GadgetBlips - Latest Computing News Articles

Mac OS X 10.6.2 Hack Gets Atom Support Back (PC World)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:49:00 +0000

PC World - Early last week, Apple released the 10.6.2 update to Snow Leopard loaded mostly with welcome, but unsurprising bug fixes, including a patch for the uncommon but extremely harmful user account deletion bug.

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The Dell Earnings Debacle: The Day After

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:42:06 +0000

Dell (DELL) shares have dropped 10% after yesterday’s highly disappointing earnings report for the fiscal third quarter ended October. As I noted yesterday, the company missed on both the revenue and EPS lines, posting results that suggest the company is continuing to lose share to its computer hardware rivals. As noted, the company reported revenue of $12.9 billion, up just 1% sequentially, down 15% from a year ago, and below the consensus at $13.2 billion. Per-share earnings of 23 cents a share missed by a nickel. There are largely two schools of thinking on Dell right now. The bulls generally focus on the prospects for a 2010 pick-up in IT spending generally and PCs specifically. Since Dell has higher exposure to corporate PC spending than Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) , IBM (IBM ), Apple (AAPL) or more or less anyone else you can think of, the theory is that they are the perfect play on the much-discussed, but yet-to-materialize PC refresh cycle. On the other ...

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RealNetworks In Talks On Revamped Deal With MTV

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:16:47 +0000

RealNetworks (RNWK) this morning disclosed in an 8-K filing with the SEC that it is in talks with Viacom ’s (VIA) MTV Networks unit on the possible restructuring of their jointly owned Rhapsody America music service. The company said the talks are focused on the two companies’ “relative economic rights in the joint venture,” and on their ability to control decision-making to enable Rhapsody to operate more independently of either party. The upshot could be an adjustment of the structure of the joint venture which could reduce Real’s stake to below the current 51%, to 50% or slightly less. The company said the discusses are in the preliminary stages. The Real partnership with MTV in 2007 was supposed to make the two companies a more viable competitor to Apple (AAPL) iTunes and other online music service, but subscription music services still haven’t caught fire. RNWK today is down 11 cents, or 3.1%, to $3.47; the stock was trading north of ...

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California Bans Power-Hog TVs: Death Knell for Plasma? (PC World)

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:30:00 +0000

PC World - Sales of plasma HDTVs have been on the decline for some time now. Although plasmas are generally cheaper than comparably-sized LCD models, their picture isn't as bright; as a result, their images often appear dark and washed out under the bright, fluorescent glare of the local big box store. However, plasmas are often favored by home theater buffs, who savor the display technology's fast refresh rates and often superior reproduction of black and dark tones.

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Hack brings 10.6.2 back to Atom processors (Macworld.com)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:41:00 +0000

Macworld.com - Remember last week, when the net was abuzz with the news that the Mac OS X 10.6.2 updateÂ broke notebooks with Atom processors? Well, given the first syllable of the word "hackintosh" it's little surprise that that state of affairs has changed. The release of a newly-hacked kernel claims to allow the Snow Leopard to roam freely off of the Apple steppes.

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Dell: Dude, You Laid Another Egg

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:17:07 +0000

Dell (DELL) shares are headed south this afternoon after the company posted disappointing results for its fiscal third quarter ended October 30. Dell posted revenue for the quarter of $12.9 billion, up 1% sequentially, down 15% from a year ago, and below the Street at $13.2 billion. Per share earnings of 23 cents a share were a nickel below the Street at 28 cents. Gross margin was 17.3%. Shipments were flat sequentially and down 5% from a year ago. Operating income was down 43% from a year ago at $577 million; net income at $337 million was down 54%. Large enterprise revenue was up 4% sequentially and off 23% from a year ago; public sector was down 3% sequentially, and 7% from a year ago; small and medium business was up 5% sequentially, and down 19% year-over-year. Consumer revenue was flat sequentially and down 10% from last year. For Q4, the company sees seasonal improvement in the consumer business, with seasonal weakness in the public sector. Dell sees Q4 revenue up from Q3. Dell ...

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Google: Chrome OS Launch A Year Away

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:21:48 +0000

Google (GOOG) today said the official launch of Google Chrome OS , the company’s planned foray into the desktop OS sector dominated by Microsoft (MSFT) Windows, is still a year away. Speaking at a media event at the company’s headquarters in Mountain View this morning, Google VP of product management Sundar Pichai said that while no beta version of the software is being released today (contrary to rumors), the company is making the code available. He also said there are now 40 million users for the Google Chrome Web browser; and he indicated that a version of the Chrome browser for the Apple (AAPL) Mac will be available before year end. AllThingsD’s John Paczkowski is blogging the event live.

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Apple: Tablet Delayed Until Second Half 2010?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:55:19 +0000

Apple (AAPL) plans to postpone the launch of its tablet PC from March until the second half of 2010, DigiTimes reports , citing “sources from component makers.” The Taiwan-based news site reports that the delay reflects a decision to switch some components and to launch a model using a 9.7-inch OLED panel from LG Display (LPL) . The story says that Foxconn Electronics , Quanta Computer and Pegatron Technology will be manufacturing partners for two tablet PC models, one with a 10.6-inch LCD panel and the other using the OLED display. Citing sources, the story asserts that the OLED model is likely to have a cost of about $1,500-$1,700, due in part to a $500 price tag on the OLED panel. But the piece also notes that OLED panel prices “are dropping rapidly,” and could bring the cost of the device down to $1,200-$1,500 by the second half of next year, with retail pricing of about $2,000. The story says the LCD model is expected to be priced in the $800-$1,000 ...

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Semtech To Buy Sierra Monolithics For $180M In Cash (Updated)

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:33:30 +0000

Semtech (SMTC) , which makes analog and mixed-signal chips, this afternoon said it agreed to acquire Sierra Monolithics for $180 million in cash. Based in Irvine, California (which is actually quite a long way from the Sierras), Sierra Monolithics makes high-performance communications ICs. Semtech will also assume $8 million of unvested options, and grant to employees up to $12 million in additional equity incentives at closing. Semtech will fund the deal from its existing cash balance; the company said that in association with the repatriation of cash domiciled overseas, it incurred a one-time tax liability of $33 million in the fiscal third quarter ended October 25. The deal is expected to be accretive to GAAP EPS within 12 months, and immediately accretive to non-GAAP gross margins and EPS. Sierra, founded in 1986, has about 110 employees, including over 60 engineers; the company expects 2009 revenue of about $50 million, with gross margins toward the high end of Semtech’s ...

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Report: A Third of Laptops Fail Within 3 Years (PC World)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:48:00 +0000

PC World - Asus, Toshiba and Sony laptops may be more reliable than MacBooks according to research from Squaretrade, but within a few years, a lot of laptop owners will have trouble regardless of brand.

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IBM Offers Symphony on Keepod USB Devices (PC World)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:00:21 +0000

PC World - IBM announced Tuesday that its free Lotus Symphony office productivity suite is now available on Keepods -- thin USB devices made by the Italian company NSEC.

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Adobe unveils public betas for Flash Player 10.1, AIR 2.0 (Macworld.com)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:53:00 +0000

Macworld.com - This just in: Adobe Labs has some new toys up for grabs. As part of Adobe's poorly-named Open Screen Initiative to put Flash on every popular platform known to mankind, Adobe has released beta versions of Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR 2.0 for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.

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Apple Tablet Speculation Reignited by CNN Report (PC World)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:40:00 +0000

PC World - What mythical product will simultaneously kill off the Kindle, iPod, Zune, iPod, Nintendo DS, and a whole slew of cheap netbooks?

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Psystar Loses Mac OS X Challenge Against Apple (NewsFactor)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:10:46 +0000

NewsFactor - Apple has won its lawsuit against Psystar, which has been selling Mac OS X in Mac clone computers. The decision in Apple's favor is expected to pave the way for Apple to argue its copyright-infringement case against future violators.

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Dell: Goldman Resumes Coverage With Buy Rating; Lifts Estimates

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:43:34 +0000

Goldman Sachs analyst David Bailey today resumed coverage of Dell (DELL) with a Buy rating and $19 price target. (The stock had been rated Not Rated; the firm had been advising Perot Systems on its acquisition by Dell.) Bailey writes that his bullish thesis remains unchanged: “Dell should see an out-sized benefit from a corporate PC refresh cycle, which we expect to begin in 2010, and the resulting share regains and incremental revenue should translate to significant earnings upside as Dell continues to optimize its cost structure,” he writes. The Goldman analyst notes that his checks “point to an aged installed base and pent-up PC demand, giving us greater confidence in a PC refresh cycle in 2010.” He sees Dell posting 12% unit growth next year. Bailey today lifted his EPS estimate for the January 2010 fiscal year to $1.09 from $1.07; for FY 2011 he now sees $1.37, from $1.35; for FY 2012 he now expects $1.55, up from $1.50. There were a couple of other ...

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Apple Beats Psystar: Is It a Win For You? (PC World)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:58:00 +0000

PC World - Mac-clone maker Psystar was dealt a deathblow on Saturday after a federal judge said the company infringed on Apple's Mac OS X operating system copyright. A court case will still proceed to trial in order to settle a few other issues, but it's clear that Psystar's days of selling Mac OS X on non-Apple computers are over. That's a big win for Apple, but is it a victory for you?

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Dell Confirms Plan To Sell Smart Phone In China, Brazil

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:31:23 +0000

Dell (DELL) this morning “confirmed” that it plans to sell version of its Android -based Mini 3 smart phone in China through China Mobile (CHL) , and in Brazil via the Claro unit of America Movil (AMX) . The company said details on the phone models will be announced on a parrter-by-partner basis as devices become available in stores, which is expected in late November for China Mobile and by year-end for Claro. In August, Dell had confirmed that it was developing a phone for China Mobile. At the time Engadget noted that the phone has a 3.5-inch touch screen with a 360-by-640 pixel resolution, and runs a variation of Android called the Open Mobile System.

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Juniper: Oppenheimer Turns Bullish

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:18:22 +0000

Juniper (JNPR) shares are modestly higher in early trading after Oppenheimer analyst Ittai Kidron upped his rating on the stock to Outperform from Perform, setting a $31 price target. The stock closed yesterday at $24.70. Kidron writes in a research note that the carrier spending on IP routing should recover next year, and then return to double-digit growth rats. He also believes data center consolidation and virtualization “opens the door for Juniper to leverage its high performance solutions and expand its enterprise market presence driving share gains.” And he while “ HP is a missed OEM opportunity,” he still thinks there are “material multiple upside opportunities” for comparable deals at IBM and Dell . Kidron contends the stock is “an attractive long-term core holding.” JNPR this morning is up 55 cents, or 2.2%, to $25.25.

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Panasonic debuts audio system with photo frame (Macworld.com)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:23:00 +0000

Macworld.com - Nothing adds to a slideshow like a little musicâor at least, thatâs what Panasonic thinks. The company announced its first audio system with both an iPod dock and digital photo frame.

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Dell smart phone to debut in China, Brazil (AP)

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:12:28 +0000

AP - Dell Inc. is jumping into the "smart" phone market this month in a deal with China Mobile, the country's biggest wireless carrier.

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Windows 7 Inspired By Mac? Here's the Guy Who Said So (PC World)

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:43:00 +0000

PC World - It may be the biggest snafu Microsoft's seen since Vista. In an interview with PCR, a British trade publication, a Microsoft manager implied that Windows 7 was based on the anti-Windows itself: Mac OS X.

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Microsoft Insists Windows 7 Not Copied from Mac OS (NewsFactor)

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:07:11 +0000

NewsFactor - That sound you hear is Microsoft backtracking as fast as possible, following a report of some indiscreet comments by one of its managers Wednesday that Windows 7 created a "Mac look and feel." Before the end of the day, Microsoft issued a statement saying the employee "was not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7," and his comments were "inaccurate and uninformed."

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Lenovo to Announce 'Smartbook' at CES (PC Magazine)

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:59:55 +0000

PC Magazine - Lenovo will announce a "smartbook" at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, the company confirmed on Thursday, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

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HP/3Com Deal Bursts Networking Equipment Speculation Bubble

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:25:29 +0000

Last night’s surprising news that Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) is buying 3Com (COMS) for $7.90 a share has sent far-reaching ripples through the networking equipment sector. The Street sees largely negative ramifications for other players in the industry, and they fall into three categories. Competitive issues : This deal makes HP a more formidable player in networking, and in particular targets Cisco (CSCO) , which itself had jumped into the server market earlier in the year. In effect, the server, software, service and networking segments continues to combine and blur. This is another in a long line of deals in which the biggest players are expanding their reach, including Oracle / Sun , HP / EDS and Dell / Perot , to name just a few. Speculation subsides : HP buying 3Com makes it less likely that they will buy other networking players; the company has at the top of the list of rumored buyers for a long list of companies, including Brocade (BRCD) , Juniper (JNPR) , F5 ...

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Windows 7 Copied from Mac? Don't Flatter Yourself (PC World)

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:52:00 +0000

PC World - It is the statement that has re-ignited the near-religious debate about whether the Windows user interface was copied from Mac. Define 'copied'. Adopting features that work is not new to Windows 7 or unique to the Windows / Mac debate--its just the way the world works.

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Microsoft Stole Mac OS Aesthetics? So What! (PC World)

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:53:00 +0000

PC World - A magician never reveals his tricks, but that seems to be precisely what Microsoft's partner group manager Simon Aldous did when he supposedly uncloaked the aesthetic inspiration behind Windows 7. However, there are a lot of problems behind this "leak."

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Microsoft: Win7 Design Not Based on Mac OS X (PC Magazine)

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:19:06 +0000

PC Magazine - Microsoft on Thursday denied that its Windows 7 operating system was inspired by Apple's Mac OS X.

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Applied Materials FY Q4 Tops Ests; To Cut Staff 10%-12%

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:46:58 +0000

Applied Materials (AMAT) this afternoon posted better-than-expected results for its fiscal fourth quarter ended October 25. As expected , the company also announced a restructuring plan; AMAT will trim headcount by 10%-12%, eliminating 1,300-1,500 positions over an 18-month period. For the quarter, Applied posted sales of $1.53 billion, down from $2.04 billion a year ago, but up from $1.13 billion in Q3, and ahead of the Street at $1.32 billion. Non-GAAP EPS of 13 cents a share was well ahead of the Street at 3 cents. Results for the quarter nicely beat the company’s own guidance of $1.24 billion to $1.36 billion and 0-4 cents a share. Applied said the restructuring will save $450 million a year; the company expects to recognize costs related to the cuts of $100 million to $125 million, most of that in the current quarter. New orders in the quarter were $1.47 billion; backlog is now $2.73 billion, down from $2.95 billion one quarter earlier. On a sequential basis, the company ...

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Mac OS X Update Fixes Problems in Snow Leopard (NewsFactor)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:28:14 +0000

NewsFactor - Users of Apple's Snow Leopard operating system have experienced some glitches. So Apple released Mac OS X 10.6.2 on Monday to eliminate several operating-system issues, problems with MobileMe, and issues affecting the quality and security of the OS.

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Apple Breaks Hackintosh Netbooks with Latest Update (PC World)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:55:00 +0000

PC World - Users who want the Mac OS X experience on a netbook budget have figured out how to hack the Mac OS X operating system to force it to work on netbooks based on the Intel Atom processor. The latest update to the Snow Leopard update removes support for the Atom processor and puts an end to the 'hackintosh'--at least for now.

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Kindle for PC Released, Color Kindle Coming Soon? (PC World)

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:48:00 +0000

PC World - Amazon released a Kindle for PC app, available as a free 5.17MB download for Windows 7, Vista, and XP. Much like the Kindle for iPhone app, Kindle for PC syncs your Amazon e-book downloads and shows them on your computer for convenient reading either when you're away from your svelte e-book reader or if you chose not to buy it in the first place. A Mac version, Amazon says, is "coming soon."

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Apple releases Mac OS X 10.6.2 (Macworld.com)

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 21:58:00 +0000

Macworld.com - On Monday, Apple released Mac OS X 10.6.2, the latest update to its Mac OS X operating system. As you might surmise, it contains a number of fixes and feature enhancements for the newest big cat. Apple, as always, recommends 10.6.2 for all users running Snow Leopard.

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Sun: Would Oracle Use EC Rejection To Walk?

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 19:52:43 +0000

Here’s a disturbing question for you. What happens to Sun Microsystems (JAVA) if the European Commission really does reject the proposed $9.50-a-share bid for the company by Oracle (ORCL) ? In a research note this morning, Thomas Weisel Partners analyst Doug Reid considers this question, and the potential outcomes worry him enough that he actually cut his target price on the stock to $8.50, from $9.50, to account for increased risk that the deal falls through. To be clear, Reid still thinks the most likely scenario is that the deal closes. But he sees four other potential scenarios: The European Commission rejects the proposed deal over concerns about Oracle buying MySQL - and the rejection is left unchallenged by Oracle, in effect terminating the deal. A deal is renegotiated, to adjust for exclusion of MySQL , with a new price below $9.50. IBM steps in to offer to buy the company at a price below the current ORCL offer in the wake of an unchallenged rejection of the ...

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Goldman Upgrades ADBE, CRM; Downgrades LXK, RHT, VRSN

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 15:14:14 +0000

Goldman Sachs this morning made a flurry of rating changes in the tech sector, upgrading Adobe (ADBE) and Salesforce.com (CRM) , while downgrading Lexmark (LXK) , Red Hat (RHT) and VeriSign (VRSN) . Here a rundown on the moves: Adobe : Software analyst Sarah Friar upped her rating to Buy from Neutral , setting a price target of $42; the stock closed Friday at $34.65. She writes that “a compelling investment case for Adobe is building,” including the coming launch of Creative Suite 5 , which she says should be buoyed by a PC refresh cycle and OS upgrades from Apple and Microsoft . She also says there is a buying opportunity in the stock created by the uncertainty from the Omniture acquisition. And Friar sees margin improvement as top line accelerates beyond current guidance. She ups her November 2010 EPS estimate to $1.59, from $1.48; for 2011 she goes to $1.74, from $1.60. Salesforce.com : Friar raises her rating to Neutral from Sell , with a target of ...

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