Mar 14 - Sunday Shopping Watch.
Best Sunday Deals - See our Best
Sunday Ad Deals Table below for specific system prices.
Weekly Comparison. A very good weekend to
buy a laptop or desktop and to get good financing.
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 12 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
is offering 6 months no payment, no interest financing on purchases
of $299 and higher.
CompUSA is offering 12 months
no payment, no interest financing on purchases of $599 and higher.
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
|
Price* (see above)
|
Prices up or Down this Week
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Store
|
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Best Celeron Deal
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eMachines 2.6 GHz complete system
with 17" monitor
|
$389
|
-
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Best Buy
|
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1. 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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$1179
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-$90
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Circuit City
|
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2. 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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1. Best AMD Athlon XP System
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HP Athlon 3000+ complete system with
17 inch monitor and DVD-RW drive
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$719
|
-
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Best Buy
|
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2. Best AMD Athlon XP System
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HP Athlon 3000+ complete system with
15 inch flat panel and DVD-RW drive
|
$949
|
-
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Circuit City
|
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3. Best AMD Athlon XP System
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eMachines Athlon 3200+ complete
system with 15 inch flat panel and DVD-RW
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$929
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-
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Best Buy
|
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Best AMD Athlon 64 System
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None Advertised
|
|
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1. Best Low-cost Laptop
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Toshiba 2.4 GHz Celeron with DVD/CD-RW
|
$699
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-
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CompUSA
|
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2. Best Low-cost Laptop
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HP Athlon 2500+ with DVD/CD-RW
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$849
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-
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Best Buy, Circuit City
|
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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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$849
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-
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Office Depot
|
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4. Best Low-cost Laptop
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HP Pentium 4 2.3 GHz with DVD/CD-RW
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$899
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-
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CompUSA
|
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1. Best High-end Notebook
|
Compaq widescreen Pentium 4 2.4
GHz with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1099
|
-
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Best Buy
|
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2. Best High-end Notebook
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Compaq Pentium 4 2.66 GHz with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1149
|
-
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Office Depot
|
|
3. Best High-end Notebook
|
Compaq widescreen Pentium 4 2.66
GHz with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1249
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
4. Best High-end Notebook
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HP widescreen Centrino 1.5 GHz with
DVD-RW
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$1499
|
-
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Best Buy
|
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5. Best High-end Notebook
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Sony Centrino 1.5 GHz with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1549
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
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6. Best High-end Notebook
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Sony Pentium 4 2.8 GHz with DVD-RW
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$1549
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
7. Best High-end Notebook
|
Toshiba widescreen Pentium 4 3.06
GHz with Hyper Threading, and DVD-RW
|
$1649
|
-
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CompUSA
|
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8. Best High-end Notebook
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Sony widescreen Pentium 4 3.06 GHz
with Hyper Threading, and DVD-RW
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$2349
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-
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Best Buy
|
|
|
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Peripherals and Software
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
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Western Digital 120 GB 7200 RPM
Hard Drive with 8 MB buffer
|
$69
(after rebates)
|
-
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Best Buy
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
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Western Digital 160 GB 7200 RPM
Hard Drive with 8 MB buffer
|
$69
(after rebates)
|
-
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Circuit City
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Western Digital 250 GB 7200 RPM Hard
Drive with 8 MB buffer
|
$139
(after rebates)
|
-
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Circuit City
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Western Digital 250 GB 7200 RPM Hard
Drive with 8 MB buffer
|
$139
(after rebates)
|
-
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Circuit City
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB
|
$199
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Sony 52X CD-RW
|
$49
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Office Depot
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Sony 8X DVD-RW
|
$169
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Office Depot
|
|
|
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.
Mar 12 - America Online, EarthLink,
Microsoft and Yahoo! Team Up to File First Major Industry Lawsuits
Under New Federal Anti-Spam Law. Founding Members of the Industry's
Anti-Spam Coalition Form United Front Against Spammers On Behalf
of Online Consumers
America Online Inc. (NYSE:TWX), EarthLink Inc. (Nasdaq:ELNK),
Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT) and Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO) today
jointly announced that their collaborative anti-spam industry
efforts have resulted in the coordinated filing of the first major
industry lawsuits under the new federal anti-spam law, the Controlling
the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM)
Act of 2003, which went into effect Jan. 1.
The country's four leading e-mail and Internet service providers
announced the combined filing of six lawsuits against hundreds
of defendants, including some of the nation's most notorious large-scale
spammers. The lawsuits were announced by senior executives of
the companies at a joint press conference at the St. Regis Hotel
in Washington.
New Federal Anti-Spam Law
The CAN-SPAM law provides strong new enforcement tools for e-mail
and Internet service providers and law enforcement, and criminalizes
specific tactics spammers use to spread junk e-mail. The law,
which was supported by the four companies, allows for harsh new
penalties against large-scale spammers that use fraud, deceit
and evasion to try to send junk e-mail to consumers.
Each of the four companies last night filed legal complaints
in federal courts in California, Georgia, Virginia and Washington
state. The complaints charge the defendants with sending a combined
total of hundreds of millions of bulk spam e-mail messages to
customers of the four networks. Some of the common allegations
described in the complaints include these:
-- Deceptive solicitations for a variety of products including
get-rich-quick schemes, prescription drugs, pornography, instructions
for conducting spam campaigns, banned CDs, mortgage loans, university
diplomas, cable descramblers and other common types of unsolicited
e-mail
-- Use of open proxies (sending spam through third-party computers
to disguise their point of origin)
-- Falsified "from" e-mail addresses (spoofing)
-- Absence of a physical address in the e-mail
-- Absence of an electronic unsubscribe option
Each allegation is a direct violation of the CAN-SPAM law. A
summary of each filing is included below. More detailed information
about each case can be found on each complainant's Web site.
Comments
"Today is a red-letter day for big-time spammers, and the
letters they should remember from this day forward are 'CAN-SPAM,'"
said AOL Executive Vice President and General Counsel Randall
Boe. "Congress gave us the necessary tools to pursue spammers
with stiff penalties, and we in the industry didn't waste a moment
-- moving with speed and resolve to take advantage of the new
law. Consumers should take note that the new law not only empowered
us to help can the spam, but also to can the spammers as well
-- and we'll do that, one spam kingpin at a time if necessary.
Our actions today clearly demonstrate that CAN-SPAM is alive and
kicking -- and we're using it to give hardcore, outlaw spammers
the boot."
"Today's bold action represents a decisive step by the leaders
in our industry to preserve the integrity of the Internet and
restore the value of e-mail that spammers have threatened to undermine,"
said EarthLink Vice President, Chief Privacy Officer and Assistant
General Counsel Les Seagraves. "Together, we are using a
tough new federal law, combined with existing state laws, to let
criminal spammers know that the nation's leading Internet providers
are united by a common goal -- stopping the flow of illegal and
intrusive junk e-mail and strengthening the Internet experience
for all users. Collectively, we are committed to sending spammers
the message that we will find them and use the full force of the
law to stop them."
"Substantial building blocks have been put into place in
the effort to contain spam," said Microsoft Deputy General
Counsel Nancy Anderson. "With the creation of this anti-spam
industry alliance and the implementation of a federal law to litigate
effectively against spammers, we are witnessing the impact that
this industrywide attack on spam is having. We've had the opportunity
to share investigative best practices and various legal resources
and information to ensure that spammers are going to have an increasingly
difficult time continuing their deceptive practices with the full
force of this industry coming down on them."
"We're holding spammers directly accountable for the relentless
infiltration of people's inboxes. We're acting on behalf of the
millions of people who are saying 'enough is enough,'" said
Yahoo! Senior Vice President and General Counsel Mike Callahan.
"With federal legal remedies and industry collaboration,
we have a significant new advantage. We are leveraging new legal
tools and sharing best practices, sending a signal to spammers
that they are facing a more unified front than ever before. This
is great news for all consumers."
The Industry Anti-Spam Alliance
The four companies formed an anti-spam alliance in April 2003.
Coalition members meet regularly to proactively address the spam
problem that threatens the effectiveness of e-mail as an essential
means of communication. Through ongoing industry collaboration
with a number of telecommunications companies and industry partners,
the group expects to make consistent progress in the areas of
technical standards development, as well as improved enforcement
techniques and litigation.
Beyond today's major enforcement efforts, the anti-spam industry
alliance is making progress on issues related to new and promising
technical Internet standards, specifically regarding the certification
and authentication of e-mail.
Spam continues to drain time, resources and network space from
online companies and inhibit the online experience of consumers
across the medium. Spam remains the chief concern of the four
companies and their customers.
Today's announcement is the result of substantial corporate cooperation.
By sharing information, resources and investigative best practices
within this industry alliance, these companies have been able
to identify high-volume outlaw spammers for civil lawsuits - a
first and critical stage in the campaign to end unwanted junk
e-mail through stepped-up and coordinated civil enforcement programs.
The companies believe that the issue of spam can only be significantly
addressed and resolved through a comprehensive, multilayered approach
that includes anti-spam technologies, consumer education and awareness,
legal enforcement, self-policing of e-mail account abuse, and
stronger partnerships between industry and government and other
regulatory agencies.
Case Summaries
America Online
AOL v. Davis Wolfgang Hawke, et al.
Davis Wolfgang Hawke (also known as Dave Bridger), Braden Bournival
and unknown John Doe Defendant co-conspirators are alleged to
have transmitted millions of spam email messages directing AOL
Members to websites selling "Pinacle" penis enlargement
pills, weight loss supplements, hand-held devices advertised as
"personal lie detectors," and a product labeled "the
Banned CD." These spam messages were transmitted between
July 1, 2003 and the present. The complaint alleges that AOL has
tallied at least 100,000 member complaints about messages advertising
these products. In addition, the complaint alleges that Hawke
also offered to provide or sell a number of illegal spam-related
goods and services under the apparently fictitious name "Dave
Bridger," including:
-- Providing "250 free proxies every day to (Hawke's) affiliates"
and offering to "pay them $20 per sale for Pinacle, an herbal
penis enlarger"
-- Offering "bulk friendly hosting" on servers located
in China, Latin America, or other foreign countries, so that mailers
could "point your domains to our server if it helps you get
into specific domains like AOL"
-- Selling millions of AOL addresses, and "cracked"
bulk mailer programs
AOL v. John Does 1-40
AOL's Complaints alleges: From at least November 2003 to the
present, unknown John Doe Defendants have transmitted millions
of spam messages to AOL Members advertising numerous websites
selling a variety of products, including mortgage leads, adult-content
websites and business opportunities. The messages are transmitted
through fraudulent means to make it difficult to determine the
identity of those responsible, and contain misleading subject
lines, including the completely false claim in some that the spam
message is an "important message from AOL." The John
Doe Defendants also used other deceptive tactics in an attempt
to evade AOL's spam filters, including random text in the body
of their messages. AOL has already tied more than half a million
Member complaints to these Defendants (and is still counting complaints
attributable to them). On some days, complaints about these spammers
constituted as many as 10% of all AOL Member complaints about
spam.
EarthLink
EarthLink v. John Does 1-25 (The "Prescription Drug Spammers");
John Does 26-35 (The "Mortgage Lead Spammers"); John
Does 36-45 (The "Cable Descrambler Spammers"); John
Does 46-55 (The "University Diploma Spammers"); and
John Does 56-65 (The "Get Rich Quick Spammers") and
John Does 66 - 75, other spammers.
Since January 1, John Doe defendants 1 - 75 have been responsible
for a substantial portion of the incoming spam on EarthLink's
network, sending millions of spam emails to advertise Websites
selling prescription drugs, mortgage leads, cable descramblers,
university diplomas and get-rich-quick schemes. The defendants
have hidden their identities with false domain-name registration
information, falsified headers, fake "from" lines and
misleading subject lines, violating the federal CAN SPAM Act,
EarthLink's Acceptable Use Policy and other state and federal
laws. Some of the defendants have used text randomizers to insert
long passages of gibberish in messages in attempts to evade EarthLink's
spam filters.
Fingerprint phrases and sample subject lines include: "Enjoy
deep discount meds here," "G_eneric via-gra 60% cheap*r
cowslip," "promote someone else's online business and
cash in big," "make over $1000 per day," and "attention
single mothers."
Microsoft
MICROSOFT CORPORATION v. JDO MEDIA, INC., a Florida Corporation,
and JOHN DOES 1-50 (United States District Court, Western District
of Washington)
This lawsuit charges JDO Media, Inc. ("JDO"), a Florida
company, and other unknown defendants, with operating an automated
multi-level marketing ("MLM") program that is advertised
through spam, and that instructs its members on how to generate
leads for the program, or for other products, through spam. The
lawsuit alleges that Hotmail subscribers have been barraged by
millions of illegal emails touting this program.
The lawsuit alleges that the spam used to promote the program
is intentionally routed through open proxies, contains header
information that is false and misleading, and uses other obfuscatory
methods to disguise the senders' identities. This lawsuit also
charges that the email advertising the program contains misleading
subject lines such as "This is your lucky day", "Elite,
Professional Invitation", and "Warning!!! These three
minutes could change your life". Many of these email messages
are sent with "high priority." These deficiencies are
all alleged to be in violation of the federal CAN-SPAM Act.
Alleged CAN-SPAM Violations
-- falsified from email addresses and transmission paths
-- use of open proxies
-- deceptive subject lines
-- no physical address on some of the messages
MICROSOFT CORPORATION v. JOHN DOES 1-50, d/b/a Super Viagra Group
(United States District Court, Western District of Washington)
This lawsuit alleges that the Super Viagra Group has sent hundreds
of millions of illegal e-mail messages to Hotmail subscribers
advertising either "Super Viagra" or a weight loss patch.
The e-mailing practices of this spam group are sophisticated,
and are alleged to be in violation of the federal CAN-SPAM Act
and other state and federal law.
The lawsuit contends that the Super Viagra Group routes its e-mail
messages through open proxies and hijacked computers in countries
around the world, uses misleading transmission information and
subject lines, and take other actions to disguise their true identities.
The lawsuit identifies almost forty different domain names where,
allegedly, the Super Viagra Group's products can be purchased.
The identified domains are registered to individuals in Argentina,
Turkey, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Lithuania, and India.
Alleged CAN-SPAM Violations
-- open proxies for some or all emails
-- falsified from email addresses on most or all emails
-- deceptive subject lines on some emails
-- no physical address on most emails
-- no electronic unsubscribe option on some emails
Yahoo! Inc.
Yahoo! Inc. vs. Eric Head, Matthew Head and Barry Head, and their
companies Gold Disk Canada, Inc., Head Programming, Inc., and
Infinite Technologies Worldwide, Inc. collectively known as "The
Head Operation."
Alleged Spam Activity:
Defendants were on Yahoo! Mail's "Most Wanted" spammer
list for allegedly sending millions of spam messages. In January
2004, Yahoo! Mail received approximately 94 million total e-mails
from The Head Operation.
-- Disguised Identity: The use of open proxies from countries
all over the world to disguise the origin of the messages.
-- Unsolicited Commercial Messages: Messages consisted of solicitations
for life insurance, mortgage and debt consolidation and travel
services.
-- Deceptive Subject lines: Messages included misleading subject
lines, including "past due account."
-- Sold Personal Data: Defendants allegedly collected personal
information, such as the names and e-mail addresses of Yahoo!
Mail users who responded to the defendants' spam solicitations,
and sold the information as "leads" to marketers.
-- False Domains: The domain names for the websites promoted
in the messages were falsely registered to individuals with physical
addresses in China.
-- Font Tricks: The defendants used color font tricks to hide
randomized text in an attempt to circumvent the SpamGuard filter.
Mar 12 - Fujitsu Experiences Highest
Year-on-Year Growth for U.S. Portable Shipments in 2003. Fujitsu
Computer Systems today announced it achieved record-breaking growth
in 2003 by increasing its year-on-year number of U.S. portable
shipments by 53 percent from 2002. Fujitsu attributes its success
to the third and fourth quarters of 2003 in which the company
experienced its highest jump in year-on-year growth for U.S. portable
shipments.
Supported by a report from International Data Corporation (IDC),
Fujitsu improved its year-on-year growth of U.S. portable shipments
by 73 percent in the third quarter of 2003 and 35 percent in the
fourth quarter. This increase enabled Fujitsu to maintain its
position as a Top 10 vendor and move into ninth position in overall
portable units shipped in 2003.
Fujitsu credits its retail strategy and the addition of several
innovative and consumer friendly notebook computers, such as the
LifeBook(R) P5000 and LifeBook N5000 notebooks, for its substantial
growth in 2003. Value-added features like DVD-RW drives, bigger
and brighter displays, dual-band wireless LANs and competitive
pricing make the Fujitsu notebook computer attractive to consumers.
Industry influencers also point to the falling system prices and
the increasing popularity of wireless technology in the home and
workplace.
"In 2003, Fujitsu made significant changes to its North
American operations to better position the company for future
growth," said Dennis Mull, senior vice president of sales
and marketing, Fujitsu Computer Systems. "In this short amount
of time, Fujitsu achieved several company milestones. The accomplishments
of 2003 highlight the overall strengths of the company and point
to the spectrum of opportunities awaiting the company in 2004."
For more information about the company, see: www.fujitsu.com.
Mar 12 - GlobeTel to Purchase Sanswire
Technologies; National Wireless Broadband Network Moves Closer
to Reality. GlobeTel Communications Corp. (OTCBB:GTEL) today
announced the signing of a Binding Letter of Intent to purchase
substantially all of the assets of Sanswire Technologies, Inc.
(SNWR.pk). GTEL's acquisition of Sanswire is subject to the completion
of its due diligence, the satisfaction of several conditions set
forth in the Binding Letter of Intent and the execution of a definitive
Purchase Agreement by April 30, 2004. It is anticipated that the
transaction will be completed by the end of March, 2004.
Sanswire is developing a National Wireless Broadband Network
utilizing high-altitude airships called Stratellites that will
be used to provide wireless voice, video, and data services. A
Stratellite is similar to a satellite, but is stationed in the
stratosphere rather than in orbit. At an altitude of only 13 miles,
each Stratellite will have clear line-of-site to an entire major
metropolitan area. The Stratellite will allow subscribers to easily
communicate in "both directions" using readily available
wireless devices. To learn more about Sanswire and the Stratellites,
visit the company's website at www.sanswire.com.
The Stratellites will be held stationary in the stratosphere
and remotely controlled from tracking stations on the ground.
Each Stratellite is designed to stay in one location for up to
12 months, at which time it would be replaced by a duplicate Stratellite,
allowing the original airship to be brought back to earth for
servicing and communication upgrades. The replacement would be
a seamless exchange preventing outages to subscribers.
Each Stratellite will be over two hundred feet in diameter, have
a payload capacity of thousands of pounds and will be powered
by a series of solar powered hybrid electric motors and other
regenerative fuel cell technologies. In addition to Sanswire's
National Wireless Broadband Network, proposed telecommunications
uses include cellular, 3G/4G mobile, MMDS, paging, fixed wireless
telephony, HDTV and others.
Michael K. Molen, CEO of Sanswire Technologies stated, "There
has never been a greater need for a National Wireless Broadband
Network. The acceptance of wireless `hot spots' has proven that
the demand is there for high-speed wireless Internet access. When
completed, our National Wireless Broadband Network will make the
entire country a `hot spot' and provide voice (telephone), video
(television), and data (internet) to our subscribers whenever
and wherever they choose. We are excited about the acquisition
by GlobeTel. It solves the telecom element of our bundled package
and increases our access to the international marketplace."
Timothy Huff, CEO of GlobeTel stated, "We are looking forward
to the beta test demonstration of the Stratellite in Atlanta and
the completion of the research and development work that will
be gathered from the test that will aid in the commercialization
of the Stratellite. Then, we will be able to begin selling Stratellites
and the various services they will provide to our customers.
" We expect that Sanswire's technology will open up new
and exciting doors for us. This will allow us to deploy a complete
IP network in a country virtually overnight and greatly speed
up the deployment of our Super Hub technology by solving the last
mile issue that most countries face. Deploying Stratellites over
the Atlantic corridor traveled by commercial airliners to provide
uninterrupted phone and Internet service is one of many services
that can be offered. This technology will change the face of telecommunications
by making the need for expensive cabling and last mile solutions
obsolete. The coupling of our bundled services and Sanswire's
deployment capabilities makes this a very potent combination."
GlobeTel is an IP solutions/applications based company. Although
international carrier termination business is the base and the
beginning of the Company's services, GlobeTel's goals are to provide
strategic advantages to commodity telecommunications based products.
Taking such products as voice termination, prepaid calling cards,
store valued debit cards and IP adapters and giving these products
and services unique market advantages through the deployment of
unique software and IP platforms. In each of these cases, GlobeTel
has developed unique approaches that give the Company market advantages
worldwide. For more information about GlobeTel, visit the Company's
website at www.globetel.ne.
Mar 12 - Socket Communications Showcases
New Connectivity and Data Collection Products With Bluetooth Wireless
Technology. Socket Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq:SCKT)(PSE:SOK),
the Mobile Connection(TM) Company, will showcase its broad range
of Cordless connectivity products and data collection solutions
with Bluetooth(R) Wireless Technology at CeBIT 2004 -- March 18-24
in Hannover, Germany.
Socket's Embedded Systems Group will also be showcasing products
from a wide variety of manufacturers that are benefiting from
Socket embedded technology such as Socket's KwikBlue(TM) modules
and mobilityIC(TM) interface ASICs. Socket customer products on
display will include PDAs and other Bluetooth enabled devices
from GoTive, Hand Held Products, Luidia, Metrologic, O'Neil Product
Development, Topcon, Tripod and other manufacturers.
"Our growing family of cordless products enable mobile professionals
to add new and exciting possibilities for customers to enhance
their handheld devices using Bluetooth wireless technology,"
says Martin Croome, European General Manager of Socket Communications.
New Socket products demonstrated at CeBIT 2004 will include:
-- Socket Cordless 56K Modem with Bluetooth(R) Wireless Technology:
This is the first battery-powered 56K modem which connects to
mobile devices using Bluetooth wireless technology. It has a range
of up to 100 metres, a rechargeable removable Lithium-ion battery
and works with almost any Bluetooth enabled mobile computer that
supports DUN (Dial-Up Networking) such as Pocket PCs, Windows
powered notebooks and Palm PDAs.
-- Socket Cordless Hand Scanner: Introduced at CeBIT 2004, this
unique device combines the power of laser barcode scanning with
the convenience of Bluetooth wireless technology in a compact
device that fits easily in the palm of your hand. It connects
to a Palm PDA, Pocket PC, Notebook, XP Tablet, desktop computer
or Symbian OS devices with Bluetooth capabilities.
-- Socket Cordless Serial Adapter with Bluetooth(R) Wireless
Technology: This adapter eliminates conventional RS-232 serial
cables, providing an easy-to-use, invisible connection between
devices. It will communicate with another Cordless Serial Adapter
or any other Bluetooth enabled device.
Socket will also be showing its broad collection of plug-in accessory
solutions in Secure Digital Card format (SD) including bar code
scanning cards, Connection Kits with Bluetooth Wireless Technology
and Low Power Wireless LAN cards.
Socket is headquartered in Newark, California and can be reached
at www.socketcom.com.
Mar 12 - ViewSonic HD Tuner Provides
Clear Reception of Free Over-the-Air Digital Broadcast Signals.
ViewSonic(R) Corp., a worldwide leader in visual display products,
announced the NextVision(R) HD10, a high-definition television
(HDTV) tuner that allows users to enjoy over-the-air digital programming
on HDTV-ready televisions without additional subscription fees
or contracts.
Complementing ViewSonic's full line of digital projectors and
advanced LCD, plasma and rear projection televisions, the HD10
provides clear reception of the growing number of high definition,
enhanced and standard TV signals available on local broadcast
stations.
Compatible with any display that features component, composite
or S-video inputs, the HD10 high definition tuner is designed
for VHF, UHF and all 18 ATSC signal formats. With Dolby AC-3 digital
and MPEG audio decoding, it easily connects digital audio to surround
sound home entertainment systems. The HD10 supports all TV scanning
formats (480i, 480p, 720p and 1080i) and displays content in both
16:9 widescreen and 4:3 aspect ratios. An electronic programming
guide is available in the HDTV channel range for the user's convenience.
According to the Consumer Electronics Association's latest consumer
survey regarding digital television transition, nine million households
are likely to purchase HDTV products over the next 18 months and
another 30 million consumers consider themselves likely purchasers
within the next three years. The HD10 offers consumers the ability
to view all HD content available from their local, free over-the-air
broadcast stations.
"U.S. consumers spend millions of dollars a year on televisions
capable of displaying digital resolutions, but most are not receiving
HDTV content because of the extra fees associated with the process,"
said Gene Ornstead, director, Advanced TV Products, ViewSonic.
"The HD10 allows them to take full advantage of their advanced
televisions without paying extra subscription fees for local HD
programming."
The HD10 will be available in April through authorized ViewSonic
resellers, distributors, mail order and retail outlets for an
estimated street price of $399. For more information visit www.viewsonic.com.
Mar 11 - 1394 Trade Association Creates
Latest Home Entertainment Network for Demonstrations at EH Expo.
The 1394 Trade Association will feature the latest and most advanced
home entertainment network, moving video and audio at up to 800
Megabits/second over CAT-5 and plastic optical fiber, at the Electronic
House Expo in Orlando March 10-13.
Populated with the latest in HDTV, Digital VHS, computer, storage,
and audio equipment from industry leaders worldwide, the home
entertainment network demo will showcase how FireWire can connect
a wide range of different devices over distances up to 80 meters
at significant speeds.
"We are focused on the 1394 standard's excellence in overcoming
the challenge of linking many diverse consumer and computer devices
on the network, easily and reliably," said James Snider,
executive director of the 1394 Trade Association. "We are
making significant strides in wired and wireless networking, and
FireWire is pre-eminent in delivering audio and video in a peer-to-peer
environment where every device on the network can act as a client
or server."
In the network demo, high definition video originates in a pair
of D-VHS systems provided by Mitsubishi and JVC, and is delivered
over CAT-5 cabling through a master network hub developed by USTec,
a leader in advanced home wiring systems. From there, it moves
to a Mitsubishi HD5000 for display on a plasma or flat panel display,
and to a Hewlett-Packard Media Center PC. The demonstration also
includes file sharing between Sony VAIO and Media Center computers,
as well as a shared Internet connection between them. It also
incorporates whole house audio, using a Pioneer DVD player.
1394b Hub Anchors the Network
At the center of the demo is USTec's TP-FH4 FireWire five-port
1394b hub. It is designed to connect four 1394b wall plates using
CAT-5 or better cables. The wall plates are powered via the CAT-5
from the hub. The fifth hub port is a bilingual jack used to connect
to 1394-enabled equipment located in the cabinet, or to connect
two TP-FH4 hubs together to work as an eight-port system.
POF Added to Network Demo, Delivered by Firecomms Corp.
For the first time, Plastic Optical Fiber has been added to the
home entertainment network demonstration, illustrating how easy
it is to install and use. Fibers are inserted into basic 1394
connectors, then snapped into place.
POF can carry over 250Mbps over 50 meters, and is much smaller
and lighter than copper cabling POF also is not subject to noise
from radiated emissions (EMI).
The 1394 Trade Association is a worldwide organization dedicated
to the enhancement and advancement of the 1394/FireWire standard.
For more information and a complete list of all products with
IEEE 1394, visit www.1394ta.org.
Mar 11 - 400GB Hard Drive Makes Hitachi
the Capacity King. Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi
GST) today announced the world's highest capacity 3.5-inch ATA
hard drive, the 400GB Deskstar 7K400.
The new drive has been designed for audio video (AV) and ATA nearline
environments, where large capacities and a lower per-gigabyte
cost are key requirements. A new industry-standard AV feature
set makes the drive well-suited for use in high-end digital video
recorders (DVRs) that are designed to record substantial amounts
of high-quality digital programming.
"Extremely high capacity disk drives are more essential
now than ever with digital video recording coming into the mainstream,"
said Jose Antelo, general manager, 3.5-inch Consumer and Commercial
HDDs, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. "We are now in
a position to extend our consumer electronics portfolio to include
the high-end device segments, most notably the nascent market
for high-capacity DVRs."
Audio/Video Applications
Hitachi has designed the Deskstar 7K400 to address the growing
demand for high-capacity DVRs. The drive is the first to include
a new industry-standard AV feature, known as Streaming Command
Set. The AV feature is designed to enhance streaming functionality
in digital video applications. Streaming Command Set integration
optimizes the drives for storing and retrieving digital video
content on a DVR. Hard drives are key to enabling technology that
will drive future growth of the DVR market.
Yankee Group, a Boston-based research and consulting firm, predicts
that DVRs will be found in approximately 24.7 million homes by
the year 2007. High definition television (HDTV) broadcasts are
among the many factors that are driving the need for additional
DVR storage capacity. 8.7GB of storage is required for each hour
of broadcast HDTV recording. In addition to its substantial capacity,
the Deskstar 7K400's 7,200 rpm performance is also well-suited
to meet the rigorous demands of HDTV recording.
The Deskstar 7K400 provides enough capacity to store the following:
-- 400 hours of standard TV programming
-- 45 hours of HDTV programming
-- More than 6,500 hours of high quality digital music
ATA Nearline Applications
The Deskstar 7K400 is ideally suited for nearline storage and
other low I/O applications. The drives provide superior capacity,
data access times and transfer rates at a comparable cost to that
of tape or optical solutions. The new drives will ship with Parallel
ATA and Serial ATA (SATA) interfaces.
SATA is a scalable interface technology that currently delivers
a maximum data transfer rate of up to 1.5 Gb/s. SATA also simplifies
device configuration, improves data integrity and offers "hot-plug"
capability, which allows the drives to be installed or removed
while the host system is operational. SATA drives also use a compact
cabling structure and smaller connectors that are designed to
enhance air flow and reduce system complexity.
Several Deskstar 7K400 design attributes combine to protect customer
data and increase capacity, while maintaining Hitachi's award-winning
performance. Among these features are a new anti-rebound actuator
latch and Rotational Vibration Safeguard technology (RVS). The
RVS technology is used to ensure drive performance in high rotational
vibration environments, where there are multiple drives in a single
enclosure. The Deskstar 7K400 also features a spindle motor that
is used in enterprise-class hard drives.
The Deskstar 7K400 is backed by Hitachi's renowned compatibility
testing labs and worldwide distribution support. The drive has
an 8MB-buffer and carries a three-year warranty.
Hitachi is currently shipping Deskstar 7K400 drives in limited
quantities. For more information on Hitachi Global Storage Technologies,
please visit the company's Web site at www.hgst.com.
Mar 11 - Plextor Dual-Format DVD+/-R/RW
Burner Now Supports High Speed 12X DVD Recording. Plextor(R)
Corp., a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance
digital media equipment, today announced the new PX-712A DVD+/-R/RW
drive with support for high-speed 12X DVD+R and 8X DVD-R recording.
The internal drive features an ATA/ATAPI-5 (EIDE) interface for
broad based PC-compatibility.
With the PX-712A, users have the ability to create, edit, and
share customized DVDs and CDs faster than ever before. The new
Plextor drive also helps remove the risk of purchasing a DVD/CD
burner that does not comply with future DVD recording standards
and it gives customers greater flexibility in choosing which DVD
recordable media they use today.
The PX-712A supports 12X DVD+R and 8X DVD-R Writing; 4X DVD+RW
and 4X DVD-RW Rewriting; and 16X max DVD-Reading. The DVD/CD burner
also boasts high-speed 48X CD-R Writing, 24X CD-RW Rewriting,
and 48X max CD-Reading. The drive includes a bundle of premium
Microsoft Windows-compatible software from Roxio, including Roxio(R)
Easy CD & DVD Creator(TM) 6 -- DVD Edition, and Roxio PhotoSuite(R)
5 SE.
"The PX-712A extends Plextor's family of award-winning dual-format
DVD drives into the high-speed realm of 12X recording," said
Howard Wing, vice president of sales and marketing for Plextor.
"It offers the enhanced set of recording tools of our PlexWriter
Premium CD-R/RW drive family, including GigaRec, SecuRec, Q-Check,
Silent Mode, and VariRec. PlexWriter Premium drive users who require
user-controllable recording tools now can easily migrate to dual-format
DVD recording with the new PX-712A drive and PlexTools Professional
software."
Pricing and Availability
The Plextor PX-712A DVD+/-R/RW drive is scheduled for shipment
to distributors and resellers in North and South America in late
April 2004. The PX-712A drive has a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail
Price (MSRP) of $209.00 USD. All retail packages include unlimited
toll-free technical support and one-year full warranty.
For more information, visit www.plextor.com.
Mar 11 - Kano Intros Super-Fast, SLIM-K4Xtreme
4X DVD+RW/-RW Portable Drive for Macs and PCs. Kano Technologies
introduced its SLIM-K4Xtreme(TM) multi-format, dual-interface
DVD+/DVD- drive for PCs and Macs today.
The portable drive is very fast and can burn a 4.7GB DVD disc
in less than 15 minutes. Equipped with both FireWire and USB 2.0
connections, the new drive does not need a separate power supply.
Bus power support allows it to be powered through a laptop FireWire
port, and an included PS2 power cable allows USB 2.0 users to
power the unit from a laptop.
"Our drive is the fastest burning slim dual-format DVD drive
on the market today," said Robert Young, Kano's director
of national sales. "In addition, it's very small and requires
no external power supply, which makes it extremely easy to carry
and ideal for travel."
The 8-in-1 SLIM-K4Xtreme measures just 5.5-inches x 6-inches
x .75-inches, comes in a rugged all-metal silver chassis, and
weighs only 14 ounces. The drive is compatible with DVD+RW/-RW,
DVD+R/-R, CD-RW and CD-R media formats. It writes at 4x to DVD
discs and at 16x to CD discs; and, it reads DVDs at 8x and CDs
at 24x speeds.
The SLIM-K4Xtreme comes complete with cables, an external power
adapter, Roxio Easy DVD Creator software (for PCs) and Roxio Toast
6 Lite (for Macs), and user guide. It is available now from PC
Connection and MacConnection at an MSRP of $329.00.
For more information or a data sheet, visit the Kano Web site
at www.kanotechnologies.com.
Mar 11 - Microsoft Battles Linux for
40 Million Unit Advanced Set-Top Box Market. According to
a new Strategy Analytics Connected Home Devices report, more set-top
box manufacturers might consider Microsoft's CE.Net platform if
a competitive licensing scheme were available. However, the Redmond,
Washington giant must move quickly since Linux momentum is building
steadily. Linux is a leading contender to become the standard
operating system in advanced set-top boxes, such as Digital Video
Recorders (DVRs) and IPTV.
Linux already serves as the operating system in devices such
as TiVo and Echostar's DVR. It also features in many of the IPTV
set-top boxes used by telephone companies to deliver television
and video-on-demand over telephone wires. Linux is both sophisticated
enough to support advanced functions, such as video recording
and IP delivery, and economical since it does not require licensing
fees.
Peter King, Director of the Connected Home Devices service, comments:
"Device manufacturers are leaning towards Linux as the preferred
solution for advanced set-top boxes, as evidenced by the recent
Korean decision to establish the Linux IP Set-top-box Council.
But Linux is not as free as it seems, since additional applications
are often required, and development and integration work may add
further cost."
Strategy Analytics forecasts that nearly 40 million advanced
set-top boxes will be installed worldwide by 2008. The majority
will be in the US, where demand for Linux-based DVRs is likely
to be strongest.
For more information, see www.strategyanalytics.com.
Mar 10 - Toshiba's Additions to the
Satellite Notebook Series Offer Users Value. Toshiba's Digital
Products Division (DPD) today introduced three new notebooks to
their Satellite(R) Series of portable PCs -- the value-priced
Satellite A10-S100, mid-range Satellite A40-S161 and the impressive
Satellite M30-S350. Toshiba's new notebooks offer a range of features
that allow users to be mobile, productive and entertained in sizes
and styles to meet every taste and budget.
All three of Toshiba's new Satellite notebooks come fully loaded
with Microsoft(R) Office OneNote(TM) enabling mobile professionals
to easily capture, organize, share and manage data for maximum
productivity.
Designed for first-time or budget-conscious users, the Satellite
A10-S100 features the Intel(R) Celeron(R) processor, large hard
drive and enough memory to handle most computing needs. The Satellite
A10 also includes multimedia capabilities such as a built-in DVD
drive and CD burner for backing up important data, playing CDs
or viewing movies.
The Toshiba Satellite A40-S161 steps up as an easy replacement
to a desktop PC offering the right mix of features and performance.
The Satellite A40's Mobile Intel Pentium(R) 4 processor, generous
memory and large hard drive enables it to handle the most challenging
tasks, including developing multimedia presentations and data
reports particularly in environments where users have multiple
applications open at once. The unit also includes SRS TruSurround
XT(R) technology to provide an enhanced listening experience during
CD or DVD playback.
For the notebook user focused on high-style combined with uncompromising
functionality, Toshiba's eye-catching Satellite M30-S350 features
an expanded hard drive, increased graphics performance and a bright
15.4-inch diagonal display. At a mere 1 inch thick and weighing
slightly over 6 pounds, this notebook offers all the benefits
of a wide-screen display like viewing movies, working on multiple
applications side-by-side or editing spreadsheets in a package
smaller than notebooks with standard size screens. The Satellite
M30-S350 also features Intel's Centrino(TM) technology for increased
performance, enhanced wireless communications and extended battery
life.
Availability
The Satellite A10-S100, Satellite A40-S161 and Satellite M30-S350
are available immediately via Toshiba's traditional distribution
channels, VARs, ToshibaDirect.com and mail order channels. For
more information visit the company's Web site at www.toshiba.com.
Mar 10 - Toshiba Announces Availability
of the Portege M205 Tablet PC. Toshiba's Digital Products
Division (DPD) today announced retail availability of the Portege(R)
M205 tablet PC notebook with improved wireless connectivity using
Wi-Fi (802.11g) and increased storage capacity offering a standard
60GB hard disk drive. These are two new features added to the
original Portege M205 announced in November 2003.
Like its predecessor, the Portege M205 works as an everyday notebook
computer, but includes an innovative display that rotates and
folds back for convenient information viewing and sharing, and
offers a choice of data input modes such as typing, writing or
speech. Mobile professionals, students and other consumers can
handwrite meeting or class notes directly into the Portege M205,
eliminating the need to carry organizers or notepads.
The unit also offers full features like a dual axis accelerometer
allowing users to manually tilt the tablet up or down, for scroll-type
functionality; a choice of data input modes such as keyboard,
writing and speech recognition.
Added features to those listed above:
-- Intel(R) Centrino(TM) Mobile Technology
-- Intel Pentium(R) M processor at 1.50GHz
-- Intel 855 PM system chipset
-- Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 LAN (802.11g)
-- Microsoft(R) Windows XP Tablet Edition
-- NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) FX Go 5200 32M GPU, 32MB DDR video memory
-- Microsoft(R) OneNote(TM) 2003
-- 512MB of RAM (expandable to 2GB) DDR SDRAM
-- Integrated V.92, Integrated 10/100 Intel Ethernet LAN and Fast
IR
-- One Type II PC Card slot
-- One Secure Digital (SD) slot
-- Two USB 2.0 ports
-- 12.1" Poly-silicon SXGA+ Color LCD display (1400 x 1050)
-- 11.6" (wide) x 9.8" (deep) x 1.3/1.5" (thick),
4.4 pounds (weight
varies by configuration)
-- Up to four and one half hours of battery life with a standard
battery
-- Bundled Software
-- WinDVD
-- Drag 'n Drop
-- Toshiba ConfigFree(TM)
-- Symbol Commander
-- Optional Microsoft Office 2003 Small Business Edition
-- Available at computer superstores, consumer electronic stores,
mass merchandisers and www.toshibadirect.com.
-- Optional Toshiba Tablet Multi Dock (PART#:PA3315-1PRP)
-- Price: $2,499 ESUP
For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.toshiba.com.
Mar 10 - HP Targets Growing Markets
with Ultra-dense Blade and Affordable Server Line. HP (NYSE:HPQ)
(Nasdaq:HPQ) today expanded its industry-leading server portfolio
by announcing a two-processor blade server for enterprise-class
performance and the HP ProLiant ML100 server series aimed at the
growing small- and medium-size business (SMB) market.
The company also announced enhanced management capabilities for
its servers and the related milestone of more than 500,000 ProLiant
Essentials software licenses sold.
The ultra-dense HP ProLiant BL30p blade server outclasses the
competition by providing customers more processing power per rack
than any other product in its category. The HP ProLiant ML110
server, the first in the new ProLiant ML100 series available worldwide,
provides SMBs with an affordable solution that is easy to use
and easy to maintain.
"HP is exactly where it wants to be -- offering customers
solutions for an adaptive enterprise with more choice and better
density on industry-standard platforms than IBM and more technological
innovation than Dell," said Brad Anderson, senior vice president
and general manager, Industry Standard Servers, HP. "Today's
announcement is another example of how HP is beating the competition
by offering enterprise and SMB customers around the world the
opportunity to get more from their technology vendor."
Customers win with new ultra-dense blade servers
The HP ProLiant BL30p blade server, with 32-bit compute power,
offers customers a smaller design and enhanced performance features
providing all the benefits of greater density, without sacrificing
performance. HP was the first major vendor to ship blade technology
and is currently the only vendor to offer customers their choice
of one-, two- and four-processor blade servers.
The HP ProLiant BL30p shares the existing BL p-class infrastructure,
allowing customers to install future blades without changing power,
cooling, management or interconnect devices. With 16 blades per
6U (10.5-inch) enclosure, a full, single, standard rack of HP
ProLiant BL30p servers can provide up to 192 processors.
Available with the latest dual Intel(R) Xeon(TM) processors,
the HP ProLiant BL30p is designed for application servers, Web
hosting, e-commerce, computational clusters and grid computing
and is optimized for compute density with minimal or no local
storage. The server offers optional dual-port Fibre Channel support
for storage area network (SAN) implementations and clustering
capabilities enabling data center consolidation, high availability
and rapid application deployment. The HP ProLiant BL30p supports
the industry-leading HP StorageWorks portfolio as well as select
third-party Fibre Channel SANs.
The ProLiant BL30p is the latest addition to HP's broad industry-standard
server portfolio, which includes the fastest Intel Xeon processors
and AMD Opteron(TM) 200 series processors. Blades are the fastest
growing server market segment, and HP plans to continue its innovation
in this area, including the introduction of an ultra-dense, dual
AMD Opteron processor-based blade server in the second half of
the year.
New HP ProLiant ML110 server brings value, power to SMB market
The first server in the new ML100 series, the low-cost HP ProLiant
ML110 server offers simplicity, reliability and proven, innovative
features that allow small- and medium-size businesses to focus
on the needs of their business rather than having to deal with
IT-related issues.
The ProLiant ML110 has been specifically designed for SMB customers
who need solutions for file sharing, Web and mail messaging and
general-purpose functions including firewalls and virtual private
servers. The compact device offers server functionality at desktop
pricing along with the reliability customers have come to expect
from ProLiant servers. A faster central processing unit (CPU)
and twice the CPU cache give SMBs better overall performance and
faster response times than the previous generation of processors.
"As a small business, we don't have time or resources to
fashion a solution through multiple vendors," said Mike Tillges,
president, One Source Logistics. "With the ProLiant ML110
and HP StorageWorks DAT 72 tape drive, HP helped us to create
a reliable, high-performance solution to host our ERP application
and to securely back up 16 GB of mission-critical data daily."
"Three out of four customers we create solutions for are
small businesses," said Donald Stewart, service manager and
consulting engineer, Turning Point Solutions Group. "We really
needed an alternative server platform from a top-tier vendor that
combined simplicity and affordability with proven performance
and support. The HP ProLiant ML110 is easy to set up and expand
and comes with a reputation we and our customers can trust."
Pricing and availability
The HP ProLiant ML110 server is available today, pre-loaded with
Windows Small Business Server, starting at an estimated U.S. list
price of $499, with internal storage up to 320 gigabytes for ATA
models and 288 gigabytes for SCSI models. The server is available
with the Intel Celeron(R) processor at 2.6 gigahertz or the Intel
Pentium(R) 4 processor at 2.8 GHz or 3.0 GHz with 1-megabyte cache,
and also runs the Linux and Netware operating systems.
The HP ProLiant BL30p blade server is expected to be available
in the United States in the second calendar quarter, supporting
Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems. Pricing and full
specifications will be released at that time.
More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.
Mar 10 - Sony Ericsson Unveils New
EDGE PC Cards. Following the successful launch of the GC82
EDGE PC Card to the American market, Sony Ericsson unveiled today
two new additions to its family of EDGE products -- the GC83 and
GC85 EDGE PC Cards. Both PC Cards offer increased speed and extended
coverage; enhancing the wireless connectivity experience of the
mobile professional.
There is a growing trend and need for wireless data communication
solutions, as well as a demand for a mobile computing solution
that promises wireless accessibility, fast data speeds, and true
global mobility. Sony Ericsson's EDGE PC Cards and the personal
laptop are the answer for those who want to work efficiently and
effectively when on the move and out of the office. The GC83 and
GC85 offer the power and ease to surf the Internet, download files,
connect to the corporate networks and manage e-mail from just
about anywhere.
Speed -- When connected to the GSM/EDGE networks, users can enjoy
data speeds up to three times faster than GPRS. This means greatly
improved downloading speeds that are very useful for downloading
e-mails with large attachments wirelessly.
Coverage -- The triple band (GSM 850/1800/1900) GC83 EDGE PC
Card is designed for consumers in the Americas, as well as Europe
and Asia (where above networks are available). The GC85, also
a tri-band (GSM 900/1800/1900) EDGE PC Card, support European
and Asia Pacific consumers as the GC85 provides global coverage
in all five continents.
The non-extended type II PC Card with a detachable antenna is
a distinctive design of Sony Ericsson's PC Cards. The slim and
compact EDGE PC Cards allow users to store the card in the laptop
at all times -- giving them convenient and instant access. Since
the PC Cards are powered by the user's laptop, no extra chargers
or cables are required.
"The mobile professional wants more than simply keeping
in touch with his clients and colleagues when out of the office.
He wants to be able to work while on the move. He needs to be
sure that his laptop is plugged into the office network, so that
he can collaborate with his colleagues and clients in 'real time'.
Sony Ericsson is able to meet that need," said Anders Franzen,
Corporate Vice President and Head of Sony Ericsson M2M Communications
Unit.
GC83 will be available in Q2 2004 to the American markets. GC85
will first be available to Europe in Q4 with launches to follow
in other countries.
For further information, visit: www.SonyEricsson.com.
Mar 10 - InterVideo WinDVD 5 Software
with DVD-Audio Pack Supports Intel High-Definition Audio.
InterVideo(R), Inc. (Nasdaq:IVII) announced today that WinDVD(R)
5, its award-winning software for playing DVDs on a PC, supports
playback of Intel(R) High Definition (HD) Audio, Intel's next-generation
audio standard (formerly known as "Azalia").
When combined with InterVideo's optional DVD-Audio Pack and a
PC incorporating Intel HD Audio with the upcoming Grantsdale chipset,
WinDVD 5 provides OEMs and end users with a complete, easy-to-use
solution for playback of the highest-quality multi-channel sound.
Focused on bringing CE-quality audio to desktop and laptop PCs,
InterVideo has broad experience in leveraging the Dolby(R) premier
audio technologies that are included in Intel HD Audio. WinDVD
5 and the DVD-Audio Add-on Pack evolved through groundbreaking
development work carried out in collaboration with Dolby Laboratories
and the development of the proprietary InterVideo Channel Extension
(ICE) multichannel expansion technology. Using these proven technologies,
InterVideo software serves as the enabler for Intel's HD Audio
technology, delivering an in-depth PC listening experience that
rivals home theater systems.
By adding the InterVideo DVD-Audio Pack software, WinDVD can
be used with most consumer desktop or notebook PCs for playback
of both DVD-Audio and Dolby Digital multichannel audio. The software
automatically detects the audio source and gives users complete
navigation of the disc's album content. This capability enables
users to skip tracks, play music and access special disc menus
with audio still videos, real-time text, slide shows and other
entertaining content.
With WinDVD, InterVideo has consistently set the pace for audio
playback on PCs. WinDVD was among the first DVD players to include
support for Dolby Virtual Speaker Technology and Dolby Headphone
Technology. WinDVD also includes support for the Windows(R) Media
Audio (WMA) format. And, for a true home theater experience, the
Platinum version of WinDVD 5 offers individual speaker volume
control, delay, equalization, and stackable audio effects. With
support for Intel's Hyper-Threading Technology, users can watch
a movie or enjoy HD Audio while working on their computer or surfing
the Web.
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's new Centrino(TM) mobile technology
and other Intel notebook processors.
In addition to the DVD-Audio Pack for WinDVD 5, InterVideo also
offers a new InterActual(R) Pack that enables users to enjoy the
high-resolution video enabled by Microsoft(R) Windows Media(R)
9 Series (WMV HD) and access to extended features such as playback
tracks, games, printables, photo galleries, and special web sites.
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 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 pack is priced
at $39.95 and the InterActual Pack is priced at $19.95.
Visit the company's Web site at www.intervideo.com.
Mar 09 - Intel Wireless Coexistence
System Minimizes Interference Between 802.11 and Bluetooth Wireless
Technologies. Silicon Wave, a leading supplier of integrated
circuits for Wireless Personal Area Networks, today announced
that their single-chip UltimateBlue(TM) Bluetooth(R) solution
and the co-developed Intel(R) Wireless Coexistence System are
integrated into Intel Corporation's 'Florence' concept PCs, unveiled
at the recent Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco.
The new concept line consists of three prototype portable computers
that combine unique case designs with the latest computing and
wireless technology from Intel. The Intel Wireless Coexistence
System is incorporated into 'Florence' to minimize interference
between Bluetooth and 802.11 wireless technologies, allowing both
to operate simultaneously.
"The concept PC program was started over two years ago to
showcase Intel's products and to provide customers with a vision
of what was possible," said Mike Trainor, chief mobile technology
evangelist for Intel Corporation. "Wireless computing is
a big part of that vision, and our work with Silicon Wave on a
coexistence solution is another example of delivering innovative
solutions to real-world problems."
Bluetooth and 802.11 are complementary wireless technologies
that share the same 2.4GHz ISM band. When the two technologies
operate at the same time, for example when Bluetooth applications
are used while the user is connected to the network over 802.11,
interference may occur. The Intel Wireless Coexistence System
ensures that end users experience optimal data throughput, range
and responsiveness on wireless LANs while maintaining connectivity
with other PCs or peripherals enabled with Bluetooth wireless
technology such as keyboards, mice, printers, PDAs, cameras and
Smart Phones.
"Both Bluetooth and 802.11 wireless technologies are rapidly
being integrated into PCs, so it is critical that we minimize
interference issues," said Malachi Bierstein, technical marketing
manager for Silicon Wave. "The Intel Wireless Coexistence
System plays a key role in delivering seamless wireless connectivity
to the Florence concept PC."
The company's Web site is located at www.siliconwave.com.
Mar 09 - Nexperia DVD Data Recorder
Reference Design Enables Recording Speeds up to 16x. Royal
Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG)(AEX:PHI) today introduced its Nexperia(TM)
semiconductor reference design for the industry's fastest DVD+R/+RW
(DVD+Recordable/+ReWriteable) recorders available for the PC market
today. DVD recorders based on the new reference design will allow
consumers to record a complete DVD+R disc in less than five minutes
at speeds of up to 16x.
The reference design, powered by Philips Nexperia chipsets and
software, also features the recording of dual-layer DVD+R media,
which virtually doubles the data storage capacity on a DVD disc
from 4.7 Gigabytes (Gbyte) to 8.5 Gbyte. As a result, consumers
will be able to create DVD discs complete with hours of home videos,
numerous photo albums and intensive PC data rapidly.
Targeting the PC market, Philips Nexperia DVD Data Recorder reference
design will benefit drive makers by offering them a competitive
advantage in the race for speed, which is critical in today's
digital consumer environment. Since Philips is making available
a fully functional 16x reference design based on a cost-effective
two-chip solution, manufacturers will also benefit from an improved
time-to-market with up to 30 percent time savings.
The reference design is fully programmable, making it easy for
drive makers to seamlessly add new functions. Furthermore, the
dual-layer DVD+R media supported by Philips reference design is
compatible with existing DVD video players and DVD-ROM drives
commercially available today.
"Consumers today are demanding high-speed recording capabilities
and the utmost in storage capacity to preserve their volumes of
digital content on an optical storage medium, such as DVDs,"
said Jeroen Keunen, general manager of consumer and multimedia,
Philips Semiconductors. "Philips was first to market with
a DVD+R/+RW reference design with speeds of 8x and now with the
introduction of a 16x recording solution, we are helping our customers
meet the stringent requirements of the consumer and also reinforcing
our leadership in optical storage."
Philips Nexperia DVD Data Recorder reference design consists
of Philips Nexperia PNX7860E DVD processor with embedded codec,
microcontroller, controller and host interface, along with the
TZA1047HL analog pre-processor. The reference design is built
in conjunction with Philips optical pickup unit (OPU), which leads
the OPU industry with lower power lasers for 16x based on Philips'
patented beam shaper technology.
Pricing and Availability
The Nexperia DVD Data Recorder reference design is based on the
Philips PNX7860E and TZA1047HL, which together are priced at approximately
USD $15 in volume quantities. The reference design is scheduled
to be in volume production during the first half of 2004.
Philips is located at www.semiconductors.philips.com.
Mar 09 - IDC Forecasts 18% PC Semiconductor
Revenue Growth in 2004. Economic recovery and rising PC demand
boosted the PC semiconductor market in the second half of 2003.
However, revenue growth was largely limited to rising semiconductor
unit sales, rather than rising prices, and to sales of systems
to consumers, as opposed to corporations.
According to IDC's new study, Worldwide Desktop and Mobile PC
Semiconductor Forecast, 2003-2008, the inflection point in the
recovery of the PC semiconductor market during 2004 depends on
the factors that were missing at the end of 2003. Beyond economic
growth and the seasonal uplift, a continuing recovery will require
sales to both consumers and corporations.
IDC predicts that overall (desktop plus mobile) PC semiconductor
revenue will grow 18.0% to $53.6 billion in 2004, the highest
annual growth rate during the study's forecast period. From 2003
to 2008, IDC forecasts that the PC semiconductor market will grow
at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.8%, rising from $45.4
billion to $66.1 billion.
"The recovery of the PC semiconductor market will hit its
stride in 2004, specifically in the second half of the year,"
said Shane Rau, IDC's lead PC semiconductor analyst. "Carrying
the recovery along will be the key trends of mobility, connectivity,
and increasing overlap between the consumer and PC markets."
Additional findings of IDC's study include:
-- Mobile PC semiconductor revenue will grow at a healthy CAGR
of 16.1%, as compared to desktop PC semiconductor revenue growth
of 2.9%. As a result, mobile PC semiconductor revenue will nearly
equal that of desktop PC semiconductor revenue by 2008, up from
roughly 50% in 2003.
-- While all mobile PC price bands will grow during the forecast
period, only the desktop PC prices below $1000 will grow significantly
during the same period.
-- The PC processor and main memory subsystems will grow the
most on an absolute revenue basis during the forecast period.
-- The communications subsystem of the mobile PC semiconductor
market will achieve the highest growth rate during the forecast
period, driven by the growth of wireless connectivity, such as
WLAN technology embedded in mobile PCs.
Additional information can be found at www.idc.com.
Mar 09 - Ahead Software's Nero is
the World's First Software Suite to Support DVD+R Double Layer
-DL- Recording. Ahead Software announced today the world's
first all-in-one DVD+R Double Layer (DL) software suite. All of
Nero's applications in this enhanced version of its OEM digital
media suite will fully support DVD+R DL drives, allowing 8.5GB
DVD writing, authoring, backup and recoding the first time ever.
The optical recording technology landscape will once again be
transformed in 2004 with Double Layer DVD recording that will
double the capacity of existing writable DVD discs, broadening
the universe of video and data storage.
NeroVision Express 2 takes video capturing, editing, photo slideshows
and animated menu creation to the next level with its support
of full DVD-Video authoring on DVD+R DL, doubling the capacity
to four hours of standard DVD quality video. Equipped with the
most powerful MPEG recoding engine available and featuring Nero
Digital (TM), the world's fastest MPEG-4 encoder available, Nero
Recode 2 enables the user to recode several non-copy protected
movies to a single DVD+R DL disc in DVD-Video format, or more
than ten movies in Nero Digital's MPEG-4 format. Nero Digital
combines MPEG-4 video with HE-AAC audio and has full subtitle
support.
In addition, this complete, comprehensive software suite offers
Nero BackItUp, which takes full advantage of the increased capacity
of a DVD+R DL disc, allowing users to run scheduled backups, password-protect
their data and choose from various backup modes such as full or
incremental. Nero Express 6 allows users to burn standard data
and digital audio discs with up to 8.5 GB in size.
Also included is the essential drive testing utility, Nero Toolkit,
the powerful DVD and digital video playback software Nero ShowTime,
the standard packet writing application InCD 4 and the label creator
Nero Cover Designer. Each application can be accessed with a single
click via the one-of-a-kind application launcher Nero StartSmart,
proving users with an at-a-glance overview of what DVD drives
have to offer.
"Ahead Software has been working extensively with key DVD+RW
Alliance members to create the ultimate all-in-one software package
that is optimized for Double Layer DVD Recording," says Richard
Lesser CEO of Ahead Software AG. "This is a quantum leap
in recordable DVD technology, and Ahead Software's engineers have
worked tirelessly to bring these engineering achievements in DVD+R
Double Layer technology to consumers across the globe."
The Nero OEM digital media suite with unrivalled features for
DVD+R Double Layer (DL) technology will be included in worldwide
bundles from major drive manufacturers from Q2, 2004, and is available
for PC and drive OEMs.
For additional information, please visit www.nero.com.
Mar 09 - In-Stat/MDR Reports the Bus
Rolls on for USB. The Universal Serial Bus (USB) saw continued
success in 2003, according to high-tech market research firm In-Stat/MDR
(www.instat.com). With continued
adoption of USB in the consumer electronics and communications
segments, and the rapid introduction of high-speed USB into PCs
and PC peripherals, the total market for USB-enabled devices will
experience 18.3% annual growth between 2003 and 2008.
"By all accounts the USB standard has been a huge success,"
said Brian O'Rourke, a senior analyst with In-Stat/MDR, "and
USB will see continued success in a variety of applications."
The transition from full-speed to high-speed USB is progressing
rapidly. "The killer application for high-speed USB is the
fact that it is backward compatible with the hundreds of millions
of low-speed and full-speed USB devices already on the market,"
O'Rourke said.
In-Stat/MDR has also found that:
-- High-speed USB was in about four out of five PCs shipped in
2003, and will be in nearly all PCs shipping in 2004.
-- In the PC peripheral market, high-speed USB is in an increasing
number of devices, particularly external drives, scanners and
printers. The fastest growing market for USB in this segment is
USB Flash Drives.
-- In consumer electronics, applications such as digital still
cameras, digital camcorders and set top boxes are seeing increased
penetration of USB, particularly high-speed USB.
-- In communications, cable and DSL modems have rapidly adopted
USB, and are currently making the transition to high speed. Routers
and residential gateways are just beginning to adopt USB. The
mobile phone market is beginning to adopt full-speed USB, with
On-The-Go as well.
Mar 08 - Acer America to Deliver
Workstation Performance in a Value-Priced Notebook. Acer(R)
America Corporation, one of the leading worldwide suppliers of
laptop PC solutions, today introduced the Aspire(TM) 1710, a mobile
workstation for end users who require powerful performance and
graphics capabilities in a laptop computer.
The Aspire 1710 features a 17" display, Intel(R) Pentium(R)
4 Processor with Hyper-Threading Technology and NVIDIA(R) GPU
with up to 128MB of dedicated DDR video memory. An alternative
to existing bulky systems utilized for video encoding, digital
media, gaming and other extreme applications, the Aspire 1710
is the first offering to feature high-end mobile workstation performance
at a value notebook price.
"Engineers, architects, artists, gamers and other power
PC users require raw computing muscle to run graphics intensive
applications but have previously been chained to their desktops,"
said Sumit Agnihotry, mobile product marketing manager, Acer America.
"The Acer Aspire 1710 gives them mobility and flexibility
thanks to a lightning-fast Intel Pentium 4 Processor with HT Technology,
a large and bright panoramic LCD and high-end graphics while maintaining
a price point that's previously been the domain of low-end, value
systems."
Extreme Performance Goes Mobile
The combination of high-performance processor, powerful graphics
technology and a four light tube (versus the standard two) LCD
that is twice as bright as conventional displays, supplies workstation
level performance in a system that is small enough to be stored
in a drawer when not in use.
By obliterating the gap between desktops and portables, the Acer
Aspire 1710 is able to display instant, real-time previews during
digital creation and run graphics-intensive applications such
as Adobe(R) Photoshop(R) and QuarkXPress(TM). The Aspire 1710
also meets the 3D performance demands of today's most robust game
and engineering applications, which users view on a brilliant
17" SXGA (1280 x 1024) TFT screen.
The Acer Aspire 1710 is a powerhouse portable with features that
include an Intel Pentium 4 Processor with Hyper-Threading Technology
3E GHz, Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP Professional or Home Edition
operating system and NVIDIA GeForce(TM) FX Go5700 graphics.
Storage is provided by a 120GB ATA/100 hard disk drive, internal
DVD-Dual drive (DVD+/-RW) and 6-in-1 card reader for optional
MultiMediaCard(TM), Secure Digital card, SmartMedia(TM) card,
Memory Stick(R), CompactFlash(R) card or Microdrive(TM).
The Aspire 1710 makes it easy to connect to the Internet, corporate
network, printer, digital camera, etc. A 10/100 LAN connection,
V.92 56Kbps data/fax modem and 802.11g wireless LAN (faster than
"b" wireless), as well as four USB 2.0 ports and a FireWire(R)
port are incorporated into the sleek gray chassis.
Pricing
The Aspire 1710 is available through Acer Authorized Resellers
throughout North America starting at approximately $1,499.
For more information about Acer America, please visit the website
at: www.acer.com/us.
Mar 08 - Gartner Says Camera Phones
Can Pose a Security Risk to Businesses. Businesses are concerned
that camera phones can compromise their security and employees'
privacy, and many businesses are trying to ban camera phones from
their facilities. However, an outright ban of camera phones is
shortsighted and hard to enforce, according to Gartner, Inc.
By 2006, more than 80 percent of mobile phones shipped in the
United States and Western Europe will have cameras. As camera
phones account for a larger portion of the overall mobile phone
market, companies will need to implement security programs that
can realistically be managed.
"Most organizations simply don't have the staff or money
to mount effective inspections," said Ken Dulaney, research
vice president at Gartner. "Instead, businesses should designate
secure zones where restrictions on these devices are tight and
can be enforced. For other workplace areas, staff should be given
guidelines about what is acceptable."
"Usage guidelines will be far more effective than outright
bans because it's not just the phones' cameras that could pose
a security risk," said Carolina Milanesi, analyst for Gartner.
"For example, many phones can also record voices. Therefore,
it's hard to decide where to draw a firm line about what can and
can't be used at work."
Gartner analysts said there are a flood of high-tech consumer
devices, not just camera phones, entering the workplace that could
pose a security risk.
"There are Universal Serial Bus 'key ring' drives, some
of which will soon feature built-in cameras that can quickly connect
to almost any recent PC and take large amounts of information
off the premises. There's also a new wave of DVD burners to contend
with," Dulaney said. "Any company policy directed at
camera phones should be widened to address the transfer of information
from enterprise environments to consumer devices in general."
Above all, businesses must foster an internal culture that discourages
the abuse of any technologies.
Gartner analysts will provide detailed analysis on the impact
wireless technologies will have on enterprises during the Gartner
Wireless and Mobile Summit at the Chicago Downtown Marriott, March
8-10. Gartner analysts will examine the risks that mobile vendors
and users will face in a future of accelerating technological
and business change. Additional information is available at www.gartner.com.
Mar 08 - Forty-two percent (42%) of
Americans Are Making Minimum or No Payments on Their Credit Card
Balances. Over four out of ten Americans (42%) are making
just minimum payments or no payments on their credit card balances,
according to the Cambridge Consumer Credit Index.
Of those respondents surveyed with revolving balances on their
credit cards, 39% made only the minimum payment due and 3% made
no payments at all last month. Another 39% paid less than half
the balance owed but more than the minimum, while 19% paid more
than half their balances. In 2003, 46% of Americans surveyed paid
just the minimum (40%) or made no payment at all (6%).
The Cambridge survey also asked Americans who are taking on more
debt why they are doing so. 49% of the respondents (up from 44%
in 2003) said they are adding debt because they don't have the
funds to pay for the purchases in full when the credit card bills
arrive, while 51% of Americans (down from 56% in 2003) are taking
on debt because they are confident of their ability to pay the
balance off in full.
Overall, 39% of Americans paid off their credit card balances
in full last month (down from 43% in 2003), 32% extended their
payments (up from 31% last year), while 29% did not use credit
cards at all in the last month (up from 26% a year ago).
"The results of the Cambridge Consumer Credit Index wildcard
question show Americans are dramatically split between the haves
and have-nots. The haves either don't use their credit cards at
all or feel secure about paying off their credit card bills when
they arrive. The growing number of have-nots, however, are being
forced to borrow to pay for their daily necessities, and are getting
deeper into debt since they are just able to make minimum payments
or sometimes not even able to make any payments at all,"
says Jordan Goodman, spokesperson/financial analyst for the Cambridge
Consumer Credit Index.
According to Chris Viale, Chief Operating Officer of Cambridge
Credit Counseling Corp., "It is discouraging to see that
a greater percentage of consumers are taking on debt even though
they can't pay their credit card bills in full. This can only
lead to higher accumulation levels of debt since these people
wind up paying more towards interest than the outstanding purchases
on their bill. We recommend that people take a hard look at their
spending habits and prioritize wants vs. needs. It is possible
to create a realistic budget and trim spending so that you can
live within or even beneath your means - but it takes commitment."
These findings are the result of monthly nationwide telephone
poll of 1000+ adults conducted by ICR/International Communications
Research in the past week, sponsored by the Debt Relief Clearinghouse.
The overall Cambridge Consumer Credit Index rose in March to
59, six points higher than in February. The Index rose in two
of its three component questions. The "Reality Gap,"
which is the difference between the amount of debt consumers say
they will pay off in the next month versus the amount of debt
they actually paid off a month later, increased to 12 percentage
points from 7 points in February. A month ago, 85% of Americans
planned to pay off debt, while a month later 73% actually did
so.
Mar 08 - Atari Developing Wildest
Ride Yet With Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. Get your barf bag ready!
Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) announced today that a thrilling new
sequel to the stomach-turning excitement of the RollerCoaster
Tycoon franchise will make its way to store shelves later this
year.
RollerCoaster Tycoon® 3 will take the series to new heights
with brand new features including 3-D graphics, giving players
complete control of views around the park, and a front seat to
the action with a new Coaster Cam™ feature that allows players
to ride the roller coasters. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is being developed
by Frontier Developments, Ltd. of Cambridge, England, in conjunction
with Chris Sawyer, the creator and sole developer of the RollerCoaster
Tycoon franchise.
"We are very excited to be working with Frontier Developments
and Chris Sawyer on this completely new version of the blockbuster
RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise," said Wim Stocks, Executive
Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Atari, Inc. "RollerCoaster
Tycoon 3 demonstrates Atari's ability to take an existing franchise
to new heights, creating an entirely fresh and exciting entertainment
experience for fans and new players alike."
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 will also feature new gameplay elements
that fans have been asking for - including diversity of guests,
added group behavior and improved guest AI - and many other new
features which build upon the fun and addictive nature of the
original game.
The RollerCoaster Tycoon series is the #1 Tycoon series having
sold more than seven million units life-to-date worldwide*. The
original RollerCoaster Tycoon game debuted in 1999 and held onto
a spot on the PC top 10 best-seller list for 150 weeks.
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 will be introduced in Holiday 2004 for
the PC. Additional information will be available on www.rollercoastertycoon.com
and www.atari.com.
Mar 07 - 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 Intel processor 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 ad 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
|
$339
|
-$50
|
Circuit City
|
|
2. Best Celeron Deal
|
eMachines 2.7 GHz complete system
with 17" monitor
|
$389
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
1. Best Pentium 4 System
|
Sony 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with HT Technology, 15 inch flat panel, and DVD-RW
|
$1199
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
2. Best Pentium 4 System
|
HP 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with HT Technology, 15 inch flat panel, and DVD-RW
|
$1279
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
3. Best Pentium 4 System
|
Sony 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with HT Technology, 15 inch flat panel, and DVD-RW
|
$1299
|
+$30
|
Best Buy
|
|
4. Best Pentium 4 System
|
HP 3.2 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with HT Technology, 17 inch flat panel, and DVD-RW
|
$1729
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
1. Best AMD Athlon XP System
|
HP Athlon 3000+ complete system with
17 inch monitor and DVD-RW drive
|
$719
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
2. Best AMD Athlon XP System
|
eMacines Athlon 3200+ complete system
with 17 inch monitor and DVD-RW
|
$746
|
-
|
Office Depot
|
|
Best AMD Athlon 64 Desktop System
|
None Advertised
|
|
|
|
|
1. Best Low-cost Laptop
|
Toshiba 2.6 GHz Celeron with DVD/CD-RW
|
$799
|
-$50
|
Best Buy
|
|
2. Best Low-cost Laptop
|
HP 2.6 GHz Celeron with DVD/CD-RW
|
$849
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
3. Best Low-cost Laptop
|
HP Athlon 2500+ with DVD/CD-RW
|
$849
|
-
|
Office Depot
|
|
1. Best High-end Notebook
|
HP Athlon 64 3000+ widescreen with
DVD/CD-RW
|
$1099
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
2. Best High-end Notebook
|
Sony 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1249
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
3. Best High-end Notebook
|
Gateway widescreen Centrino 1.4
GHz with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1399
|
-
|
Office Depot
|
|
4. Best High-end Notebook
|
Sony widescreen Centrino 1.4 GHz
with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1599
|
-
|
Office Depot
|
|
5. Best High-end Notebook
|
HP widescreen Media Center Pentium
4 3.06 GHz with Hyper Threading, and DVD-RW
|
$2249
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
|
|
Peripherals and Software
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Western Digital 80 GB 7200 RPM Hard
Drive with 8 MB buffer
|
$49
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
TDK 52X CD-RW
|
$59
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Plextor 8X DVD-RW
|
$269
(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.
Mar 03 - First Bluetooth
v1.2 End-Product Qualified. CSR (LSE: CSR.L), a leader in
Bluetooth technology, today announced that a notebook PC using
its BlueCore silicon has just qualified to version 1.2 of the
Bluetooth specification. This is the first end-product to qualify
to v1.2, the improved specification which brings connectivity
enhancement to Bluetooth but retains backwards compatiblilty with
existing v1.1 Bluetooth products.
The v1.2 Bluetooth-enabled product in question is the Fujitsu
LifeBook S7010 mobile computer which ships with CSR's BlueCore
IC and has been qualified to be compliant with the Toshiba v1.2
PC stack.
CSR's v1.2 BlueCore offering includes Adaptive Frequency Hopping
(AFH) technology. AFH minimises interference between Bluetooth
and Wi-Fi radios when operating in the same environment, making
it ideal for use in a busy RF environment - such as in Wireless
LAN offices and hotspots. CSR's Bluetooth v1.2 solution also employs
Fast Connect which significantly improves the usability of Bluetooth
devices by reducing device discovery times by up to an order of
magnitude.
Matthew Philips, vice president of sales for Asia, CSR added,
"CSR has been in close collaboration with the SIG (Special
Interest Group) to develop the technology that makes up Bluetooth
v1.2. We are therefore delighted to see BlueCore silicon in the
very first v1.2 qualified product."
More information can be found at www.csr.com
and the partner web site www.btdesigner.com. More information
about Bluetooth can be found on the SIG web site at www.bluetooth.com.
Mar 02 - Enhanced Intel®
Xeon™ Processor MP Boosts Performance By Up To 25 Percent.
Intel Corporation today announced the availability of an enhanced
Intel® Xeon™ processor for multi-processor servers. The
processor delivers up to 25 percent better performance compared
to previous versions and enables customers to consolidate numerous
applications onto fewer servers.
"The increased frequency and cache of this new Intel Xeon
processor MP combine to deliver a significant boost in performance
and outstanding price-performance for enterprise workloads,"
said Richard Dracott, general manager, enterprise marketing and
planning for Intel's Enterprise Platforms Group. "These new
processors, which are compatible with previous generation Intel
Xeon Processor MP-based platforms, give users an immediate performance
boost and an additional return on their IT investments."
The new Intel processor features a 3.0 GHz clock speed and 4
MB level three (L3) cache. The Intel Xeon processor MP has a strong
established base of enterprise customers, including AIG SunAmerica,
Inc., Coremetrics, Inc., MAXDATA, Mohawk Industries, Inc., Partners
HealthCare System, Pilgrim's Pride Corporation, UFJ Bank Limited
and The Weather Channel. In addition to this broad range of customers,
the price and performance of Intel Xeon processor MP systems has
been particularly attractive to the financial sector.
"Intel Architecture has given Thomson Financial a proven
and trusted platform for both our current and long-term needs
in our enterprise," said Jeremy Lehman, senior vice president,
Technology, Thomson Financial. "We chose Intel Architecture
because of its outstanding price-performance, reliability, high
availability and scalability for Thomson ONE Analytics, giving
our customers faster response times and quick access to financial
data."
System manufacturers, including Unisys, which builds the systems
used by Thomson Financial, are expected to offer more than 50
Intel Xeon processor MP-based systems, ranging from four to 32
processors, this year. Other leading manufacturers with systems
based on the Intel Xeon processor MP include Bull, Dell, Egenera,
Fujitsu, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Gateway, HP, Hitachi, IBM,
Kraftway, Langchao, Lenovo, NEC, Powerleader, Samsung and Toshiba,
as well as regional system builders.
The Intel Xeon processor MP delivers scalability with compelling
price-performance benefits for the enterprise application and
mid-range data tier, including collaboration, application server,
enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, business
intelligence, and customer relations management applications.
The Intel Xeon processor MP is also drop-in compatible with existing
systems. It is designed to work with Intel® PRO Gigabit Ethernet
Network Connections and Intel® Server RAID Controllers. Intel
also recently announced the four-way capable Intel® Server
Compute Blade SBX44 which supports the new Intel Xeon processor
MP announced today and extends Intel's modular building-block
product line.
More than 85 percent of servers shipping today are based on Intel
architecture, according to industry analysts. Today's new products
extend Intel's strength in multi-processor, business-critical
server deployments, which are commonly referred to as the high
end of a company's computing data center. Servers with four or
more processors accounted for more than 56 percent of the total
server market revenue in 2003. During this same period, shipments
of servers capable of four or more processors that were based
on Intel Architecture accounted for 57 percent of shipments.
The Intel Xeon processor MP at 3.0 GHz featuring a 4 MB L3 cache
is now available worldwide for Intel's list price of $3,692 in
1,000-unit quantities. Intel is also releasing the Intel Xeon
processor MP at 2.70 GHz and 2.20 GHz with 2 MB L3 cache at $1,980
and $1,177 in 1,000-unit quantities respectively.
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.
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