Intel Scores on Mobile Internet Devices

(NEWSER) - Intel has rolled out a new chip for servers that will more than double the effectiveness of systems but consume no extra power, the Wall Street Journal reports. The Xeon 5500 excels at “virtualization,” allowing multiple operating systems and applications to run on one server—which Intel hopes will attract buyers in a recession. “The Xeon 5500 becomes a cash machine for IT,” an Intel exec said. More»

Profit jumps 9% as chip-maker surprises Wall Street

(NEWSER) - Global demand for computer chips helped Intel power to a 9% first-quarter revenue gain, beating analysts' estimates and sending a message that while US sales may be slumping, the world’s largest chip maker’s still got game. Intel stock rose 7.7% in after hours trading, the New York Times reports, as the news allayed worries that computer sales are slowing. More»

Top data users find smartphones 'throttled'

(NEWSER) - AT&T stopped offering unlimited data plans in 2010, but some of the customers who already had the plans are finding "unlimited" doesn't necessarily mean what they thought it meant. AT&T has started "throttling" the top 5% of data users, cutting their download speeds by up to 99% and making their phones basically useless for anything other than phone calls and text messages. One throttled user found his phone went from loading a web page in a second to taking nearly two minutes; it happened two weeks into his billing cycle, when he reached 2.3 gigabytes of data. He pays $30 for his unlimited plan, and a limited data plan—for the same price—offers more data than that: 3 gigabytes per month. When customers call AT&T to complain, representatives urge them toward the limited plans, the AP reports. More»

But sales of Windows smartphones are meeting expectations

(AP) - Mobile phone maker Nokia Corp. today posted a fourth-quarter net loss of $1.4 billion as sales slumped 21% even as the company's first Windows smartphones hit markets in Europe and Asia. The loss compares with a profit of $981 million in the same period a year earlier. Nokia said net revenue—including both its mobile phones and its network divisions—fell from $16.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010 to $13.2 billion, with smartphone sales plunging 23%. More»

70-year-old cosmologist losing ability as facial nerves deteriorate

(NEWSER) - Computer chip-maker Intel is hunting for a new technology to help Stephen Hawking communicate better, reports AP . The 70-year-old scientist currently uses a device that runs pulses in his right cheek through a voice synthesizer, but his facial nerves have deteriorated to the point where he can speak only about one word per minute. More»