Feb 29 - Sunday Shopping Watch.
Best Sunday Deals - See our Best
Sunday Ad Deals Table below for specific system prices.
Weekly Comparison. Not a weekend of big sales.
They are still some good desktop deals, but laptops have returned
to regular prices.
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 18 month no-interest financing on all
desktop packages and laptops, and $150 mail-in rebate on advertised
laptops and desktop packages.
Circuit City is offering
12 months no interest financing, and up to $150 mail-in rebates
on advertised desktop packages and notebooks.
Office
Depot
has rebates on advertised PCs.
CompUSA has no store-wide
promotions on computers this Sunday.
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.
|
Best Sunday Ad Deals
|
|
Category
|
Product Description
|
Price* (see above)
|
Prices up or Down this Week
|
Store
|
|
1. Best Celeron Deal
|
eMachines 2.6 GHz complete system
with 17" monitor
|
$389
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
2. Best Celeron Deal
|
eMachines 2.8 GHz complete system
with 17" monitor
|
$469
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
Best Pentium 4 System
|
Sony 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with HT Technology, 15 inch flat panel, and DVD-RW
|
$1269
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
1. Best AMD Athlon XP System
|
Compaq Athlon 2800+ complete system
with 17 inch monitor
|
$639
|
+$20
|
Circuit City
|
|
2. Best AMD Athlon XP System
|
HP Athlon 3000+ complete system with
17 inch monitor and DVD-RW drive
|
$719
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
3. Best AMD Athlon XP System
|
HP Athlon 3200+ complete system
with 17 inch monitor and DVD-RW
|
$849
|
-
|
CompUSA
|
|
Best AMD Athlon 64 System
|
None Advertised
|
|
|
|
|
1. Best Low-cost Laptop
|
HP Athlon 2500+ with DVD/CD-RW
|
$849
|
-
|
Best Buy, Office Depot
|
|
1. Best Low-cost Laptop
|
Toshiba 2.6 GHz Celeron with DVD/CD-RW
|
$849
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
1. Best High-end Notebook
|
Toshiba widescreen Centrino 1.4
GHz with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1449
|
-
|
CompUSA
|
|
2. Best High-end Notebook
|
Compaq widescreen Centrino 1.4 GHz
with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1449
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
3. Best High-end Notebook
|
HP widescreen Pentium 4 3.06 GHz
with Hyper Threading, and DVD-RW
|
$1849
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
|
|
Peripherals and Software
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Seagate 120 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
with 8 MB buffer
|
$69
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Seagate 160 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
with 8 MB buffer
|
$79
(after rebates)
|
-$10
|
CompUSA
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Western Digital 250 GB 7200 RPM Hard
Drive with 8 MB buffer
|
$139
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
ATI Radeon 9800XT 256 MB
|
$399
(after rebates)
|
-
|
CompUSA
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Sony 52X CD-RW
|
$49
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Circuit City, Office Depot
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
TDK 8X DVD-RW
|
$169
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
|
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 27 - Intel COO Outlines Wireless
Strategy at 3GSM World Congress. Otellini Predicts Co-existence
of Multiple Broadband Wireless Technologies, Shows New Multi-Mode
Reference Platform for Cell Phones
Intel President and COO Paul Otellini today outlined Intel's plans
for the growing wireless silicon market, focusing on the co-existence
of broadband wireless technologies and the impact of Moore's Law
on the cellular and handheld market segments. Otellini was speaking
at the 3GSM World Congress 2004, the wireless industry's largest
annual event.
"The wireless industry is evolving from a web of independent
networks into a single, integrated wireless network with multiple
standards, and no single standard is sufficient anymore,"
Otellini said. "There won't be a battle of competing technologies.
It will be a requirement that Wi-Fi, WiMAX, and 3G coexist; and
that coexistence is going to enable a host of exciting new applications
and business models."
At 3GSM Intel also disclosed details of its next generation cellular
and baseband processors, including a dual mode UMTS/wide-band
CDMA (WCDMA) solution with an advanced receiver architecture that
helps maintain higher quality signals and fewer dropped calls
for phones operating on 3G networks. The upcoming family of processors,
code-named Hermon, also features full videoconferencing capability.
During his keynote address, Otellini discussed how Moore's Law
would impact the cellular and handheld market segments, and said
the move to standards-based silicon would enable carriers and
handset makers to lower costs and speed time-to-market capabilities.
He also discussed the industry transition to modular communications
infrastructure based on standards such as the Advanced Telecommunications
and Computing Architecture (ATCA) specification and Intel processing
technology.
"Our track record of innovation and integration -- putting
more functionality in a smaller footprint -- will have a profound
effect on these market segments where cost is a critical factor,"
Otellini said. As part of the discussion on Moore's Law, Otellini
outlined some of Intel's research efforts in software-driven radio
and reiterated the company's long-term vision to eventually put
multi-protocol radios on to every chip it builds.
He also unveiled a new three-radio reference design for cell
phones with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GSM/GPRS capability built-in,
running Intel's latest applications processor and Intel StrataFlash(R)
memory. The phone supports multiple full-featured operating systems,
plays MP3 music files with PC-quality sound, and includes a 1.3
mega pixel digital camera for pictures and video. Intel's reference
design offers handset makers who want to provide cell phones capable
of accessing high-speed wireless networks -- Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
or 2.5G -- a complete platform to work from.
Otellini concluded his remarks by focusing on the significant
WiMAX opportunity over the next several years. He predicted a
WiMAX "inflection point" in the 2006-2008 timeframe
similar to what happened with Wi-Fi over the past few years, and
said WiMAX capability would be available in notebook computers
by 2006, followed by handsets in 2007.
Intel is developing standardized, high-performance silicon to
address all of the multiple broadband wireless technologies, as
well as a range of products for modular communications networks
that will be crucial in the deployment of broadband wireless.
It will begin shipping its first WiMAX chips later this year.
Industry Support
In related news at 3GSM, Siemens Information and Communication
Mobile Group announced the introduction of a new standards-based
telecom architecture designed to speed development time and simplify
mobile service deployment for carriers. The platform is based
on the ATCA specification and will be developed using compute
and network processors from Intel.
In addition, Intel said ASUSTek, one of the leading manufacturers
in Taiwan, will develop a new series of feature phones based on
Intel's PXA800F cellular processor, and new smart phones based
on Intel's Hermon processors as well as Intel's next generation
applications processor.
Also, Intel and Orange, a leader in mobile communications and
mobile-based services and applications, said they will work together
to bring a number of next-generation cell phones to market with
compelling wireless applications and services.
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer
of computer, networking and communications products. Additional
information about Intel is available at www.intel.com.
Feb 27 - MX Logic Warns MyDoom.f Mass
Mailing Worm Attempts to Advance Political Agenda. MX Logic,
Inc., a leading provider of innovative email defense solutions
that ensure email protection and security for enterprises, service
providers, government organizations, resellers and their customers,
today announced that MyDoom.f, a variant of the virulent MyDoom
-- the fastest propagating mass mailing worm in history, has reached
a critical threat level, with one in every 46 emails infected.
"While MyDoom.f has not come close to the unprecedented
propagation rate of its predecessor -- MyDoom/Novarg -- it does
represent a growing trend of leveraging the vast population of
insecure broadband PCs as weapons for distributed denial of service
attacks to further a political agenda," said Scott Chasin,
chief technology officer, MX Logic.
"This latest variant is a typical aftershock that usually
occurs after a massive worm infection, such as what we saw with
the original MyDoom. However, what is interesting about these
latest worm trends is that they are very politically motivated.
More than your curious teenage hacker at work; these attacks are
stemming from groups seeking to make a statement on some of today's
most controversial technology issues."
MX Logic first spotted MyDoom.f on Monday, Feb. 23, 2004, and
began blocking the email on behalf of its more than 1,000 enterprise
and service provider customers immediately. The mass mailing worm
uses a variety of subject lines and arrives in an inbox as a .zip
or .bat file.
When the attachment is opened, the computer plants a "backdoor"
program that lets the worm author send commands to the infected
machine, possibly instructing the worm to distribute more infected
email or enable IP spoofing capabilities. MyDoom.f has excluded
certain domains from its attack -- Panda, Sophos, Hotmail, MSN,
.gov and .mil. The MyDoom.f worm is targeting the Web sites of
Microsoft and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
On an average day, MX Logic's Threat Center blocks more than
9,000 instances of various email viruses and worms. During the
height of the initial MyDoom mass mailing worm outbreak in late
January, MX Logic's Threat Center saw 1,200 MyDoom infected emails
per second. MX Logic anticipates that MyDoom.f will peak over
the upcoming weekend, when email users log onto their home PCs,
where security measures are typically less rigorous than in a
corporate environment.
For more information, visit www.mxlogic.com.
Feb 27 - Toshiba Introduces Affordable
Notebook PC for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses. Toshiba's
Digital Products Division (DPD) today introduced the Satellite(R)
A40-S270 wireless notebook PC designed for small and medium-sized
businesses and educational customers looking for an affordable
and feature-rich mobile PC.
Priced at $1,429, the new offering includes Microsoft(R) OneNote(TM)
2003 digital note-taking program allowing mobile professionals
to easily capture, organize, share and manage data for maximum
productivity.
The Satellite A40-S270 also features as an option the Microsoft
Office XP Small Business Edition 2003 software for added effectiveness
in completing business tasks such as tracking customer activities
and developing marketing/sales materials.
Newly designed in a sleek blue chassis, the Satellite A40-S270
is ready to handle power-intensive business tasks such as multimedia
presentations and spreadsheets while allowing users to remain
mobile. For added flexibility and productivity, the new unit features
integrated Wi-Fi(R) (802.11g) wireless connectivity allowing users
to keep competitive by staying connected to employees, the secured
network, customers and suppliers in or out of their organization.
Availability
The Satellite A40-S270 is available for immediate purchase via
Toshiba's traditional distribution channels, VARs, shoptoshiba.com
and mail order channels.
Feb 27 - Gartner Forecasts Worldwide
Semiconductor Revenue to Increase 23 Percent in 2004. The
worldwide semiconductor industry continues to gain momentum from
last year, and worldwide semiconductor revenue is projected to
reach $217 billion in 2004, a 22.6 percent increase from 2003,
according to preliminary quarterly estimates by Gartner, Inc.
"A tighter supply environment in 2004 will bring increased
revenue and profitability to the industry, and as semiconductor
vendor financials improve, capital spending should increase,"
said Richard Gordon, research vice president for Gartner. "Overall
fab utilization is currently running in excess of 95 percent,
which is about 10 points higher than the traditional trigger point
for additional capital spending in the industry."
The 2004 forecast is deliberately conservative. Even though many
of the traditional supply side fundamentals point to strong growth,
Gartner analysts said there are some doubts about the demand side
of the market. There is a concern whether consumers will continue
to spend on electronics goods while businesses are still being
cautious about investing in IT.
"However, price stability and lengthening lead times are
already impacting some device markets, such as memories, and should
this become more pervasive, revenue growth could easily exceed
30 percent," Gordon said.
Increased capital spending in 2004 inevitably will mean increased
manufacturing capacity in 2005, which will lead to an easing of
supply constraints, shorter lead times and softer pricing. However,
Gartner analysts said 2005 still represents the peak year in the
forthcoming industry up cycle, with revenue forecast to exceed
$245 billion . By 2006, over-capacity will drive device pricing
lower, resulting in a mild revenue decline of 2.3 percent.
Over the past two years, consumer spending, specifically on digital
cellular handsets and digital consumer electronics, has driven
semiconductor demand. More recently, additional semiconductor
demand has been fueled by a PC upgrade cycle, especially in the
enterprise market. As the global economic recovery continues to
gather pace, a widespread improvement in semiconductor demand
is expected across all application segments, especially in the
important wired communications sector.
More information on Gartner's semiconductor research can be found
in the Gartner Semiconductor Focus Area at www.gartner.com/semiconductors.
Feb 27 - InterVideo WinDVD Hits 75
Million Users. InterVideo, Inc. (Nasdaq:IVII), announced today
that more than 75 million copies of WinDVD(R), the leading software
for watching DVDs on a PC, have been sold worldwide since it was
launched in 1999.
Winner of more than a dozen editor's choice awards in the U.S.
and around the globe, WinDVD 5 is now available in two versions:
WinDVD Gold 5, the standard consumer edition; and WinDVD Platinum
5, InterVideo's high-end version with enhanced video and multi-channel
audio capabilities.
"WinDVD's success is an ongoing team effort," said
Steve Ro, founder and CEO of InterVideo. "We knew we had
a winner in 1999 and have continued to advance the software DVD
player industry by adding new technologies and new features that
consumers want. Every employee at every InterVideo facility around
the globe deserves a personal thank you for their dedication and
contribution. We're all looking forward to the next milestone."
WinDVD was among the first DVD players to include DivX(R) support
and Dolby(R) Virtual Speaker Technology and Dolby Headphone Technology
for replicating rich, surround sound audio over only two speakers.
Other WinDVD features include Advanced Screen Capture options
that let users grab screen shots for emailing or setting as wallpaper,
InterVideo's proprietary Time-stretching technology that lets
users watch a movie in the time they have, and TV-out support
that combines with a TV-out board for using a PC as a living room
DVD player. With Video Desktop, users can watch movies while working
and checking their email.
Both the Gold and Platinum versions of WinDVD 5 include InterVideo
Mobile Technology to help users extend the battery life and playback
time of mobile PCs featuring Intel(R)'s new Centrino(TM) mobile
technology and other Intel notebook processors.
With InterVideo's optional DVD-Audio Add-on Pack, users can easily
navigate DVD-Audio discs and enjoy the extra features of the format
such as higher-quality audio, slide shows, browseable pictures
and more.
WinDVD 5's new InterActual Add-on Pack enables users to enjoy
the pristine resolution enabled by Microsoft(R) Windows Media(R)
9 Series (WMV HD). In addition to playback support for the high-definition
DVD discs, the software provides access to features such as playback
tracks, games, printables and photo galleries. When videos enhanced
with Web links are played, WinDVD users will have transparent
access to interactive content that developers can regularly update
such as commentaries, historical backgrounders and online contests.
Pricing, Availability
InterVideo markets WinDVD 5 to consumers and hardware OEMs, including
manufacturers of PCs, video cards, camcorders, disk drives and
consumer electronics products. It can be used with PC and laptop
computers running Windows(R) 98/2000/Me/XP.
WinDVD 5 is available at InterVideo's web site at www.intervideo.com
and at retail outlets around the world. Suggested list prices
are $49.95 for WinDVD Gold 5 and $69.95 for WinDVD Platinum 5.
Available at InterVideo's web site, the DVD-Audio Add-on Pack
is priced at $39.95 and the InterActual Add-on Pack is priced
at $19.95.
Visit the company's Web site at www.intervideo.com.
Feb 26 - Intel And Sony Music Put
PC-Quality Music Videos In The Palm Of Your Hand. Intel Corporation
and Sony Music Entertainment (SMEI) today announced the availability
of a new application and service as a result of the strategic
relationship announced last October by the two companies.
Intel and SMEI have created a mobile high-quality music video
application that enables users to access "short form"
music videos and other Sony Music Entertainment content for playback
on powerful cellphones and PDAs powered by Intel applications
and cellular processors. The application and related support infrastructure
will be available to carriers and OEMs worldwide in the second
quarter on Intel processor-based cellphones running Microsoft®
Windows Mobile Smartphone 2002 and 2003.
"Music ringtones and mastertones have quickly become popular
apps for mobile devices," said Sam Arditi, Co- General Manager
of Intel's Cellular and Handheld Group. "Up to now, the quality
of mobile video hasn't been great, but with this new application,
consumers can enjoy a whole new world of high-quality video entertainment
on their cellphones and PDAs."
The new mobile music video application, developed by Intel, Sony
Music and Emuzed, a third-party applications developer, will be
demonstrated at the Intel booth in Hall 4, Stand K24 and The Music
Portal demo in Hall 2, Stand D067 at 3GSM World Congress in Cannes,
France during the week of February 23rd. The demonstration will
feature premium content pre-optimized, formatted and provided
by Sony Music.
"This new application represents the first fruit of our
collaborative labors, and we believe it will set a new standard
for mobile wireless video," remarked Thomas Gewecke, Senior
Vice President, Business Development, Sony Music Digital Services
. "Through this relationship with Intel we are looking to
realize the many capabilities inherent in Intel's Personal Internet
Client Architecture, and by optimizing our products for this powerful
platform, hope to deliver to customers a truly compelling end-user
experience."
When this application is activated it shows a "splash page."
On the main page the category browser presents users with content
categories such as What's New, Hot Videos, Interviews and Legends
of Music, which can be selected with the handset's navigational
buttons or joystick. The user can then select a content category
to navigate the list of video content available. The video detail
page displays the name of the artist, the name of the song, and
a customized call to action [CAT] message, for example, "Jennifer
Lopez's new record The Reel Me in stores now."
About Intel
Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer
of computer, networking and communications products. Additional
information about Intel is available at www.intel.com.
Feb 26 - New AMD Opteron Processor-Based
HP ProLiant Servers. HP (NYSE:HPQ)(Nasdaq:HPQ) and AMD today
announced an expanded collaboration to broaden HP's standards-based
server portfolio with the introduction of AMD Opteron(TM) processor-based
systems in the HP ProLiant server family. The companies have agreed
to work together to drive next-generation server capabilities
through a multi-year purchasing, marketing and technology collaboration
agreement.
"HP's Adaptive Enterprise strategy assures customers that
they will have the broadest choice of industry standard-based
platforms to meet their evolving business needs," said Brad
Anderson, senior vice president and general manager, Industry
Standard Servers, HP. "The AMD Opteron processor is an evolution
of current x86 architectures that can provide immediate performance
advantages in 32- bit environments, accelerate ISV adoption and
further advance the future of 64-bit ecosystems."
"HP, the market leader for servers, has chosen the AMD Opteron
processor to help expand their product offerings," said Marty
Seyer, vice president and general manager, Microprocessor Business
Unit, AMD. "Their decision to incorporate AMD Opteron processors
in the ProLiant family confirms AMD's momentum in the enterprise
and HP's commitment to providing customers more choice on industry-standard
platforms."
As part of today's announcement, HP introduced new industry-standard
ProLiant servers featuring the AMD Opteron processor, including
the ProLiant DL145, a two- processor server, and DL585, a four-processor
workhorse, as well as plans for future blade servers (for details,
see HP news release entitled, "HP Broadens Customer Choice
with Expansion of Industry-leading Standards-based Server Portfolio").
"Yahoo! is pleased to see HP ProLiant servers using the
AMD Opteron processor. With all of the dependability and functionality
we expect from the ProLiant line, this is a welcome addition that
makes a lot of sense for Yahoo!," said Kevin Timmons, senior
director of Operations, Yahoo!.
"We are very excited by HP's enhancement of its HPC roadmap
by the addition of AMD Opteron processor-based ProLiant server
nodes for large-scale clusters," said Mike Levine and Ralph
Roskies, co-scientific directors, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center.
"By providing a choice of HPC solutions, based on both ProLiant
and Integrity servers, HP is well-positioned to maintain its leadership
in HPC."
Working with AMD expands HP's unique ability to deliver industry-standard
solutions to all computing tiers of the data center. With its
full line of ProLiant servers, HP provides customers extensive
value, support and technical expertise. AMD Opteron processor-based
ProLiant servers offer customers cutting-edge 32- and 64-bit solutions
that position HP for accelerated growth in specific markets, including
high-performance computing (HPC) applications, memory-intensive
applications and blade servers.
Building on its new AMD Opteron processor-based HP ProLiant servers,
HP's extensive portfolio of infrastructure solutions delivers
consistency across management, storage, operating system, solutions
and professional services. Ideal for applications needing expanded
memory capabilities and outstanding price/performance, AMD64 technology
allows customers to leverage one platform for both 32-bit and
sophisticated 64-bit applications.
Complementary with HP's existing ProLiant, Integrity and NonStop
server offerings, the AMD Opteron processor is designed to deliver
high-performance server and workstation solutions for today's
most demanding enterprise applications. Key AMD Opteron processor
innovations include an integrated memory controller, which reduces
memory latency, and HyperTransport(TM) technology, which increases
overall performance by removing or reducing processor-to-processor
and input/output bottlenecks, increasing bandwidth and enabling
the processor to use system memory more efficiently in high-end
multiprocessor systems.
More information about HP ProLiant servers is available at www.hp.com.
Feb 26 - Sharp Introduces Stylish
19-inch LCD Display With 16ms Response Time. Sharp Systems
of America, a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, today
announced a new addition to its LCD monitor line-up aimed at business
and consumer users.
The stylish 19-inch LL-191A LCD monitor is a bright SXGA (1,280
x 1,024 dots) LCD display that can achieve a high response time
of 16ms, making the unit ideal for video and design applications.
The monitor's elegant look and narrow frame design requires less
setup space, maximizing the users desktop space, while providing
a generous amount of display space for computing applications.
"The stylish LL-191A offers users a large screen in a surprisingly
narrow design without compromising on important technological
aspects needed in a professional quality display," said Terry
Hanly, product marketing manager for Sharp Systems of America.
"With a 16ms response time, the LL-191A is at the top of
its class in video performance, and the 1.3 megapixel SXGA display
provides users with a great quality display for a wide range of
applications."
The LL-191A is available in black and white and features a long
life (approximately 50,000 hours) backlight. Available immediately,
the LL-191A has an estimated street price of $699. Sharp LCDs
are available immediately through Sharp directly (http://store.sharpsystems.com),
or through Sharp's network of retail partners and reseller channels.
Feb 26 - Dual-Band Wi-Fi Networking
Equipment and Multimedia Applications Will Continue to Spur Consumer
Wi-Fi Growth. Newer Wi-Fi equipment and innovative applications
for Wi-Fi will continue to drive growth for the Wi-Fi industry.
During 2009, 95 million Wi-Fi networking equipment devices will
be shipped, according to technology research firm ABI.
While 802.11b was the most popular protocol in 2003, 802.11g
will surpass it in 2004. Sales of 802.11g equipment are already
greater than that of 802.11b, since consumers tend to choose products
with the fastest speeds. This includes standard and standards-plus
equipment which support higher speeds with proprietary methods.
Standards-plus products work at standard Wi-Fi data rates when
used with equipment from other manufacturers that do not use the
same proprietary technology.
These rapid changes are occurring for multiple reasons. Broadband
adoption is one, as the number of people with broadband connections
keeps growing. People with DSL and cable modems have plenty of
bandwidth to share among multiple computers, and wireless networking
enhances the computing experience. The year 2005 will see more
802.11a/g shipments than that for 802.11g.
While dual-band Wi-Fi access points and adapters with standard
speeds of 54Mbps may seem unnecessary or even overkill, new applications
will make use of those speeds. Reductions in production costs
have enabled 802.11g average selling prices to fall closer to
that of 802.11b. The same will occur with 802.11a/g.
"Advances in production technology have enabled Wi-Fi IC
vendors to reduce the costs of producing these chips," states
Phil Solis, ABI senior analyst. "ASPs for 802.11a/g ICs will
naturally remain higher than that of 802.11g, but that gap will
narrow over time."
While data networking and the sharing of broadband access is
the obvious use, multimedia applications will truly leverage the
potential of Wi-Fi networks. "Quality of service enhancements
via 802.11e will prioritize streaming video from a DVD player
to a plasma display, for example, over web browsing from a computer.
Also, a reduction of cables and wires will be more than welcome
in the home," says Solis.
ABI is a N.Y.-based technology market research firm founded in
1990. ABI publishes market research and technology intelligence
on the wireless, automotive, electronics, broadband and energy
industries. Details can be found on the web at www.abiresearch.com.
Feb 26 - ''Remote Insecurity'' Report
Shows Business Travelers are More Vulnerable than Ever to Password
Theft. Secure Computing Corporation (NASDAQ:SCUR), the experts
in securing connections between people, applications, and networks(TM),
today announced the release of a new report, "Remote Insecurity:
How Business Travelers Risk Exposing Their Companies When Remotely
Accessing Company Networks."
The report was prepared by respected independent security consultant
Rodney Thayer of Canola/Jones Internet Investigations in the San
Francisco Bay Area, and documents the serious risks of password
theft that business travelers encounter when using the Internet
in hotels, cafes, airports, and trade show kiosks. The full report
is available at www.securecomputing.com.
Posing as a business traveler, Thayer tested the possibility
of password theft in multiple locations such as an Internet kiosk
in an airport, an Internet cafe, as well as an in-room hotel broadband
network, and wireless access at a coffee shop. Thayer found multiple
methods available to cyber-criminals that could be used to steal
passwords and corporate information.
Wireless access points are especially vulnerable to "sniffing,"
Thayer found. Tests conducted at an airport Internet cafe and
at a popular chain of coffee shops showed that unencrypted streams
of data from the laptops of patrons could easily be seen in many
instances by another patron sitting nearby with wireless "sniffer"
software.
Even behind the closed doors of a national hotel chain, using
a wired broadband Internet connection is risky business. Thayer
documented how a hotel guest can use widely available snooping
software with a laptop logged onto the hotel network. The guest
can successfully snoop on the hard drives of fellow guests who
have "file sharing" enabled on their PCs. Corporate
data and passwords can easily be stolen.
Publicly available Internet kiosks and workstations, such as
those found in Internet cafes, hotel and airport "business
centers" and trade show floors were also shown to have multiple
vulnerabilities. Widely available "keyboard logging"
software could be secretly downloaded and installed on public
terminals that have not been properly secured, allowing a cyber-criminal
to collect and steal passwords and other private information.
Even a properly secured workstation can leave a business traveler
vulnerable to password theft -- by low tech "shoulder surfing."
What can enterprises do to protect their employees who must access
the Internet while they travel? One solution is two-factor authentication
tokens, such as the SafeWord(R) line of tokens from Secure Computing.
SafeWord eliminates these problems with "keychain" tokens
that generate one-time-only passcodes for each user session --
foiling password thieves even if a passcode is compromised, since
the passcode can never be used again.
Pricing and Availability
Secure Computing SafeWord for RemoteAccess is available immediately
through Secure Computing distributors and value added resellers
worldwide. Simplified pricing combines tokens, software licenses,
and support, starting at $99 per user. Other solutions that also
feature active directory integration include SafeWord for Citrix(R)
MetaFrame(R), SafeWord(R) for Nortel Networks, and SafeWord for
Check Point. For more information, see www.securecomputing.com.
Feb 25 - IBM, Dutch Scientists to
Explore First Moments of Universe. IBM and ASTRON, a leading
astronomy organization in the Netherlands, today announced they
will use IBM's Blue Gene/L supercomputer technology as the basis
to develop a new type of radio telescope capable of looking back
billions of years in time.
This joint research project in high data volume supercomputing
will help provide astronomers around the world unique insight
not otherwise available. Scientists will examine the beginnings
of the earliest stars and galaxies after the formation of the
universe, known as the Big Bang.
The Blue Gene/L system is expected to be completed by the middle
of 2005. Blue Gene/L will give ASTRON the flexibility and unparalleled
speed it needs to gather and analyze information from its Low
Frequency Array (LOFAR) "software telescope" network.
A consortium of universities, research institutes and companies
plans to carry out research programs with the telescope when it
begins operation a year later.
"Discovery in astronomy goes hand in hand with innovation
in technology," said Prof. Harvey Butcher, director at ASTRON.
"Together with IBM researchers we hope to learn how to design
a new generation of radio telescopes capable of revealing the
secrets of the early universe. But there are wider possibilities
as well. We are convinced this collaboration with IBM will show
the way to a wide variety of applications relating to geophysics
and precision agriculture."
The Dutch government's Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
is supporting the development of the technologies required for
LOFAR, including what will be one of the world's most powerful
supercomputers, capable of a peak performance of more than 34
trillion calculations per second, or 34 teraflops. Currently under
development in IBM Research, this will be the latest in IBM's
Blue Gene family of supercomputers that are poised to tackle other
major scientific, business and societal challenges.
"The challenge of processing unprecedented data volumes
requires us to raise our technology to a new level," said
William Pulleyblank, director of exploratory server systems, IBM
Research. "Blue Gene/L provides the flexibility and power
to enable us to meet this grand challenge."
Unlike current observatories that use big optical mirrors or
radio dishes to point to distant galaxies, ASTRON will harness
more than 10,000 simple radio antennas spread across the northern
Netherlands and into the German state of Lower Saxony and interpret
them using high-speed calculations.
A team of IBM researchers and designers will collaborate with
ASTRON scientists to develop a system capable of processing the
huge amounts of data in real time. The Blue Gene/L supercomputer
is a low-power consuming, compact machine able to receive 768
Giga-bits of new data every second. Over 12,000 PowerPC microprocessors
provide the "brains." This new method combines incredible
computing power and real-time data streaming to filter out man-made
radio noise and distortions from the upper atmosphere, allowing
scientists to see farther and more clearly than ever before.
About LOFAR
LOFAR will detect radio waves that show us the universe as it
was 13 billion years ago. Detailed maps should show the universe
condensing into the first individual stars and the first pieces
of galaxies.
Traditional radio telescopes combine electronic signals from
giant steerable dish antennas, which are very expensive to build
and usually too small to focus the long wavelengths that are necessary
to see galaxy formation.
LOFAR is completely different. It will detect the incoming radio
pictures using an array of inexpensive omni-directional antennas,
each shaped like a hollow pyramid. The antennas will convert the
radio waves into tiny electronic currents, and these currents
will be converted into digital form -- simple numbers -- that
get transported along optical fiber cables to IBM's centralized
Blue Gene/L supercomputer where software adds and multiplies these
numbers to emulate a conventional radio telescope.
In essence, LOFAR is a large number of FM radios combined by
the Blue Gene/L supercomputer into a single telescope.
"Our goal is to see objects so far away that their radio
signals were emitted just after the Big Bang, to detect the very
first objects in deep space, and to better understand magnetic
storms on the Sun and the solar wind, and how they affect the
climate on Earth," said Butcher.
About Blue Gene
Blue Gene is an IBM supercomputing project to explore a new family
of supercomputer optimized for bandwidth, scalability and the
ability to handle large amounts of data while consuming a fraction
of the power and floor space required by today's fastest systems.
Although currently a project in IBM's Research Division, Blue
Gene/L is expected to be used worldwide by government and university
researchers as well as businesses to tackle the most advanced
challenges in several very different fields, including genomic
research, automotive design, finance, weather forecasting and
fluid dynamics.
Blue Gene/L is also part of the US National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA)'s Advanced Simulation and Computing (ASC)
Program. IBM has partnered with the NNSA since 2001 in research
and development of the Blue Gene/L architecture. The NNSA will
be installing a very large Blue Gene/L system in 2005 at the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory to advance understanding of materials
behavior, in particular at very high densities and temperatures.
About IBM Research Division
IBM Research is the world's largest information technology research
organization, with more than 3,000 scientists and engineers at
eight labs in six countries. IBM has produced more research breakthroughs
than any other company in the IT industry. For more information
on IBM Research, visit www.research.ibm.com.
About ASTRON
The Netherlands Foundation for Research in Astronomy (ASTRON)
has been a leader in the field of technical development for astronomy
since the late 1940s, but is currently provides front-line observing
instrumentation for astronomers and astrophysicists across a wide
range of frequencies and techniques. Its technology development
program encompasses both innovative instrumentation for use on
existing telescopes around the world and new technologies for
future generations of telescopes. ASTRON's program is carried
out under the auspices of the Dutch national research council,
NOW. ASTRON's Web site is at: www.ASTRON.nl/,
and LOFAR's site is at: www.LOFAR.org/.
Feb 25 - U.S. Small and Medium Businesses
Rank Dell the Price and Quality Leader. A new Yankee Group
survey of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) reveals that
Dell not only has the most widely recognized brand but is also
seen as the price and quality leader.
Of SMB respondents, 80% viewed Dell as either the perceived price
leader or at least competitively priced, with HP (Compaq) placing
second for price. Regarding quality, 82% of respondents viewed
Dell as the quality leader or of good quality, with IBM placing
second for quality.
"It is clear that Dell's strategy has served them well in
generating brand awareness and creating a positive perception
in the SMB market," said Michael Lauricella, program manager
for the Yankee Group's Small & Medium Business Strategies
advisory service. "However, as SMBs require more complete
solutions the channel will play an increasingly critical role.
This could hinder Dell's ability to effectively service this very
competitive market in the long run."
Companies included in the survey were Acer, Apple, Dell, Gateway,
HP (Compaq) IBM, Sony, and Toshiba. Questions were asked on a
four-point scale and respondents were permitted to report no opinion
in the event they lacked awareness of any of the respective companies.
The Yankee Group can be found online at www.yankeegroup.com.
Feb 25 - Three Affordable New Canon
Mini DV Megapixel Camcorders. Canon's new Mini DV megapixel
camcorders - the Elura 70, Elura 65 and the Elura 60 - prove once
again that high quality digital camcorders can be easy to handle,
easy to afford and easy to use. In stores beginning this April
at an estimated street price ranging from $599 - $799, these streamlined
lightweight, 1.33 megapixel video cameras are easy enough for
any beginner to use anytime, anywhere and for any occasion and
simple enough to turn memorable moments into family heirloom video
and prints.
"The new Canon Elura camcorders raise the bar of quality
for consumer digital camcorders while maintaining their absolute
simplicity, versatility, affordability and of course, always the
quality," stated Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president
and general manager of the consumer-imaging group at Canon U.S.A.
"We remain one of the world's only camcorder company that
designs, creates and manufactures our own lenses and we make them
specifically to match, maximize and seamlessly merge the optics
with the technology and capabilities of our camcorders whether
they are being used in professional television and video production
or to capture family functions."
DV PHOTO PLUS
Canon's DV Photo Plus combines Canon's core imaging essentials,
creating video, still pictures and prints of superior clarity,
color and brilliance. DV Photo Plus is the integration of Canon's
world-renowned optics and the company's exclusive DIGIC DV image
processor, a 1.33 megapixel CCD image sensor and the Print-And-Share
feature that speeds image transfer from Canon camcorders to computer
or printer.
In addition to the 1.33 Megapixel CCD image sensor, all three
camcorders offer innovative advanced photo features that permit
their use as a still camera.
In addition to the ease of Canon's new Print/Share button, The
Elura 70, Elura 65 and Elura 60 camcorders feature a variety of
Direct Print choices including a direct single cable connection
to Canon CP series Card Photo Printers or Canon Bubble Jet Direct
Printers without even connecting to a computer. Cropping and other
print options can be selected and executed from the camcorder
menu. The three Elura models are also PictBridge compatible, the
new industry standard that permits cameras to direct print to
any PictBridge compatible printer regardless of manufacturer and
are certified compatible with select Windows and Apple operating
systems.
The Elura 70 Mini DV Megapixel Camcorder carries an estimated
street price of $799. The Elura 65 Mini DV Megapixel Camcorder
and the Elura 60 Mini DV Megapixel Camcorder carry estimated street
prices of $699 and $599, respectively.
For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.
Feb 25 - Sendmail Drives Adoption of
Sender Authentication. Sendmail, Inc., the global provider
of electronic message management solutions, has announced that
it will develop and distribute sender authentication technologies
to its customers and the open source community to combat spam,
viruses and identity fraud in email.
Over 60% of the world's email traffic runs on Sendmail's commercial
and open source Mail Transfer Agent (MTA). By incorporating a
selection of sender authentication technologies into these applications,
Sendmail aims to significantly hasten the global adoption of mainstream
authentication initiatives such as DomainKeys, recently introduced
by Yahoo!, as well as proposals put forward by Microsoft and others.
Sender authentication technology allows organizations to verify
the source of a message before accepting it by automatically checking
if an email came from where it claims it did. The immediate benefit
of sender authentication is to allow legitimate senders to `prove'
their identity and to provide receivers the information they need
to control their inbox.
Sendmail is extensively testing mainstream sender authentication
schemes in an effort to determine which approaches are the most
effective in preventing unnecessary message traffic from entering
users' networks. Based on its conclusions, the company will develop
and openly distribute authentication tools as plug-ins to the
open source sendmail MTA that is distributed freely on the Internet.
The company will also integrate the sender authentication technologies
into its commercial message management products.
"By open sourcing implementations of the leading sender
authentication schemes, Sendmail believes we can help drive deployment
in record time," said Eric Allman, CTO of Sendmail. "The
mail system needs this capability and it needs it now."
"Our products are being structured to ensure Sendmail's
customers can deploy a combination of sender authentication schemes.
Being able to use multiple schemes for authentication is like
accepting either a driver's license or passport for identification,"
said Dave Anderson, Sendmail's CEO. "Assuming that there
will be only one form of authentication world-wide is about as
likely as having a world-wide ID card that every country accepts
in place of passports. It is unlikely to happen."
In addition to helping block spam, proving the identity of a
message sender will help prevent identity theft, which occurs
when fraudulent senders impersonate a known brand by using the
brand's domain name.
"We believe sender authentication will radically alter the
way organizations manage email security," continued Anderson.
"Today, the standard approach is to let everything in and
then hope your filter can get rid of the unwanted messages. In
the future, users will have a choice about what email is automatically
accepted. The known good mail can be let in automatically and
then message content scanning and other entry mechanisms can be
used to let in the unknown but good mail. These filters will become
just another component in the anti-spam process."
About Sendmail, Inc.
Sendmail, Inc. builds secure email systems for large enterprises
and service providers who depend on email in their businesses.
With proven technology and expertise, Sendmail works with customers
to address their most complex messaging challenges. The result
is a dependable email infrastructure that is easy to manage and
built to grow. Sendmail customers include Sherwin-Williams, the
United States Executive Office of the President, Cablevision and
Avaya. Sendmail was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Emeryville,
Calif., with offices and distributors in Europe, Asia Pacific
and North America. For more information about Sendmail, Inc.,
go to www.sendmail.com.
Feb 25 - Authenex Introduces HDLock
to Prevent Unathorized Access to Hard Drives. Authenex, a
leading provider of affordable and strong authenticated e-security
applications, today announced the release of Authenex HDLock(TM).
HDLock, featuring the Authenex A-Key(TM) USB token, affordably
secures PCs and notebooks from unauthorized access.
HDLock employs a unique method of strong (two-factor) authentication
that does not require PKI, and 128-bit AES hard drive encryption.
Encryption of the hard drive contents is particularly important
given the recent rise in notebook thefts, and the incalculable
damage and expense that can result from the loss of data on a
single notebook or desktop computer.
The theft of a laptop results in an average financial loss of
$89,000; only a small percentage of the sum actually relates to
the hardware cost. Source: 2002 Computer Security Institute/FBI
Computer Crime & Security Survey.
"Hardware is replaceable, but data loss causes real problems
-- especially if that data includes social security numbers, business
financials, credit card numbers or client account information,
not to mention passwords and digital credentials," said Henry
Hon, executive vice president of Authenex. "While most companies
concentrate their security spending at the corporate network level,"
continued Hon, "they are neglecting to secure the end points,
the notebooks and the desktops, where even more sensitive confidential
information can reside."
Much like using a bankcard and PIN number at an ATM, Authenex
HDLock uses a two-factor authentication login process that confirms
that the person requesting access to the computer is in fact who
they claim to be. This is accomplished by requiring the use of
a physical A-Key token in combination with a password. The Authenex
two-factor authentication system is exponentially more secure
than password-only (single-factor) authenticated systems, and
does not require the added expense and administration of a digital
certificate. Unlike other hard disk protection solutions that
offer "additional" two-factor security, the A-Key hardware
token is an integral part of HDLock rather than an add-on, third-party
token.
Once logged on to the computer, HDLock users work without interruption.
All encryption and decryption processes occur on the fly -- and
are transparent to the end user. Upon shut down or hibernation,
the encrypted contents of the hard drive become inaccessible to
anyone but the owner of the unique A-Key and password with which
the drive was encrypted -- even if the hard drive is removed from
the computer. The only way to unlock and view the hard drive data
is for the HDLock user to once again login using their A-Key and
password.
HDLock is engineered to meet the stringent security requirements
of government and industry, but is still priced well within reach
of any PC user. With losses in the hundreds of millions each year
from lost or stolen notebooks, HDLock offers an affordable and
practical security solution.
The Authenex HDLock is available today through Authenex and is
priced at $79.95 per user -- sold in quantities of 10. This includes
software and A-Key tokens. Additional discounts may be available
with quantity purchases.
For more information, visit www.authenex.com.
Feb 24 - Intel's Global Advertising
Focuses on Mobile PC Consumers. Intel Corporation is focusing
its latest advertising for Intel(R) Centrino(TM) mobile technology
and the benefits of an unwired computing lifestyle on the quickly
growing mobile PC consumer market segment. The global campaign
consists of television, print, online and outdoor elements.
Under the campaign theme of "Unwire," the advertising
kicks off with a series of 15-second TV spots that put the brand
logo in motion to illustrate the compelling benefits of Centrino
mobile technology. In one ad, the blue and magenta logo cuts through
a clutter of wires to free itself.
In another ad, the logo is gliding freely above the clouds as
the voiceover says "Want to glide with a thin and light laptop?
Unwire with a wireless laptop powered by Intel Centrino mobile
technology." Additional TV ads will capture "unwired
moments," including the story of a vacationing couple using
a Centrino mobile technology-based laptop PC to send videos from
a hotspot in Taormina, Sicily.
"Our goal is to stay focused on the unwired lifestyle that
this new brand enables," said Pam Pollace, Intel vice president
and director of the Corporate Marketing Group. "These 15-second
spots capture a key benefit of being unwired, and also complement
our overall 'Unwire' campaign for Centrino mobile technology."
According to industry analyst firm IDC, mobile PC sales are growing
dramatically, with sales to consumers representing the fastest-growing
sub-segment. Worldwide growth for the consumer portable PC segment
is projected to grow nearly 30 percent in 2004.(1)
Today, more than 130 laptop PC designs are based on Centrino
mobile technology and nearly 30,000 hotspots around the world
have been verified on the award-winning technology.(2)
Intel Centrino mobile technology includes the Pentium(R) M processor,
related chipsets and 802.11 wireless networking capabilities.
The technology also includes features designed to enable thinner
and lighter designs, extended battery life and outstanding mobile
performance.
Intel plans to introduce its next-generation Pentium M processor
for Intel Centrino mobile technology, codenamed Dothan, in the
second quarter, helping to usher in an even broader selection
of thinner and lighter laptop PC designs with enhanced performance
capabilities.
The global advertising begins with TV on Feb. 23 in the United
States, followed by introductions in 11 other countries. Print,
online and outdoor advertising will follow shortly thereafter.
The ads will prominently highlight the blue and magenta brand
logo along with a lifestyle-oriented tagline that matches each
outlet's editorial. For instance, an ad appearing in an entertainment
magazine will feature the logo on a reel of movie film with the
tagline "Now starring in laptops everywhere." In another
example, an ad appearing in a sports magazine will show the logo
in the center of a tennis racquet with the tagline "High
performance laptop. No strings attached."
For more information on "Unwire" or to view the advertising
as it breaks, visit www.intel.com/unwire.
Also, see www.intel.com/products
for more information.
Feb 24 - Micron Samples Industry's
First 4GB DDR2 Registered DIMMS. Micron Technology, Inc. (NYSE:MU),
delivered the industry's first four gigabyte (4GB) DDR2 registered
dual in-line memory module (RDIMM) to Intel Corporation. The industry-standard,
240-pin PC2-4300 DDR2 RDIMM is populated with thirty-six one gigabit
(1Gb) DDR2 components using a stacked FBGA technology.
"Micron's demonstration of a 4GB RDIMM and the underlying
1Gb DDR2 technology is another important step in enabling Intel(R)
server platform customers with the latest high-density solutions,"
said Pete MacWilliams, Intel Senior Fellow, Intel Corporation.
"We are leveraging Micron's leading position with 1Gb DDR2
to become the first supplier to demonstrate these high-density
DDR2 RDIMMs," said Terry Lee, Executive Director of Advanced
Technology and Strategic Marketing for Micron's Computing and
Consumer Group. "4GB DDR2 RDIMMs are the highest-density
modules available today, enabling server and workstation customers
to ship systems containing 16GB of DDR2 memory while only populating
four module slots."
Micron Technology, Inc., is one of the world's leading providers
of advanced semiconductor solutions. Through its worldwide operations,
Micron manufactures and markets DRAMs, Flash memory, CMOS image
sensors, other semiconductor components and memory modules for
use in leading-edge computing, consumer, networking, and mobile
products. Micron's common stock is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange (NYSE) under the MU symbol.
To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc., visit its Web site
at www.micron.com.
Feb 24 - Dell Introduces New PowerEdge
Servers. New single-processor Dell PowerEdge 700 and 750 servers
deliver to small- and medium-sized businesses (SMB) and remote
offices enterprise-class performance and capacity for as low as
$699.
The servers' new features help to dramatically improve overall
system performance. The PowerEdge 700, a tower server, can hold
up to 1TB of data internally to accommodate a growing business'
storage needs. The PowerEdge 750, a 1U rackmount system, performs
over 35 percent faster than the last-generation Dell server.
Combined with new PowerConnect(tm) 2216, 2224, 2324 Fast Ethernet
switches, growing organizations can help increase the speed and
efficiency of their networks with the ability to easily upgrade
the network to faster Gigabit networks down the road.
The rich feature set and affordability of these new servers indicate
Dell's steadfast focus on delivering advanced capabilities on
even entry-level systems, said Neil Hand, director of worldwide
enterprise marketing in Dell's Product Group. "Dell is working
to provide small businesses with the same class of technologies
as the enterprise."
A full suite of support services complement Dell's trademark
easy-to-use features and server systems management tools to help
small companies build and maintain business solutions that differentiate
them in the marketplace.
"SMB customers are deploying and using more advanced technologies
to drive and grow sophisticated businesses on the Internet and
the storefront, and running applications that drive the business,"
said Jamie Gruener, senior analyst, The Yankee Group. "Dell's
commitment to lowering overall costs while providing the latest
standards-based platforms makes it a strong partner for this customer
segment."
Designed for SMB and Corporate Workgroup Requirements
The new systems are ideal for small workgroups and remote offices
with limited IT resources or space. The PowerEdge 700 and PowerEdge
750 servers feature Intel's latest Pentium(R) 4 processors with
1MB cache for the performance demands of e-mail, Web, file and
print serving applications. The PowerConnect 2216, 2224 and 2324
switches' plug-and-play simplicity requires little installation
time, enabling SMBs or educational institutions to easily connect
their servers, PCs and printers in a network.
The servers come with Dell OpenManage standards-based systems
management tools, and customers with remote offices can upgrade
their servers with remote management cards to maximize limited
IT resources. The new servers and switches are all backed by Dell's
comprehensive service and support plans, including four-hour onsite
service and network infrastructure assessment options for the
servers, and standard next-business-day parts replacement and
lifetime technical support for the switches.
Information on Dell and its products can be obtained at www.dell.com.
Feb 24 - CyberGuard Unveils the Future
of Enterprise Security. CyberGuard Corporation (NASDAQ: CGFW),
the technology leader in network security, today announced a suite
of new technologies that will transform the ways in which organizations
secure their networks.
Total Stream Protection (TSP) redefines the traditional role
of the firewall by incorporating a comprehensive set of features
for securing business applications and organizational data. The
announcement came at the 2004 annual RSA conference in San Francisco
as hundreds of attendees gathered to examine security trends,
issues and emerging technologies.
"The simple firewall is no longer sufficient to protect
a network and the information it contains," explained Pat
Clawson, chairman and CEO of CyberGuard. "TSP's multi-packet
inspection technology goes beyond the traditional OSI (open system
interconnection) application layer (Layer 7) to understand business
rules and content while dynamically adapting to network conditions.
The design is intelligent, allowing benign traffic to pass through
at the same time preventing malignant traffic, so businesses can
get the full benefit of their network-based applications."
Where most firewall/VPN products inspect single packets, CyberGuard's
Total Stream Protection features five components that collectively
scan the entire bi-directional stream of data to understand both
the content and context of the communications.
TSP DefenderTM employs a set of advanced technologies that prevents
an unauthorized user or system from connecting to a network or
consuming network resources.
- TSP ProtectorTM terminates encrypted communications so the
contents can be inspected and secured.
- TSP DispatcherTM utilizes dynamic load balancing, clustering
and adaptive response technologies to maximize network throughput
and reliability.
- TSP InspectorTM detects and prevents illicit protocol-specific
commands and other Layer 7 data from traversing a network.
- TSP EnforcerTM looks above Layer 7 to secure Web-enabled business
applications. It provides the "Layer 8 intelligence"
needed to apply stringent security policies based on the business
application being used and the context of the user's request.
"Over the next few years, businesses of all sizes will
take advantage of Web-based business processes and applications
to drive new revenue and lower costs," stated Jon Oltsik,
senior analyst, information security, with the Enterprise Strategy
Group.
"Web-based benefits don't come for free; they need to be
supported with integrated security. This means that executive
management must fund security as a business cost while weaving
security into the corporate culture. CyberGuard's Total Stream
Protection provides a solid foundation for enabling these next
generation business processes to succeed."
A complete explanation of Total Stream Protection is available
on CyberGuard's Web site at www.cyberguard.com.
Feb 24 - ``Unreal Tournament 2004''
Demo Becomes One of the Most Popular Game Downloads of All Time.
Gamers worldwide have made the trial version of "Unreal(R)
Tournament 2004" one of the most popular game demo downloads
of all time, with more than 1.5 million downloads in the first
week of availability. The demo first hit the Internet on Wednesday,
February 11, and was distributed on a worldwide scale.
Fans can download the demo directly from www.unrealtournament.com
or choose from a list of mirror servers found on the Web site.
The full version of "Unreal Tournament 2004" is expected
to be available at retail in March; pre-orders are now available
at all major game sales outlets.
According to statistics tracked by Web sites offering the demo,
more than 1.5 million users accessed the "Unreal Tournament
2004" demo in the last week alone. Graphics card maker, NVIDIA(R),
which hosts the demo on its own "nZone" gaming portal,
reports that more than 140,000 gamers have downloaded the demo
from their server. FilePlanet.com, one of the most popular online
video game download destinations, reported more than 110,000 downloads,
making the "Unreal Tournament 2004" download one of
the fastest demo downloads to reach 100,000 in the site's history.
On most gaming sites offering the download, the "Unreal Tournament
2004" demo is maintaining its position as the top download.
"Fan reaction has been over-the-top, demonstrating that
the 'Unreal Tournament' franchise is still the King of the Hill
for online multiplayer games," said Peter Wyse, executive
producer at Atari. "Epic's excellent work at reinventing
its own masterpiece continues to impress gamers worldwide. The
introduction of Onslaught mode, the reemergence of Assault mode
and the all-new vehicles in 'Unreal Tournament 2004' have created
exactly what action fans have been waiting for -- the definitive
multiplayer experience on PC!"
"Unreal Tournament 2004" is developed by Epic Games
in conjunction with Digital Extremes. The "Unreal Tournament
2004" official demo includes five playable game modes, and
offers fans their first taste of "Unreal Tournament 2004's"
two new gameplay styles: the introduction of the hyper-charged
Onslaught mode and the return of the fan-favorite Assault mode,
which last appeared in the original "Unreal Tournament."
The demo also features established game types like Deathmatch,
Capture the Flag and Bombing Run.
"We are really proud and excited to see the fans of the
'Unreal' franchise embracing the all new gameplay elements in
'Unreal Tournament 2004' in such overwhelming numbers," said
Tim Sweeney, founder of Epic Games. "As a company, we focused
hard on making a game that was more than just an incremental improvement
and could meet our standards for breaking new ground in terms
of gameplay innovation and multiplayer competition. Clearly, as
PC gamers everywhere have demonstrated, 'Unreal Tournament 2004'
stands to redefine what it means to compete online."
Some of the new features showcased in the "Unreal Tournament
2004" demo include:
-- Onslaught Mode: Onslaught is an epic-in-scope team-based challenge
that pits two teams in bitter warfare across massive terrain maps
in a frag-filled battle to destroy, capture and hold key power
nodes. Vehicles play a major role as war-hardened flying and driving
machines transport combatants to the "front" and serve
as mobile platforms to launch devastating attacks on the enemy.
-- Assault Mode: In the completely redesigned Assault mode, gamers
are challenged to complete a variety of mission objectives to
attack or defend bases in a bigger and badder version of the "Unreal
Tournament" classic; many Assault maps require the use of
vehicles as a critical gameplay element.
-- Vehicles: "Unreal Tournament 2004" features a variety
of land-, space- and air-based vehicles, including buggies, tanks,
hovercraft, aircraft and more.
-- Voice Technology: Integrated voice communications, including
voice-over-IP technology to allow real-time chat during gameplay;
voice recognition, allowing players to issue orders to computer
controlled bots; and, text-to-voice conversion of typed chat.
"Unreal Tournament 2004" is expected to release in
March, in both a s
Read
Our Latest Tech Watch Newsletter