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Dell, along with the launch, also unveiled its new consumer marketing campaign assuring its users to deliver personalized devices offering a great digital experience, almost anywhere around the globe.
The latest PCs introduced are:
• Inspiron 530, 530s and 531, 531s desktops
• Inspiron 1720, 1721 (17-inch), Inspiron 1520 and 1521 (15.4-inch), Inspiron 1420 (14.1 inch) notebooks
• XPS M1330 (13.3-inch) notebook
• Dell SE198WFP 19-inch and Dell 2407WFP-HC 24-inch widescreen flat panel displays
“We’ve packed these new Inspiron and XPS systems with features like mobile broadband, widescreen displays and colors choices to help customers experience the high definition lifestyle they seek,” said Alex Gruzen, senior vice president for Dell Consumer Products. “Customers also tell us they want great design and performance and we have responded with the new XPS M1330, the world’s thinnest 13-inch notebook.”
According to consumer’s needs, the new desktops and notebooks features World-class widescreen displays allowing users to watch movies, sharing photos, and even shopping on the Internet. Furthermore, the dell products provide built-in optional mobile broadband that offers seamless wireless connectivity.
“Getting to know customers is what we do best,” said Zita Cassizzi, vice president of Dell’s consumer marketing. “Taking their feedback, putting it to work, and delivering the devices consumers want most is reflected in these new products. As our new campaign says: Yours is Here.”
Moreover, a new service has been announced which not only protects music, photos and other files but also can be shared with friends and family, called Dell Online Backup. This service gives 12 months of complimentary online storage space for every Inspiron (up to 3 GB) and XPS product (up to 10 GB). In addition, DataSafe internal backup, a solution that partners dual hard drive with back-up and restore software can be configured on Dell desktops. This ensures the safety and security of personal data.
Dell also offers PC TuneUp to reduce fewer maintenance hassles and ensures more time for fun and productivity. The service can automatically fix many issues or produce a report that pinpoints what needs to be done to maintain peak system performance.
A pre-installed Dell Support Center helps consumer quickly locate system information, self-help tools, FAQs and assistance from Dell by one-click. It also features Dell-developed applications that monitors and pinpoint system issues.

Advanced Micro Devices is laying claim to the world's fastest graphics card at it continues an assault on Nvidia at the high-end of the graphics chip market.
ATI Radeon HD 5970 packs two fast graphics chips

HD 5970 packs two fast graphics chips
(Credit: Advanced Micro Devices)

As teased last week by AMD senior vice president Rick Bergman at a financial analyst meeting, the "Hemlock" graphics card--now officially called the ATI Radeon HD 5970--is AMD's top-of-the-line graphics product.

"It's in production. You'll be able to buy it at e-tailers around the world...Five Teraflops out of this baby," Bergman said last week. A teraflop is a trillion floating point operations per second, a key indicator of graphics performance.

Review site Tom's Hardware called it the "fastest discrete (standalone) card in the world."

The card integrates two graphics processing units (GPUs) for a total of 4.3 billion transistors. It also boasts 3,200 stream processing units and 160 texture units--tiny individual processors for accelerating graphics. And it supports Microsoft's DirectX 11 for speeding up graphics in Windows 7.

The 5970 will ship in Area-51 ALX and Aurora desktops from Dell's Alienware unit and allow "massive overclocking," according to AMD. Overclocking allows users to ratchet up chip speeds beyond the card's specified rating. "The unrivaled overclocking capabilities of the ATI Radeon HD 5970 are enabled by the unique design of the card, which features advanced fan and vapor chamber technologies and a fully vented exhaust to keep the card cool and ensure overclocking headroom using ATI Overdrive technology," AMD said in a statement.

A maximum resolution of 7680x1600 is achieved by driving up to up to three displays at once.

AMD cited games that will benefit from the card such as Electronic Art's Phenomic's BattleForge, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (GSC Game World), Battlefield Bad Company 2 (EA Dice), DiRT 2 (Codemasters), Aliens vs. Predator (Rebellion), and the update to The Lord of the Rings Online (Turbine).

Though prices will vary, some retailers are currently listing the price at $599.

Advanced Micro Devices stock was upgraded Thursday by Broadpoint AmTech analyst Doug Freedman, citing a solid product road map and debt restructuring efforts.

AMD was trading above $7 midday on Thursday, high above the $3.50 (approximate) lows seen back in July of this year.

Freedman said in a research note Thursday that he is upgrading AMD to "buy" from "neutral" and raising the price target to $10 from $5.80.

"Positive events...lead us to believe that AMD's risk/reward is now compelling," he said. One of the biggest positives was AMD's move on Wednesday to pay off $1 billion in debt using part of its $1.25 billion settlement income from Intel and a new $500 million bond offering. "We believe AMD's debt of $3.7B will be reduced by 25 percent," Freedman said.

And Future "Fusion" chips point toward a more competitive AMD. Fusion silicon--which combines the main CPU processor with the graphics chip or GPU--is due in 2011. "We believe Fusion (CPU+GPU) will deliver discrete-like performance on an integrated chip," Freedman said, referring to high-performance standalone "discrete" graphics processors. "Fusion will likely be a low-cost product--targeting mainstream and lower-end," according to Freedman.

Chips that go into servers are also likely set for market share gains, Freedman said. "We estimate that server share could grow from ~8 percent currently, by our own forecast, to ~12 percent by FY10 year-end," he wrote. High-end "Maranello" chips boasting as many as 12 processing cores are due in the first half of next year and 16-core processors are coming in 2011.

Graphics chips that are compatible with Windows 7 DirectX 11 technology for accelerating games and general multimedia tasks are also expected to do well, such as the company's HD 5000 series of graphics chips.

The "smartbook" aspires to put the smartphone into the laptop. Will it be able to elevate an Apple iPhone or Motorola Droid-like experience to a larger device, or is it just more marketing mumbo-jumbo?

Two companies are hoping that the smartbook will turn out to be more than just another quickly-forgotten device sales pitch. Qualcomm and Freescale, which are both supplying key silicon technology for the devices, are pushing to make smartbooks different enough from laptops--and Netbooks--that consumers will take notice.
Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs holds the Lenovo smartbook which will appear at CES

Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs holds the Lenovo smartbook, which will appear at CES in January.
(Credit: Qualcomm)

The first tangible evidence of smartbooks to come will be seen at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, where Lenovo, among others, is expected to show, if not roll out, smartbook designs.

One pesky question won't go away, however. Why go out of the way to call it a smartbook? Doesn't Netbook suffice? (And it can potentially be very confusing for consumers since both terms have "book" in them.) On one level, the nomenclature choice is simply to counter the Microsoft-Intel Netbook juggernaut: Another Netbook among dozens already on the market won't draw much attention.

But at a deeper level, the two companies are trying to make the smartbook substantively different from a Netbook. Qualcomm sees it, in essence, as a large smartphone, which leaves the outdated Windows desktop experience in the dust. "A Netbook in our view is just a cheap laptop that runs Windows. We see the smartbook cannibalizing the Netbook. .

As a German company defends the "Smartbook" trademark, its actions underscore what happens when companies gratuitously heap new category monikers on top of existing--and perfectly adequate--naming schemes.
Smartbook's Heaven Puro is, in fact, a Netbook.

Smartbook's Heaven Puro is, in fact, a Netbook.
(Credit: Smartbook)

Question: what do Netbooks and smartbooks have in common? Besides looking pretty much the same to consumers (small, lightweight clamshell laptops), both terms have been the object of legal wrangling by companies claiming trademark infringement.

First, the term Netbook came under attack from Psion Teklogix. That dispute with Intel was settled in June. Now Germany-based Smartbook is claiming that Qualcomm's use of the term smartbook infringes on the eponymous company's trademark. "Smartbook AG sets a high value on its protected trademarks, which are being used as company symbols and product marks for years," the company said in a statement sent to CNET.

The San Diego, Calif.-based cell phone chip giant had this to say in response: "Qualcomm is surprised by the claims being made by Smartbook AG...given that Qualcomm does not claim, and has never claimed, to own the term 'smartbook,' which it believes is a descriptive and generic term. The term is used by a number of companies, consumers, and industry commentators to describe a class of devices that combine attributes of smartphones and Netbooks that will be enabled by various technology companies, including Qualcomm."

Qualcomm has been promoting smartbooks for months on its Web site, and Freescale Semiconductor has been doing the same, though on a smaller scale. Both companies make, in effect, the silicon engines that power these devices.

And Qualcomm is now starting to crank up its promotion of the smartbook, as Lenovo prepares to roll out one of the first smartbooks at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

So the question arises: why call them smartbooks at all? Qualcomm believes that the devices it is promoting are different enough--as described above--from Netbooks that the moniker is warranted. But the reality is that by the time smartbooks hit the market in force (if they indeed do), there will be little really to set them apart from Netbooks.

For proof, look no further than the local Verizon or AT&T store. Verizon now carries Windows-Intel-based Netbooks from Hewlett-Packard with 3G modems built in. The sales pitch: connect to the Internet anywhere at 3G speeds--similar to what Qualcomm is preaching for smartbooks. Yes, smartbooks will have a different operating system (Android/Linux), but to consumers, this won't mean that they are different. At a Verizon store, it's just another Netbook.

And the Smartbook case is a microcosm of this whole problem. The German company offers a line of laptops that, in the United States, are called Netbooks. The systems promoted on its Web site offer the usual fare of Intel Atom processors and Windows software--except that the company calls them Smartbooks.

Confused? Well, the confusion may go away on its own when everyone just keeps it simple, calling a spade a spade: a Netbook is a Netbook is a Netbook.

As Intel and PC makers prepare to launch an app store for Netbooks in 2010, the emphasis is on speed.

"We have a lot of developers right now jumping all over this and writing apps and getting them ready," Scott Apeland, director of Intel's Developer Network, told CNET Wednesday. "Today, you can actually submit applications and get them in validation and be one of the first in the store when we have that available next year. We don't have specific dates. It's how fast we can get it up and ready."

Intel Atom Developer Program

Intel Atom Developer Program
(Credit: Intel )

How fast? "The whole program is moving extremely fast. Now we're working frantically on getting the store ready," he said.

The store itself will come preinstalled on future Netbooks, according to Apeland. "We're working with OEM partners (PC makers) now to get this ready and preinstalled on systems. So, when a user purchases it, he just runs the app store...and pulls from a catalog of applications that are available and they can make the purchases right there," he said.

The largest suppliers of Netbooks using Intel's Atom processor are Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, and Asus--all of which are readying the next wave of Netbooks based Intel's new "Pine Trail" Atom technology, expected to launch sometime this month. It's a hot market: Intel said Wednesday that more than 50 million Netbooks are expected to be sold by the end of 2009.

Though most applications are expected to be written for the Linux operating system--Intel's version is called Moblin--Apeland claims that the program has a wide target.

"The Atom Developer Program doesn't favor one OS over another, and at its core, the program is meant to facilitate development across multiple OSes," he said. "Right now it's Windows and Moblin...we plan to expand support to different run-time environments, including Adobe AIR and Microsoft Silverlight."

Apeland said that Intel's software developer network overall has between 700,000 and 1 million monthly users, and 20,000 independent software vendors (ISVs) who are members of the Intel software partner program. Though Apeland couldn't say how many of these developers are doing development specific to Atom-based Netbooks, he did allow that Intel has had "tens of thousands coming and checking out our site (and) thousands actually joining before we had any (software development kit) or tools available."

The developer will get 70 percent of the revenue from the sale, Apeland said--similar to the Apple app store. "The rest (30 percent) will cover operational costs and partner costs that are involved." Intel announced a beta of a software development kit on Wednesday for Atom processor-based Netbooks.

Apeland also discussed the type of applications that are popular. "For example, social networking, on-line chats, sharing of photos, video. I think there's going to be a lot of innovation around that," he said, adding that development will also target "a way so users don't have to worry about--keep track of--different sites for log-in."

On the education front, Apeland said, "the Netbook has a lot of natural opportunity because of the keyboard and screen size versus a small handheld device."

Psystar's recent legal woes keep proving the company's insanity. New documents show that these guys planned to sell at least 1.45 million Mac clones by 2011. How many did they actually sell in the past year? 768.

The best part is those are conservative estimates. According to Psystar's aggressive predictions (divulged in legal documents as part of Apple's ongoing litigation), the company planned to move 12 million computers by 2011. 12 million! That's a far cry from the triple digit numbers they managed to sell.

The other best part is that Psystar pitched their inevitable legal battle with Apple as a competitive advantage, claiming other companies would want to stay away from that mess. Imagine asking the bank for a loan on a truck, saying you'll use it to haul stolen TVs, and arguing that fear of getting arrested will make yours the only TV truck in town. No wonder these guys are going under.

The documents were provided as part of the upcoming injunction proceedings, where Apple is trying to halt sales of Psystar's products. Hey Apple, I know this is all about protecting your IP and all, but going by those dismal figures, you really don't have to worry about Psystar's sales.

This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.

Dell has released an experimental version of Google's Chrome OS adapted for its own Mini 10v Netbook.

Earlier this month, Google released the source code underlying the Chrome OS browser-based operating system; the first version of the software won't be complete until 2010, when it will become available only when purchased on a computer. But because it is open-source software, others can sample it today if they're willing to build it themselves.
Dell's Mini 10v Netbook

Dell's Mini 10v Netbook
(Credit: Dell)

That's what Doug Anson, a technology strategist for Dell, did.

"I've been doing some tinkering over the last few days working to get our Dell Mini 10v up and running with ChromiumOS. As of late yesterday, I can report success," Anson said on the Direct2Dell community blog.

Anson released the software so it can be loaded onto an 8GB USB flash memory drive. But he offered cautions along with tips to those considering using it. "Use this image at your own risk," he said. "It comes to you totally unsupported and very minimally tested."

Chrome OS uses Linux under the covers, but Google intends for the software to run only browser-based applications. That obviously leaves a lot behind, but Google is among several allies working to gradually improve the Web and browsers as a foundation for programs.

In July, Anson said in a blog post that Dell will evaluate Chrome OS, but he didn't make any commitments to offering a product using the software.

The initial version of Chrome OS is for Netbooks, but Google intends to spread it to higher-end computers after that.
Originally posted at Deep Tech

Less than a week after Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) released the code for its Chrome OS, Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) announced that it has succeeded in getting the operating system up and running on its Mini 10v netbook.

"Without a network connection, ChromiumOS is not very interesting," company blogger and technology strategist Doug Anson wrote on the Direct2Dell blog last week. "With a network connection, ChromiumOS shines. The Chromium browser is extremely fast and makes for a great web-centric browsing experience."

A functioning USB key image file of the resulting ChromiumOS build is now available on the Dell site.
'When in Doubt, Reboot'

"I have made a best effort attempt to get the Broadcom (Nasdaq: BRCM) Wi-Fi adapter working in this image," Anson explained. "It's definitely not perfect (read: highly experimental, untested, unstable, yada yada...) but it does appear to function."

Current caveats to those hoping to try out the image for themselves include that it takes "more than five to 10 minutes for the ChromiumOS network connection manager to 'see' the access points and allow you to select and connect," Anson warned.

There are also "issues" with both the connection manager and the underlying components "that can easily break or get hung," he added. "When in doubt, reboot and give it another try."
'Use This Image at Your Own Risk'

In short, "use this image at your own risk -- it comes to you totally unsupported and very minimally tested," Anson wrote.

Those interested can copy Dell's image onto a USB key with at least 8GB by using the "dd" command from another Linux machine, he recommended.

More details on the steps Dell took have been posted on the Chromium OS dev forum.
'Speed, Simplicity and Security'

Google's Chrome OS, announced in July, is an open source, lightweight operating system initially targeted at netbooks.

It's designed around speed, simplicity and security, according to Google, offering quick boot times focused on getting users quickly to the Web.

Indeed, Anson achieved a boot time of about 12 seconds, he said.

Though Google released the source code for the operating system last month, actual netbooks running it won't be available for consumers until the second half of 2010.

Developers began tinkering with the OS as soon as its code was released, resulting in many early reports that it was running on various machines.
'Not Fit for General Consumption'

For Dell to test the technology's mettle, however, is another matter, causing many to wonder if it's considering adopting the OS for its upcoming netbooks -- despite the fact that it's not listed as a partner developer on the Google Chrome blog.

Dell's effort "speaks to Chrome's visibility, as well as the appetite for operating systems specifically optimized for the netbook use case," RedMonk analyst Stephen O'Grady told LinuxInsider.

That said, the many caveats associated with the build "also indicate just how hardware-specific the Chrome OS is at the present time, and thus not fit for general consumption," O'Grady added.
'Commitment to Other Operating Systems'

The effort "further differentiates Dell as a PC provider of multiple operating systems, particularly on its Mini, where customers can order Windows or Ubuntu, and perhaps Chrome or others in the future," 451 Group analyst Jay Lyman added.

"While it continues to promote and use Windows for most machines, the demonstration of Chrome on the Mini shows Dell's interest in and commitment to other operating systems," Lyman told LinuxInsider.

Dell "is wise to align with Google's Chrome and the idea of Web-based computing and applications Take the worry out of managing your enterprise applications. Click to learn how., where much of the future opportunity lies," he opined.
'Significant Challenges'

One potential downside, however, comes from the fact that "Dell has traditionally made money by bundling other software along with the OS," Lyman pointed out.

"While Google and Chrome may truly offer users better speed and performance, the idea of Web-based computing still faces significant challenges," he noted -- "both in user inertia and in competitors such as Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) that are focused on client-based computing."

Microsoft said Tuesday that its investigation has turned up no evidence that anything in its November security updates should be causing users to encounter a so-called "black screen of death."

"Microsoft has investigated reports that its November security updates made changes to permissions in the registry that that are resulting in system issues for some customers," Microsoft security response communications lead Christopher Budd said in a statement. "The company has found those reports to be inaccurate and our comprehensive investigation has shown that none of the recently released updates are related to the behavior described in the reports."

Microsoft said it was not contacted by British security firm Prevx before that company went public with its claims. Microsoft said it has reached out to them to let them know the results of its investigation.

The company said on Monday that it would look into the matter, but issued an update later in the day saying it could not verify any issues.

"Our support organization is also not seeing this as an issue," Budd said on Tuesday. "The claims also do not match any known issues that have been documented in the security bulletins or (knowledge base) articles.

Update, 3:15 p.m. PT: Prevx posted an updated blog saying that it has done additional testing.

"Having narrowed down a specific trigger for this condition we've done quite a bit of testing and re-testing on the recent Windows patches," the comapny said. "Since more specifically narrowing down the cause we have been able to exonerate these patches from being a contributory factor."

The company also offered up a mea culpa to Redmond and said it also recommends users keep patching their systems promptly. "We apologize to Microsoft for any inconvenience our blog may have caused."