
CompUSA is offering 18 month
no payment, no interest financing on laptops and desktop packages.
Staples has no store-wide promotions
this Sunday.
Compare
to Online Prices - Compare the Sunday ad prices to
those being offered at DealTime, it searches over 160 online computer
stores.
InfoHQ Related Shopping Pages
Shopping Alerts
- Our latest shopping advisories on buying digital cameras and camcorders,
desktop computers, laptops, and other computer items.
Windows XP
Upgrade Guide - All about upgrading to Windows XP.
What You Need to Know
About Dial-up Internet Service Rebates - The pros and cons of
'free' Internet service deals. Also see our latest InfoHQ Tech Watch
Newsletter; Free
PC and Free Internet Deals.
Definitions. A complete desktop system/package/complete
package is defined as a computer with monitor and printer
or scanner.
A build-to-order system is customized at the retailer
and then ordered from a computer manufacturer. In addition to the
computer's stated price, you still pay sales tax and shipping charges
(if you order direct from the vendor without going through the chain
store, you may not have to pay sales tax and you could get a better
warranty).
Caution about advertised prices.
When reading advertisements, read the fine print of the ad to make
sure you know what is being advertised and what it cost. For example,
many advertisers will show a complete system with computer, monitor,
and printer but advertise a price for the computer only.
* Prices discussed in this article. We report
prices after rebates and discounts are subtracted.
Items highlighted in Black are good deals.
Items highlighted in Red means prices have
gone up and the system is not a good buy this week.
Items in normal text means prices are about the same as the previous
weeks.
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Best Sunday Ad Deals
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Category
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Product Description
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Price* (see above)
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Prices up or Down this Week
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Store
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1. Best Celeron Deal
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eMachines 2.6 GHz complete system with
17" monitor
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$389
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-
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Best Buy, Circuit City
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2. Best Celeron Deal
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Compaq 2.8 GHz complete system with 17"
monitor
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$519
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-
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CompUSA
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1. Best Pentium 4 System
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HP 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with HT Technology, 15 inch flat panel, and DVD-RW
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$1249
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-
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CompUSA
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2. Best Pentium 4 System
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Sony 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with HT Technology, 15 inch flat panel, and DVD-RW
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$1279
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-
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Circuit City
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3. Best Pentium 4 System
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Sony 3.2 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with HT Technology, 15 inch flat panel, and DVD-RW
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$1599
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-
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Best Buy
|
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4. Best Pentium 4 System
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Sony All-in-One Desktop 2.8 GHz Pentium
4 complete system with HT Technology, 15 inch flat panel,
and DVD-RW
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$1629
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-
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Circuit City
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5. Best Pentium 4 System
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HP 3.2 GHz Pentium 4 Media Center complete
system with HT Technology, 15 inch flat panel, and DVD-RW
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$1749
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-
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CompUSA
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1. Best AMD Athlon XP System
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Compaq Athlon 2800+ complete system
with 17 inch monitor
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$619
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-
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CompUSA, Circuit City ($639)
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2. Best AMD Athlon XP System
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Compaq Athlon 3000+ complete system with
17 inch monitor and DVD-RW drive
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$719
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-$50
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CompUSA
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3. Best AMD Athlon XP System
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HP Athlon 3200+ complete system with
17 inch monitor and DVD-RW
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$849
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-
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CompUSA
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1. Best Low-cost Laptop
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Toshiba 2.6 GHz Celeron with DVD/CD-RW
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$649
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-$250
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Best Buy, Circuit City ($699)
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2. Best Low-cost Laptop
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HP Athlon 2500+ with DVD/CD-RW
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$699
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-
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Circuit City, CompUSA
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3. Best Low-cost Laptop
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Compaq 2.6 GHz Celeron with DVD/CD-RW
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$749
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-$100
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CompUSA
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4. Best Low-cost Laptop
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Toshiba 2.8 GHz Celeron with DVD/CD-RW
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$849
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-
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Best Buy
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1. Best High-end Notebook
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Toshiba 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 with DVD/-RW
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$1099
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-
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CompUSA, Best Buy, Circuit City
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2. Best High-end Notebook
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HP widescreen Centrino 1.4 GHz with
DVD/CD-RW
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$1249
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-
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CompUSA
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3. Best High-end Notebook
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Toshiba widescreen Centrino 1.4 GHz
with DVD/CD-RW
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$1399
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-
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Circuit City
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4. Best High-end Notebook
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Gateway Centrino 1.4 GHz with DVD/CD-RW
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$1399
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-
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Office Depot
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5. Best High-end Notebook
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Toshiba widescreen 3.0 GHz Pentium 4
with HT Technology and DVD/-RW
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$1649
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-$200
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Best Buy
|
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6. Best High-end Notebook
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Toshiba widescreen 3.0 GHz Pentium 4
Media Center with HT Technology and DVD/-RW
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$1949
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-
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CompUSA
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Peripherals and Software
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Best Sunday Deal
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Western Digital 120 GB 7200 RPM Hard
Drive with 8 MB buffer
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$69
(after rebates)
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-
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Best Buy
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Best Sunday Deal
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Western Digital 160 GB 7200 RPM Hard
Drive with 8 MB buffer
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$79
(after rebates)
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-$10
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Circuit City
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Best Sunday Deal
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Seagate 160 GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
with 8 MB buffer
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$99
(after rebates)
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-
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CompUSA
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Best Sunday Deal
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Seagate 200 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive with
8 MB buffer
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$99
(after rebates)
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-
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CompUSA
|
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Best Sunday Deal
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Maxtor 250 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive with
8 MB buffer
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$159
(after rebates)
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-
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CompUSA
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Best Sunday Deal
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ATI 9600 SE 128 MB
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$89
(after rebates)
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-
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Best Buy
|
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Best Sunday Deal
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ATI 9800 Pro 128 MB
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$199
(after rebates)
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CompUSA
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Best Sunday Deal
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ATI 9800 Pro All-in-Wonder 128 MB
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$299
(after rebates)
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Circuit City
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Best Sunday Deal
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Sony 8X DVD-RW
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$189
(after rebates)
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+$20
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Office Depot
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Best Sunday Deal
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Sony 52X CD-RW
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$39
(after rebates)
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-$10
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Office Depot
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Additional Information. For additional technical
information, advice on how to buy a laptop or desktop, and vendor
and manufacturer links, please see our Computer
Buying Advice page.
About Sunday Shopping Watch. Sunday Shopping
Watch appears every Sunday (except some holidays like Easter and Christmas)
in our News and Rumors column. It is a review of local (Dayton, Ohio)
computer chain store advertisements. While we can not guarantee your
local chain store has the same items, this article can help you make
informed buying decisions.
Feb 13 - AMD64 Architecture
Achieves Significant Milestone. AMD (NYSE:AMD) announced that
more than 1,000 software and hardware developers, OEMs, systems builders
and end users have recognized the benefits of AMD64 architecture --
an industry-standard approach to 64-bit computing that delivers simultaneous
32-bit and 64-bit performance.
"Innovating for the customer is what AMD envisioned
when forging the path to 64-bit computing," said Marty Seyer,
vice president and general manager of AMD's Microprocessor Business
Unit. "This groundswell of support reflects the growing demand
for AMD64 technology, which offers leading-edge 32-bit performance
and an easy migration path to 64-bit computing."
"Customer response has been very positive to Microsoft's recently
launched Customer Preview Programs for 64-Bit Extended Systems for
both Windows Server(R) and Windows XP," said Bob Kelly, general
manager, Windows Server Business Group, Microsoft Corp.
"AMD's role in developing customer-centric technology that
enables increased performance and scalability with 64-bit processing,
while at the same time giving customers a smooth transition path from
32- to 64-bit applications, brings investment protection to a new
height."
More information can be found at www.amd.com.
Feb 13 - New EPSON Stylus Photo RX600
Scan-Print-Copy Device. Epson is launching its most advanced scan-print-copy
device to date with the new EPSON Stylus Photo RX600. This photographic
all-in-one is designed to not only view, scan, copy and print photographs
without a computer, but also restore old slides, negatives and traditional
printed photographs. The end results are true photographic quality
prints using Epson's superior six-color photo inks at resolutions
as high as 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi.
"The Stylus Photo RX600 is without a doubt the ultimate do-it-all
solution for either traditional or digital photography," said
Steve Semos, product manager, Epson. "This product offers outstanding
versatility for virtually any photographic project, not to mention
everyday printing and copying. Furthermore, it incorporates several
of Epson's most advanced photographic technologies such as Easy Photo
Fix(TM) color restoration software, memory card slots, and a 2.5-inch
high-quality color LCD viewer, all for a very attractive price of
$349."
The Stylus Photo RX600's six-color printer uses variable-sized ink
droplets as small as three picoliters to create intensely detailed
images with natural and vibrant colors. Users can produce BorderFree(TM)
images on a variety of traditional photo paper sizes such as 4"x
6", 5"x 7", 8"x 10", letter size and even
panoramic. The printer also creates photos and text quickly, delivering
a 4"x 6" color print in about 39 seconds and up to 17 pages
per minute of black text documents.
The EPSON Stylus Photo RX600 works with both Windows and Macintosh
platforms and uses USB 2.0 High Speed connectivity and includes a
USB cable in the box. For more information on Epson and its products,
visit www.epson.com.
Feb 13 - New VoIP Technology Makes Communication
More Personal Than Ever. Did you ever think you'd be able to email
a voicemail? How about holding an extended family reunion over the
phone? From email to palm pilots to Blackberries, the Internet is
one of today's most preferred and inexpensive modes of communication.
Yet despite the speed that information travels today, it has lacked
the emotion of our voices. Now, however, new technology is vastly
improving the most basic method of communication: the phone call.
It's called Voice Over the Internet Technology and it's being praised
for revolutionizing the phone call the same way DVD's revolutionized
movie watching: by providing higher levels of quality and control
than ever before. Using a small device - about the size of an answering
machine - Internet users with a broadband connection can make their
calls from any phone over the net.
So far, AT&T seems to be leading the Voice Over the Internet
Technology Pack. Beside what industry watchers expect will be dramatic
savings off your monthly phone bill, consumer benefits include:
- A "Do Not Disturb" option where calls are automatically
routed to voicemail, only allowing select or emergency calls to ring
through
- A "Locate Me" feature that will find you on your home,
wireless, car phone or any other device that receives calls, no matter
which number your caller dialed
- The ability to view, listen to and forward your voicemails via email
- Call logs that allow you to track calls you have placed, received
or even missed
- Conference calling with up to nine people on a single connection
AT&T will start offering a Voice Over the Internet Technology
in major cities across the United States in the first quarter of 2004.
Feb 13 - VoIP Key to Boosting Broadband
Adoption. Internet telephone service could be crucial in promoting
the adoption and development of broadband, according to a new white
paper from Parks Associates. Entitled VoIP: At Last a Killer App?,
the paper found the average narrowband household could capture a net
savings of $8 per month if they upgraded to broadband and began using
a VoIP telephone service. This service combination, the report noted,
could eliminate cost as an obstacle to greater broadband adoption.
"Among narrowband households not interested in broadband, almost
60% cite price as the main deterrent," said John Barrett, analyst
with Parks Associates. "VoIP changes that equation by offering
an overall net savings if you upgrade to broadband."
To realize these savings, however, households would have to abandon
traditional phone service completely. If a household uses VoIP service
only as a second line and keeps its existing phone service, it would
pay $30 more each month.
Barrett also cautioned that pricing, packaging, and FCC regulations
could tip the scales one way or another. "Eight dollars is not
a tremendous margin," he said. "If regulatory changes cause
the cost of VoIP to increase by just a few dollars per month, the
incentive to switch disappears. Most people will not go to the trouble
if it saves only a couple bucks per month."
For additional information on VoIP, visit www.parksassociates.com.
Feb 13 - eEye Digital Security Uncovers
Dangerous Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows. eEye(R) Digital
Security, a leading developer of enterprise security software solutions,
today announced its research team uncovered two critical vulnerabilities
relating to Microsoft's Windows(R) Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1).
ASN is the method through which the syntax of messages to be exchanged
between peer applications is defined, independent of local representation.
These critical security flaws affect unpatched Windows NT, 2000, XP
and Windows Server 2003 machines. eEye's research team discovered
these vulnerabilities as early as July 2003 and worked with Microsoft
to develop a remediation solution.
Either of these ASN vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to overwrite
heap memory with arbitrary data allowing for the execution of malicious
code. Both of these flaws can be detected and subsequently exploited
remotely and have the potential to cause serious damage if not immediately
remediated.
Ironically, the security-related functionality in Windows is especially
adept at rendering a machine vulnerable to an attack. Since the ASN
library is widely used by Windows security subsystems, the vulnerability
is exposed through an array of authentication protocols. This makes
these vulnerabilities more dangerous than previous flaws that spawned
Nimda, Code Red and Sapphire worms. eEye and Microsoft have released
detailed advisories to alert Windows users of the need to immediately
remediate vulnerable machines on their networks.
"eEye's research team is in constant search of new vulnerabilities
in order to improve network security and stay a step ahead of malicious
attacks that disrupt business and result in financial loss,"
said Marc Maiffret, chief hacking officer of eEye Digital Security.
"With these new findings of potentially catastrophic vulnerabilities,
it is imperative that organizations immediately apply the appropriate
patches to ensure their systems are secure."
Retina(R) Network Security Scanner customers are already protected
against this vulnerability. It is imperative that users scan their
networks for vulnerable machines and follow the remediation instructions
provided by Retina. eEye Digital Security is a leading contributor
to network security research. For more information about upcoming
advisories, visit www.eeye.com/html/Research/Upcoming/index.html.
For more information about eEye's research team, please visit www.eeye.com/research.
Feb 12 - New IBM ThinkPad
X40: Thinnest, Lightest ThinkPad Ever. IBM today unveiled its
completely redesigned ultraportable notebook computer, the ThinkPad
X40, setting new standards for portability, battery life, and wireless
connectivity in ultraportable systems. Starting at only 2.7 pounds,
the new X40 is the lightest and thinnest ThinkPad ever and boasts
the smallest footprint in its class with a full-size keyboard.
And in a PC industry first, IBM today is also launching
Rescue and Recovery with Rapid Restore, a completely new set of tools
contained in an embedded, pre-boot emergency system. They provide
one-button relief from a broad range of common PC problems, including
viruses, missing system files, and corrupted software drivers.
By incorporating the latest ThinkVantage Technologies with the light
system design, the ultraportable ThinkPad X40 is ideal for the global
mobile user, road warriors and business travelers. Because many of
IBM's new recovery tools exist outside the PC's main operating system,
business travelers who are away from office technical support have
new options for solving PC problems -- regardless of whether Windows
will start.
Commonly described by IBM as a "lifeboat" solution, this
tool helps reduce IT support costs by enabling user self-recovery
and reducing the need for help-desk calls and desk-side visits.
"A ThinkPad like the X40 fits into our longer term vision,"
said Steve Evans, vice president of information systems for the PGA
Tour. Evans is responsible for the technology supporting PGA tournaments,
players, staff and agents.
"Since we've got over 300 players carrying ThinkPads and they
are traveling every single week, having full function in a lightweight
model will be a big benefit. The support features are just as important.
The ability to recover if there is a problem on the road is really
going to help our help desk to be effective and keep our costs down."
The ease of carrying a ThinkPad X40 into meetings, Evans said, will
help him transition to asking people to begin taking action while
he's still in the meeting, and from doing paperwork at his desk to
taking care of most duties on his notebook.
Ultimate Mobility In A Versatile Ultraportable
The ThinkPad X40 is a full 20 percent smaller and 25 percent lighter
-- 14 ounces less -- than its predecessor, the ThinkPad X31. For the
business traveler, 14 ounces translates into three cell phones; or
two digital cameras; or a bottle of water; or a pair of jeans, a sweater
and a T-shirt. It also offers a unique battery design capable of providing
the longest standard battery life of any leading brand notebook, at
up to 7.5 hours on select models with the optional 8-cell battery.
Mobile users can also combine the X40's unique battery options to
deliver all-day computing for people who take their notebooks with
them anywhere and everywhere, offering up to 10 hours of optional
battery life in a total solution that weighs less than 4 pounds.
A Powerful Ultraportable Alternative
IBM today is also announcing new models of the ultraportable ThinkPad
X31. The ThinkPad X31 now features Intel Pentium-M processors up to
1.7GHz, with a travel weight of 3.6 pounds. For organizations that
want image commonality, the X31 is compatible with the T41 and R50.
Pricing and Availability
The new ThinkPad X40 notebook and new models of the ThinkPad X31
notebook will be available on February 24 through www.ibm.com. IBM
personal computers are also available through select business partners.
Prices for the ThinkPad X40 start at $1,499, while the ThinkPad X31
starts at $1,349. For more information, see www.ibm.com/thinkpad.
Feb 12 - America Online and AT&T Wireless
Launch Simplified Mobile Instant Messaging Services. America Online
Inc., the world's leading interactive services company, and AT&T
Wireless (NYSE:AWE) today announced the availability of new mobile
instant messaging services that streamline the wireless instant messaging
(IM) experience. An embedded version of the AOL(R) Instant Messenger(TM)
(AIM(R)) service is now prominently featured on the main menu screen
of select AT&T Wireless phones, bringing the power of instant
messaging to the foreground of wireless.
AT&T Wireless customers can already access AOL(R) services via
SMS text messaging or the company's mMode(TM) service. This will be
the first time that AIM will be embedded on select AT&T Wireless
phones, just as the phonebook and text messaging features are today.
Wireless customers can now use their phones to easily stay in touch
with their online AIM and/or AOL buddies, see which buddies are logged
in when sending instant messages, and conduct real-time IM chats.
"Given the huge success of AOL Mail and AIM on mMode, we are
excited to expand our relationship with AT&T Wireless and offer
subscribers new and exciting mobile instant messaging services from
AOL," said Bill Schwebel, Vice President and General Manager,
AOL Mobile, America Online Inc. "These new mobile instant messaging
services provide added convenience to AT&T Wireless subscribers,
allowing them the ability to stay in close touch with friends, family
and co-workers while on-the-go."
"With this feature, instant messaging on wireless phones will
finally be as simple as sending a text message," said Glenice
Maclellan, vice president of messaging services at AT&T Wireless.
"Together, America Online and AT&T Wireless are making it
faster and easier for users to stay connected to their IM communities,
which we expect will drive further adoption of wireless IM services.
We believe that customers will choose to use some combination of text
messaging, instant messaging, picture messaging, and wireless email
based on individual needs and preferences," said Maclellan.
In addition to the built-in versions of the AIM and ICQ(R) services,
the IM-To-Text feature available on AT&T Wireless phones lets
AOL members and registered users of the AIM service send instant messages
directly from their desktop computers to AT&T Wireless customers
simply by addressing the IM to the phone number of the person they
want to reach. In turn, AT&T Wireless subscribers can respond
to incoming messages from their phones -- even if they don't have
an AIM or AOL screen name. With AOL's IM Forwarding feature, subscribers
also can forward incoming instant messages to their mobile phones
through the desktop settings of their AIM and ICQ service, ensuring
that their IMs follow them wherever they go.
At launch, the embedded instant messaging feature is available on
Nokia 3100 and 3200 handsets. IM-To-Text and IM Forwarding are available
on all AT&T Wireless two-way text messaging capable phones. Additional
instant messaging-enabled wireless phones will be rolled out throughout
the year. Instant messages cost $.10 each to send; all instant messages
received are free of charge. Only AT&T Wireless offers unlimited
incoming messages free of charge.
The new instant messaging software clients are based on the Wireless
Village open standard for mobile instant messaging and presence services,
which are used to exchange messages and presence information between
mobile devices and Internet-based instant messaging services. The
Wireless Village initiative lets device manufacturers such as Nokia
develop wireless applications based upon a single standard, allowing
wireless providers such as AT&T Wireless tools needed to deploy
messaging and other applications in a quick and cost-effective manner.
For more information, please visit us at www.attwireless.com.
Feb 12 - Intel Software Products To Simplify
Application Development. To simplify the development of high-performing
applications for the recently announced Intel® Pentium® 4
processors (formerly codenamed "Prescott"), Intel Corporation
today unveiled the Intel® Integrated Performance Primitives (Intel
IPP) 4.0 and Intel® Threading Tools 2.0. The Intel IPP 4.0 will
also support the Intel® Personal Internet Client Architecture
(Intel PCA) application processor codenamed "Bulverde" with
Wireless MMX™ technology due later this quarter.
The Intel IPP 4.0 software library features a common Application
Programming Interface (API) allowing developers to obtain higher-performing
applications across Intel processor-based desktop, server, mobile
and handheld platforms.
Intel Threading Tools 2.0 is a suite of software tools to help developers
optimize applications designed for Intel's family of processors that
support Hyper-Threading Technology. The new version allows developers
to run the tools and view results within the Microsoft Visual Studio*
.NET Development Environment, features one click diagnostic help to
view and resolve threading errors, and includes compiler support for
Intel® C++ Compiler, Intel® Fortran Compiler and Microsoft
Visual C++ .NET 2002 and 2003 Editions.
"With continued advancements in processor technology, there
has been an explosion of computing platforms and electronic devices,"
said Jon Khazam, general manager of Intel's Software Products Division.
"Software developers are increasingly challenged to deliver compelling
experiences that run on a number of platforms. Intel IPP and Intel
Threading Tools are designed to help developers maximize the benefits
of Intel's latest processors enabling developers to focus their efforts
on delivering new features for their applications."
"Intel IPP 4.0 enhanced multimedia capabilities have improved
our product's performance significantly," said Samuel Wu, assistant
vice president, Video DVD Product Line Director, Ulead Systems Inc.
"Because of Intel IPP cross-architecture compatibility, we are
now able to enhance our M-Style series products including Ulead VideoStudio
M-Style for Intel PCA-based devices."
"Intel Thread Checker helped Siemens by identifying issues in
software we develop and in software we purchase from third parties,"
said Andreas Dietrich, Research and Development Image Processing,
Siemens Medical Group. "We use Intel Thread Checker to improve
the quality of our software and look forward to expanding the use
of the tool in more of our software development groups."
Intel IPP provides a broad range of multimedia, voice coding, signal
processing and cryptography functions optimized for the Intel Pentium
4 processor, Intel® Itanium® 2 processor, Intel® Xeon™
processor and Intel PCA application processor. Other new features
of Intel IPP 4.0 include extended support for the latest media and
voice coding standards; extensive sample code to help accelerate software
development; and support for cryptography and string processing for
Intel-based desktop and server platforms.
Intel Threading Tools 2.0 includes Intel® Thread Checker, Intel
Thread Profiler, and Intel® VTune™ Performance Analyzer.
Intel Thread Checker locates hard-to-find bugs, the Thread Profiler
locates threading bottlenecks in Win32* or OpenMP* threaded code and
Intel VTune Performance Analyzer locates performance bottlenecks.
The Intel Threading Tools are available for Intel Pentium 4 processor
and Intel Xeon processor-based systems running Microsoft Windows*
XP Professional or Microsoft Windows Server 2003.
Intel IPP 4.0 is available for the Windows and Linux operating systems
and is offered at the suggested list price of $199. Intel Threading
Tools 2.0 is priced at $1,198. Both products are available from Intel
and resellers worldwide for download and on CD-ROM. More information
is available at www.intel.com/software.
Feb 12 - CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12
Ships. Corel today announced that it has simultaneously shipped
CorelDRAW(R) Graphics Suite 12 in eight languages to customers around
the world. Available today in English, German, French, Italian, Dutch,
Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese and Japanese, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite
12 allows users to perform many design tasks twice as fast as ever
before.
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 features an exciting new breed of intelligent
tools that deliver the power professional designers demand, while
adding the ease of use and compatibility business users require. This
comprehensive graphics suite lets customers create stunning design
projects in record time.
"Customers around the world are experiencing first hand the
dramatic impact Corel's new suite has on the way they work. An evolution
in graphics software, our new suite delivers an unsurpassed level
of intelligence that speeds the design process and delivers outstanding
professional results," said Brett Denly, Executive Vice President
of World Wide Marketing. "By giving designers and business users
powerful tools that save them valuable time when creating their graphics,
we're changing their expectations of graphics software and establishing
CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 as a critical component of the well-equipped
desktop."
Suite enhancements increase productivity:
-- New! Smart Drawing tool - Designers are able to get their ideas
down fast with professional results. Built-in intelligence automatically
recognizes shapes, smooths curves and interprets freehand line drawings
to easily create perfect shapes and objects, on the fly.
-- New! Export For Office - Designers can create stunning graphics
and easily bring them into Microsoft(R) Office and WordPerfect(R)
Office documents. An ideal companion to office suites, CorelDRAW Graphics
Suite 12 enables users to easily preview and import graphics files
into text documents, slide presentations and spreadsheets without
worrying about file format compatibility.
-- New! Dynamic Guides - With unprecedented control, users can create
a shape, draw a line, or place an object exactly where they want it,
in one step. Design time is dramatically reduced when users can create,
size and position objects easily and precisely, with fewer clicks.
-- Enhanced! Snap to Objects - Designers can now save significant
time when laying out projects by quickly and precisely drawing or
modifying objects in relation to each other. Users get real-time feedback
when mousing over snapping areas on objects and can choose to snap
to any or all of the following: Node, Intersection, Midpoint, Quadrant,
Tangent, Perpendicular, Edge of objects and lines, Center, Text Baseline
or Printable Area.
-- New! Text Features - Users can now see detailed changes to type,
including leading and kerning, regardless of the zoom level. They
can view and manipulate text on-screen with ease and enjoy the same
superior control over text as with graphics.
-- New! Unicode Support - Users can easily share files with colleagues
around the world and seamlessly incorporate multiple languages into
a single design, no matter which language version of CorelDRAW Graphics
Suite 12 is being used.
-- New! Touch-up brush - Users can remove defects (dust, scratches,
etc.) from digital images and see results in real time. This dedicated
tool performs common image/photo touch-ups by intelligently covering
unwanted areas.
Pricing and Availability
Offering unrivaled value, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 gives customers
the incredible power of three integrated graphics applications, plus
a collection of other useful tools and utilities all in one box. The
new suite includes CorelDRAW(R) 12 for illustration, page-layout and
vector drawing; Corel PHOTO-PAINT(R) 12 for professional digital imaging;
and Corel R.A.V.E.(TM) 3 for motion-graphics creation.
Built for the Windows platform, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 is available
today at the U.S. suggested retail price of $399 for the full product,
$179 for the upgrade product, and $99 for the education version.
For more information on CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 and its new features,
please visit www.corel.com/cdgs12.
A free trial version of CorelDRAW Graphics Suite 12 can be downloaded
from www.corel.com/cdgs12/trial.
Feb 12 - Internet Home Alliance Launches
Mobile Worker Pilot. Internet Home Alliance, a cross-industry
network of leading companies advancing the home technology market,
announced today the launch of its Mobile Worker Pilot, a real-world
trial of the "ideal" working environment for mobile workers
-- workers who use a PC as part of their job at least 15% of the time
and have some freedom to choose where they work.
A cross-industry collaboration involving Internet Home Alliance members
Cisco, Cushcraft, Herman Miller, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Panasonic
and Taubman Centers, the four-month test will launch in May 2004 in
a 2,400 square foot space in The Shops at Willow Bend in Plano, Texas,
a Dallas suburb home to several Fortune 500 companies. Results of
the pilot will be available to Alliance members in fall 2004 and the
public in late 2004.
The pilot is the second step in Internet Home Alliance's research
into mobile and remote workers. In July 2003, the Alliance, along
with companies Herman Miller, Motive and SimpleDay, conducted a comprehensive
study, entitled "U.S. Mobile & Remote Worker Study,"
consisting of a nationwide Web survey among 842 mobile and remote
workers and complementary ethnographic or observational research in
three major U.S. cities. The research results helped Internet Home
Alliance determine the characteristics of the "ideal" remote
working environment and uncovered broader latent (or unarticulated)
needs.
Among the key findings were the following:
-- The greater the degree of freedom workers have to choose where
they work, the more productive they are.
-- Workers with "complete" freedom to choose where they
work are significantly more likely than those with less freedom to
be "very satisfied" with their work-life balance.
-- Self-employed workers tend to have the greatest freedom to choose
where they work and, among workers who are not self-employed, managers
and sales and marketing personnel tend to have the greatest freedom.
-- Small companies -- those with fewer than 100 employees -- have
the highest concentration of workers with "complete freedom"
to choose where they work.
-- Mobile and remote workers believe the Internet and technology
are important to helping them achieve a desirable work-life balance.
-- A solid majority of workers (69%) would like the freedom to choose
where they work.
An executive summary of the "U.S. Mobile & Remote Worker
Study" is available to the public at the Alliance Web site, www.internethomealliance.com.
The full report is available to Alliance members.
The second step in this research, the Mobile Worker Pilot will test
the study's findings -- including what constitutes an "ideal"
physical environment for mobile workers -- under real-world conditions.
Internet Home Alliance will examine the overall appeal of the mobile
work environment, usage patterns, site behaviors, relative productivity
levels, technology preferences and the impact of the space on area
employers and other third parties.
For more information, visit www.internethomealliance.com.
Feb 11 - Samsung Introduces
Industry's Fastest GDDR3 Graphics Memory Device. Samsung Electronics
Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor memory technology,
today announced mass production of the industry's highest speed monolithic
memory device, a Graphics Double Data Rate 3 (GDDR3) capable of achieving
clock speeds of up to 800MHz. The GDDR3 is set to enable a new generation
of ultra-high-density graphic memory cards designed to support high-end
gaming systems, workstations and high-end portable computers.
"Our 8Mx32 GDDR3 provides customers with the fastest graphics
memory on the planet at lower power consumption than existing graphics
systems," said Mueez Deen, director of marketing for DRAM and
Graphic memory products at Samsung Semiconductor Inc., San Jose, California.
"It is a lower cost, lower power and faster alternative to equivalent
density stacked solutions today."
"NVIDIA's advanced GPU architectures combined with high speed
memory technology are paving the way for the cinematic computing age,"
said Bryn Young, director of memory marketing and sales at NVIDIA.
"With the aid of high-speed memory technology such as Samsung's
new GDDR-3 graphics memory, NVIDIA will continue to advance graphics
technology at an incredible pace so game developers have the freedom
to stretch the limits of the cinematic computing experience."
The GDDR3 graphics memory device offers an 800MHz alternative to
the industry standard GDDR1, which achieves clock speeds of up to
400MHz. It will enable high speed 256 MBytes and 512 MBytes graphics
cards as well as power efficient 128 MBytes notebook solutions. This
combination of performance and density will further enable a realistic,
cinematic experience in computer generated graphics imaging.
More information can be found at www.usa.samsungsemi.com.
Feb 11 - XMPP the First Complete IM and
Presence Protocol to be IETF-Approved. Jabber, Inc. (www.jabber.com)
today confirmed that the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has
approved the XMPP-IM specification as a proposed standard for instant
messaging and presence (http://www1.ietf.org).
This approval comes fast on the heels of the IETF's approval of XMPP-Core
as a standard protocol for presence-enabled communications. Both XMPP-Core
and XMPP-IM were contributed to the IETF by the independent Jabber
Software Foundation (JSF), and represent a formal definition of the
protocols in use by thousands of corporations, universities, governments,
and the open Jabber network.
As a proposed standard, XMPP is at the same stage of IETF ratification
as other widely used and recognized standards such as URLs (Uniform
Resource Locators), SASL (Simple Authentication and Security Layer),
and LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), amongst others.
XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) is a real-time
communications protocol, which allows people, devices and applications
to instantly communicate and exchange streaming XML data, based upon
dynamic presence and availability information. Network Computing Magazine
recently recognized XMPP as a "2004 Standard to Watch."
Widely deployed, the JSF estimates that there are 10 million worldwide
users of XMPP with more than 250,000 XMPP-based presence servers downloaded
worldwide. The JSF also notes that its growing user base exceeds that
of ICQ's by several million.
"The XMPP specifications were divided into XMPP-Core and XMPP-IM
to clearly distinguish between core XML streaming functionality, which
can be used for any presence-enabled real-time messaging application,
and IM-specific features such as contact lists and presence subscriptions,"
said Peter Saint Andre, executive director of the JSF. "With
the approval of the XMPP-IM specification, XMPP becomes the first
protocol to address all of the IETF's requirements for instant messaging
and presence technologies."
XMPP was originally developed as a means of connecting disparate
instant messaging systems, such as those deployed by AOL, Yahoo!,
and MSN. XMPP has since been used to build both commercial and open
source XML messaging and transport systems that use presence to enable
instant communications between people, applications and devices.
Jabber, Inc. is the leading commercial provider of XMPP-based solutions
and counts 4 million users of its enterprise- and carrier-grade platform
within companies that include AT&T, Lehman Brothers, EDS, Sony
Corporation, HP, France Telecom, Bell South, and others.
Feb 11 - 2004 to be Key Year for GigE.
Through discussions with vendors of LAN connectivity equipment --
NIC/LOMs and switches -- and an analysis of quarterly LAN connectivity
shipment trends through 3Q 2003, In-Stat/MDR (http://www.instat.com)
projects that 2004 will be a key year for the deployment of GigE,
and, to a much more limited extent, 10 GigE, by U.S. businesses.
According to the high-tech market research firm, most vendors cite
the rapid drop in GigE ASPs, and the growing inclusion of GigE connectivity
in business PCs by PC OEMs, as the key drivers for the growth in GigE
shipments.
However, "The most significant barrier to adoption of GigE and
10 GigE appears to be the common perception among potential customers
of the simple lack of need for a full Gigabit of bandwidth to the
desktop, or a full 10 Gigabits of bandwidth anywhere in the organization,"
said Sam Lucero, an industry analyst with In-Stat/MDR.
This theory is supported by results of a recent In-Stat/MDR survey
of business end users. In the survey, 64% of respondents cited simply
a perceived lack of need for a Gigabit of bandwidth as the primary
reason for not having deployed GigE. This was followed by the perception
that a Gigabit of bandwidth is not justified by current prices, and
the lack of budget, currently, to deploy GigE.
Other key findings from the survey include:
-- Slightly more than 54% of the respondents stated that their organizations
had not deployed GigE, in the respondents' area of responsibility.
Not surprisingly, enterprise organizations were the most likely to
have deployed GigE, while SOHO organizations were the least likely.
-- CAT5 is the most widely deployed cabling infrastructure cited
by respondents, followed by CAT5e.
-- Respondents cited the desire to prepare for future expected bandwidth
needs as the top reason for deploying GigE, followed by provisioning
sufficient bandwidth for converged networks and reducing delay/latency
in the network. This finding underscores the current lack of a "killer
app" driving GigE deployment. Essentially, deployments are being
driven by price reductions that allow customers to think of GigE as
a viable "future-proofing" connectivity option, when new
infrastructure needs to be deployed.
Feb 11 - Keeping Pace With Consumer Applications
Vital to GPS Market Expansion. Alliance and high-volume consumer
applications are strongly driving the North American Global Positioning
System (GPS) equipment markets. As prices for low-end GPS handhelds
continue to fall, inexpensive consumer access is expected to make
this a high-profile electronics market. However, profit margins per
unit are likely to fall, going down from the current 30-40% to the
10-15% range, as the market matures.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (www.aerospace.frost.com),
"North American GPS Equipment Markets," reveals that this
market generated revenues totaling $3.46 billion in 2003. Total market
revenues are expected to reach $10.77 billion in 2010.
"Most manufacturers believe that the growing number of new end
users will offset the expected margin decreases," says Frost
& Sullivan senior analyst Ron Stearns. "But they must choose
their markets carefully as competition continues to increase in high-volume
GPS-enabled applications."
Commercial margins in established, high-accuracy applications such
as land-based and hydrographic survey may stay in the 30-50 percent
range even as those in the land-based recreational handhelds and recreational
marine product sectors shrink.
As such, first-to-market technical improvements hold the key to success.
Enhanced displays, software, battery power and functionality can differentiate
new applications in this competitive market where many products offer
similar features.
Competition is also materializing for GPS in the form of Galileo
-- the planned European satellite positioning system -- which has
finally garnered funding for construction and testing. Anticipating
signal/equipment compatibility needs and developing positioning equipment
to use both GPS and Galileo can be advantageous for manufacturers.
The United States and allied forces around the world have already
become reliant on GPS as a means of weapons delivery, navigation and
location in remote locations. Now, niche applications in vehicle and
personal location are expected to attract new users to the GPS equipment
markets.
"The media attention these applications draw are further educating
potential GPS users about the technology, its capabilities, and its
impact on their everyday lives," notes Stearns.
Feb 10 - HyperTransport Consortium
Announces High-speed Release 2.0 Specification. HyperTransport(TM)
Technology Consortium today announced a major new release of the HyperTransport
Technology I/O Link Specification.
The HyperTransport Release 2.0 Specification introduces
three more powerful bus speeds and mapping to PCI Express, an emerging
I/O interconnect architecture. HyperTransport's speed capability extends
from the 1.6 Giga Transfers/second (GT/s) of Release 1.1 Specification
to 2.0, 2.4, and 2.8 GT/s using dual-data rate clocks at 1.0, 1.2,
and 1.4 Gigahertz, delivering a maximum aggregate bandwidth of 22.4
Gigabytes/second. The electrical protocols supporting the new clock
rates are backward compatible with all previous versions of the HyperTransport
electrical specifications.
"Our Release 2.0 Specification delivers the top
performance expected by the industry for its next generation computing,
communications and embedded platforms," said Mario Cavalli, General
Manager of the HyperTransport Technology Consortium. "Release
2.0's substantial speed and bandwidth extensions combined with PCI
Express bus extensibility reaffirm and consolidate HyperTransport's
long term chip-to-chip I/O technology leadership while preserving
HyperTransport's low implementation cost and the multi-million dollars
investments made by the HyperTransport Consortium members and their
considerable customer base."
"These new specifications are in response to HyperTransport
Consortium's members expectation of backward compatibility with Release
1.05 and Release 1.1 Specifications along with state-of-the-art performance,"
noted Brian Holden, Chair of the Technical Working Group, responsible
for the development of the technical specification. "We achieved
our goal of successfully increasing data throughput without a major
rework of the basic electrical specification."
"Release 2.0 Specification confirms the significant contribution
that HyperTransport has been making to the industry over recent years,"
said Gabriele Sartori, President of the HyperTransport Technology
Consortium. "Our technology empowers leading edge products like
Microsoft's Xbox, Apple's Power Mac G5, Cisco's high-end routers,
IBM's and Sun Microsystems's servers, notebooks and Tablet PC's based
on Transmeta's Efficeon-processor, and all AMD's Athlon64- and Opteron-based
PCs, servers and supercomputers."
"As the first of the high-bandwidth I/O technologies to reach
volume shipments, HyperTransport technology has already gained significant
traction in the industry," says Jim Turley, principal analyst
at SiliconInsider. "It is a further advantage for the HyperTransport-based
industry to have a defined roadmap to faster performance and clean
mapping to emerging I/O links."
About HyperTransport(TM) Technology
HyperTransport chip-to-chip interconnect technology is a universal
CPU to I/O connection technology that replaces existing multi-level
buses in systems such as personal computers, servers, embedded architectures
and high performance appliances. It provides extremely high bandwidth,
frequency scalability, low implementation cost, and software compatibility
with legacy Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), PCI-X and PCI
Express technologies.
HyperTransport technology delivers state-of the-art bandwidth by means
of easy-to-implement Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS) point-to-point
links, delivering increased data throughput while minimizing signal
crosstalk and EMI. It employs a packet-based data protocol to eliminate
many sideband (control and command) signals and supports asymmetric,
variable width data paths.
HyperTransport technology is embedded in multiple CPU families from
AMD, Broadcom, PMC-Sierra and Transmeta and it has established a significant
presence in a number of key market sectors. It is licensed on a royalty-free
basis by the HyperTransport Technology Consortium. A full list of
HyperTransport-based products and HyperTransport Consortium's member
companies can be found at: www.hypertransport.org.
Feb 10 - Canon's New 10X Zoom 'PowerShot
S1 IS' Camera Brings Digital Photos and Digital Video Together.
The era of the two-in-one camera for capturing vacations, birthday
parties, anniversaries, graduations, baby's first steps or any other
family function or momentous milestone has arrived thanks to Canon
and the all new PowerShot S1 IS digital camera. Indeed, capturing
moving video memories of special occasions is no longer a reason for
compromise when it comes to image resolution, sound reproduction and
movie "clip" duration from a digital camera.
"With this new PowerShot S1 IS digital camera, Canon pushes
the optical imaging envelope as consumers enjoy the quality of a digital
still camera with video capabilities substantially enhanced over other
digital cameras," stated Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president
and general manager of the consumer imaging group at Canon U.S.A.,
Inc, a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE: CAJ). "At the same time,
the camera's 10x zoom combined with Canon's advanced Image Stabilization
system gives still photographers greater flexibility and stability
for long-range, hand-held telephoto shooting."
Unlike other digital cameras with short duration movie mode features
that capture a clip ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes depending
on the resolution, the PowerShot S1 IS digital camera captures full
640 x 480 high-res movies at up to 30 frames per second, ensuring
smooth video motion. What's more, individual movie clips can now last
as long as one hour depending on the capacity of the memory card or
the charge in the battery.
Hashimoto emphasized that the PowerShot S1 IS digital camera equipped
with a fast, one-gigabyte compact flash card -- now readily available
and easily affordable in the digital marketplace -- will record a
solid-hour of continuous movies. Additionally, the PowerShot S1 IS
digital camera is compatible with Type 1 and Type II CF cards up to
and over 2GB in size, making its movie capture capability "virtually
unlimited for all practical purposes."
The movie mode enhancements also include the ability to zoom and
change auto exposure and auto white balance settings during a movie
clip. They feature enhanced 16 bit sound quality with 22 KHz sampling
frequency (double that of any other PowerShot camera model in movie
mode) and an easily accessed movie start/stop button on the back of
the camera are impressive advances, the PowerShot S1 IS is first and
foremost, a Canon digital camera.
In stores April, the Canon PowerShot S1 IS digital camera kit includes
two dedicated software CDs, four AA Alkaline batteries, a neckstrap,
a lens cap, USB and AV cables and a 32MB CompactFlash card as well
as printed manuals and a Canon USA limited warranty card. The estimated
street price will be $499.00.
For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.
Feb 10 - Cypress's TetraHub Technology
Lets Users Operate Multiple Full-Speed USB Devices. Cypress Semiconductor
Corp. (NYSE:CY), the market share leader in USB, today announced that
its TetraHub(TM) USB hub controller chips are shipping in a new multiport
hub being announced this week by Belkin, the world's leading manufacturer
of USB hub devices.
Cypress's TetraHub technology provides end-users of Belkin's new TetraHub
(F5U231) four-port USB hub a significant increase in device performance
and productivity.
Cypress's TetraHub chip (CY7C65640) is the industry's first USB hub
controller to integrate one "transaction translator" (TT)
in each downstream port, delivering a full 12 Mbps of bandwidth to
each connected full-speed USB peripheral. Transaction translators
are crucial in ensuring the forward and backward compatibility of
USB 1.1 and 2.0 devices. Competing hubs force connected peripherals
to share a single 12 Mbps data channel, which can bottleneck data
and render a system inoperable when multiple devices are used simultaneously.
"The PC has evolved into a multimedia studio, with CD burners,
DVD players, video and storage devices competing for system bandwidth,"
said Paul Novell, managing director of the Wired Business Unit of
Cypress Semiconductor's Personal Communications Division. "Why
should you have to wait for your CD to finish burning before you can
start on other projects? Cypress's TetraHub technology eliminates
the 'downtime penalty' of single-TT hubs, enabling end-users to enjoy
the full potential of their peripheral devices."
"Today's peripherals are much more sophisticated than in the
past," said Gavin Downey, business unit manager, at Belkin. "Digital
cameras, speakers, scanners and other multimedia devices consume considerable
bandwidth that must be shared in a traditional multi-port hub. Leveraging
Cypress's TetraHub technology, Belkin's new hub allows consumers to
enjoy the full capabilities of these devices."
More information about Cypress is accessible online at www.cypress.com.
Belkin products are available through www.belkin.com.
Feb 10 - Survey Indicates that U.S. Cable
TV Operators are Capitalizing on Expanded Digital Services. With
total cable TV subscriber growth flattening out, long-term revenue
gains for operators are contingent upon the introduction of, and expansion
of, new digital video, data and voice services, according to In-Stat/MDR's
(www.instat.com) sixth annual
survey of 50 U.S. cable TV system operators.
The past year has underlined that the competitive nature of multi-channel
TV service providers is only going to get tougher in the years to
come. However, the high-tech market research firm reports that even
with increasing competitive challenges, most U.S. cable operators
indicate that they remain committed to the industry's core strategies.
These include increasing the availability of advanced digital services,
such as digital cable TV, cable modem, and cable telephony services,
increasing total revenue-per-customer by packaging or bundling several
services together, and reaching a cash flow positive position while
continuing to reduce their debt levels.
Most respondents to In-Stat/MDR's survey reported that penetration
of their digital cable TV services is currently averaging around 30%
of their subscriber base. However, cable operators seem optimistic
about the possibility for strong and continued growth, indicating
that they can eventually achieve 50%, or higher, take rates for their
ever-expanding menu of digital services.
In addition, survey questions about the "triple-play"
mix of video, data and voice telephone services showed that the bundle's
popularity is on the rise. The good news for U.S. cable operators
is that there's still plenty of room to grow. Seventy percent of the
survey respondents who currently offer digital video services are
under 50% penetration, 70% of the respondents are less than 40% penetration
on their high-speed data services, and only 14% of the respondents
currently offer cable telephony services.
The survey also revealed that:
-- Across the U.S. cable industry, high-definition TV services are
more widely available than Video-on-Demand services. Personal video
recorder (PVR) services are also experiencing rapid growth.
-- Nearly two-thirds of the cable operators in the survey stated
that their systems offered at least 750 MHz of available bandwidth.
-- CableLabs developed the CableCARD specification to enable a TV
set to decode encrypted content delivered from cable TV systems without
using a set top box. Seven survey respondents reported that they plan
to support CableCARD devices on their systems within the next 12 months,
indicating growing industry awareness of "plug & play"
devices.
Feb 09 - Gateway and eMachines,
The New Frontier? Last week, Gateway announced intent to acquire
eMachines Inc. for $235 million, making it the third-largest computer
company in the U.S.
The planned acquisition was announced at a media conference exactly
one day after Gateway posted an eleventh straight quarterly loss.
Unlike its purchaser, eMachines has been profitable for nine consecutive
quarters, due to a dramatic turnaround under Wayne Inouye, CEO of
eMachines.
The key to eMachines’ profitability lies in a tightly run operations
model; the company’s sales, general and administrative cost (SG&A)
is amongst the lowest in the industry, a model for which Inouye can
largely be credited.
ARS believes one of the major reasons Gateway is acquiring eMachines
is to leverage the success Inouye has seen and lower SG&A expenses
with a goal of becoming profitable in 2005. This fact alone suggests
that a major focus of the integration of the two companies will be
to significantly reduce the operational costs at Gateway soon after
the merger is approved to create a leaner, more dynamic operations
structure.
Moving forward, the companies will focus on scale and rapid consumer
electronics growth, which Ted Waitt, CEO of Gateway, indicated was
likely to come primarily through digital television and digital camera
products. In doing so, the companies must leverage eMachines’
domestic and global distribution, established retail relationships,
low-cost structures and savings through best practices.
Channel Analysis
Beyond eMachines’ enviable low-cost structure; the company
has a lot more to offer than Gateway in terms of “retail reach.”
eMachines has well-established alliances with some of retail’s
heaviest hitters such as Best Buy, Circuit City and Wal-Mart –
to name just a few. For a brand integrator like Gateway, these alliances
could form a perfect pathway for its newly established and growing
line of consumer electronics (CE) products.
If Gateway is successful in penetrating retail in this manner, even
rival Dell’s CE group would be envious of the advantageous position.
Gateway may eventually consider closing its costly 190 Gateway Stores.
ARS joins most analysts in the believed inevitability of some store
closures in the near future.
PC Industry Analysis
In terms of Gateway’s PC business, the company does not intend
to offer Gateway-branded computers through mainstream retail. Instead,
Gateway will continue to sell its own computers –including server
and storage products- through direct channels and/or through Gateway
Stores. On the contrary, all eMachines-branded products will continue
to be sold through the retail channel exclusively.
Noteworthy is the recently improved position of eMachines’ desktop
PC offering. Following a failure to boost overall average selling
price (ASP) and sell high-end desktops over two years ago, eMachines
made several inroads in the improvement in the overall quality of
its product, placement, service and brand mindshare. To that end,
eMachines has just recently been able to post significant gains in
the low-end, sub-$500 PC market as well as several PCs selling successfully
within the ‘sweet spot’ range between $600 and $800.
Beyond offering a much more competitively-priced product line than
Gateway, eMachines is responsible for delivering some of its own “disruptive”
pricing in offering the first rewritable DVD drive clad machine for
under $800. More recently, eMachines posted a first-to-market win
for its AMD 64-bit Athlon 64-based computer selling for $1,299.
But in the notebook space, eMachines is still considered a new player.
Gateway, which offers a diversified lineup of entry-level, mid-range,
and high-end systems, has seen success in this market. To continue
its push, eMachines must look to leverage Gateway’s experience
and presence in the notebook space into its own product strategy and
roadmap.
eMachines’ desktop PC momentum has been so solid that if it
wasn’t for it’s naïveté in the notebook market
and the absence of servers, storage and commercial PC penetration
in general, ARS could see Gateway turning the entire PC business over
to eMachines. In fact, Gateway’s notebook experience and small
business PC following are the two foremost advantages it has to offer
eMachines as a company.
Who Stands to Win?
Ultimately, it is Gateway that stands to benefit the most from this
deal. There are many complexities in a merger like this one, but eMachines’
low-cost survival strategies, profitability, retail reach and recent
international success in Europe and Asia all hold promise if Gateway
can implement effectively.
ARS can be found on the Web at www.ars1.com.
Feb 09 - Nextel Testing Wireless Broadband
Service. Nextel(R) Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:NXTL) announced
today that it will trial a wireless broadband service in the Raleigh-Durham,
N.C. market using Flarion Technologies' FLASH-OFDM(R) technology.
The trial will begin later this month and will offer participants
highly secure, high-speed, IP-based broadband access with the full
mobility of wireless service.
Participants in the trial will include employees from select Nextel
enterprise customers, including Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO),
Nortel Networks (NYSE/TSX:NT) and IBM (NYSE:IBM). They will be able
to take full advantage of average downlink speeds of up to 1.5 megabits
per second (mbps) with burst rates of up to 3.0 mbps, making the service
comparable to DSL and cable broadband services. The service will be
up to 50 times faster than dial-up connections with the added benefit
of being untethered.
"Nextel is exploring the market for a broadband service with
Flarion because we are committed to offering our customers innovative,
valuable services that help them to be more effective and more efficient.
Nextel is considering a number of interesting technologies and this
market trial will help us understand how the wireless broadband service
performs, how valuable it is to our customers and what the market
is likely to pay for it. With Flarion, we will explore the market
appetite for innovative wireless solutions that meet the needs of
our customers whether they work in a home office or a large enterprise,"
said Tom Kelly, chief operating officer, Nextel.
The announcement of this market trial follows recent news that Nextel
is deploying WiDEN, which will increase its current packet data speed
up to four times for the nominal cost of what is effectively a software
upgrade to its iDEN network. In the Raleigh-Durham market trial, Nextel
will provide wireless broadband access on laptop and desktop computers,
pocket PCs and other similar devices.
Wireless broadband service provides the freedom to connect without
constraints - no wires, no connection time, no need to be restricted
or tethered to the home or office and no searching for WiFi hot spots.
Flarion's fourth-generation (4G) mobile broadband technology is Internet-protocol-friendly,
which will allow trial participants to easily connect to their main
databases and run applications. The wireless broadband service will
operate on a specialized network separate from Nextel's iDEN network,
which enables Nextel's 4-in-1 services, including Nationwide Direct
Connect(R), cellular voice, cellular wireless Internet access and
short messaging.
"Flarion Technologies' system will enable users of Nextel's
wireless broadband service to be more productive in their busy lives.
People don't stay in one spot all day and neither should their broadband
service," said Ray Dolan, chairman & CEO, Flarion Technologies.
"Nextel and Flarion Technologies make a great partnership since
both companies believe in developing visionary technology that fulfills
the needs of real people who work in today's business environment."
Nextel has seen impressive results with Flarion's wireless broadband
technology during extensive lab testing. During the upcoming market
trial, Nextel will evaluate its wireless broadband service - including
network performance and customer demand and satisfaction - under real
world conditions. The trial is scheduled to run for a minimum of six
months, and will not have a material impact on Nextel's financial
results in 2004.
Nextel can be found online at www.nextel.com.
Feb 09 - Clearswift's MIMEsweeper Products
Stop Employees from Downloading Junk. A combination of MAILsweeper
for SMTP and MIMEsweeper for Web, Clearswift's content security solutions
block employees from viewing, downloading and e-mailing the Janet
Jackson breast baring incident that occurred at the Super Bowl this
past weekend. The image, according to the National Post on Feb. 2,
2004, has become the most downloaded image from the Internet in that
24-hour period.
A combined e-mail and Web monitoring solution is important for organizations
that don't want inappropriate material in their work environments
and are concerned about the network bandwidth and storage space used
by employees who view nonwork-related material during business hours.
MIMEsweeper for Web scans an employee's surfing habits and can stop
the download of specific attachments such as the Jackson video by
blocking Web sites that contain the clip. If an employee attempts
to pass the clip via e-mail, it can be stopped at the SMTP gateway
and sent to quarantine or removed.
According to Clearswift, whose MIMEsweeper content security products
protect against such threats, files such as the Janet Jackson clip,
when passed around an office, can have a multiplier effect -- monopolizing
bandwidth and crippling productivity. Other e-cards and graphic images
can also get corporations into legal trouble because of their potential
to distribute discriminatory or offensive material over corporate
networks.
"The Janet Jackson clip could produce huge headaches for organizations,"
said Greg Hampton, vice president of Clearswift. "Over the past
couple of years, images such as this are presenting significant problems
for network personnel by devouring bandwidth and eating up both network
and personal productivity. There is also the legal risk of having
something risque like this floating around a company via e-mail."
Companies have a legal responsibility to protect their staff from
inappropriate e-mail content or risk expensive legal action. A clear
and thorough e-mail policy is the basis for addressing a company's
security issues. To be effective, that policy must be consistently
enforced. Software such as MIMEsweeper can identify and eliminate
e-mail threats and policy breaches.
More information about Clearswift, its products and services is available
at www.clearswift.com.
Feb 08 - Sunday Shopping
Watch
Best Sunday Deals - See our Best Sunday
Ad Deals Table below for specific system prices.
Weekly Comparison. Something about Valentine's
Day is causing computer prices to drop. A very good weekend to buy
a new computer or peripheral.
This Sunday's Special Discounts and Financing.
In addition to sales on specific items, the following store-wide sales
are advertised this week. (Note that these
ads are for the Dayton, Ohio area. Prices or offerings may be different
where you live.)
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