Nov 23 - Sunday Shopping Watch.
Best Sunday Deals - See our Best Sunday
Ad Deals Table below for specific system prices.
Weekly Comparison. Again, some very good laptop
and desktop deals to be found this weekend.
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 13 month no-interest financing on all desktop
and laptop purchases, and $100 mail-in rebates on advertised laptops
and up to $100 mail-in rebates on advertised desktop packages.
Circuit City is offering
13 months no interest on advertised desktop packages and notebooks,
and up to $150 mail-in rebates on advertised laptops and desktop packages.
Office
Depot
has no store-wide promotions this Sunday.
CompUSA is offering 13 months
no payment, no interest, financing on any computer purchase of $999
and higher made on November 23rd or November 24th.
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
|
HP 2.6 GHz complete system with 17"
monitor
|
$549
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
2. Best Celeron Deal
|
Compaq 2.6 GHz complete system with 17"
monitor
|
$699
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
1. Best Pentium 4 System
|
Sony 2.6 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with 17" monitor, Hyper Threading, and DVD/CD-RW
|
$1054
|
|
Best Buy, Circuit City ($1079)
|
|
2. Best Pentium 4 System
|
HP 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with 15" flat panel, Hyper Threading, and DVD-RW
|
$1299
|
|
CompUSA
|
|
3. Best Pentium 4 System
|
Sony 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with 15" flat panel, HT Technology, and DVD-RW
|
$1404
|
|
Best Buy
|
|
4. Best Pentium 4 System
|
HP Windows XP Media 2.8 GHz Pentium 4
complete system with 17" flat panel, HT Technology, and
DVD-RW
|
$1759
|
|
Best Buy
|
|
5. Best Pentium 4 System
|
Sony 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with 17" flat panel, HT Technology, and DVD-RW
|
$1679
|
+250
|
Circuit City
|
|
1. Best AMD Athlon XP System
|
HP 2600+ system with 17" monitor
and DVD/CD-RW
|
$599
|
|
Best Buy
|
|
2. Best AMD Athlon XP System
|
eMachines 2600+ complete system with
15" LCD and DVD-RW
|
$779
|
|
Circuit City
|
|
1. Best Low-cost Laptop
|
Toshiba 2.4 GHz Celeron with DVD/CD-RW
|
$799
|
|
Circuit City
|
|
2. Best Low-cost Laptop
|
Compaq 2.4 GHz Celeron with DVD/CD-RW
|
$799
|
|
CompUSA
|
|
3. Best Low-cost Laptop
|
HP Athlon XP-M 2500+ with DVD/CD-RW
|
$999
|
|
Best Buy
|
|
1. Best High-end Notebook
|
Compaq 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 with DVD/CD-RW
|
$949
|
|
CompUSA
|
|
2. Best High-end Notebook
|
Toshiba 2.3 GHz Pentium 4 with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1099
|
-$50
|
Circuit City, CompUSA ($1149)
|
|
3. Best High-end Notebook
|
Toshiba Pentium 4 2.8 GHz with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1349
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
4. Best High-end Notebook
|
Sony
Pentium 4
2.8 GHz with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1349
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
5. Best High-end Notebook
|
Toshiba Pentium 4 2.8 GHz Windows XP
Media system with HT Technology, and DVD-RW
|
$1999
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
6. Best High-end Notebook
|
Toshiba Centrino widescreen 1.4 GHz
with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1449
|
|
Circuit City
|
|
|
|
Peripherals and Software
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Dominator GeForce FX 5600 Plus 128 MB
|
$99
(after rebates)
|
-
|
CompUSA
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Radeon 9200 128 MB
|
$59
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Circuit City
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
HP 8X DVD-RW/CD-RW
|
$199
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Plextor 8X external DVD-RW/CD-RW
|
$299
(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.
Nov 21 - AMD Opteron Processor
Makes Grand Entrance Onto the Top500 Supercomputer List. AMD (NYSE:AMD)
today announced at Supercomputing 2003 the AMD Opteron(TM) processor
has appeared an impressive four times for its debut on the Top500
Supercomputer list.
"The AMD Opteron processor has marched straight
to the top ten of the supercomputing field," said Marty Seyer,
vice president and general manager of AMD's Microprocessor Business
Unit. "The swift adoption and installation of these ultra-powerful
AMD Opteron processor-based supercomputers clearly shows the HPC community
had been anxiously awaiting this processor."
The Top500 list is published twice yearly and is based on the LINPAC
benchmark, which measures a computer's floating-point rate of executing
linear equations and is expressed in Gigaflops (Gflop/s) or billions
of floating point operations per second.
The number six supercomputer, built by Linux Networx and in service
at Los Alamos National Laboratory, comes in as the highest AMD Opteron
processor-based system on the Top500 and operates at a maximal LINPAC
performance rate of 8,051 Gflop/s with a theoretical peak performance
of 11,264 Gflop/s.
The Innovative Computing Lab at the University of Tennessee, which
co-authors the Top500 list, has selected the AMD Opteron processor-based
system from Atipa Technologies for a new supercomputing cluster scheduled
to be delivered by December 1, 2003. The 64-node cluster is designed
to use 128 AMD Opteron processors and is planned to support a variety
of projects for the lab, including various benchmarks and Grid related
projects.
"Our new AMD Opteron processor-based cluster will deliver increased
performance to enable us to make more efficient use of our Grid environment,
called SInRG, on the University of Tennessee campus," said Jack
Dongarra, Distinguished Professor at the University of Tennessee.
"It also will offer improved performance for tasks such as the
development of new numerical algorithms and computational kernels
used to alleviate commonly occurring bottlenecks in high performance
computing."
Additional AMD Opteron processor-based supercomputers making the
list include: an installation at Doshisha University's Intelligent
Systems Design Laboratory in Kyoto, Japan and built by Visual Technology
at number 93, a supercomputer at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
designed by Linux Networx at number 116, and at number 247, a system
built by RackSaver with Arima and Myricom, Inc., in service at AMD's
Developer Center in Sunnyvale, California.
Many research institutions and universities have embraced the stability
and reliability of the AMD Athlon(TM) MP processor line, which offers
leading in-class performance and also appears throughout the TOP500
list.
About the AMD Opteron(TM) Processor
The AMD Opteron processor is based on AMD's eighth-generation processor
core, which marks the introduction of the industry's first 64-bit,
x86 technology implementation. This technology preserves companies'
investments in 32-bit applications, while allowing a seamless transition
to 64-bit computing as those companies require. The AMD Opteron processor
is designed to deliver high-performance server and workstation solutions
for today's most demanding enterprise applications.
The processor is scalable, reliable and compatible, which can result
in lower total cost of ownership. Key AMD Opteron processor innovations
include an integrated memory controller, which reduces memory bottlenecks,
and HyperTransport(TM) technology, which increases overall performance
by removing or reducing I/O bottlenecks, increasing bandwidth and
reducing latency.
For more information, visit www.amd.com.
Nov 21 - Sun and AMD Form
Strategic Alliance. Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq:SUNW) and AMD
(NYSE:AMD) today announced a strategic alliance through which Sun
will deliver new AMD Opteron(tm) processor-based Sun Fire(tm) systems
and optimized versions of the Solaris(tm) Operating System (OS) and
the Java(tm) platform as well as Linux OS.
The new Sun Fire servers will provide customers with
all the benefits of the Solaris OS and the Java Enterprise System
running on industry standard x86 architecture with breakthrough AMD
Opteron processor performance. The alliance plans to also include
long-term joint technology development to create future hardware and
software offerings.
"Over the past year we've made a dramatic move in leveraging
industry economics to bring customers the enterprise-class benefits
of our Solaris OS and Java technology at compelling price points,"
said Scott McNealy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sun Microsystems,
Inc. "This means that Sun customers can now get all the benefits
of Solaris OS, Linux and Java technologies running on their choice
of UltraSPARC(R) and x86 systems. With the addition of the AMD Opteron
processor, we are setting a new industry standard by delivering even
more choice and performance to our customers."
By offering both Solaris OS and Linux, Sun customers will have a
choice of enterprise operating systems and access to thousands of
applications. In addition, Sun's Java Enterprise System will enable
Sun's customers with AMD Opteron processor-based systems to develop
and deploy applications in a simple, predictable, cost-effective manner.
"Today's agreement with Sun is a strong validation of AMD's
growing customer acceptance inside the enterprise," said Hector
Ruiz, President and CEO of AMD. "The combination of Sun's network
computing expertise and the AMD Opteron processor platform will allow
IT customers unprecedented flexibility and scalability. Sun's support
adds additional momentum to our growing AMD Opteron processor ecosystem."
"In May of this year, Scott and I outlined our vision for a
highly scalable but low-cost computing infrastructure," said
Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation. "Today, Sun, AMD and
Oracle are working together to deliver on that vision. Soon Oracle
will run on AMD Opteron under both Solaris and Linux. These new systems
offer the rare combination of 64-bit big system performance and a
very low price tag."
The strategic alliance between the two companies will include:
-- A full range of AMD Opteron processor-based Sun Fire systems
from Sun: Throughout the course of 2004, Sun will introduce
new AMD Opteron processor powered systems. The current roadmap
calls for two- and four-way servers to be rolled-out within
the next calendar year.
-- Solaris OS and Sun's Java Enterprise System optimization for
the AMD Opteron processor: Sun and AMD will collaborate to
accelerate the platform development, optimize the performance
and increase enterprise adoption for the Solaris OS and Sun's
Java Enterprise System running on the AMD Opteron processor.
Currently customers can run Solaris software on AMD Opteron in
32-bit mode. Sun plans to make 64-bit Solaris available on the
AMD Opteron processor in the first half of 2004.
-- Future AMD Opteron Processor-based Designs: Sun and AMD will
collaborate on a portfolio of future AMD Opteron
processor-based systems and scalability beyond 4-way AMD
Opteron processor systems. The parties will also collaborate
on coherent HyperTransport(tm) technology implementations.
-- Joint ISV Development Program: Sun and AMD will jointly form
an iForce(tm) Partner Program for ISVs and developers creating
and porting applications to the Solaris OS. This new program
will include engineering support from both companies, a seed
unit program for ISVs as well as a Sun/AMD Developer Resource
Kit, which is available for download at www.sun.com/amd
or
www.amd.com/sun.
-- Joint Customer Centric Marketing Programs: Sun and AMD will
collaborate on worldwide marketing activities including a
customer seed unit program; joint sales activities; as well as
joint product, ISV, developer and channel marketing programs.
Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide
Web at http://sun.com.
Nov 21 - Toshiba Introduces Next Generation
Tablet PC. Building upon its award-winning tablet PC platform,
Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD) today introduced its next
generation tablet PC offering an impressive array of productivity
tools and a new, uniquely designed docking station.
The Portege(R) M200/205 Series is built on the success of Toshiba's
Portege 3500 offering advanced wireless connectivity with Intel(R)
Centrino(TM) mobile technology and a dual axis accelerometer which
allows users to manually tilt the notebook up or down, for scroll
type functionality. With enhanced design and system performance, the
Portege M200/205 Series offers users a more intuitive interface and
a natural, practical way of working with their computer.
Like its predecessor, the Portege M200/205 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.
"Over the past year, Toshiba's tablet PC has gained acceptance
because of its portability, versatility and ability to function beyond
the traditional range of PC applications. Customers of all sizes across
vast industries including insurance, pharmaceuticals and medical are
using Toshiba's award-winning platform and are finding new ways to
increase productivity during their entire business day," said
Taro Hiyama, vice president of marketing, Toshiba DPD. "The Portege
M200/205 offers exciting new options including a docking station that
will provide new usage scenarios and increased applications for everyday
mobile computing."
Flexible Docking Solution
Designed to encompass a flexible range of desktop usage scenarios,
the Portege M200/205 offers an optional Toshiba Tablet Multi Dock
that allows users to use their tablet PC in a comfortable, natural
position and to write on the screen while at their desk. With easy
screen rotation to landscape or portrait mode, users now have the
ability to adjust the unit at different height levels to fit their
own personal comfort level.
Expanding workspace and increasing productivity, the Toshiba Tablet
Multi Dock includes an integrated SlimSelect Bay(TM) to support an
additional hard drive or optical drive, enabling users to increase
storage capacity, download software or back-up vital data. Toshiba's
Tablet Multi Dock also allows users to view multiple applications
on either an optional second monitor or the tablet PC screen.
A Full Size Package
Toshiba's Portege M200 is powered by the NVIDIA GeForce FX Go 5200
graphics processing unit (GPU) with 32MB of dedicated DDR memory and
Microsoft DirectX(R) 9.0 support. Users will experience rich graphics
to power their daily office tasks and other applications that require
powerful graphic support such as developing interactive multimedia
presentations, creating Web design content or video editing.
In addition to the 12.1-inch high-resolution SXGA+ diagonal display,
the convertible notebook features a dual axis accelerometer which
simplifies how people use and interact with their notebook. When Web
browsing, this unique feature allows users to manually tilt their
notebook up and down to view the top and bottom of the web page, making
research and entertainment convenient. In addition, while viewing
an eBook or digital magazine, this feature allows users to turn pages
manually by tilting the notebook from left to right -- just like the
real thing.
Nov 21 - New Diamond Stealth Graphics
Cards Available Now. Diamond Multimedia introduced today a completely
new line of Stealth® graphics accelerator cards designed to deliver
high-performance and visual quality to the latest business, game and
entertainment software.
Featuring a variety of visual processing units (VPUs) from ATI and
NVIDIA, Stealth offers solid 2D/3D graphics and video playback in
both AGP and PCI versions. With estimated retail prices ranging from
$49 to $99, the four new models are shipping now to US retailers,
e-tailers, distributors and systems integrators.
"People will be thrilled to see Stealth products available to
them again", said RJ Theodore, general manager of Diamond Multimedia.
"The Stealth legacy of value and performance continues to live
on, and we've made it easier than ever to choose great graphics on
a budget."
"The Diamond brand has always been known for quality and performance,
and for the first time in history, ATI is proud to be the technology
featured in Diamond Stealth products," said Rick Bergman, vice
president of marketing for ATI Technologies. "Combine our graphics
innovations with the consumer confidence inspired by Diamond, and
you have a recipe for success."
Two of the new Stealth models include a full-version copy of the
arcade game classic SpyHunter® from Aspyr Media, a leading publisher
of video games. Ported from the popular PlayStation®2 title from
Midway®, this bundle includes the recently released PC version
packed with ultra-realistic 3D graphics further enhanced by the Stealth
graphics cards. The game's explosive weaponry and impressive defensive
mechanisms provide the intense speed and strategy that distinguishes
SpyHunter from routine combat racers and traditional action racing
games.
"We're excited about partnering our thrilling arcade classic
game, SpyHunter with the legendary Diamond Stealth brand," stated
Karim Farghaly, director of strategic sales, Aspyr Media. "Stealth's
quality, performance and price plus the inclusion of such a stellar
game makes this an irresistible offer not to be missed."
Stealth for Mainstream Graphics Value
Diamond's Stealth brand accelerators have long been one of the most
popular and recognizable mainstream PC graphics products on the market.
It features a variety of visual processing units (VPUs) from multiple
semiconductor manufacturers, such as ATI and NVIDIA, and is marketed
for the mainstream consumer.
The six new Stealth PC graphic accelerators are now shipping and
make great holiday gifts. For more information, please visit: http://www.diamondmm.com.
Nov 21 - Think Outside Announces the Stowaway
Infrared Wireless Keyboard. Think Outside Inc., maker of the revolutionary
Stowaway(TM) Portable Keyboards for handheld devices, today announced
that it has begun selling the Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard,
the smallest, full-size wireless keyboard available for PDAs and smartphones
using the Pocket PC 2002 or Pocket PC 2003 (Windows Mobile 2003) operating
systems.
"The new Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard is Think Outside's
no-compromise solution for Pocket PC users who want to enjoy full-size,
portable touch typing with the added flexibility of an infrared connection
to the PDA," said Greg van den Dries, Think Outside's vice president
of sales and marketing. "We predict that it's going to be a very
popular keyboard for the fast-growing population of Pocket PC users
who want to get the most from their mobile computing equipment. We
are selling this keyboard directly through our website and retailers."
Like all Think Outside's other industry-leading portable keyboards,
the Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard offers the ANSI-standard keys,
key spacing and key travel -- comparable to the best laptop computers
-- that are essential for comfortable touch typing. When these capabilities
are combined with its $69.99 price tag and infrared (IR) capabilities,
the keyboard breaks new ground in merging full-size functionality,
reliable wireless operation and affordable price.
Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard Takes its Place in the Stowaway
Lineup
The Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard is ideal for PDA activities
of all kinds: for school, home and work. Like the other members of
the Stowaway keyboard family, the new wireless keyboard folds to a
size that fits easily in a pocket or briefcase, yet opens to a full-size
keyboard. In fact, when closed, the Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard
is the smallest, full size wireless keyboard available for Pocket
PC devices.
The Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard uses a folding structure
similar to the Stowaway XT, the highest-end member of the Stowaway
family. The new wireless keyboard is much thinner and lighter when
compared to competitive keyboards and feels the same as the Stowaway
XT when typing, which is perfect for touch typing or note taking.
A new software driver also enhances access to PDA menus and toolbars
from the keyboard, limiting the need to use a stylus with the PDA.
The Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard is able to wirelessly connect
with a wide range of PDAs running the Pocket PC 2002 or Windows Mobile
2003 operating systems, including devices from Hewlett-Packard (HP),
Dell and Toshiba.
The keyboard features an integrated cradle for holding the PDA upright
for easier viewing while typing; this integrated cradle design eliminates
the alignment issues inherent with two-piece designs that use mirrors
to reflect IR from the keyboard to the PDA and are tricky to set up.
The keyboard also features an adjustable IR wand that accommodates
viewing in both portrait and landscape modes, an essential capability
since PDAs are increasingly supporting these two viewing orientations.
Additionally, the close proximity of the IR wand minimizes latency
-- i.e., the time between when a key is pressed and when the letter
appears on the PDA screen -- an important feature for power users
who type quickly.
Price and Availability
The Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard is available now through
Think Outside's website, www.thinkoutside.com,
for a suggested retail price of $69.99 and includes a free keyboard
case. The keyboard works with PDAs from Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and
Dell, including the HP iPAQ 1900, 2200, 3600, 3700, 3800, 3900, 4100,
5100, 5400 and 5500 series; the Toshiba e330, e350/355, e740 and e750/755
models; the Dell Axim X5; and HTC Pocket PC XDA/MDA smartphones.
(Note: a Palm OS version of the Stowaway Infrared Wireless Keyboard,
marketed as the Palm Wireless Keyboard, is also available through
PalmOne's distribution channels.)
Nov 21 - Best Buy Holiday Trend Index
Offers Gift-Giving Insights. The biggest shopping day of the year
is right around the corner, and for many Americans, so is the season
of stress. According to the Best Buy Holiday Trend Index survey, each
consumer will spend about $820 on holiday gifts this year with digital
cameras as a top must-have for the second year in a row. The survey
also revealed that parents and teens are among the hardest people
to shop for, and the top two factors that make gift-giving difficult
are differences in personal interests between the giver and receiver
(32 percent) and not having enough gift suggestions (27 percent).
Top Tech Categories for the Holidays
Trying to find the right gifts can indeed turn holiday cheer into
holiday desperation - but it doesn't have to be that way. Consumers
are hungry for gift ideas, and this year, technology items are at
the top of many lists. The Trend Index shows digital cameras and camcorders,
notebook computers, video gaming systems, wireless phones, entertainment
software and home theater systems are going to be top-selling categories.
In fact, 63 percent of Americans name DVD movies and music CDs as
their top gifts of choice, followed by digital cameras/camcorders
(53 percent), computers (26 percent), televisions (18 percent) and
video games (18 percent).
Digital Imaging for the "Divas"
Digital cameras and camcorders will be top must-have gifts among
the majority of consumers, particularly for women (56 percent). Further,
the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reports women would rather
receive a digital camera than a pair of half-carat diamond stud earrings.
Entertainment and Phones for Guys and Girls
MP3 players will be a major purchase for gift-givers with younger
people on their list, coupled with the latest digital music subscription
services, as 24 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds state the latest models
are on their wish lists. Video games (26 percent), music CDs (41 percent)
and DVDs (46 percent) also will be popular among this age group. And,
in the mobile phone arena, camera phones and compact mobile phones
will be big must-haves.
Notebooks and Monitors for Men
Notebook computers are projected to be big sellers as many models
now offer widescreen options and integrated wireless capability. Flat
panel LCD monitors also will be a popular gift item, and the added
good news is they have become more affordable.
Consumer Shopping and Spending Trends
Seventy-seven percent of people will spend the same or more on holiday
gifts this year compared to last year, with men spending almost $250
more than women. Sixty-two percent of people will do most of their
shopping for technology at retail outlets, with the rest purchasing
gifts online, particularly men.
While the day after Thanksgiving will continue to be a big day for
shopping, nearly 60 percent of people will wait to buy their gifts
until a few weeks or less before the holidays, and Saturday afternoons
will be the most likely time consumers will hit the sales, with Wednesdays
as the most popular shopping weekday.
Holiday Shopping Tips
Retailers are trying to make gift-giving easier for consumers, and
by doing a little planning ahead of time, holiday shopping doesn't
have to be stressful.
-- Take advantage of extended store hours and keep in mind that Saturdays
and Wednesdays are busy shopping days.
-- If you're unsure about what tech gadget to buy, do some research
online before you head to the store. Or, consider purchasing your
gifts online, and take advantage of free shipping and handling options.
-- Ask for a wish list from gift recipients or suggest they register
online at their favorite web site, such as www.BestBuy.com.
-- Stay on the lookout for in-store gift suggestions for the hard-to-shop-for
on your list. Keep in mind that MP3 players and camera phones top
wish lists among teens, digital cameras are a favorite for women,
and widescreen notebook computers are projected to be popular among
men.
-- Take a moment to enjoy the festive in-store mood setters. After
all, holiday shopping only happens once a year, so you may as well
enjoy it.
Nov 21 - NetIQ Survey Finds Organizations
Spend More Than $2.5 Million a Year Battling Spam. NetIQ Corp.
(Nasdaq:NTIQ), a leading provider of systems & security management
and Web analytics solutions, today announced the results of the "Secret
Costs of Spam" market survey jointly conducted with Windows &
.NET Magazine, which highlights spam-related business issues now plaguing
organizations.
Survey results found that spam costs the average business more than
$2.5 million a year in productivity lost, bandwidth consumed, storage
capacity used and support issues created. More than 750 organizations
with an average of 12,000 employees responded to the survey, which
took place in October 2003.
"These types of surveys validate the need for an anti-spam solution,
but more and more, companies are beginning to understand that spam
is just the tip of the iceberg," said Matt Cain, senior vice
president at the META Group, a leading provider of information technology
research, advisory services and strategic consulting. "Content
security solutions help organizations save money by reducing operational
costs associated with spam such as manual inbox culling by users,
storage management and help desk calls."
While content security technology is the defacto standard in the
fight against spam, survey participants also recognized that teaching
users about spam-attracting practices through Internet usage policies
could be an effective first line of defense against spam.
According to the survey, organizations are most concerned with the
loss of efficiency, increased security risks and heightened legal
risks associated with spam.
Heather Pazak, a consultant at The Hillman Company, one of the 2.5
million users of NetIQ(R) MailMarshal(TM), said the company replaced
a competitive product with NetIQ MailMarshal earlier this year because
unwanted e-mail was affecting corporate efficiency.
"NetIQ MailMarshal improved our efficiency by filtering out
spam, which accounts for 37 percent of the 140,000 e-mail messages
we receive each month. MailMarshal is also extremely accurate and
reliable blocking only a few business correspondence e-mails per week,"
she said.
Although spam is widely recognized as a costly issue, less than half
of the respondents said they had purchased an anti-spam solution.
The risk of false positives was cited as one of the most significant
reasons not to purchase.
Survey results also showed that while the ideal solution would completely
contain and prevent spam, IT personnel set more realistic goals, looking
for 80 to 90 percent spam detection rates and 0.5 - 4 percent false
positive ratings. NetIQ MailMarshal exceeds those goals with a detection
rate of 90 to 95 percent and a false positive rate of .01 to 0.1 percent.
"Spam is such a hot-button issue right now because everyone
with an e-mail account is affected, but the larger issues for corporations
are security, loss of confidential information and network resources,"
said Art Costigan, managing principal for Global Network Security
Consultants, LLC. "NetIQ MailMarshal SMTP and VigilEnt(TM) Policy
Center work together to not only educate users to ensure compliance
with acceptable e-mail usage policies but also enforce those policies
reducing security risks and increasing network efficiency."
For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.netiq.com.
Nov 20 - Magicolor 2300W Color Laser
Printer Makes History with $499 Price. With advertisements breaking
in USA TODAY and on radio stations nationwide, KONICA MINOLTA PRINTING
SOLUTIONS today announced a $200 rebate on its magicolor 2300W. Already
an amazing value at $699 (est. street price), the manufacturer's rebate
sets the magicolor 2300W's price point at an unheard of $499, making
it the lowest cost color laser printer in history.
First available in March, 2003, the magicolor 2300W
shook up the market with its initial $699 price. It has been touted
as an "economical workhorse" and the "best value around."
With the cost-cutting $200 rebate, individuals can easily justify
purchasing their own personal color laser printer.
The magicolor 2300W features a compact size and user-friendly design,
making it ideal for small businesses, home use, and executive offices
that need a reliable color solution. Print speeds are comparable to
many black-and-white workgroup printers at 16 ppm monochrome as well
as 4 ppm in full color. The printer also has a 200-sheet multipurpose
input tray, USB and parallel interfaces, 1200 x 600 dpi print quality,
and 32 MB RAM. Compatible with Windows operating systems, the affordable
magicolor 2300W is at home on any desktop.
The magicolor 2300W is available through KONICA MINOLTA's network
of retail outlets, e-commerce partners, authorized distributors, and
dealers. To find the location nearest you, call 800-523-2696 or visit
the KONICA MINOLTA Web site at www.konicaminolta.net/printer/. Purchasers
can obtain the $200 rebate form online at http://printer.konicaminolta.net/rebate/.
Nov 20 - Watch TV Anywhere and Anytime
On Home PCs With ATI's EAZYSHARE. EAZYSHARE(TM) software from
ATI Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:ATYT) (TSX:ATY.TO), enables users to
share TV - live or recorded - from a PC equipped with ATI's ALL-IN-WONDER(R)
card with any other PC on their home network, as long as it has a
"Built By ATI" RADEON(TM) graphics card.
The ALL-IN-WONDER card turns a PC into a fully-functional personal
video recorder and EAZYSHARE extends those benefits to other PCs in
the home. The launch of EAZYSHARE is the latest step in the transition
of the PC from workhorse to the multimedia center of a wired home.
ATI's EAZYSHARE converts a PC with an ALL-IN-WONDER card into a video
server. The viewer can sit at any networked PC (assuming it has a
"Built By ATI" RADEON card) and watch TV with access to
all the functions of a Personal Video Recorder. They can pause live
TV, skip ad breaks, get instant replays of touchdowns and so on.
"As home data networks have surpassed the critical ten million
household mark for U.S. households and will reach 30 million in just
five years, connectivity for multimedia applications will spur dramatic
growth," said Kurt Scherf, Vice President of Research for Parks
Associates, a market research and consulting firm. "Given that
one in five consumers in networked homes is already expressing an
interest in multimedia networks, we anticipate strong uptake for solutions
that leverage the processing and storage power of the home computer
to drive new entertainment applications."
"EAZYSHARE brings us one step closer to putting a multimedia
PC at the center of a connected home," said Ben Bar-Haim, Vice
President Software, ATI Technologies Inc. "Now that home networks
are commonplace, ATI is introducing EAZYSHARE to leverage them to
bring PVR functionality to every room with a computer."
ATI is the only company to provide a complete multimedia solution
for the PC platform: advanced 3D graphics hardware and software; hardware
accelerated video processing; and, sophisticated software for remote
multimedia enjoyment. ATI's EAZYSHARE software has been certified
by Microsoft Windows Hardware Qualified Labs, confirming its stability
and compatibility with the widest possible range of systems.
The combination of ATI's RADEON based video cards and ALL-IN-WONDER
with EAZYSHARE (available in MULTIMEDIA CENTER 8.8/CATALYST 3.10)
delivers an enhanced home networking solution - only available from
ATI Technologies. EAZYSHARE is designed to run on any secure home
networking configuration including 10/100 BaseT, HPNA, and 802.11b/g.
Available for free download from www.ATI.com
in December 2003, EAZYSHARE is included with ATI's CATALYST(TM) 3.10
software package designed to give ATI's RADEON video card users improved
performance, additional entertainment value and overall increased
stability.
Nov 20 - HP Leads TOP500 Supercomputer
List for Fourth Consecutive Time. For the fourth consecutive time,
HP (NYSE:HPQ) ranks as the No. 1 supercomputing provider on the TOP500
Supercomputer list, which catalogs the world's 500 most powerful installed
technical and commercial computer systems.
With 165 entries, representing nearly one-third of the posted sites,
HP has more installations on the TOP500 list than any other vendor.
With its powerful HP Integrity, Superdome and AlphaServer systems,
HP increased its share on this exclusive list from its June 2003 showing
of 159 entries. HP also secured two of the top five spots -- No. 2
Los Alamos National Laboratory and No. 5 Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory.
"HP Superdome servers represent nearly 25 percent of the TOP500
list, which underscores HP's leadership in high performance technical
computing," said Winston Prather, vice president and general
manager of the High Performance Technical Computing Division, HP.
"The list also reflects the growing momentum of Itanium-based
HP Integrity servers, which deliver top performance through innovation
built on standards."
Supercomputers based on the Intel(R) IA-32 and Itanium(R) 2 architectures
made substantial gains on the list, securing a total of 189 spots,
an increase from 119 in June. Among these were 33 HP systems, including
seven HP Integrity Superdome clusters and the HP rx2600 server cluster
installed at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory, the most powerful Itanium 2-based system in the world.
"The unique architecture and balance of our HP supercomputer
enables us to address large-scale computational, biological and chemical
sciences with the best time-to-solution of any system we benchmarked,"
said Scott Studham, manager of High-Performance Computing Systems,
PNNL. "HP delivered a first-rate system with unprecedented storage,
an interconnect that allows processors to communicate in less than
three microseconds, and Intel's next-generation Itanium 2 processors."
HP Superdome systems equipped with PA-RISC and Itanium processors
accounted for 121 of the company's entries and HP AlphaServer systems
represented 18 sites, including the most powerful system in the United
States -- the AlphaServer-based ASCI Q system at Los Alamos National
Laboratory.
The TOP500 ranking of supercomputers is released twice a year by
researchers at the Universities of Tennessee and Mannheim, Germany,
and at NERSC Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The list ranks
supercomputers worldwide based on the Linpack N*N Benchmark, a yardstick
of performance that is a reflection of processor speed and scalability.
More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.
The complete listing of TOP500 Supercomputer sites is available at
www.top500.org.
Nov 20 - DigitalDeck Enables Entertainment
Content Anytime, Anywhere in the Home. DigitalDeck, Inc. today
introduced the first end-to-end entertainment platform that aggregates
all the content coming into the home and intelligently distributes
it over wired and/or wireless IP-based home networks. The first products
enabled by the platform will be introduced this January at the 2004
International CES (Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada;
January 8-11, 2004; DigitalDeck booth: LVCC 1&2/#18498).
DigitalDeck's initial consumer package includes three elements:
-- The Advanced Media Manager, running on either a stand-alone appliance
or on a PC, aggregates and manages content distribution in the home
-- The DigitalDeck Media Adapter connects devices (such as cable
and satellite TV receivers, DVD players, and security cameras) to
the home network and brings additional Internet-based content to the
television
-- The DigitalDeck unified remote control can be used anywhere in
the home to control all legacy consumer electronics devices connected
to the network
DigitalDeck has also introduced a complete back-office software platform
that provides: programming channel lineups for the DigitalDeck Electronic
Program Guide (EPG), IR codes for control of consumers' devices, automated
software and firmware updates, billing interfaces, and security for
protection of content. This platform is offered both as a service
and as a software suite for service providers.
With cable and satellite TV in nearly 100 million homes and with
almost 24 million broadband households in North America, consumers
are getting their video and music content from an increasingly diverse
distribution universe. Networked home entertainment represents the
true convergence of consumer electronics, computer equipment, broadband,
and broadcast entertainment industries.
"DigitalDeck has built affordable and easy-to-use products that
help consumers enjoy all of their entertainment content regardless
of the source, regardless of which room they're in, and regardless
of the time," said Erik Scheelke co-founder and president/chief
technology officer. "Consumers don't care where their entertainment
content comes from -- or what time it's on. We shouldn't have to go
from one room to another to watch a DVD or cable TV, or move to the
PC to view digital photos. We should be able to watch what we want,
where we want, when we want."
DigitalDeck's patent-pending EPG puts all forms of content at the
user's fingertips in a convenient guide. The EPG brings all of the
content sources in the home -- satellite and cable TV, DVD, broadband
Internet, security cameras and digital music services -- into a single
user interface. Consumers can switch from one content source to another
simply by tuning from one channel to another on the guide. And with
DigitalDeck's "whole home" IP-based DVR, the consumer can
enjoy full DVR functionality from any of these content sources on
every TV in the home.
"We see great promise in technology that allows consumers to
aggregate audio and video content and gives them control over when
and where they use it," said Van Baker, vice president, consumer
electronics, Gartner G2.
"Today's consumer is likely to have a number of entertainment
sources. With home networks increasingly common, it's only a matter
of time before software and services leverage those networks to bring
a wide variety of entertainment sources together. In the end, the
real winners will be those companies that can get the right mix of
technology partnerships, distribution channels and product features
that add value to existing viewing patterns."
For more information, please visit www.digitaldeck.com.
Nov 20 - Dell Expands Its All-In-One
Printer Line. Added customer conveniences of standalone faxing
and automatic document-feeding capabilities highlight the newest product
in Dell's line of all-in-one printers, the company announced today.
Priced at $179 after a $20 instant rebate ($199 pre-rebate price),
the new Dell Personal All-In-One Printer A960 also makes easy work
of printing in color, photocopying and scanning, said Tim Peters,
vice president and general manager of Dell Imaging & Printing.
"The Dell A960 is the perfect machine for small businesses and
home offices, where professional-quality imaging products are needed,"
said Peters. "It will do everything needed to help run a business
or to work from home without breaking the budget."
The A960 is based on the Dell Personal All-in-One Printer A940, winner
of the PC Magazine Editors' Choice Award(a). It maintains the print
and scan quality of the A940, but also includes advanced features
such as an automatic document feeder that lets customers fax, copy
or scan up to 50 pages at a time, leaving them free to do more important
tasks. Its standalone fax capability includes built-in memory, reducing
the chances customers will miss a fax and/or need to wait to send
one.
Other technical features of the A960 include print resolutions up
to 4800 dots per inch (dpi), and a 48-bit flatbed scanner with a maximum
resolution of 19,200 dpi. Imaging and printing is further complemented
with Dell Premium Photo Paper, which users can use to create high-resolution
color prints in either 4x6 inch or 8.5x11 inch sizes.
In order to simplify the ink replenishment process, the A960 features
the Dell Ink Management System(tm), which monitors ink levels and
proactively prompts users to order replacement cartridges. Once ordered,
the cartridges are conveniently shipped directly to the customer,
eliminating the time, cost and hassle of traveling to a local retailer.
The Dell Personal All-In-One Printer A960 is now available in North
America and will be offered in other regions in the coming months.
More information and specifications on the Dell Personal All-In-One
Printer A960 can be found online at www.dell.com/printers.
Nov 20 - GameSpot and Download.com Introduce
Free Game File Download Service. GameSpot, the most highly trafficked
games content Web site, and Download.com, the number-one download
site, both CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET) properties, today jointly
introduced GameSpot DLX (http://dlx.gamespot.com).
GameSpot DLX is the first download service that offers gamers free
and secure access to their favorite game-related files with no waiting
in line, as well as the ability to automatically receive new game
files as soon as they are released. The same service is also available
in the "Games" section of Download.com.
Gaming is surpassing other categories within the entertainment industry.
Gaming revenue reached $10.3 billion in 2002, exceeding Hollywood
box office revenues of $9.4 billion. Males between the ages of 13
and 34 make up 88 percent of GameSpot's audience, with over 60 percent
in the coveted 18 to 34 year demographic. This group is spending more
time online, and on online gaming sites. Seventy-five percent of males
between 18 and 34 are on the Internet, and are more interested in
gaming content than any other category, with 26 percent share of total
category visits.
By launching GameSpot DLX, GameSpot, already ranked number-one among
all gaming content sites, is raising the bar for service and accessibility.
Unlike other game file download Web sites, which require gamers to
pay membership fees and wait in queues before downloading the most
popular files, the GameSpot DLX "Secure Delivery" technology
- a lightweight plug-in - lets gamers instantly and safely download
free demos, patches, mods, maps, models, skins, video trailers, and
other files focused on PC games.
In addition to its vast library of PC demos, patches, and related
files, GameSpot DLX also features the thousands of free videos of
PC, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Gameboy Advance games available
on GameSpot today, making it the Internet's largest and most convenient
repository of game-related videos.
"Serious gamers want their game files free and fast, particularly
during the holiday season, when most of the year's new titles are
released," said Vince Broady, a founder of GameSpot and senior
vice president of CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET), GameSpot's parent
company. "With instant on-demand downloads and automatic delivery
of new releases, GameSpot DLX is in a class of its own. The site is
an excellent complement to the award-winning editorial content on
GameSpot and illustrates our belief in offering users multiple options
for accessing the games content they want."
With dozens of highly anticipated new game releases scheduled to
come out before the holidays, registered users can immediately capitalize
on GameSpot DLX's ability to automatically send new files to their
desktops upon their release. All GameSpot Basic registered members
have unlimited access to the files and services available from GameSpot
DLX.
Nov 19 - AMD Introduces New
32- and 64-Bit Opteron Processors. AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced
new additions to the AMD Opteron(TM) processor family - Models 148,
248 and 848 - enabling servers and workstations to simultaneously
provide cutting-edge 32-bit performance and 64-bit capability.
"With the AMD Opteron processor, we're giving the server and
workstation industry an opportunity to hit a grand slam with its purchasing
decisions," said Marty Seyer, vice president and general manager
of AMD's Microprocessor Business Unit. "IT managers, small and
medium businesses and workstation users are increasingly interested
in products that meet their immediate needs for 32-bit processing
power and protect their investments as they move to the next phase
of computing with 64-bit applications."
"CIO's may be finding themselves at a crossroads of technology
options right now," said Vernon Turner, group vice president
of IDC's Global Enterprise Server Solutions. "The AMD Opteron
processor can offer a unified platform for servers at every position
in the data center, from print servers to database management, and
can do so with both price and performance leadership."
High-end research institutions have already recognized the breakthrough
capabilities offered by AMD64 technology. Organizations such as AIST
in Japan, Los Alamos National Labs, Texas A&M University and The
University of Utah are employing high performance cluster systems
based on the AMD Opteron processor.
"With all of the advantages of AMD64 technology, including leading
32-bit performance, and none of the risks of a proprietary 64-bit
option, IT teams deploying AMD Opteron processor-based servers and
workstations can be the heroes of their enterprise," said Seyer.
"It is energizing to see the creative ways business and researchers
are thinking about this technology."
The AMD Opteron processor Model 148, for single processing workstations
and entry-level servers, will be available in December of this year
from leading system builders in North America.
The AMD Opteron processor Model 248, designed for dual processing
servers and workstations, is immediately available worldwide. Industry-standard
benchmarks show the AMD Opteron processor Model 248 is the world leader
in 32-bit processing performance for 2-way servers and its 64-bit
capabilities can provide system builders with a unique platform to
customize according to their customers' needs.
"The OctigaBay 12K platform takes full advantage of the AMD
Opteron processor's dramatic memory bandwidth," said John Seminerio,
president and CEO of OctigaBay. "With our Direct Connected Processor
architecture and AMD64 technology and the superior I/O of the AMD
Opteron processor, we have been able to directly link a larger number
of processors at memory speed, reducing memory and interconnect bottlenecks
and significantly increasing application performance."
The AMD Opteron processor Model 848, for enterprise-class servers,
will also be available from North American system builders in December.
A listing of companies offering AMD Opteron processor-based products
can be found at AMD server partners and AMD workstation partners.
PC3200 Memory Support
Workstation applications can benefit from the AMD Opteron processor's
newly added support for registered PC3200 memory speeds, which is
DDR-1 memory operating at 400 Mhz. The Sciencemark 2.0 Stream benchmark,
designed to measure 1P workstation performance on advanced scientific
calculations, shows an improvement in performance of up to 28% when
registered PC3200 memory is utilized. All AMD Opteron processors with
model numbers ending in 46 and higher will soon be available with
the additional memory support.
"Samsung worked closely with AMD and JEDEC to develop an industry
standard memory solution designed to help server and workstation manufacturers
successfully navigate the transition from 32-bit to 64-bit computing,"
said Tom Quinn, Samsung's US vice president of memory sales and marketing.
"The AMD Opteron processor's integrated memory controller and
Samsung's registered PC3200 memory solution together offer users a
significant boost in overall system performance."
Pricing
The AMD Opteron processor Model 848 will be priced at $3199 in 1,000-unit
quantities. The AMD Opteron processor Model 248 is priced at $913
in 1,000-unit quantities and the AMD Opteron processor Model 148 will
be priced at $733 in 1,000-unit quantities. For additional pricing
information, please see www.amd.com/pricing.
Nov 19 - NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5700 GPU Adopted
By Industry-Leading Notebook Manufacturers. NVIDIA Corporation
(Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in visual processing solutions,
today announced that the Company's newest mobile graphics processing
unit (GPU), the NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go5700, has seen immediate
and outstanding acceptance from the leading performance notebook manufacturers
worldwide, including: Alienware, Compal, FIC, Toshiba's Digital Products
Division, Quanta, Uniwill and others to be announced later.
This worldwide endorsement of the GeForce FX Go5700 strengthens NVIDIA's
leadership position in the performance notebook segment and serves
as an indicator of NVIDIA's growing influence with notebook manufacturers.
"When NVIDIA introduced the original GeForce FX Go series just
over six months ago, notebook manufacturers responded by creating
truly innovative products ranging from media center machines with
beautiful 17-inch displays, to the first true gaming notebook,"
said Jeff Fisher, executive vice president of worldwide sales at NVIDIA.
"NVIDIA's strong relationships with the world's leading OEMs
and ODMs have been critical in the delivery of our technology in the
most innovative notebook products available. We are very excited with
the new notebooks they will build around the GeForce FX Go5700."
"Toshiba is intensely focused on providing our customers the
ultimate multimedia performance whether at home watching DVD movies
or at the office creating interactive presentations," said Carl
Pinto, director of product marketing, Toshiba's Digital Products Division,
a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. "Our
mobile computing expertise combined with the NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5700
GPU sets a new standard in 3D graphics and video quality that our
customers can enjoy in any environment."
"Alienware customers can always expect the latest graphics technology
powering our high-performance gaming systems," said Frank Azor,
executive vice president for Alienware Corporation. "As a launch
partner for the GeForce FX Go5700 mobile graphics module, Alienware
is delivering the most technologically advanced mobile GPU available
and remains committed to offering the best performing components available
in all Alienware systems."
Featuring the highest quality graphics performance available on a
notebook PC, NVIDIA world-class video quality, and the unsurpassed
software features and reliability that are the hallmark of all NVIDIA
products, the GeForce FX Go5700 powers the industry's most complete
feature set for mobile consumer entertainment.
Today, the GeForce FX Go5700 is shipping to OEMs and ODMs worldwide,
with production quantities available in December. Systems based on
the GeForce FX Go5700 are expected to be available to end users in
Q1 2004.
Additional information on NVIDIA can be found at www.nvidia.com.
Nov 19 - Viewsonic Offers Industry's
Lightest Convertible Tablet PC With 12-Inch Screen. Bringing more
freedom and productivity to the workplace, ViewSonic® Corp., a
worldwide leader in visual display products, today announced its first
convertible Tablet PC. Designed for the enterprise user, the V1250
provides mobile workers anytime, anywhere and any-style computing
by transforming from an ultraportable notebook computer to a slate-style
tablet with a simple rotation of its LCD screen.
At less than four pounds, the V1250 is the lightest convertible Tablet
PC available with a 12.1-inch screen. It is built on Intel® Centrino™
mobile technology and powered by the fastest ultra-low voltage processor
on the market, the Mobile Pentium® M.
When in the slate configuration, a unique navigation area helps the
user quickly execute common tasks, such as scrolling or toggling between
applications. An available docking station features the industry's
only built-in spare battery charger, enabling users to easily charge
a replacement battery to extend usage time without adding weight.
ViewSonic added an on/off switch for the integrated 802.11b wireless
radio to allow greater mobile freedom and boost battery life performance.
Performance enhancing features such as auto-adjust brightness and
four programmable easy-launch buttons are also included in the product.
Analyst forecasts predict that the Tablet PC could account for well
over 20 percent of the portable market by 2007. The V1250 addresses
this increasing demand by adding yet another form factor to the company's
award-winning family, building on the proven feature set of its slate
offerings - the Tablet PC V1100 and ViewPad® 1000.
"ViewSonic's V1250 provides users with the power and flexibility
to compute in any manner they require - as a conventional laptop,
a laptop with a touch screen or a slate-style tablet," said Mike
Holstein, vice president, Visual Solutions Group, ViewSonic. "The
addition of the V1250 to our current slate models is a natural progression
for ViewSonic in meeting the needs of a wider range of users, from
the most vertical markets to the largest corporate accounts."
To add versatility and take full advantage of the feature set offered
by the Microsoft®, Windows XP Tablet PC operating system. ViewSonic
has included specialized software including full versions of Colligo®
Personal Edition, powerOne™ Personal Plus Calculator and trial
versions of Panda AntiVirus, Alias SketchBook™, Zinio™ Reader,
Franklin Covey® TabletPlanner™ and MindJet® MindManager®
for Tablet PC.
"ViewSonic's Tablet PC V1250 is an excellent example of the
innovation tablet PC hardware manufacturers are continuing to provide
customers," said Bill Mitchell, vice president of the Tablet
PC division at Microsoft Corp. "By incorporating the powerful
capabilities of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, the V1250 provides customers
with the full features and reliability of a traditional laptop, plus
the ability to create and store handwritten notes and voice dictations.
All of this is delivered on a lightweight, versatile computer that
enables mobile workers to be even more productive."
ViewSonic's Tablet PC V1250 is available through authorized resellers
starting at an estimated street price (ESP) of $1,795. It will be
also available in the following configurations:
V1250 with external CD/DVD RW drive, docking station, spare battery
and extra stylus for $2,299 (ESP)
V1250 with external CD/DVD RW drive for $1,999 (ESP)
V1250 with external CD ROM drive for $1,939 (ESP)
A one-year limited warranty on parts, labor and backlight is provided
for the V1250, while an optional extended warranty and one, two or
three-year accidental damage protection insurance is also available.
ViewSonic offers toll-free technical support seven days a week, 24
hours a day, excluding major U.S. holidays.
For more information or product photos, please visit: www.viewsonic.com/tabletpc.
Nov 19 - VIA and WorldVibrations Introduce
Radio Station-in-a-Box. An international silicon chip giant and
a former broadcaster are poised to set radio on its ear with a complete
digital radio station in a box.
VIA Technologies, Inc., a leading innovator and developer of silicon
chip technologies and PC platform solutions and WorldVibrations, a
California-based developer of multimedia production solutions, today
launched the WorldVibrations Radio Station, an all-in-one professional
quality appliance based on the VIA EPIA M10000 Mini-ITX mainboard
and VIA's highly-acclaimed Envy24 audio controller, for on-the-air,
Internet, corporate network, satellite or in-house broadcasting.
Designed to empower communities and communicators, the WorldVibrations
Radio Station makes it easy for people with no previous radio experience
to program anything from a professional round-the-clock music or information
radio station to corporate programming, local arts performances, sporting
events, church services and more.
At the heart of the small form factor, Microsoft(R) Windows(R)-based
production studio and streaming station is the VIA EPIA M10000, a
6.5" x 6.5" mainboard, which integrates digital audio outputs
with rich connectivity options including networking, USB and Firewire.
The power-efficient, native x86 architecture VIA C3 processor enables
studio-quiet operation, requiring just 12 volts and so eliminating
the need for a noisy cooling fan.
"The WorldVibrations Radio Station enables people and organizations
to communicate music, education, news and entertainment beyond their
borders using the Internet, and into their own communities,"
said Richard Brown, Associate Vice President of Marketing, VIA Technologies,
Inc. "While the versatile VIA EPIA M-Series mainboard has inspired
a wide array of PC and, increasingly, consumer electronics digital
media devices, WorldVibrations is taking the technology into a whole
new realm of professional broadcasting, and does so in a highly attractive
and compact package."
Housed in a sleek aluminum case that has the look of a high-end stereo
component, the easy to use WorldVibrations Radio Station performs
all of the functions of a radio station, offering a live or fully
automated "on-air" studio, a production studio and streaming
media encoding in one studio-quiet, small, low power consuming package.
Outstanding audio quality is achieved with the VIA Envy24 audio controller,
a standard in professional recording studios worldwide. The WorldVibrations
Radio Station has audio input connectors for professional studio microphones
and audio consoles, and outputs for amplifiers or public address systems
for stores and shopping malls and, if licensed, radio transmission
equipment.
"Internet and low power community radio are powerful and increasingly
popular alternatives to generic, centralized mainstream media,"
said Russell Johnson, president of WorldVibrations. "The WorldVibrations
Radio Station is for an organization with passion, a company with
a message, a musical group with talent, a sports team with fans around
the world, a church with inspiration, and anybody else who needs to
be heard. The low power consumption, low noise, connectivity and professional
audio features of VIA's technologies have allowed us to pack a whole
studio of equipment into a system about the size of a VCR and bring
the cost within the reach of professional broadcaster and hobbyist
alike."
The WorldVibrations Radio Station can operate fully automated and
unattended, precisely scheduling programs, music and announcements
24 hours a day, seven days a week or it can be taken to a remote location
to broadcast live performances, conferences, news or sporting events.
It can run in the background while its professional audio interfaces
and software are used to record, organize, store and schedule new
programming, print out logs and automatically create Web program schedules.
WorldVibrations Radio Station Pricing and Availability
The WorldVibrations Radio Station will be available in January, 2004
at an estimated price of US$2,495 Additional product and order information
can be found at: www.worldvibrations.com.
Nov 19 - Industry's First External Desktop
Serial ATA Backup System Unveiled at COMDEX 2003. CMS Products
Inc. (formerly CMS Peripherals) today unveiled the Velocity Series
backup system for desktop computers at COMDEX 2003 in Las Vegas. The
Velocity Series is the industry's first comprehensive, all-in-one
backup solution to incorporate a Serial ATA interface, providing users
with complete backup, restore, disaster recovery capabilities and
an externally bootable backup system.
CMS Products, the leader in backup and storage solutions for notebook
and desktop computers, will demonstrate the Velocity Series for the
first time during COMDEX in Booth #5348. The Velocity Series is powered
by CMS' new BounceBack software, offering additional functionality
and restore features. The Velocity Series will begin shipping next
month.
With the implementation of Serial ATA technology, the Velocity Series
is capable of clocking transfer rates of up to 1.5GB per second, which
is over three times faster than backup systems incorporating USB 2.0
or FireWire. The integration of Serial ATA technology makes the Velocity
Series the first externally bootable device for Windows operating
systems. An externally bootable system provides instant productivity
after hard drive or operating system failure. CMS will offer an optional
Serial ATA controller card, making the technology compatible for desktops
not supporting the Serial ATA interface on the motherboard.
"CMS is continually developing innovative solutions that keep
us at the forefront of the industry," said Ken Burke, president
of CMS Products. "The Velocity Series backup systems offer users
a cutting-edge, comprehensive backup and restore strategy, while maintaining
ease of use and an affordable price point."
Combining the new Serial ATA technology and CMS' BounceBack software,
the Velocity Series retains many of the same features found in previous
generations of CMS' automatic backup systems, including ease of use,
versioning, synchronization and easy restore.
The Velocity Series' versioning capabilities allow professionals
to go back in time and access older versions of folders and files
from any point in time that a backup was performed. The ability to
access older versions of files is valuable in maintaining an accurate
history of documents, which endure ongoing revisions.
By utilizing the synchronization component, users are able to move
between multiple computers while maintaining up-to-date files regardless
of the computer on which they were generated. The software automatically
scans both the host computer's hard drive and the Velocity Series
drive for new or changed files and updates the out-of-date versions
by synchronizing them with the up-to-date versions.
The QuickRestore(TM) module simplifies the data recovery process
by enabling users to recover data as a result of hard drive failure
or accidental deletion by simply clicking on the restore button. Once
activated, the backup device will perform a complete restoration of
only selected data from the most recent backup of the computer's hard
drive. This feature reduces downtime and increases return on investment
through the decrease in Help Desk or IT department involvement.
Availability
The Velocity Series will begin shipping in Q4 of 2003 in capacities
ranging between 80GB and 200GB with prices starting at $299 MSRP.
All systems include a 3-year warranty. The Velocity Series is compatible
with both Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems. All of CMS'
solutions are available through major distributors, corporate resellers,
mail order and direct from the company's Web site, www.cmsproducts.com.
Nov 18 - Microsoft Offers
Technology Designed to Help Protect Inboxes From Spam. Microsoft
Corp. today announced at COMDEX Las Vegas 2003 that as part of the
company's coordinated anti-spam effort, its spam-filtering SmartScreen
Technology will be deployed across Microsoft's e-mail platforms. Developed
by Microsoft® Research, early versions of SmartScreen Technology
have already been introduced in Outlook® 2003, MSN® 8 and
Hotmail® and will soon be available in a new add-on for Exchange
Server 2003 called Microsoft Exchange Intelligent Message Filter.
SmartScreen Technology is designed to provide the latest anti-spam
filtering innovations to products and tools that help protect corporate
and private e-mail users from the growing deluge of spam, typically
defined as unsolicited, unwanted e-mail, and more specifically defined
by Microsoft as unsolicited bulk or unsolicited commercial e-mail.
This patented technology is based on a machine-learning approach,
where decisions regarding whether e-mail would be considered spam
are made by e-mail customers themselves and then incorporated into
a feedback loop to train the filter to know what to look for. Hundreds
of thousands of Hotmail subscribers have volunteered to classify millions
of e-mail messages as legitimate or as spam, generating more than
500,000 characteristics of spam that the SmartScreen Technology can
track. With the Exchange Intelligent Message Filter, Exchange 2003
customers can score each incoming e-mail message for spam probability
according to these characteristics and can use that score to help
filter spam before it reaches the user's inbox.
"Spam is our e-mail customers' No. 1 complaint today, and while
there is no single solution that will solve the problem by itself,
Microsoft is committed to innovating and contributing on a broad spectrum
of approaches to help put spammers out of business," said Ryan
Hamlin, general manager, Anti-Spam Technology and Strategy group at
Microsoft. "This SmartScreen Technology is designed to help make
spam easier to detect and more difficult to profit from, and to help
maintain e-mail as a viable and valuable method of communication.
With SmartScreen Technology, we can help provide a consistent and
powerful anti-spam solution for the hundreds of millions of customers
who use MSN, Hotmail, Office and Exchange."
Recent industry estimates indicate that more than half of e-mail
sent today is spam, putting a heavy strain on networks and wasting
significant time, money and resources for consumers and businesses
around the world. Spam is having a deep impact on e-mail use, as seen
in a recent study from Pew Internet & American Life in which 52
percent of e-mail users said that spam has made them less trusting
of e-mail in general, and 25 percent said that the ever-increasing
volume of spam has reduced their overall use of e-mail. Spammers also
often prey on less-sophisticated e-mail users, including children,
and can pose genuine threats to personal security and privacy.
As part of a comprehensive effort to enhance e-mail protection, security,
hygiene and productivity, Microsoft will soon offer new server-side
anti-spam functionality powered by SmartScreen Technolo
Read
Our Latest Tech Watch Newsletter