Lenovo Group and IBM Corp. on Thursday inked an agreement in which Lenovo plans to acquire IBM’s x86 server business for about $2.3 billion. In addition to the division, Lenovo will also get software, networking and maintenance operations. Thanks to the deal, Lenovo will become one of the leading x86 …
Read More »Apple iPhone 6 design ‘locked down’ with 4.8” display
After tinkering with multiple screen sizes for the next-generation of its smartphones, Apple has reportedly made decision to use 4.8” display with its iPhone 6, according to an analyst. While nothing is cast in stone yet, it looks like Apple again plans to stick to only one premium iPhone model …
Read More »AMD expects new low-power APUs to outshine Intel’s Atom
Advanced Micro Devices is confident that its upcoming microprocessors code-named “Beema” and “Mullins” designed for low-power laptops and tablets, respectively, will outperform Intel Corp.’s existing Atom system-on-chips that belong to the code-named “Bay Trail” platform. AMD claims that its upcoming “Beema” and “Mullins” accelerated processing units for various low-power devices …
Read More »Apple delays shipments of Mac Pro to March worldwide
Despite of the rather high price, Apple’s latest Mac Pro cylindrical workstation is still very hard to get. Previously it was reported that Apple’s retail stores would only start selling the new PCs in March or April. Now it turns out that even online Apple store in will not be …
Read More »OCZ reveals Vertex 460 solid-state drives with 19nm MLC NAND
OCZ Storage Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toshiba Corp., on Wednesday introduced its all-new Vertex 460 solid-state drive family designed for mainstream/performance mainstream market segments. The new SSDs utilize multi-level cell NAND flash memory made using 19nm process technology, yet, they perform even better than the Vertex 450 SSDs launched …
Read More »AMD officially announces Opteron ‘Warsaw’ microprocessors
Advanced Micro Devices on Wednesday introduced two new server-class Opteron central processing units (CPUs) based on the code-named “Warsaw” design. The new chips boast slightly better power efficiency compared to predecessors, but feature similar performance and a set of technologies compared to existing code-named “Abu Dhabi” multi-core processors. Initially, there …
Read More »Toshiba completes acquisition of OCZ Technology’s SSD business
Toshiba Corp., one of the world’s largest manufacturer of NAND flash memory, early on Wednesday said that it had finalized the purchase of substantially all assets of OCZ Technology Group, making it a wholly owned subsidiary and Toshiba Group Company. From now on, the maker of solid-state drives will be …
Read More »Dell, Lenovo in talks to acquire x86 server business from IBM
For IBM, many of its low-margin business units are no longer important since they do not bring desired revenues and in many cases make losses without providing any strategic advantages. But there are companies, who are interested in acquiring select IBM’s businesses in order to boost their market shares and …
Read More »New game consoles help AMD to boost revenues
Advanced Micro Devices on Tuesday reported its financial results for the fourth quarter as well as for the while fiscal year 2013. Thanks to sales of chips for video game consoles, such as Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4, the company managed to return to profitability and boost its …
Read More »Intel abandons cloud TV service plans, sells assets to Verizon
In a bid to diversify its business and create a new market for its chips, Intel Corp. decided to design a special cloud TV service that would rely exclusively on its own set-to-box. Over time it became obvious that media business is not Intel’s strong side and on Tuesday the …
Read More »Microsoft could release Windows 9 ‘Threshold’ already this year
Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 8.1 has hardly become a success on the market of traditional desktops and laptops. Some PC makers are now offering to install Windows 7 instead of Windows 8.1 on their systems, which is a catastrophe for the software giant. Therefore, Microsoft has to take immediate actions. The …
Read More »Specifications of the first FirefoxOS-based tablet revealed
Technical specifications of the world’s first media tablets based on Mozilla’s FirefoxOS platform have been published. As expected, Mozilla and its manufacturing partner Foxconn Electronics, plan to initially address emerging markets with tablets featuring FirefoxOS. As a result, the hardware that powers the slate is hardly impressive. The first tablet …
Read More »SK develops wireless broadband tech with 300Mbps speed
SK Telecom on Monday said it had developed a new wireless broadband technology that aggregates bandwidth from three bands and can support speeds up to 300Mbps. The South Korean company may commercialize the technology in late 2014. SK Telecom has successfully developed LTE-Advanced 3 Band Carrier Aggregation, which aggregates 3 …
Read More »SanDisk unveils ULLtraDIMM solid-state drive for DRAM channels
SanDisk on Monday introduced its new solid-state storage solution designed for enterprise servers. The ULLtraDIMM solid-state drive comes in industry-standard DDR3 DIMM form-factor for servers and plugs directly into appropriate slots on mainboards for lowest latency and higher performance. The SanDisk ULLtraDIMM SSD, which was developed in partnership with Diablo …
Read More »Blu-ray disc association working on standard for 4K/UHD video
The Blu-ray disc association (BDA), the organization responsible for setting up Blu-ray standards, has confirmed that the work on a specification of Blu-ray disc for ultra-high-definition (UHD) video had begun. While representatives for the BDA did not reveal any actual details, they confirmed that the new standard will feature a …
Read More »AMD 16-core Opteron ‘Warsaw’ already available for $663
Although AMD’s new Opteron microprocessors code-named “Warsaw” have not been announced yet, select online stores are already taking pre-orders on the new chips. As it appears, the new multi-core central processing units s for high-end servers will not be too expensive, despite their improvements over existing products. AMD Opteron 6300-series …
Read More »Intel to reduce workforce by 5 per cent this year
Intel Corp. plans to cut its workforce this year to reduce its costs and realign its personnel to better meet the company’s business needs as well as market requirements. The reduction of headcount will also help Intel to invest more into growing segments of the market, such as ultra-mobile devices, …
Read More »Specs and highlights of Intel’s 9-series chipset revealed
Intel Corp.’s next-generation 9 core-logic sets may not be packed with loads of innovations, but they still feature technologies not available on today’s platforms. Among those are support for higher-performing storage devices and improved security. Intel 9-series chipsets – Z97 and H97 – are expected to be shipped sometime in …
Read More »AMD readies ‘native’ 16-core chips based on ‘Steamroller’
Contemporary multi-core AMD Opteron microprocessors for high-end servers utilize multi-chip-module (MCM) technology that places two six-/eight-core dies onto the same piece of substrate to create 12-core or 16-core solutions. However, a new document from AMD suggests that the chip designer is working on “native” 16-core processors with all cores on …
Read More »Sharp unveils Windows 8.1 Pro tablet with 3200*1800 resolution
Sharp Corp. this week announced a new tablet for business and professional users that has 15.6” display with 3200*1800 resolution and runs Windows 8.1 Pro operating system. The slate could be an ideal solution for plethora of specialists who require high-quality display, but do not need to type a lot. …
Read More »Toshiba receives permission to buy SSD assets of OCZ
Toshiba Corp. and OCZ Technology Group on Friday announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court allowed the former to buy substantially all of the latter’s assets. The transaction is expected to close next week and from then OCZ will continue as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toshiba. OCZ Technology Group continues its …
Read More »AMD sued for overestimating demand for ‘Llano’ APUs
AMD’s code-named “Llano” accelerated processing unit took around four years to develop and suffered from a lot teething problems. Market success of the “Llano” was moderate to say at least, but troubles with the chips caused massive losses for AMD. Nonetheless, it looks like AMD will have to suffer because …
Read More »Intel on track with ‘Broadwell’ production in Q1
Intel Corp. reiterated plans to start volume production of its next-generation microprocessors code-named “Broadwell” using 14nm process technology this quarter. Manufacturing yields of the chips have improved, according to the company. Commercial introduction of the new chips is expected in the second half of the year. Intel’s code-named “Broadwell” central …
Read More »Asustek and Nvidia roll-out G-Sync upgrade kit for VG248QE display
For those gamers, who want to experience the highly-anticipated G-Sync technology now, Asustek Computer and Nvidia Corp. this week rolled-out a special do-it-yourself (DIY) kit that allows to add the GPU-display synchronisation technology to existing Asus VG248QE monitor. The kit requires significant experience with assembly of electronics and is clearly …
Read More »Intel’s 2013 revenue down 1 per cent to $52.7 billion
Intel Corp. on Thursday revealed its financial results for the year 2013. The company's total sales were down 1% compared to the previous year due to soft demand for PCs. At the same time, the company sold more server-class hardware than in the previous year. The company reported full-year revenue …
Read More »Computer memory prices declined in the first half of January
The contract prices of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) began to decline in January due to increased production at SK Hynix's Wuxi plant that caught fire last year and the industry's eased shortage situation, according to DRAMeXchange, a research division of TrendForce. If DRAM makers do not cut memory production, …
Read More »TSMC begins volume production of chips using 20nm process tech
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. on Thursday said it had begun mass production of chips using 20nm process technology ahead of its own schedule. The new fabrication process will help fabless chip designers (e.g., AMD, Nvidia, Qualcomm, etc.) to create processors with higher transistor count, lower power consumption and improved performance. …
Read More »Steam Machines will ship only after Valve finalises everything
Over a dozen of personal computer manufacturers introduced their Steam Machines gaming systems based on Valve Software’s SteamOS at the Consumer Electronics Show last week. However, none of those PCs will enter the market before the software developer finalises its Steam controller as well as the operating system. The first …
Read More »Valve adds experimental support for VR headsets to Steam
Valve Software has added experimental support for Oculus Rift and other virtual reality (VR) headsets to Steam digital video game distribution platform. Owners of the VR gear can discover games that support virtual reality helmets in Big Picture VR mode. While at present the support poses interest only to select …
Read More »Motorola stays focused on phones, but ‘looking’ at tablets
Motorola Mobility, a subsidiary of Google, has been trying to make a comeback to the market of phones for some time now. In the U.S., the firm got some success with Moto X and Moto G handset; the former is set to hit European markets in the coming weeks . …
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