Chill Chips May Take Heat Off Computers

Intel, competitors stake out mobile internet device market

(NEWSER) - Following the lead of Intel, builders of high-tech microchips are shifting their focus to portable gadgets dubbed MIDs—mobile internet devices that are bigger than cell phones but smaller than computers. industry leaders like Samsung and Nvidia are dashing to release the more powerful chips that boost battery life and performance, reports the Wall Street Journal. More»

Op-ed: The 'age of mobile computing' is upon us

(NEWSER) - A survey of the Consumer Electronics Show and a host of other technological and cultural factors all point to one inescapable conclusion: "The era of the personal computer is drawing to a close," write Mike Malone and Tom Hayes in the Wall Street Journal . Laptops and desktops aren't going to disappear completely, but the explosion of smartphones, tablets, and apps all herald "the age of mobile computing." More»

There must be a reason for these invasive searches, seizures, writes the NYT

(NEWSER) - Right now, border agents can search your computer without a warrant or probable cause—and it's long past time for that to change, asserts the New York Times in an editorial. Borders need to be protected, but there's "a big difference between government agents scanning items for explosives ... and searching through the hard drive of a laptop computer containing work papers, financial records, email messages, and website visits." Between October 2008 and June 2010, more than 6,600 travelers—almost 3,000 of whom were American—underwent such searches, according to government records. More»

(NEWSER) - Even Moore's Law has its limit. That's the much-cited dictum from Intel co-founder Gordon Moore that computer speed doubles every two years with ever-smaller and more powerful transistors. Two physicists crunched some numbers and found that the theory—which has held true for 40 years now—must eventually reach a "quantum limit," notes LiveScience. Their estimate? Give it another 75 to 80 years. More»

November sales down, stock falls

(NEWSER) - Even apparently recession-proof Apple is now beginning to show signs of strain, and some analysts are predicting a major slowdown for the computer giant next year, the Wall Street Journal reports. US sales of Macs last month declined 1% over a year ago, while PC sales rose 2%. One analyst cut his estimate for Apple's 2009 profit, warning of difficult times ahead. More»