computer hardware

19 Stories

Cisco to Slash 4K Jobs Over 'Slow' Economy

CEO John Chambers also cites bloated middle ranks

(Newser) - Cisco Systems is cutting jobs again even though it saw rising revenues in the fourth fiscal quarter, the Wall Street Journal reports. The network-equipment giant said today it will slash 4,000 jobs, or 5% of workers, because economic growth isn't moving fast enough. "What we see is...

IBM Boss Chews Out Staff: We Were Slow

Executives shuffled in wake of lousy earnings report

(Newser) - IBM reported some pretty lackluster earnings last week, prompting CEO Virginia Rometty to shuffle some executives and take the unusual step of criticizing staff performance in a five-minute video distributed to the entire company—all 434,000 employees, the Wall Street Journal reports. "Where we haven't transformed rapidly...

Time to Banish CAPS LOCK
 Time to Banish CAPS LOCK 
OPINION
Feb 4, 2012 6:37 AM CST

Time to Banish CAPS LOCK

Our keyboards need that tweak and a few others

(Newser) - The computer keyboard may be an essential tool of daily life, but everybody is driven nuts by at least one aspect of it, writes Matthew J.X. Malady at Slate . He offers some suggested tweaks:

Cuomo Slaps Intel With Antitrust Suit

Says chipmaker paid kickbacks, strongarmed manufacturers

(Newser) - New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed an antitrust suit against Intel today, accusing it of “a worldwide, systematic campaign of illegal conduct.” Cuomo says Intel paid computer manufacturers billions in kickbacks provided they didn’t produce computers with rival chips. The money was disguised as “rebates,...

As Netbooks Fade, Successors Await

Sales slowdown hides fact that low-cost laptops are taking over

(Newser) - You may not be able to buy a "netbook" in the not-too-distant future, but a new generation of low-power, low-priced laptops descended from the netbook are poised to conquer much of the PC market, experts tell Wired. Sales of the netbook—one of last year's hottest gadgets—haven't met...

Computer-Related Injuries Soar

Children found to be most at risk from injuries caused by computer equipment

(Newser) - The huge rise in computer ownership between 1994 and 2006 was accompanied by a rise twice as big in the number of people injuring themselves with them, Time reports. A recent study found that almost 10,000 Americans a year now get hurt seriously enough to visit hospital emergency rooms...

Oracle Buys Sun Microsystems
 Oracle Buys Sun Microsystems 
Apr 20, 2009 7:20 AM CDT

Oracle Buys Sun Microsystems

(Newser) - Oracle Corp. has agreed to buy Sun Microsystems, swooping in after Sun’s talks with IBM fell apart. Oracle will pay $7.4 billion, or $9.50 a share for Sun, the Wall Street Journal reports, a 42% premium on Friday’s close. Though Sun has been losing money, Oracle...

IBM to Nab Rival Sun for $7B
 IBM to Nab Rival Sun for $7B 
Apr 3, 2009 7:11 AM CDT

IBM to Nab Rival Sun for $7B

Deal would let IBM rule Unix server market

(Newser) - IBM looks set to buy rival Sun Microsystems in a $7 billion deal that would make IBM king of the lucrative Unix server market, the New York Times reports. The $9.50-per-share agreement, already approved by IBM’s board, insiders say, could be announced today—though next week is more...

Intel Losses Dull Luster of Gadget Show

Revenue slump looms over Consumer Electronic Show

(Newser) - Intel's prediction today of abysmal holiday losses has cast a shadow over the year's flashiest gadget show, which starts tomorrow, writes Brooke Crothers of CNET. Fourth-quarter revenue is expected to be down 23% from 2007 and 20% from the third quarter. Intel is the world's biggest chip maker, and the...

Humble Mouse Turns 40
 Humble Mouse 
 Turns 40 
Dec 9, 2008 2:39 PM CST

Humble Mouse Turns 40

A look at milestones in the life of that crucial computer accessory

(Newser) - It’s been 40 years since the computer mouse made its public debut, and though innovations have been legion, the basic concept is still the same. Macworld takes a look back at some key moments in the device’s evolution.
  • 1963: The first recognizable mouse prototype is built. It only
...

Computer Shopping? No Need to Go for Broke
Computer Shopping? No Need to Go for Broke
product review
Oct 30, 2008 10:36 AM CDT

Computer Shopping? No Need to Go for Broke

Typical users don't have to break the bank: Mossberg

(Newser) - Economic conditions being what they are, you might not have a ton of dough to spend on a new computer. So in his annual PC buyer’s guide, Wall Street Journal tech expert Walter Mossberg adopts a budget-focused mindset. His advice:
  • The current Mac OS, Leopard, is much better than
...

PC Makers See Big Trouble in Smaller 'Netbooks'

Web-focused computers, starting at $300, yield little profit, may forecast trend

(Newser) - Smaller and lighter than most textbooks, “netbooks”—the latest generation of computers used for light computing and surfing the web—are causing heartburn among PC manufacturers who see the low-cost innovation as a threat to already-slim profit margins, the New York Times reports. Perhaps more worrisome to giants...

Printers Let Big Brother Connect Privacy Dots

Watchdogs worry about anti-counterfeit marks left by laser models

(Newser) - The growing popularity of laser printers has privacy watchdogs worried, USA Today reports. Many such printers have a feature, designed to foil currency counterfeiters, that puts a signature of microscopic dots on each page. In the US, only the Secret Service can decode the information, but there are concerns the...

Digital Pens Becoming Ever Mightier
 Digital Pens
 Becoming
 Ever
 Mightier 
PRODUCT REVIEW
Jul 3, 2008 10:10 AM CDT

Digital Pens Becoming Ever Mightier

Dane-Elec's ZPen, able to transcribe notes from any paper to PC, deserves more buzz

(Newser) - Though the Pulse digital pen has won hearts of gadgeteers looking to transcribe written notes to their PCs, David Pogue, in the New York Times, finds the special paper needed to use it limiting, and turns to a pair of pens that can write anywhere. In a side-by-side comparison, "...

Qualcomm Aims to Unseat Intel in Low-Power Chip Battle

Snapdragon may make Intel's Atom bomb

(Newser) - Qualcomm might be looking to unseat industry top dog Intel with its new Snapdragon chip—which uses half the power of Intel’s new Atom, will likely be cheaper, and is due out next year. As personal computers and mobile Internet devices continue to converge, the need for speed has...

Keyboards 'Dirtier Than Toilet Seats'

Microbiologist warns that filthy keys can make people ill

(Newser) - A microbiologist studying computer keyboards discovered that some of them harbored more bacteria than the average toilet seat, the Guardian reports. The dirtiest—which had to be removed from an office—had 150 times the level of acceptable bacteria, putting the user at risk of catching bugs that cause diarrhea...

World's Smallest Transistor Sets Path to Better Chips

Newfound material could replace silicon

(Newser) - Scientists in England have created the world’s smallest transistor, the BBC reports. At 1 atom thick and 10 atoms wide, it could be the key to creating microchips beyond the power of silicon. The transistor is made of graphene, a single layer of graphite and an excellent conductor of...

AMD to Slash 10% of Jobs in '08
AMD to Slash 10%
of Jobs in '08
Apr 8, 2008 12:02 AM CDT

AMD to Slash 10% of Jobs in '08

Chip maker was hurt by defective product, slumping sales

(Newser) - Advanced Micro Devices will shed 10% of its workforce this year and predicts a 15% first-quarter revenue drop, down to $1.5 billion, the Wall Street Journal reports. Slumping desktop sales and the company's line of defective chips and have hurt AMD, which will lay off workers worldwide at "...

Intel Sets Bar High with SSDs
Intel Sets Bar High with SSDs
Mar 8, 2008 10:43 AM CST

Intel Sets Bar High with SSDs

Companys says it will launch 80-160GB solid state chips in the second-quarter

(Newser) - Intel will bring a bigger—and faster—solid state drive to market in the second quarter that will heat up the competition between chipmakers and launch a new generation of laptops and PCs based on SSDs rather than hard drives, reports CNET. Intel’s 80-160GB SSDs are twice as fast...

19 Stories