Oct 31 - SanDisk and Fujifilm Sign xD-Picture Card
Agreement. SanDisk Corporation (Nasdaq:SNDK) today announced it
signed an agreement with Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., that covers the
xD-Picture Card(TM) format.
Under the agreement, Fujifilm and SanDisk established
a framework for collaboration in the manufacture and distribution
of Fujifilm-branded xD-Picture Cards. SanDisk will manufacture Fujifilm-branded
xD-Picture Cards for Fujifilm and supply these xD-Picture Cards to
Fujifilm for distribution through Fujifilm's global retail distribution
channels. SanDisk will also sell xD-Picture Cards under the Fujifilm
brand through SanDisk's global retail distribution channels. SanDisk
will begin shipments of Fujifilm xD-Picture Cards in the current quarter.
"The worldwide digital camera market is growing at a tremendous
rate of 55 percent for 2003 and a cumulative average growth rate of
23.6 percent through 2007," said Ron Glaz, director of digital
imaging at International Data Corp. "The xD-Picture Card is a
flash memory card format jointly developed and owned by Fujifilm,
Olympus and Toshiba, and was introduced in the fourth quarter of 2002.
The xD format continues to gain acceptance for use in many of the
new digital camera models sold by Fujifilm and Olympus."
The xD-Picture Card was developed specifically for digital camera
applications. The cards offer large capacities for high mega-pixel
photos as well as high performance needed to store the video clips
that are becoming increasingly more popular in digital cameras. The
xD-Picture Card can support up to a maximum future capacity of 8 gigabytes.
Eli Harari, SanDisk's president and CEO, said, "Fujifilm is
one of the leading manufacturers of digital cameras in the world and
we are very pleased to enter into this agreement with them. We plan
to support Fujifilm as an important new customer by supplying them
with xD-Picture Cards, and by placing our xD-Picture Cards in the
retail market. SanDisk is proud to be the only company with the rights
to manufacture and sell all of the popular flash card formats. This
makes us a valuable supplier and partner to major OEMs in the digital
imaging product market while also serving as a true 'one-stop-shop'
provider for flash storage cards to our retail partners and consumers."
SanDisk will begin selling the Fujifilm-branded xD-Picture Card in
capacities ranging from 64 megabytes (MB) to 512MB. Under a previously
announced agreement with Olympus, SanDisk has already begun to sell
Olympus-branded xD-Picture Cards to its retail customers. The Fujifilm-
and Olympus-branded xD-Picture Cards supplied by SanDisk can be used
interchangeably in the digital cameras of both Fujifilm and Olympus.
SanDisk's web site/home page address: www.sandisk.com.
Oct 31 - Epson Introduces
EPSON Stylus Photo R800 Printer with New UltraChrome Hi-Gloss Inks.
Epson America Inc. today announced the EPSON Stylus(R) Photo R800,
a new desktop photo printer featuring new Epson UltraChrome(TM) Hi-Gloss(TM)
pigment inks for archival prints on matte and glossy media.
With an estimated street price of $399, the EPSON Stylus
Photo R800 lowers the entry price for photographers and digital artists
that want archival prints but do not need a large format printer.
The EPSON Stylus Photo R800 is capable of making photo quality prints
up to 8.5 inches by 11 inches on cut-sheet paper and up to 8.3 inches
by 44 inches on roll paper.
"Photographers want the archival properties of prints made with
pigment inks, but are concerned that the colors and gloss will not
be as good as prints made with dye inks," said Parker Plaisted,
product manager, photo imaging. "With the EPSON Stylus Photo
R800, photographers can be confidant that the Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss
pigment inks will deliver archival high-quality prints on matte and
glossy papers that achieve the colors and gloss level seen in prints
with dye inks."
The Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss ink set is designed specifically for
photographers and digital artists. This ink set includes eight individual
cartridges and features the new Gloss Optimizer as well as Photo Black
and Matte Black ink cartridges. With an eight channel print head,
the EPSON Stylus Photo R800 allows the user to keep the Photo Black
and Matte Black ink cartridges in the printer at all times and the
printer driver determines which black ink to use based on the paper
type selected.
In addition to the traditional cyan, magenta and yellow inks, the
Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss ink set also includes new red and blue
inks to create a Hi-Fi ink set that expands the color gamut. The color
gamut for the Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss ink on glossy paper is up
to 22% larger than ink jet printers with standard cyan, magenta, yellow
and black ink sets.
The EPSON Stylus Photo R800 will be available in February 2004 for
an estimated street price of $399 through mail order, computer superstores,
specialty camera stores, and Epson's retail Web site (www.epsonstore.com).
Oct 31 - FirewireDirect RAID
Speed Bar Tops 60MB/s With First FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 System.
FirewireDirect.com Inc. has announced the progression of their Vanguard
FireWire RAID system to include the new FireWire 800/1394b standard
and the latest, faster USB 2.0 in a new combo interface capable of
topping 60MB/s in an easy-to-use external FireWire system, making
this the optimal storage and redundancy system available for digital
video and audio producers.
The Vanguard III FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 RAID System
features an independent hardware controller to provide RAID levels
0 (striping) and 1 (mirroring), so the RAID functions are performed
without draining precious CPU resources, and now breaks new performance
barriers with the inclusion of the new connection technologies.
With the addition of FireWire 800 -- the premier operating interface
-- the system will demonstrate a dramatic increase in speed when in
RAID 0, providing speeds well in excess of the legacy FireWire external
storage drives widely used for digital audio and video.
At RAID Level 1, the system sets up a simple-to-operate drive mirror
with a unique auto-rebuilding function and a host of security features
designed to protect critical data, including convenient additional
drive "Swap-Kits" for use as spares or backups.
Daniel Jackson, FirewireDirect's chief technical officer, says that
like all FirewireDirect's new 800mbps FireWire products, the difference
in performance opens up new possibilities.
"Our previous Vanguard FireWire RAID brought stability, performance
and affordability to desktop RAID. The new FireWire 800 Vanguard has
all of this and an amazing performance level with speeds approaching
that of SCSI while maintaining the ease of use of FireWire."
The Vanguard III is built like a rock, with a solid aluminum case
and a host of diagnostic and security features. It is the first RAID
product and the fourth major storage product from FirewireDirect to
employ the new high speed standard.
It's available now: http://www.firewiredirect.com/firewire/products/RAID_V.shtml.
Oct 31 - Kodak Survey Finds Nearly 60 Percent
of Advanced Amateur Photographers Using Film. Despite the photo
industry's increasing emphasis on digital photography, nearly six
in 10 advanced amateur photographers still capture more than half
of their images using film, reveals a "pulse poll" survey
conducted by Kodak Consumer & Professional Imaging, a division
of Eastman Kodak Company.
Though respondents prefer to capture images on film, more than one-third
identified digital technology as the primary aspect of photography
in which they intend to gain additional knowledge. Seventeen percent
said they only shoot digital.
The pulse poll - distributed nationally in the U.S. via the Internet
to more than 10,000 photographers who classify themselves as advanced
amateurs - is an initiative to gain a better understanding of the
photographic needs of advanced amateurs, as well as insights into
how digital technologies are changing the art and business of photography.
Kodak defines an advanced amateur as a photography enthusiast who
uses photography as a creative outlet while enjoying both the technical
and artistic elements of the process. They will dedicate their time
and money to build their skills in order to achieve pro-like images
that gain the respect of their peers through sharing, attending workshops
and entering competitions. For the advanced amateur, it is the experience
and quality of the results that matter most.
The survey results, which achieved a seven-percent response rate,
were released today in conjunction with the PhotoPlus Expo trade show.
The survey found that nearly two-thirds of respondents spend more
than $1,500 annually on photography-related pursuits, and more than
25 percent spend more than $2,500 a year. A solid 82 percent indicated
that peers, photography magazines/books and Internet photo news sites
account for the majority of their self-taught photography education.
Only eight percent of respondents listed photography courses as their
primary source of information to enhance their photography skills.
"Advanced amateurs are true students of photography, and while
they recognize the excitement that surrounds digital capture, they're
still interested in gaining a strong understanding of photography
fundamentals, especially using film," said Paula Balik, Worldwide
Marketing Director, Professional Films, Kodak Consumer & Professional
Imaging. "Film use is pervasive with advanced amateurs, and they're
not afraid to experiment with new technologies and techniques - just
like the pros they emulate."
Nearly half of the respondents - 48 percent - favor color negative
film, with those who favor color transparency film a distant second
at 20 percent. Forty-six percent indicated they take their film to
consumer labs/retail photofinishers for processing.
Nearly a quarter of respondents print images at home. This suggests
that images are being digitized, either from digital camera files
or by scanning negatives for image manipulation or storage. This reinforces
that advanced amateurs are interested in the whole photographic process
of capturing, manipulating and outputting images.
For information about Kodak Professional's photography and imaging
solutions, visit www.kodak.com/go/professional.
Oct 31 - First Microsoft Xbox Games with
Fonix Speech Now Available. Fonix(R) Corp. (OTC BB: FNIX), a global
provider of easy-to-use speech solutions for devices, systems, applications
and developer tools, announces the availability of the first two Microsoft
Xbox games using Fonix voice-command technology.
In stores now are Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six(TM) 3, published by Ubisoft
and developed by Ubioft Montreal, and SWAT(R): Global Strike Team,
published by Sierra Entertainment, a studio of Vivendi Universal Games,
and developed by Argonaut. Both games feature cutting-edge voice-command
features based upon Fonix technology available in Microsoft's Xbox
developer's kit (XDK).
Microsoft Xbox licensed Fonix speech technology to deliver voice-command
software that makes it very easy for game developers to add speech-enabled
capabilities to their games. Fonix speech technology gives players
new access to games features, command and control functions, and menu
navigation, making the entire experience more engaging and fun. Both
SWAT: Global Strike Team and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 allow players
to voice-order commands within the game.
"Utilizing the powerful Microsoft Xbox platform, these two new
games demonstrate the power of the Fonix voice-command interface to
enhance the entertainment experience," said Tim K. Hong, vice
president of Fonix Mobile Wireless.
"With Fonix voice technology making games more fun to play, we
expect this added feature to expand market demand for games that incorporate
this compelling new interface. As demonstrated at the Japan Xbox Xfest,
Fonix speech recognition is available to developers in the Microsoft
XDK in multiple languages, including English and U.K. English, German,
French, Spanish and Japanese."
Visit www.fonix.com for an introduction
to Fonix's complete suite of speech solutions.
Oct 30 - GeForce FX 5950
Ultra and GeForce FX 5700 Ultra Set New Performance Standards.
NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in visual
processing solutions, today introduced the NVIDIA® GeForce™
FX 5950 Ultra and the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 series of graphics processing
units (GPUs), delivering unprecedented graphics performance levels
to the enthusiast and mainstream markets. In conjunction with the
Company’s new ForceWare™ release 50 graphics driver, these
products are engineered to deliver unmatched image quality and ultra-high
performance, cinematic graphics for the hottest new PC games.
"With exciting new titles like Call of Duty™, Deus Ex:
Invisible War™, Halo™, XIII, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004®,
and Unreal Tournament™ 2004, this Christmas promises to be a
dream for PC gamers," stated Dan Vivoli, executive vice president
of marketing at NVIDIA. “In addition to being the perfect stocking
stuffers to complement this new round of titles, the NVIDIA GeForce
FX 5950 Ultra and GeForce FX 5700 Ultra GPUs are architected to be
the graphics processors of choice for the next generation of highly
anticipated cinematic titles like Doom™3 and Half Life™2.”
The new GeForce FX 5950 Ultra is the fastest GPU in the Company’s
history. Manufactured using 0.13 micron process technology at TSMC,
this new GPU combines extremely fast clock rates with a 256-bit memory
bus. Designed to deliver cinematic-quality graphics and studio-quality
color, the GeForce FX GPUs are the only full 128-bit precision computation
GPUs in the industry. In addition, the GeForce FX 5950 and 5700 GPUs
feature the NVIDIA CineFX™ 2.0 engine with NVIDIA UltraShadow™
technology, designed to improve the shader power that enables more
complex effects, and to accelerate the rendering of lighting and shadows.
The NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 Ultra GPU is the first produced in 0.13
micron at the IBM foundry in East Fishkill, NY. The GeForce FX 5700
series delivers an enthusiast feature set at a mainstream price to
enable next-generation gaming for the masses. With the GeForce FX
5700 gamers can enjoy unbeatable DirectX 9.0 performance at a mainstream
price.
Providing a host of complementary software, the NVIDIA ForceWare
unified software environment (USE) unleashes the full power and features
of NVIDIA’s desktop, platform, mobile, and multimedia products.
Delivering a proven record of compatibility, reliability, and stability
with the widest range of games and applications, ForceWare ensures
an unparalleled out-of-box experience for every end user by providing:
Industry-leading features for graphics, audio, video, and communications;
One driver for all products: the NVIDIA unified driver architecture
(UDA);
Continual performance and feature updates over the life of the product.
In addition, NVIDIA Forceware supports the latest OpenGL® and
Microsoft DirectX 9.0 feature sets to ensure unmatched visual quality
and mesmerizing 3D graphics.
For details on where to buy GeForce FX-based graphics cards, visit
the NVIDIA Web site at www.nvidia.com/content/wheretobuy/consumer.asp.
Oct 30 - Dell Adds Features, Performance
to Dimension XPS and Flat-Panel Product Lines. Dell (Nasdaq:DELL)
today expanded its offerings to PC gamers and enthusiasts with the
introduction of a new version of the Dimension(tm) XPS and a 20-inch
flat panel display that delivers fast response times and vivid images.
Dell also extended its commitment to the gaming community by establishing
the Dell Developer Sales Support Team to assist game developers in
procuring the hardware they need to run their businesses efficiently.
"Our new support team is committed to helping developers assess
the hardware they need to create and test cutting-edge games,"
said Mark Vena, director of Dimension product marketing. "For
gamers, we continue to enhance our Dimension XPS product to help make
the most sophisticated programs come to life with the latest performance-oriented
technology."
Dimension XPS
The updated Dimension XPS, starting at $1,799, features integrated
RAID via the ICH5-R controller, plus integrated Gigabit Ethernet(a).
The integrated RAID controller supports both RAID 0 for customers
who want enhanced disk throughput and RAID 1 for customers who want
added protection for their data and frees up an internal PCI expansion
slot that can be used for other functions.
Also, the new Dimension XPS supports one of the highest-performing
DirectX 9 cards on the market, the 256MB ATI Radeon(tm) 9800 XT. This
card features a 256-bit memory interface, eight pixel pipelines and
a high-powered Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) that enables DirectX
9 games to be enjoyed in full detail at smooth frame rates. Additionally,
due to customer input, the XPS now features a front-accessible microphone
port, which allows gamers to easily attach a microphone for gaming
sessions at home or at LAN parties.
Dell Media Experience, an application that enables consumers to manage
digital media such as photos, music, and digital videos will also
be available at no additional cost. Additionally, all XPS customers
-- using their unique Express Service Code -- receive support through
a support queue staffed by specially-trained technicians who understand
gaming and high-end consumer applications, and have the option to
order non-Dell gaming hardware like speakers, mice, game controllers
and joysticks directly from the XPS configurator on www.dell.com.
Dell UltraSharp(tm) 2001FP
The new Dell UltraSharp 2001FP is a 20-inch LCD display and Dell's
first flat panel monitor to feature 16 millisecond response times,
which allow for distortion-free images during 3-D gaming DVD playback.
This response time can greatly reduce the ghosting and smearing that
can accompany rapidly-moving images, which means Dimension XPS customers
can now enjoy the benefits of a flat panel monitor without compromising
gaming performance.
The 2001FP displays powerful, bright images because of its 1600x1200
native resolution and 400:1 contrast ratio. As with all Dell UltraSharp
LCD displays, the 2001FP features vertical and horizontal viewing
angles of 88 degrees; a thin 0.7-inch bezel; a height-adjustable stand
(up to 5.1 inches); four USB 2.0 ports; and a panel that swivels,
tilts and pivots to support portrait and landscape orientations.
In addition to providing analog and digital PC inputs, the monitor
also has S-Video and Composite Video inputs and a picture-in-picture
feature. The 2001FP also features a detachable quick release panel,
which makes it easier to transport to events such as LAN parties.
The Dell UltraSharp 2001FP can be purchased with a Dimension XPS
in the United States. It will be available as a standalone product
and in additional countries over the next few months.
Information on Dell and its products can be obtained at www.dell.com.
Oct 30 - Atheros Unwires Xbox for High-Performance
Wireless Gaming. Atheros Communications, a leading developer of
advanced, multimode wireless LAN technology, today announced that
its 802.11g wireless-system-on-a-chip (WiSOC) chipset is featured
in the new Xbox Wireless Adapter (MN-740) from Microsoft.
The chipset enables users to connect to any 802.11g or 802.11b Wi-Fi
network and play games wirelessly via the Xbox Live service, the world's
largest all-broadband console gaming service. Atheros worked closely
with Microsoft's Xbox and Broadband Networking Groups to develop the
wireless LAN adapter. Xbox Wireless Adapter began shipping in the
U.S. and Canada this month at an estimated U.S. retail price of $139.
"With this new adapter, Xbox will deliver both high-performance
wireless gaming and an easy-to-use, seamless user experience,"
said Craig Barratt, president and chief executive officer of Atheros.
"Atheros' wireless LAN technology is ideally suited for high-bandwidth,
consumer applications like gaming, and we will continue to help partners
like Microsoft develop multimedia products with advanced wireless
capabilities."
Supporting the 802.11g Wi-Fi standard, Xbox Wireless Adapter allows
gamers to experience data rate transfer speeds up to 54 Mbps, which
is five times faster than an 802.11b Wi-Fi network. The higher performance
provides a significant increase in throughput, which results in a
better user playing experience, including higher quality multiplayer
and head-to-head gaming, live chats and other bandwidth-intensive
applications.
"Atheros' high performance and standards-based wireless LAN
technologies made its chipset a preferred solution for Microsoft,"
said Todd Greenberg, product manager for Broadband Networking at Microsoft
Corp. "This first-of-its-kind wireless adapter for Xbox gaming
will make it much more convenient to experience Xbox Live from any
Xbox-connected television in the home, without the need to use messy
cables or drill holes in the walls."
The Xbox Wireless Adapter uses Atheros' 802.11g WiSOC chipset, which
supports 802.11b and 802.11g networks in the 2.4-GHz band. Atheros
chipsets support the latest wireless security standards such as Wi-Fi
Protected Access (WPA) and draft 802.11i Advanced Encryption Standard
(AES) without reducing performance. They also include draft 802.11e
Quality of Service enhancements for multimedia and voice chat applications.
For more information about Atheros, please visit www.atheros.com.
Oct 30 - BFG Technologies Introduces
Sniper Boomslang 2100 PC Gaming Mouse. BFG Technologies, Inc,
a leading U.S.-based supplier of advanced 3D graphics cards and gaming
products for PCs, announced today that it has begun shipping "The
World's Most Accurate Gaming Mouse" to the U.S. retail market.
Beginning October 28, 2003, online orders will be taken at www.BestBuy.com.
"Gamers recognize the Boomslang(TM) brand as synonymous with
accurate and quick response times from a PC gaming mouse", said
Todd Ciresi, Business Team Leader of Peripherals for Best Buy. "We're
excited to offer this impressive gaming mouse to our BestBuy.com customers."
"At 2100 dpi, the Sniper(TM) Boomslang(TM) 2100 is more than
two and a half times more accurate than any other mouse available,"
said Shane Vance, EVP of Sales for BFG Technologies. "It's the
must-have mouse for gamers who are serious about winning first-person-shooter
games. In fact, our head of marketing, Scott Herkelman just won the
Quake III tournament at FragFest V in Iowa this past weekend using
the Sniper(TM) Boomslang(TM) 2100."
Sniper(TM) Boomslang(TM) 2100 has a manufacturer's suggested retail
price (MSRP) of $79.99
Sniper(TM) Boomslang(TM) 2100 Features
Hyper-Responsive Scroll Wheel
The increased pulses per revolution (PPR) allows Sniper(TM) Boomslang(TM)
2100 to cover ground faster and more precisely than standard mice.
5 Programmable Non-Slip Buttons
The rubberized surface prevents finger slippage, making it easier
to be cool under pressure.
On-The-Fly-Sensitivity
Holding the thumb button down and scrolling the wheel during a game
pops up a scale on screen to change sensitivity on-the-fly. Adjust
instantly for different situations, games, opponents.
Less Movement, Less Fatigue
Designed to reduce fatigue and stress from intense mouse usage, the
ultra-high resolution and sensitivity of the Sniper(TM) Boomslang(TM)
2100 requires less movement than any other mouse.
6 MIPS
The Sniper(TM) Boomslang(TM) 2100 operates at a blazing 6 mips (millions
of instructions per second) while the traditional mouse chugs along
at about 1.4 mips.
For more information about Sniper(TM) Boomslang(TM) 2100 and other
BFG products, visit www.bfgtech.com.
Oct 29 - HP Gains Market Share in PDA Sales.
The following is a statement from HP (NYSE:HPQ) regarding worldwide
handheld devices market share numbers for the third quarter of calendar
year 2003:
According to IDC's report, HP stunned the handheld industry
with phenomenal unit growth of 100.3 percent year-over-year and 52.5
percent sequentially. HP not only led the overall growth of the handheld
industry, but also moved significantly closer to the No. 1 position
in the overall PDA category. HP remains the No. 1 worldwide Pocket
PC vendor.
"Customers responded loud and clear to HP's broad handheld product
portfolio which not only helped HP lead the worldwide growth with
a 52.5 percent sequential gain, but also made us the biggest contributor
to taking the overall handheld market into positive sequential growth
for the first time since Q4 2002," said Ted Clark, vice president
handhelds, Mobile Computing Global Business Unit, HP. "HP surpassed
industry expectations, with quarter-over-quarter market share jumping
from 17.6 to 24.5 percent. That growth helped us further solidify
our strong No. 2 position in handhelds."
In June, HP introduced five new iPAQ Pocket PC models, including
models targeted at the consumer market. The introductions filled out
HP's Pocket PC portfolio to meet the needs of both enterprises and
consumers -- and that made a solid impact in the third quarter. In
addition, HP was the first major Pocket PC vendor to successfully
ship Windows Mobile 2003 upgrade software for Pocket PC.
More information about HP is available at www.hp.com.
Oct 29 - Other World Computing Announces
New 700Mhz G4 Processor Upgrade. Other World Computing (OWC) today
announced it has expanded the low end of its popular Mercury Extreme
line with a 700 Megahertz (MHz) G4 processor upgrade available immediately
for $199.99.
OWC also reaffirmed that the entire Mercury Extreme line, from the
G4/700MHz model to the current top end G4/1.4-1.467 Gigahertz (GHz)
model, is 100 percent plug-and-play compatible with all Apple OS versions
as supported by the systems being upgraded, including OS X 10.3 "Panther."
"OWC's 700MHz Mercury Extreme G4 upgrade provides extreme performance
for an extremely low price," said Larry O'Connor, president of
OWC. "The 700MHz unit rounds out our Mercury Extreme line, which
Mac reviewers and aficionados everywhere have used to boost the processing
power of their existing Macs by as much as four times the original
stock processor speeds."
OWC's Mercury Extreme processor upgrades are true plug-and-play solutions
that do not use or require enabling software. Fully compatible with
PowerMac G4 AGP-equipped models (350MHz to 1GHz), they act as replacements
to the stock Apple G4 daughtercard and do not take up a separate PCI
or AGP slot.
Each unit comes with a 30-day, 100 percent money-back guarantee,
as well as a three-year limited warranty and an option for customers
to sell their old processor to OWC.
Made with the highest-quality components available, Mercury Extreme
processor upgrades use Tantalum-dipped resistors and capacitors (to
resist electroshock discharge), are capable of safe operation at high
temperatures and are designed to last longer than other upgrades using
conventional parts.
The Mercury Extreme G4 processor upgrades feature 256 Kilobytes of
1:1 L2 cache on-chip and 2 Megabytes of high-speed L3 cache. They
are compatible with Apple PowerMac G4 AGP Graphics/Sawtooth, Gigabit
Ethernet, Digital Audio, Quicksilver and Quicksilver 2002 models.
The Mercury Extreme line is completely plug-and-play compatible with
existing hardware and software, including Apple OS 9.2 or higher,
including all versions of OS X.
Additional details and complete pricing information about the OWC
Mercury Extreme product line can be found online at www.macsales.com/Extreme.
Oct 29 - New Adobe Photoshop CS Adds Essential
Capabilities. Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE) today announced
the availability of the Adobe(R) Video Collection Professional edition,
which now includes the newly launched Adobe Photoshop(R) CS in addition
to Adobe(R) Premiere(R) Pro, Adobe After Effects(R) 6.0 Professional
edition, Adobe Audition(TM), and Adobe Encore(TM) DVD software.
With breakthrough new features for video professionals, including
non-square pixel support, comprehensive 16-bit image support, and
a new vector paint engine, Adobe Photoshop CS is now -- more than
ever -- a key component of the Adobe Video Collection.
"Photoshop CS will become an indispensable tool in our workflow,"
said Scott Billups, digital moviemaker. "From support for non-square
pixels to 16-bit color editing, Photoshop CS offers a broad palette
of professional tools essential for motion graphics professionals."
The full-version upgrade successor to Photoshop 7.0, Adobe Photoshop
CS removes the guesswork for film and video professionals designing
sequences for DVD, video and film. Non-square pixel support allows
video professionals to accurately create imagery for on screen display
by enabling them to view the image as it would appear on the destination
device.
Users can create with confidence using preset video-standard sizes,
including automatic action-safe and title-safe guides. Photoshop CS
also provides 16-bit color support to preserve the rich color palette
of film and is tightly integrated with Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Encore
DVD and Adobe After Effects. A new vector paint engine simulates traditional
art techniques, including charcoal, pastel, and wet or dry brush effects.
The Professional edition of the Adobe Video Collection delivers:
tools for editing digital images; motion graphics and visual effects;
real-time video and audio editing; and DVD authoring.
Adobe Premiere Pro, the latest version of Adobe's award-winning video
editing software, has been redesigned to provide a real-time editing
environment, along with productivity enhancements and professional
tools that take advantage of the speed of Intel(R) Pentium(R) based
systems running Windows(R) XP.
After Effects 6.0 includes powerful new tools that enable users to
add stunning motion graphics and visual effects to their video and
film productions.
Adobe Audition provides a complete multi-track recording studio to
efficiently create professional-quality audio.
Adobe Encore DVD gives users the ability to create professional, multi-language
DVDs and output to all recordable DVD formats for a wide degree of
playback compatibility.
Pricing and Availability
The Professional edition of the Adobe Video Collection for Windows
XP with Photoshop CS is now shipping and can be purchased for an estimated
street price of US$1499. The standard edition, which does not contain
Photoshop CS, can be purchased for an estimated street price of US$999.
The products are available from Adobe certified resellers, as well
as through licensing and education programs.
Information about pricing, support policies, and other language versions
is available online at: www.adobe.com.
Oct 29 - SMC's New HomePlug Networking
Products Feature Easy-to-Install Connectivity. SMC(R) Networks
(www.smc.com), leading provider of networking solutions for the Enterprise,
the SMB and all the way home, today announced its newest family of
products that make home networking easy and reliable. SMC's new line
of HomePlug-compliant products gives users everything they need to
set up a brand-new network or extend an existing one without running
expensive CAT-5 cabling.
The only HomePlug solution on the market with configuration software
that runs on Mac OS, SMC's new HomePlug solution comes with two versions
of the EZ Configuration Manager software: one for the Windows OS and
one for the Mac OS, making it a great solution for Macintosh-only
networks, Windows-only networks and mixed networks.
The versatile new product line includes two new HomePlug-compliant
adapters: the EZ Connect(TM) 14Mbps HomePlug to USB Desktop Adapter
and the EZ Connect 14Mbps HomePlug to Ethernet Desktop Adapter; and
a new EZ Connect 14Mbps HomePlug Starter Kit, with everything it takes
to set up or extend a network using HomePlug technology. SMC's new
family of easy networking HomePlug products will begin shipping in
November.
An exciting technology for easy, reliable networking, HomePlug lets
users make network connections over existing electrical wiring. At
14Mbps, HomePlug provides faster connections than 802.11b wireless
-- or even standard 10Mbps wired Ethernet -- plus, it's easier to
install, configure and troubleshoot, making it ideal for home applications.
HomePlug 1.0-certified to ensure compatibility with the various types
of wiring used in homes and offices, these new products use auto-sensing,
rate-adaptive technology to maintain the best connection available.
And, its 14Mbps throughput is complemented by 56-bit Data Encryption
Standard (DES) and Dynamic Key Management, so users have speed and
security.
Ease of installation is further advanced by the product family's Plug-and-Play
compliance and the included EZ Installation Wizard for fine-tuning
on Windows and Mac platforms. And, its form factor makes it easier,
too -- no bulky adapters to find space for, because SMC's HomePlug
networking products are desktop units with internal power supplies.
The EZ Connect 14Mbps HomePlug to Ethernet Desktop Adapter (HP1D-ETH)
makes extending a network easy -- just plug it into an existing Barricade(TM)
or other standards-compliant Ethernet/Broadband router, plug its power
cord into an electrical outlet and the electrical wiring becomes Ethernet-enabled,
so any outlet in the house is an Ethernet connection port for sharing
Internet access, files, printers and even home entertainment devices.
It is a great way to bring Internet connectivity to a game console,
like an Xbox(R) or PS2(R) for online game playing.
The EZ Connect 14Mbps HomePlug to Ethernet Desktop Adapter and HomePlug
USB Adapter will both be available beginning in mid-November, both
at an MSRP that's 20% below the competition, at $79.99 each. The new
EZ Connect 14Mbps HomePlug to Ethernet Starter Kit takes value even
further, packing two HomePlug Ethernet Desktop Adapters at an MSRP
of $149.99.
For more information about SMC Networks or its products, visit www.smc.com.
Oct 29 - Consumer Technology Spending
to Rise in 2004. Zanthus, a leading market research-based consulting
company, today unveiled the results of its latest Future2Future survey
of home technology spending trends for 2004.
According to the independent consumer survey, laptop computers,
multi-featured mobile phones and digital entertainment products will
top consumers' buying lists over the next 12 months. The results are
based on a Web-based survey of 671 U.S. households with Internet access
(or 57 percent of U.S. households). The survey was conducted in September
by the Portland, Ore. research firm; the results were benchmarked
against an earlier survey conducted by Zanthus in March.
Highlights of the survey results include the following:
-- Smartphones to continue sales gains -- In the March 2003 survey,
13 percent of all respondents indicated they would purchase a mobile
device (cell phone, smartphone, PDA with voice, etc.). According to
the Sept. survey, this number remains steady; however, 5 percent of
all purchases are likely to be smartphones, or mobile phones with
special computer-enabled features like PDA functions and Internet
access (up from 3 percent in March). The Sept. survey also revealed
that about 20 percent of Internet households already own a smartphone.
-- Notebooks continue rise in popularity; Tablet PCs to struggle
-- 19 percent of Internet households are likely to purchase a new
computer in 2004 (up from 15 percent reporting last March). 11 percent
of these households are likely to purchase a laptop computer compared
to 7 percent of households that favored a desktop. The Tablet PC is
considered to be a poor option, with only 1 percent of respondents
indicating they are likely to purchase.
-- Home networking poised for another strong year -- Four percent
of Internet households are likely to install a home network in the
next 12 months. This estimate would mean year-over-year growth in
this category of 33 percent, which is slightly greater than that from
2002 to 2003.
-- Digital models to dominate camera and camcorder sales -- Digital
camera sales will continue to be brisk in 2004. Already, 55 percent
of Internet households own a digital still camera. 12 percent of the
respondents plan to purchase one in the next 12 months (up from 10
percent last March), and of the 9 percent of Internet households likely
to purchase a camcorder in the next 12 months, 56 percent intend to
purchase a digital model.
-- Email remains the popular choice for sharing photos -- 59 percent
of the respondents send photos as email attachments; 45 percent print
them on photo quality paper; and 32 percent of the respondents upload
digital pictures to a personal Web site for distant family members
to view.
-- Flat Panel TVs and Sony PlayStations to thrive -- 10 percent of
U.S. households are likely to purchase a new television in the next
12 months (up from 8 percent last March). Half of these purchases
are likely to be a flat panel model. Additionally, 4 percent of the
respondents indicated they are likely to purchase a new video game
system, with 60 percent of these purchases likely to be the Sony PlayStation2.
"Our survey results clearly show that the consumer technology
market is gaining momentum," said David Edwards, founder and
CEO of Zanthus. "This growth can be attributed to a number of
factors -- growing consumer confidence, dropping prices and an improvement
in the perceived value of many products. Highly desirable digital
technologies, such as DVD players, digital cameras, and camcorders,
are finally becoming more affordable for mass market consumers. As
this trend continues, we expect consumer technology sales to continue
to rise over the next 12 months."
Highlights of the Future2Future "2004 Consumer Technology Trends"
survey are available on Zanthus' Future2Future Web site at www.f2fresearch.com.
Oct 28 - Dell Introduces Digital
Jukebox. Dell (Nasdaq:DELL) today introduced the Dell Digital
Jukebox (Dell DJ) music player and announced details of a partnership
with Musicmatch(R) to provide customers an easy, legal way to download
their favorite songs and albums.
Both the Dell DJ and Dell Jukebox powered by Musicmatch software
will be available through the Dell Music Store (www.dell4me.com/music)
starting Tuesday, Oct. 28.
"Carrying around thousands of songs on one small device is a
nifty idea, but not if you have to recharge it every few hours,"
said John Hamlin, senior vice president and general manager of Dell's
U.S. consumer business. "The Dell DJ packs terrific battery life
and tons of features into a small, sleek package for a great price."
Dell Digital Jukebox
The 7.6-ounce Dell DJ comes with a choice of 15GB or 20GB capacities
($249 and $329, respectively) and features industry leader Hitachi's
Travelstar hard drive.
A built-in rechargeable lithium-polymer battery provides up to 16
hours of continuous music playback, enough for a round-trip flight
from New York to London. The included USB 2.0 cable connects the device
to desktop or notebook computers and can charge the battery in lieu
of the standard slim-line AC adapter. A 2-inch backlit LCD display
serves up file information while users browse with a front-mounted
scroll barrel for true one-handed operation.
"We heard two things loud and clear from consumers when it came
to digital music players: flash memory is too limited and hard drive
players are either too expensive or stripped down to hit attractive
price points," Hamlin said. "With the Dell DJ, our customers
no longer have to choose between what they can afford and what they
really want."
In addition to high-fidelity playback of MP3 and WMA (Windows Media
Audio) files, the Dell DJ serves as a digital voice recorder or a
way to back up critical data. Each unit is backed by Dell's around-the-clock
toll-free technical support and a one-year Advanced Exchange Service.
Dell Jukebox Software Powered by Musicmatch
The Dell Music Store also features Dell Jukebox software powered
by Musicmatch, which provides a simple graphical interface between
the computer and Dell DJ and access to Musicmatch Downloads. This
no-subscription service allows users to legally download their choice
of more than 250,000 songs for only 99 cents each and most albums
for $9.99. Musicmatch plans to offer more than 500,000 tracks by the
end of the year.
"Offering consumers a convenient, legal way to purchase music
online is important to both Dell and Musicmatch," said Bob Ohlweiler,
Musicmatch senior vice president of business development. "We've
developed one of the easiest ways to find and purchase music, and
now we're excited to see it combined with a high-quality portable
music player at an incredible value."
The Dell Jukebox also enables access to Musicmatch Radio and the
ArtistMATCH(tm) feature, which compares customers' musical tastes
to other users to recommend new artists. The Dell Jukebox software
is tested and qualified on Dell notebooks and desktops and works seamlessly
with both the DJ and many other digital music players.
For more information on the Dell DJ or Dell Jukebox software, visit
www.dell4me.com/music.
Oct 28 - Fujitsu Offers Low-Voltage AMD
Athlon S2000 LifeBook. Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation today
refreshed its powerful yet affordable LifeBook(R) S2000 notebook,
making it even more attractive to students and budget-conscious mobile
professionals. The latest version features the low-voltage mobile
AMD Athlon(TM) XP-M 2000+ processor with AMD PowerNow!(TM) Technology
for improved performance and extended battery life.
Since its introduction, the LifeBook S Series has earned many accolades
for its elegant and innovative design. Despite its slim profile and
sub-four-pound weight, the "thin & light" notebook features
a brilliant 13.3-inch XGA TFT display, a large, comfortable keyboard,
and a modular bay, which can accommodate a DVD/CD-RW drive, modular
bay battery or weight saver.
"The 'thin & light' market remains the largest segment in
the notebook PC market," said Matt Sargent, director of research,
Personal Computers, ARS. "And this segment is finding a new growth
potential in the small business and home market as these users become
more interested in notebooks that can offer increased mobility and
connectivity. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important for
manufacturers to offer a broad range of choices to satisfy this growing
demand."
Continuing with its tradition as a technology innovator, Fujitsu
was one of the first to offer multiple CPU options in one form factor.
The LifeBook 2000 notebook, with AMD's new mobile technology, brings
unprecedented value to the "thin & light" category.
The notebook starts at $1,199 and can be configured with a DVD/CD-RW
drive for under $1,380.
More information on Fujitsu Computer Systems is available at http://us.fujitsu.com/computers.
Oct 28 - Canon Packs Photo Quality in Its
New Entry-Level Multifunction MP370 and MP360. Canon's new MultiPASS
MP370 and MP360 Multifunction desktop photo printers deliver high-quality
photo printing, copying and scanning to consumers with a stylish and
compact design. From printing photos, text and web pages to scanning
images for homework projects and copying receipts for household use,
the new MultiPASS products deliver the versatility needed by today's
consumers.
"The multifunction market is rapidly expanding. Canon is finding
more customers are asking for products that can provide multiple solutions
in a single product," said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president
and general manager of the Consumer Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A.,
Inc. "The MultiPASS MP370 and MP360 Multifunction desktop photo
printers meet the needs of these consumers by combining multifunction
convenience with high-quality, simplicity, and features they are looking
for."
Both the MultiPASS MP370 and MP360 printers have very fast printing
speeds with up to 18 pages-per-minute (ppm) in black and up to 12
ppm in color. Quality is delivered through a print head that uses
both five picoliter nozzles for fast printing speeds and microscopic
two picoliter nozzles that significantly reduce the size of dots on
the page. Combining the small droplet size with printing at a maximum
resolution of up to 4800 x 1200 color dots-per-inch (dpi) allows users
to create photo prints that rival minilab prints.
Featuring 1,088 total nozzles, the print head of the MultiPASS MP370
and MP360 multifunction printers incorporates Canon's advanced MicroFine
Droplet Technology(TM) that ejects consistent prescribed-volume ink
droplets for smooth gradations, more accurate skin tones and rich,
vibrant colors. Both units support edge-to-edge borderless printing
in 4x6, 5x7 and 8.5x11 inch sizes.
The MultiPASS MP370 multifunction printer includes two additional
features for photo printing--PictBridge technology and onboard media
slots. The MultiPASS MP370 unit is the world's first multifunction
printer to feature PictBridge technology. A new industry standard
for digital printers, digital cameras and digital camcorders, PictBridge
allows the direct printing of images from PictBridge compatible digital
cameras and camcorders to PictBridge compatible printers, regardless
of brand or manufacturer, without the use of a computer.
Onboard memory card slots permit direct printing from a wide variety
of digital camera memory cards including CompactFlash(R), Microdrive(R),
SmartMedia(R), Memory Stick(R) (excluding PRO(TM)) SD Card(TM) and
MultimediaCard (TM), Memory Stick Duo(TM), xD-Picture Card(TM) and
miniSD Card(TM) can be used with the addition of a special adaptor
sold separately.
The onboard memory card slots are enclosed behind a smoke-gray dust
cover on the front of the unit. Printing digital images from memory
cards is made easy by pushing the Photo Index Sheet button after placing
a memory card in the appropriate slot. The consumer will then mark
the images to print, including quantity, paper type, vivid photo and
date stamp. Scanning the Photo Index Sheet will start the printing
process.
Compatible with select Windows(R) operating systems (Windows XP,
Windows2000/Me-Millennium Edition/98), the MultiPASS MP370 and MP360
also include ScanSoft(R) OmniPage(R) SE OCR and ArcSoft(R) PhotoStudio(R)
software. The Canon MultiPASS MP370 and MP360 units carry estimated
street prices of $199.99 and $149.99 respectively and will be shipping
in November 2003.
For more information, visit www.usa.canon.com.
Oct 28 - All-New Adobe Creative Suite
Now Shipping. Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE) today shipped
Adobe(R) Creative Suite. Adobe Creative Suite combines new full-version
upgrades of the company's market-leading creative professional software
-- Adobe Photoshop(R) CS, Adobe Illustrator(R) CS, Adobe InDesign(R)
CS, and Adobe GoLive(R) CS. It also incorporates Acrobat(R) 6.0 Professional,
and introduces the innovative Version Cue(TM) file version manager.
The all-new Adobe Creative Suite is a complete design environment
that gives today's creative professionals everything they need to
create and publish content to print and the Web faster, more easily,
and more efficiently than ever.
Adobe will announce shipment of new full-version upgrades of its
market-leading creative applications later this week. Photoshop CS,
the feature-packed successor to the highly popular Photoshop 7, will
soon be available along with Illustrator CS, InDesign CS and GoLive
CS -- all already hailed as significant enhancements on previous versions.
Instead of traditional version numbers, Adobe is now using "CS"
to identify these new versions, in order to better reflect the deep
level of integration between its creative tools. Pricing and complete
product information for Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS, InDesign CS
and GoLive CS can be found at: www.adobe.com.
"Adobe Creative Suite is a platform for the future of design
and publishing, something creative professionals around the world
can rely on to build their businesses and perfect their craft,"
said Jim Heeger, senior vice president of Creative Professional Products
at Adobe. "With powerful new hardware hitting the market and
Adobe Creative Suite pushing the boundaries of software innovation,
the technology available to the creative industries has just taken
a huge leap forward."
Adobe is making it easy for creative professionals to upgrade to
Adobe Creative Suite. Any customer who currently has a copy of Photoshop
(purchased as a standalone product or part of an Adobe Collection)
can upgrade to Adobe Creative Suite Premium Edition for an estimated
street price of US$749, or the Standard Edition for US$549. Estimated
street price for the Creative Suite Premium Edition is US$1229 and
US$999 for the Standard Edition. For more detailed information about
the Adobe Creative Suite, please visit: www.adobe.com/creativesuite.
Adobe Creative Suite for Mac OS X 10.2.4, Microsoft(R) Windows(R)
2000 with Service Pack 2, and Windows XP Professional and Home Edition,
is available for purchase today in the United States and Canada through
Adobe Authorized Resellers and the Adobe Store at: www.adobe.com/store.
Oct 28 - Trend Micro Announces PC-cillin
Internet Security 2004. Trend Micro, Inc. (TSE:4704) (Nasdaq:TMIC),
a leader in network antivirus and Internet content security software
and services, today announced the availability of Trend Micro(TM)
PC-cillin(TM) Internet Security 2004, a comprehensive and easy to
use PC-based security solution against Internet-based threats such
as viruses, hackers, privacy threats and spam.
Based on the award-winning PC-cillin, Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet
Security 2004 is designed for today's home users and small office/home
office (SOHO) users.
With the increased capabilities of Internet access, Internet email,
and virtual private networking, home and SOHO users have more freedom
and connectivity than ever before, but with that comes increased complexity
and security risks. Many households and small or home offices have
more than one computer, shared network resources, always-on Internet
connections, and may involve remote devices like laptops and PDAs.
Families and individuals are open to many of the same risks that plague
businesses and organizations: identity theft, hackers, credit card
theft, illicit Web sites, computer viruses, and spam.
Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2004 provides a comprehensive,
simplified solution against Internet-based threats, helping users
to get the most out of their computer systems with minimal concern
about controlling security threats. Beginning with an enhanced network
virus protection, users can benefit from the same level of protection
as big corporations from today's network-based viruses (like MSBlast
and SoBig). With the Network Virus Emergency Center console, early
warnings of new threats are sent to users, and virus pattern files
can be automatically updated for the latest protection. Automated
cleaning and restoration tools are triggered in the event viruses
are caught to keep systems functioning properly.
"In the face of today's sophisticated network viruses, even
home and small office users require complete security solutions with
tight integration between antivirus, firewall, and spyware detection
features," commented Beau Roberts, Product Group Manager for
Consumer Products at Trend Micro. "PC-cillin Internet Security
2004 provides users with the kind of advanced features, such as the
new Network Virus Emergency Center, to detect and block network-based
threats at the network traffic level, before they can penetrate and
infect the PC."
In addition, Trend Micro Internet Security includes a personal firewall
component to protect users from hackers and intruders, and advanced
privacy and spyware protection to protect passwords, bank account
numbers, and other personal information. Spam and URL filtering features
help block unsolicited junk email, and help control access to inappropriate
(adult) Web sites. With the profile-setting functions, security needs
for family, work, and on-the-road can be customized for each system.
Pricing and availability
Suggested retail price is $49.95 USD, which includes one year of
product support. Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security 2004 is available
through Trend Micro Web stores or through authorized resellers.
For additional information and evaluation copies of all Trend Micro
products, visit www.trendmicro.com.
Oct 27 - Best Buy Expands
Digital Cable Services. Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) today announced that
through its new in-store Digital Cable Activation Tool, customers
now have access to one of the largest footprints of Digital Cable
providers available at any national retailer.
The new tool provides an automated way for Best Buy
Product Specialists to qualify customers for Digital Cable and High-Definition
TV services, provides a list of available plans for the customer to
compare and choose, and the ability to purchase digital cable and
high-definition services quickly and easily. The new tool will be
available starting Sunday, October 26th at more than 400 Best Buy
retail locations.
Expanded Selection at Competitive Prices
Best Buy will offer one of the largest footprints of top-tier digital
cable providers from across the country. Customers will now have easy
access to seven of the top 10 cable providers including: Adelphia,
CableVision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, Insight, and Time-Warner.
The expanded digital cable offerings available through Best Buy build
on the company's experience and success in marketing connectivity
products and services through the retail channel.
"Our goal with digital cable service has always been to make
it easy to understand, simple to compare, and fun to purchase so consumers
can make informed decisions about which service is best for them,"
said Dave Sprosty, vice president of Subscription Services for Best
Buy. "Now by expanding the choices available to customers, we're
helping to ensure that they will find a service that fits their lifestyle
needs both by feature and price."
Added Chris Caffrey, Vice President of Retail Sales for Comcast,
"We're pleased to expand our relationship with Best Buy, who
has proven to be a leader in the high-speed Internet and digital cable
space by providing industry-leading solutions for consumers, including
a best-in-class customer experience. This gives us an opportunity
to reach even more customers and provide them with information about
the tremendous value and breadth of communications and entertainment
services Comcast offers."
Best Buy was founded in St. Paul, Minn. in 1966. Best Buy Stores
reach an estimated 300 million consumers per year through more than
580 retail stores in 48 states and online at www.BestBuy.com.
Oct 27 -
Hitachi Gets Its Game on with Launch
of PC Gaming Website. Hitachi Global Storage Technologies today
announced the launch of Hitachi Gaming Channel (
www.hgst.com/portal/site/gaming),
a video game website designed to allow PC gamers to easily download
trial versions of new games, learn about hot new products and catch-up
on the latest game news and reviews. The website was developed in response
to recent hyper-growth of the PC gaming industry.
Hitachi has long been serving the PC gaming community with hard disk
drives that are optimized for use in high performance gaming systems.
Hitachi Deskstar 7K250 hard drives feature the capacity points and
data access times necessary to meet the stringent demands of PC gaming
and other performance applications. Mobile gamers have enthusiastically
welcomed Hitachi's high-performance Travelstar 7K60, the industry's
only 7200rpm mobile hard drive. This hard drive has the performance
gamers require along with the added advantage of ruggedness needed
for gamers-on-the-go.
"The purpose of the website is to provide high quality content
and tools that help promote PC gaming to a mass audience," said
Robert Holleran, general manager, Desktop Business Unit. "We
are pleased that, as part of this effort, we are able to disseminate
information about the latest PC gaming systems and the components
that make them cutting-edge."
Hitachi has also developed an online newsletter containing the latest
in gaming industry news, hardware reviews and game trials. The newsletter
will also be used to distribute event information about upcoming LANparties
or other gaming activities. Free subscriptions to the monthly online
newsletter can be accessed via the Hitachi Gaming Channel website.
For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website
at http://global.hitachi.com.
Oct 27 - PGP Corporation Announces
Release of PGP Desktop 8.0.3. PGP Corporation, the recognized
leader in secure messaging and information storage, today announced
the immediate availability of PGP(R) Desktop 8.0.3. This version adds
support for Microsoft Office 2003, including Outlook 2003 and Windows
Server 2003; Novell GroupWise 6.5; and Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther).
"Although technology changes increasingly quickly,
PGP products keep pace," said Jon Callas, PGP Corporation's CTO
and Chief Security Officer. "This release ensures customers continued
access to the rich set of features in PGP Desktop products, including
digital signatures to automatically detect email 'spoofing,' key management,
and standards-based technology."
The release is available free to all customers who have purchased
PGP Desktop 8.0 products, including PGP Corporate Desktop, PGP Workgroup
Desktop, and PGP Personal Desktop as well as earlier versions of PGP
Enterprise, PGP Desktop, and PGP Personal. Licensed customers wishing
to upgrade to PGP Desktop 8.0.3 may download the update from www.pgp.com.
Oct 27 - Why is Intel saying 64-bit is
not for desktops? [Some food for thought - Ed InfoHQ]
By Peter Friedman, 22nd October 2003
You've all got such short memories.
Remember the chips which Intel gave us before the Pentium? It was
in the days before anyone talked about Web Servers. Those were the
days of the good old 386 and 486 chips. Oh my, did they seem awesome
compared to what we had (PCs based on the 286 and the 'original' 8088)
when they first came out. In those days, instead of talking about
servers, we talked about 'power users'.
When a new chip was first demonstrated by Intel, it was hideously
expensive, ten or twenty times the price of the 'previous' (i.e.,
'current') model.
(PRWEB) October 23 2003--
So in order to avoid triggering fears that the chip manufacturer was
about to make the next generation of PCs unaffordably expensive, or
that they had any intention of phasing out the current chip, they
cleverly positioned the new chip 'off the radar screen' of the typical
PC buyer.
'These new chips will only be of interest to power users' was the
launch day mantra.
Why was the next generation chip so expensive?
Usually because production volumes and 'yield' (number of good chips
from a production batch) had not yet reached anywhere near those of
the current chip, so the unit costs of manufacture for the new chip
were still much higher than they were for the current one.
Also, if the manufacturer was crazy enough to put the new chip on
the market at a (subsidised) price which was close enough to the current
one, it would suddenly discourage large numbers of people from buying
the current (profitable) one.
None of this would make anyone but Intel's competitors very happy.
So Intel's job, when they make a brand new generation available,
is:
* Let the public know that their new chip is 'the future'
* Let them know that it mustn't affect their buying decisions for
anything but computers which are so powerful and expensive that the
chip price won't be an issue
These considerations produce a single phrase:
'It's not for desktop PCs'
The 64 bit chip is getting exactly the same treatment as the 32 bit
chip got when PCs were 16 bit.
What does this mean?
The 64 bit chip will be for desktops, but only once:
* It has become cheaper to build
* Intel feels the Pentium can be replaced with impunity
* AMD market share increases have put Intel under enough pressure
to accelerate their 64 bit rollout
What will drive 64 bit chips for desktops?
* 64 bit desktop PCs costing not much more than Pentium desktops
* Reviews which say that 32 bit software runs faster on a 64 bit PC
* Software specially written for 64 bit which outperforms any 32 bit
equivalent
* 64 bit versions of existing software that outperform current 32
bit versions
What will make these things happen?
* Availability of a 64 bit desktop version of Windows which looks
like it is not too far from its final form
* Massive performance increases over 32 bit on at least some applications
* Availability of 64 bit development tools which allow 'converting'
32 bit applications to 64 bit to produce at least some serious performance
gains relatively painlessly
You can see that the 64 bit rollout timescale is just as much in
the hands of Intel and Microsoft as it is in those of the PC buyer,
which is why '64 bit is not for desktops' is currently perfectly true,
but only a temporary 'factoid'.
It will only be true while Intel, Microsoft and the market want it
to be true, and that may be for quite a while yet.
Support Insight Magazine www.supportinsight.com
Copyright© Support Insight
Oct 26 - Sunday Shopping Watch.
Best Sunday Deals - See our Best Sunday
Ad Deals Table below for specific system prices.
Weekly Comparison. There are 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 12 month no-interest financing on all desktop
and laptop purchases, and $100 mail-in rebates on advertised laptops
and up to $150 mail-in rebates on advertised desktop packages. They
are also offering 3 free months of AOL with all new computers.
Circuit City is offering
15 months no interest on advertised desktop packages and notebooks,
and $150 mail-in rebates on advertised laptops and desktop packages.
Office
Depot
has no store-wide promotions this Sunday.
CompUSA is offering 6 months
no payment, no interest, financing on all on any purchase $199 and
higher. They are also offering up to $150 mail-in rebates on advertised
laptops and desktop systems.
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
|
Compaq 2.5 GHz complete system with 17"
monitor
|
$379
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
2. Best Celeron Deal
|
Compaq 2.6 GHz complete system with 17"
monitor
|
$569
|
-
|
Best Buy, Circuit City
|
|
1. Best Pentium 4 System
|
HP 2.6 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with 17" monitor, and DVD-RW
|
$999
|
|
CompUSA
|
|
2. Best Pentium 4 System
|
Sony 2.6 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with 17" flat panel, and DVD-RW
|
$1229
|
|
Circuit City
|
|
3. Best Pentium 4 System
|
HP 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 complete system
with 17" flat panel, HT Technology, and DVD-RW
|
$1379
|
|
Best Buy, CompUSA ($1499)
|
|
Best AMD Athlon XP System
|
emachines 2800+ complete system with
15" LCD and DVD-RW
|
$899
|
|
Best Buy
|
|
1. Best Low-cost Laptop
|
Toshiba 2.4 GHz Celeron with DVD/CD-RW
|
$899
|
+$50
|
CompUSA
|
|
2. Best Low-cost Laptop
|
HP 2.4 GHz Celeron with DVD/CD-RW
|
$849
|
|
Circuit City
|
|
3. Best Low-cost Laptop
|
Compaq 2.3 GHz Pentium 4 with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1199
|
-
|
CompUSA
|
|
4. Best Low-cost Laptop
|
Toshiba 2.3 GHz Pentium 4 with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1199
|
-
|
Circuit City, Best Buy ($1249), CompUSA
($1249)
|
|
1. Best High-end Notebook
|
Toshiba 2.3 GHz Pentium 4 with DVD/CD-RW
|
$1399
|
-
|
CompUSA
|
|
2. Best High-end Notebook
|
Compaq Centrino widescreen 1.4 GHz with
DVD/CD- RW
|
$1499
|
-
|
CompUSA
|
|
3. Best High-end Notebook
|
Compaq Centrino widescreen 1.4 GHz with
DVD/CD- RW
|
$1499
|
-
|
Circuit City, CompUSA ($1499)
|
|
4. Best High-end Notebook
|
Sony Pentium 4 2.8 GHz with DVD-RW
|
$1599
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
5. Best High-end Notebook
|
Toshiba Pentium 4 2.8 GHz widescreen
with DVD-RW
|
$1699
|
-
|
CompUSA
|
|
|
|
Peripherals and Software
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Western Digital 7200 RPM 120 GB hard
drive with 8 MB buffer
|
$79
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Maxtor 7200 RPM 200 GB hard drive with
8 MB buffer
|
$149
(after rebates)
|
+$20
|
Best Buy
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Western digital 7200 RPM 200 GB hard
drive with 8 MB buffer
|
$149
(after rebates)
|
|
Circuit City
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
ATI Radeon 9600 All-in-Wonder Pro 128
MB
|
$249
(after rebates)
|
-
|
CompUSA
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Asylum GeForce FX 5950 Ultra 256 MB
|
$499
(after rebates)
|
-
|
CompUSA
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
Western digital 7200 RPM 200 GB hard
drive with 8 MB buffer
|
$149
(after rebates)
|
|
Circuit City
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
ATI Radeon 9600 SE 128 MB DDR
|
$129
(after rebates)
|
-
|
Best Buy
|
|
Best Sunday Deal
|
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro 128 MB DDR
|
$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.
Read
Our Latest Tech Watch Newsletter