IBM and Intel® Drive Adoption of Open Switch Specification for Blade Servers

ARMONK, NY and SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- October 23, 2008 -- IBM and Intel Corporation today announced they are extending their collaboration in the blade server market to drive adoption of an open industry specification for blade switches. This will enable switch vendors to maximize return on their research and development by developing products to a single design, reaching more customers with just one product.

Switches are essential components of every blade system, channeling data to and from the server. As part of the agreement announced today, IBM will extend the BladeCenter switch specification for blade servers to the Server Systems Infrastructure (SSI) organization on a royalty-free basis, allowing switch vendors to create one product that works across the BladeCenter and SSI ecosystems and driving more switch products for clients to choose from. The companies also announced plans to work together to establish a third-party Switch Compliance Lab, where the developer community can test and verify their blade server products for BladeCenter and SSI environments.

The announcement today builds upon a history of IBM and Intel collaboration on blade technology -- starting in 2002 with the development of the first BladeCenter servers and continuing in 2006 when IBM, Intel and other industry leaders formed Blade.org, the industry consortium driving open innovation in blade-based solutions that today has over 200 members.
SSI is an industry organization established over 10 years ago to enable server builders to develop compliant and interoperable building blocks for blade, chassis and manageability software technology. The incorporation of the open switch specification into SSI is intended to broaden the market for switch module vendors as they collaborate on SSI-specified blade switch solutions with Intel and IBM. In this segment, Blade Network Technologies, Brocade, NextIO and others have committed their support for the open specification. By extending its switch specification and ecosystem to affiliated members of SSI, IBM is driving greater adoption of BladeCenter-compatible switches.

"The extension of the BladeCenter switch specification and ecosystem to SSI advances open specifications for blade systems," says Alex Yost, vice president of IBM BladeCenter. "Making the switch design in our open BladeCenter specification available to a broader set of vendors demonstrates IBM's commitment to foster openness in the blade server market."
Demand for a common switch specification comes at a time when blade servers are becoming a critical ingredient in IT infrastructure. The availability of the open BladeCenter switch specification to SSI members allows them access to the more than 25 specification-compliant switches on the market today.

"By working with IBM, we have expanded ecosystem support for SSI blade specifications to over 70 vendors," says Kirk Skaugen, General Manager, Server Platforms Group, Intel. "Continued IBM and Intel collaboration will go further to expanding the entire blade server market. This is good for customers who will benefit from increased choice from a breadth of server, networking and storage vendors while enabling each product to maximize return on the R&D invested."
About IBM BladeCenterIBM has the broadest portfolio of blade offerings in the industry, including five blade enclosures, five compatible server blades and five I/O fabrics with a common architecture that allows clients to mix and match offerings. IBM has also taken a unique approach in the industry by opening up the IBM BladeCenter hardware architecture, which has created market and revenue opportunities for hundreds of companies selling peripherals like network and storage cards, switches and software. Since opening the BladeCenter specifications in 2004, 500 companies have downloaded the specifications for free. For more information about IBM BladeCenter, please visit: www.ibm.com/bladecenter.

XOHM, Intel and WiMAX Partners Celebrate New 4G Broadband Era in Baltimore

4G mobile service provides XOHM customers a city-sized hotspot.
New Intel-based notebooks, other WiMAX-ready devices on roadmap.
XOHM retail push includes Web, area Mall kiosks and select Best Buy stores.
Symbolic "wire-cutting" event signifies Internet freedom and mobility.

Baltimore – Oct. 8, 2008 – Catalysts of a new 4G wireless broadband era gathered today in Baltimore as Sprint (NYSE: S), Intel® and their WiMAX ecosystem partners celebrated the recent launch of XOHM™ mobile 4G service, and announced new access devices and retail strategies at an Inner Harbor event. The occasion marked a business model transformation for the wireless industry and innovation in the way mobile services are accessed and enjoyed.
XOHM, Sprint's 4G business unit, is building the fastest most capable mobile broadband network available in the U.S. as compared to other national wireless carriers. "Customers looking for true mobile broadband speed at affordable prices and the Open Internet will find that in this new service," said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO.

XOHM and its WiMAX ecosystem will provide customers with new wireless data and web services by incorporating WiMAX capabilities in consumer electronic devices and unleashing the Internet from wires and place-based communications. "4G has rapidly gone from a mobility vision to service reality with the launch of XOHM service in Baltimore," said Barry West, XOHM president. "Nothing has ignited the imagination of a cross section of industries and the partnership of an ecosystem the way WiMAX technology has. We are delighted with the reception we have received."

"Access to the Internet with its rich multimedia and social media applications has become an essential and entertaining part of our everyday lives, and this network will ultimately redefine where, when and how people enjoy that mobile experience" said Sean Maloney, executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer of Intel Corporation. "This is an historic milestone for the U.S. and residents of Baltimore. We can now set our sights on ensuring a smooth city-by-city build out of WiMAX 4G and relish in what will be an incredible amount of Internet-related innovation and greater consumer freedom from wires and what has been constricted and localized hot spots."

WiMAX product availability

A hallmark of the XOHM ecosystem is an "embedded chipset" model in which manufacturers include WiMAX access within various computing, portable multimedia and Internet devices to make access more pervasive and to give customers more device choices. Intel is now shipping its first-ever combined WiMAX/Wi-Fi module, formerly code-named "Echo Peak," as part of the Intel® WiMAX/Wi-Fi Link 5050 Series that is an optional feature for Intel Centrino 2-based laptops. Several leading PC OEMs have announced plans to deliver Intel® Centrino® 2-based notebooks featuring the Intel® Core™2 processor with WiMAX including Acer, Asus, Lenovo and Toshiba. Beginning today WiMAX-based Intel notebooks can be found online at Amazon.com and NewEgg.com. Dell, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony also plan to support WiMAX in their laptops starting in 2009.

XOHM service was launched in September in Baltimore with a modem, an Express aircard and attractive device and service offers. In October a XOHM USB dongle by ZTE will become available. Later this month, Nokia will sell the new pocket size Nokia N810 Internet tablet WiMAX edition, with widescreen display and QWERTY keyboard, at select independent retailers in Baltimore as well as online at www.nokiausa.com.

Sprint will be the first and only wireless carrier to launch a dual-mode 3G - 4G access device expected later in the fourth quarter. This device will extend Sprint's mobile broadband leadership by offering the power of the NOW network -- the largest 3G data network in the U.S. -- with the fastest data speeds among all national carriers available on this new 4G network in Baltimore and in future markets.

XOHM is relying on a new distribution strategy that follows a consumer electronics model, allowing customers to buy devices independent of service. XOHM products will be initially available at six select Best Buy locations in the Baltimore market. XOHM sales kiosks are open in several Baltimore-area shopping malls. The retail strategy involves both direct and indirect channels, local independent retailers, door-to-door, web and telesales. XOHM customers will self-activate their devices from retail channels, be able to bundle multiple devices under one account and in some cases with one rate plan, have daily and monthly service plans without traditional long-term contracts and access enhanced location-based and other services through a XOHM web portal. Information, including the nearest XOHM sales outlet, can be found at www.xohm.com

Cord-cutting breaks with tradition

"Our lives extend well beyond the confines of home and office, and so should the Internet upon which we depend, said Barry West. "Access to it in new ways and more places will enhance the quality of digital life." Signifying new Internet freedom, a symbolic ‘Ethernet cord-cutting' occurred with gathered XOHM WiMAX partners Intel, Motorola, Nokia, Nokia Siemens Networks, Samsung, ZTE and ZyXEL, government officials and guests, indicative of the release of devices from wire-line ties that restrict mobility and innovation. Baltimore event guests had first hand experience with XOHM WiMAX devices in various mobile settings including harbor water taxis.

For Intel, the creation of a ground-up, mobile-customized wireless network plays a key role in the company's effort to match broadband and Internet speed and usage with the company's powerful yet energy-efficient line of Intel Core processors and Intel Centrino 2 mobile technology for laptops. WiMAX is also a major component in Intel's goal to shift the industry and consumers to a "mobile Internet." In addition to battery-saving new processors for laptop PCs, over the past six months, the company has introduced new chips for mobile Internet devices, simple netbooks, quad-core products and ultra slim and light laptops that all work best on a high-speed, wireless broadband network.

As announced earlier this year, Sprint expects to complete the anticipated combination of its XOHM WiMAX business assets with Clearwire to form a new company in the fourth quarter. This new company, to be called Clearwire, will continue to expedite the deployment of a nationwide mobile WiMAX network. Following the transaction, Sprint will be the only national wireless carrier to sell 4G services through an MVNO structure with the new Clearwire.
About Sprint NextelSprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wire line communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including two wireless networks serving nearly 52 million customers at the end of the second quarter 2008; industry-leading mobile data services; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.

Peter Cleveland Joins Intel

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 8, 2008 - Intel Corporation today announced that Peter Cleveland, chief of staff to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) since 2006, will join the company as its new vice president for global public policy and head of the chipmaker's Washington, D.C., office. Cleveland will join Intel immediately after the Nov. 4 presidential election.
Prior to his role overseeing Feinstein's office - one of the largest and busiest on Capitol Hill - Cleveland was the senator's legislative director, from 2004 to 2006. He has also served as staff to both the Senate Finance and Foreign Relations committees and as a corporate and government relations attorney for a leading international law firm. Cleveland holds a law degree from Georgetown University and an undergraduate degree from Columbia University. He is a member of the bar in New York and the District of Columbia.
"Peter Cleveland brings two decades of policy, legislative, regulatory and legal experience to our Washington office," said Bruce Sewell, Intel senior vice president and general counsel. "He's been involved in the critical policy debates affecting Intel, our industry, and our nation - from patent reform and international trade to skilled immigration, tax and energy issues. This will enable him to contribute from the first moment as we work with policymakers on these issues and more with the next administration and congress."
Cleveland is the latest of a number of additions to Intel's government affairs staff in recent weeks in Washington and elsewhere. Brian Huseman, who was chief of staff to former FTC Chairman Deborah Majoras, joined Intel's Washington office last month from the FTC to work on issues of trade and competition policy globally. Audrey Plonk joined Intel's global public policy staff last month at company headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., where she will work on security assurance and critical infrastructure protection policy. Plonk previously worked in the National Cyber Security Division of the Department of Homeland Security, where her focuses included international security policy issues.

Intel Encourages More Youth to Participate in Math and Science

WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 20, 2008 - Intel Corporation is committing $120 million over the next 10 years to stimulate more interest among youth in math and science, so they will be prepared to address global challenges in innovative ways. The funding from the Intel Foundation for its long-time science competition partner Society for Science & the Public supports the company's historical commitment to the Intel Science Talent Search and Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. The support also adds a robust youth outreach program plus an online science community and science fair alumni network which includes a mentoring component.
Intel's new commitment, announced today at the US News and World Report Education Summit at the National Press Club, was coupled with a national challenge to states to send more young people to the science competitions that support tomorrow's innovators. In 2008, only 19 states had finalists participate in the Intel Science Talent Search.
"I can't think of a more critical time to invest in math and science education," said Will Swope, Intel's vice president and general manager, Corporate Affairs Group. "We will work with districts, schools and teachers around the world to help get students excited and engaged in math and science -- subjects that provide the foundation for innovation."
In 2008, Intel Science Talent Search finalists represented 35 U.S. high schools. New York sent 15 students, followed by Pennsylvania with four and Texas with three.
International student participation in the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair, which is currently at about 30 percent, will be increased in part through an outreach program with student research programs at its core. The online scientific community that will be created will encourage networking, as well as host an alumni network of past science competition participants, who will provide mentoring to new and hopeful scientists.
Society for Science & the Public (SSP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education, owns and has administered the Science Talent Search since its inception in 1942 and International Science and Engineering Fair since 1950. Elizabeth Marincola, president of SSP, said, "This remarkable commitment by Intel, and its longstanding partnership with SSP, advances substantially our goal to promote science education and to engage the public in science, on which the health of our nation and the global community depend."
The $120 million is the largest single commitment in the history of the Intel Foundation. It extends its title sponsorships of the Intel Science Talent Search, which began in 1998, through 2016, and the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which began in 1996, through 2019. These competitions are just one aspect of Intel's annual investment of more than $100 million to improve education and technology literacy around the world. Intel has invested over $1 billion and Intel employees have donated over 2 million hours in the past decade alone toward improving education in 50 countries.
To learn more about Intel's commitment to education around the world, visit www.intel.com/education and to join Intel's community of people inspired by education, visit www.inspiredbyeducation.com. To learn more about Society for Science & the Public, visit www.societyforscience.org.

Intel Demonstrates World's First Working 'Moorestown' Platform

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, Taipei, Taiwan, Oct. 20, 2008 - The surge of new Internet-based applications and innovations will require a common, yet flexible platform from which the industry can innovate upon, and the Intel® Architecture is well positioned at the core of exciting new innovations and transformation, according to Intel executive Anand Chandrasekher.
In his keynote today at the Intel Developer Forum in Taiwan, Intel's senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Ultra Mobility Group discussed how technology innovation and strong industry collaboration have driven the digital economy over the past 40 years, and the universal impact that the Internet and mobile Web has had in people's lives. "Technology innovation is the catalyst for new user experiences, industry collaborations and business models that together will shape the next 40 years," said Chandrasekher. "As the next billion people connect to and experience the Internet, significant opportunities lie in the power of technology and the development of purpose-built devices that deliver more targeted computing needs and experiences."

Chandrasekher cited the Intel® Atom™ processor, the upcoming "Nehalem" processor, and the Intel "Moorestown" platform scheduled for the 2009-2010 timeframe as prime examples of innovation and technology leadership. Also highlighted was the progress Intel is making in the Mobile Internet Devices (MID) market segment with the world's first working "Moorestown" platform demonstration.

Moorestown comprises of an SOC, codenamed "Lincroft," which integrates the 45nm processor, graphics, memory controller and video encode/decode onto a single chip and an I/O hub codenamed "Langwell", which supports a range of I/O ports to connect with wireless, storage, and display components in addition to incorporating several board level functions. Chandrasekher stated that Intel is on track to reduce Moorestown platform idle power by more than 10x compared to the first-generation MIDs based on the Intel Atom processor.
Chandrasekher said that Moorestown will be a catalyst for exciting and innovative developments that will extend the full Internet experience into the smartphone space with the Communication MID. He indicated that Moorestown platforms will support a range of wireless technologies including 3G, WiMAX, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth and mobile TV. Additionally, Chandrasekher announced a collaboration with Ericsson* for HSPA data modules optimized for the Moorestown platform. He also announced that Option* is extending its collaboration for HSPA modules to the Moorestown platform. These 3G modules come in 25x30x2.x mm small size, are optimized for Moorestown power requirements and will help provide MID users with more powerful, always connected Internet-based experiences.

Dynamic innovation in the digital enterprise

Kirk Skaugen, general manager of Intel's Server Platforms Group, provided details of next-generation high-end desktops powered by the Intel® Core™ i7 processor, launching next month. These high-end desktops will provide outstanding performance for gaming and content creation applications. Skaugen also shared that the 2009 Intel® vPro technology-based business clients codenamed "Piketown" for desktops and "Calpella" for notebooks will be powered by future Nehalem processors and will provide corporate customers with even more enterprise-focused innovations.

The upcoming Nehalem microarchitecture spans a range of products. First segments will include the Intel® Core™ i7 processor and a variant designed for the efficient performance server segments codenamed "Nehalem-EP." A derivative designed for the expandable server market segment ("Nehalem-EX") as well as other desktop and mobile versions ("Havendale," "Lynnfield," "Auburndale" and "Clarksfield") will be in production beginning in the second half of 2009.

Intel Ships Enterprise-Class Solid-State Drives

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 15, 2008 - Intel Corporation has begun shipping its highest- performing solid-state drive (SSD), the Intel® X-25E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drive, aimed at server, workstation and storage systems. Unlike mechanical drives, the SSDs contain no moving parts and instead feature 50nm single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory technology. Systems equipped with these drives will not suffer from the performance bottlenecks associated with conventional drives. By reducing the total infrastructure, cooling and energy costs, SSDs can lower total cost of ownership for enterprise applications by more than five times.

"Hard disk drive performance has not kept pace with Moore's Law," said Kirk Skaugen, general manager, Intel Server Platforms group. "Intel's high-performance SSDs unleash the full performance of the latest Intel Xeon processor-based systems while increasing reliability and lowering the total cost of ownership for a broad range of server and storage workloads."

The Intel X25-E increases server, workstation and storage system performance by 100 times* over hard disk drives as measured in Input/Output Per Second (IOPS), today's key storage performance metric. A storage model which includes SSDs can also lower energy costs by up to five times, an added benefit for businesses focused on electricity savings. "Solid-state drive technology will change the economics of enterprise data centers," said John Fowler, executive vice president, Systems Group, Sun Microsystems. "SSDs, along with our systems and Solaris ZFS with hybrid storage pools, are important components of the Open Storage initiative. Sun expects to offer enterprise storage solutions that will exploit the breakthrough performance of Intel's High Performance Solid-State Drives and deliver significant performance gains while consuming a fraction of the energy of traditional spinning disk arrays."

The product was designed for intense computing workloads which benefit primarily from high random read and write performance, as measured in IOPS. Key technical performance specifications of the 32 GB Intel X-25E SATA SSD include 35,000 IOPS (4KB Random Read), 3,300 IOPS (4KB Random Write) and 75 microsecond read latency. This performance, combined with low active power of 2.4 watts, delivers up to 14,000 IOPS per watt for optimal performance/power output. The product also achieves up to 250 megabytes per second (MB/s) sequential read speeds and up to 170 MB/s sequential write speeds, all in a compact 2.5-inch form factor.

Intel achieves this breakthrough performance through innovations such as 10-channel NAND architecture with Native Command Queuing, proprietary controller and firmware efficient in advanced wear-leveling and low write amplification. The 32GB X25-E is capable of writing up to 4 petabytes (PB) of data over three-year period (3.7 TB/day), and double that for the 64GB version - delivering outstanding data reliability.
The 32GB capacity drive is in production and priced at $695 for quantities up to 1,000. The 64GB version is expected to sample in the fourth quarter with production estimated for the first quarter of 2009. For more information go to www.intel.com/go/ssd.

Intel Acquires NetEffect

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 15, 2008 - Intel Corporation today announced its acquisition of the assets of NetEffect Inc., a network connectivity solutions company specializing in Ethernet products and technologies for server compute clusters.

"NetEffect's role as a data communications solution provider and the company's technology will enhance Intel's current Ethernet efforts," said Tom Swinford, general manager, Intel LAN Access Division. "The combination of Intel and NetEffect technology will allow Intel to address our customers' most important 10 Gigabit Ethernet needs, including server virtualization, convergence of network and storage traffic, and server compute clusters."

Intel purchased NetEffect's assets for $8 million, which include the company's Ethernet product portfolio, intellectual property and technology. NetEffect was a provider of solutions incorporating iWARP, an Ethernet alternative to InfiniBand. NetEffect's product portfolio includes 1 Gigabit and 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) adapters for servers and blade configurations as well as 10 GbE Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs).

Designed for multi-core processor-based servers and optimized for virtualization, Intel's current portfolio of 10GbE server adapters includes single and dual port versions for both copper and fiber implementations. The NetEffect acquisition provides complementary High Performance Network Interface Card (NIC) products to Intel's Ethernet portfolio.

NetEffect was founded in 1998 as Banderacom, a company focused on InfiniBand adapters and 16-port IB switch, and was recapitalized in 2004 as NetEffect. Thirty employees, primarily engineers, have joined the Intel team from NetEffect and will continue to be based in Austin, Texas.

Intel Posts Record Third-Quarter Revenue of $10.2 Billion

• Revenue up 8 Percent Sequentially
• Gross Margin 59 Percent; Operating Margin 30 Percent
• Operating Income of $3.1 Billion up 37 Percent Sequentially
• Net Income $2 Billion
• EPS 35 Cents

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 14, 2008 - Intel Corporation today announced record third-quarter revenue of $10.2 billion along with operating income of $3.1 billion, net income of $2 billion and earnings per share (EPS) of 35 cents.

"Intel delivered the best third-quarter revenue in its history," said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. "We were solidly profitable, with operating income of over $3 billion, reflecting strong across-the-board execution and best-of-class products."

To read the complete earnings release, click here.

Ballmer: Microsoft Is Up-Front About Its Money Motive

Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) plans to continue charging licensing fees from handset makers for using its mobile operating system and not follow the free offerings of Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Nokia (NYSE: NOK) , Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Tuesday.
The pressure on Microsoft's high licensing fees has increased over 2008 with Google rolling out free Android technology and Nokia offering to buy out others from Symbian and also make its software royalty-free.
"We do," Ballmer told Reuters, when asked whether his firm would stick with licensing fees. "We are doing well, we believe in the value of what we are doing."

Who Benefits?
"It's interesting to ask why would Google or Nokia, Google in particular, why would they invest a lot of money and try to do a really good job if they make no money. I think most operators and telecom companies are skeptical about Google," he said.
Google tries to promote Web surfing on phones and the use of their services such as e-mail and search so they make advertising revenue.
"In the case of Nokia -- are they really open sourcing, or are they really making Symbian their own operating system? We have to wait and see," Ballmer said in an interview.

LG's New Prada Phone - Not an iPhone

LG Electronics unveiled its new Prada phone Thursday. While the company didn't claim it was competing with the heavily-hyped Apple iPhone, the two devices share many of the same features. One big difference is that the Prada phone doesn't offer Internet use with a full-featured Web browser through common WiFi networks. In announcing Thursday the release of its new Prada phone, LG Electronics didn't claim it was competing with the heavily-hyped Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPhone scheduled to be released in June.
It didn't have to. The media did it on its own with headlines boldly suggesting the iPhone already had a competitor.

Similar Design
Indeed, the new Prada Phone looks a lot like the forthcoming iPhone. It's sleek and thin and it has a buttonless touch screen.
However, for all its smoothness and flatness, the Prada phone is an orange and the iPhone is -- you guessed it -- an Apple.
Like the iPhone, the Prada phone has a touch screen and a camera. Like the iPhone, it plays music and videos and it can show documents. Yet unlike the iPhone, the Prada phone doesn't allow Internet use with a full-featured Web browser through common WiFi networks.
"I don't think that this is a direct competitor to the iPhone," said Chris Ambrosio, director of the wireless practice at Strategy Analytics. "LG is looking at this phone primarily to meet that continuing need for attractive style options and global markets. I think everybody wants to write about iPhone now and that's a hot headline."

Aiming for Style
The Prada phone has been in LG's design works for more than two years, Ambrosio noted. LG, "struggling to be profitable" in its handset business, "has been too willing to go out and customize phone features and software for mobile operators" instead of focusing on making its phones stylish and "cool," he asserted.
If nothing else, the Prada phone is a style statement. In describing the unit, LG uses the words "unique," "sophisticated" and "elegant." Although it also describes the phone as the world's "first completely touch screen mobile phone, we've had wireless PDAs that have been doing that for a number of years," Ambrosio explained.
The Prada phone and the iPhone are far apart for a reason much broader than technology, according to IDC Research Analyst Ramon Llamas. "It's a Prada device," he noted. "Prada is not for everybody. It's a very specific market segment for people who enjoy much higher-end, luxury devices."
While the iPhone won't be cheap, it's not designed for the rich and famous. "Is the iPhone just for upper echelon? No," he said. "It might be for tech-savvy people, but you don't have to be ultra-rich to get it."
A Touch Too Much?
LG, and Apple, for that matter, are taking a risk with their move to touch screen cell phones, Ambrosio suggested. It might be a case in which the technology is impressive, but the real-world experience isn't.
"A mass market phone offering touch screen is a risky step, a brave step, for LG," Ambrosio declared. "What our research shows is users don't like touch screen panels [on mobile phones]. Touch screens have not been historically well-received in consumer use."
Consumers probably will like the bigger screens for video viewing, but when it comes to "simple voice calling" the smudge-prone touch screens might actually prove to be annoying, he concluded.
LG's new phone, priced at 600 euros (US$777), is scheduled to go on sale in late February in Britain, France, Germany and Italy. Then it will be sold in Asia. No mention was made of plans for a United States rollout.
The iPhone is expected to cost about $600 for the high-end model. Not that we're comparing.

ASUS P750 PDA

ASUS P750 PDA, known for its exceptional navigational features and the Eee PC 4G notebook highly acclaimed for its enduring battery life and shock proof nature have been chosen by Team Millennium for the 10th edition of Raid de Himalaya Motor Rally, 2008. The difficult climate and the rugged terrain of the Himalayas will put ASUS P750 and Eee PC 4G to test for their robustness and survival. The Raid-de-Himalaya slated as India’s highest, longest and toughest motoring event. It is the only Indian motor sport event that is listed on the off-road rallies calendar of Federation Internationale Motorcyclisme, Geneva, among 12 other international events worldwide. The rally will cover approximately 2500 km in seven days and will pass through Shimla, Manali, taboo, Patseo, Leh, Ladhak, Khardungla Pass, Numbera valley and finally reach Shrinagar. The rally will conclude on October 9, 2008. P750 Features:
•Complete 3.5G high speed network coverage, Tri band GSM, WiFi, Bluetooth V2.0+ EDR, USB 1.1 and a built-in GPS antenna, the P750 truly allows the user to be connected to the world.
•Travelog is an interesting feature that allows users to record and share their travelling pictures, routes, Points of Interests and schedules. With support for Google Earth's satellite maps format, users can create a diary of events during their travels and put together snapshots and other interesting tidbits of their travels onto their blogs – allowing them to share with others their memorable travels as they trek across from one key point to another along their journeys.
•The Location Courier feature of the P750 will also help prevent users from ever getting lost by accurately and periodically reporting their position to their pre-defined friends' contacts. Even in locations with vast, open country, the global GPS network will always be able to locate the user – making this handy PDA phone the best safeguard for their daily safety.
Eee PC 4G features:
•At 7" and weighing only 0.92kg, you can take the Eee PC anywhere.
•Bumps and shocks are no longer issues. With a dependable solid-state disk, you get unparalleled shock-protection and reliability.
•Power-efficient design provides longer operating time when on the go.With a rapid start-up time, the Eee PC is always ready to get into action.
•You’re always connected with built-in WiFi 802.11 b/g that automatically detects and connects to the Internet at any hotspot.
•Upload photos and videos and share them instantly on Flickr or YouTube without waiting till you get home.

Samsung India announced its foray into the System Air conditioner business by launching its DVM Plus III System AC lineup

Samsung India announced its foray into the System Air conditioner business by launching its DVM Plus III System AC lineup. Samsung, which is a leading player in the Window and Split AC Segment in the Indian market, is introducing its advanced DVM Plus III Lineup in modules of 8HP to 16 HP. Thus, the Samsung System ACs when arranged in different combinations of modules can provide up to 64HP of cooling in the installed location. Commenting on this update, Mr. R Zutshi, Dy MD, Samsung India said "The Samsung DVM III gives the highest Co- efficient of performance based on its Digital Hybrid System technology. This technology, which is a combination of Digital Vapor Injection Compressor, Turbo Intercooler and Vapor Injection ensure most energy efficient operations in that particular capacity segment of System Air conditioners." The Samsung DVM Plus III System AC lineup provides more flexibility for installation with longest piping of upto 220 metres between the indoor and the outdoor unit. The total piping length that can be supported by the Samsung DVM III is around 1000 metres. Further, it occupies the lowest installation space. The Samsung System ACs provide more flexibility in operation by allowing precise compressor capacity control and improves the COP by using multiple heat exchangers of the Outdoor units at part load. The indoor units available for Samsung vary from 1 way cassette, 2 way cassette, 4 way cassette, Mini 4 way cassette, Slim Duct and MSP Duct, Hi wall and Ceiling consoles ranging from 0.6T to 4T. The Outdoor unit of Samsung System ACs are priced in the range between Rs 2,10,000/- to Rs. 3,45 ,000/-In terms of the Commercial Air conditioners, we have Cassette type air conditioners in the capacities between 1.5T to 4.0T and Ducted ACs in the 3T to 5.3T capacities. The Samsung Commercial AC range is priced in the range between Rs 49,000/- to Rs 102,000/-.

Intex Technologies Ltd. has launched a new collection of Cabinets and UPS with a proper amalgam of quality, looks and features. It contains 11 models

The Cabinet models are designed in profound duty steel material with USB, audio ports and heat vent for CPU and PCI express graphic card. The utility is enhanced by the presence of CD-ROM bays, FDD bays, HDD bays and 24 pins SMPS with SATA. The models which are available with two fans are INTEX Blossom, Inspire, Aspire, Elite and Sharp. INTEX Dazzle & Pride have 1 fan. From these models four have Liquid Crystal Display for temperature.They are available in attractive silver black and red black combo. Their price ranges from Rs 950 to Rs 2500. INTEX IN Power 600VA and INTEX Green X 700, both have a capacity of 300W and 360 W respectively and they have a battery backup of 10-15 minutes for a PC load with 15" monitor. In addition they come with Deep discharge, Overcharge & Short Circuit Protection and LED indicators for AC mode, backup mode, over load and low battery.The INTEX IN Power 600 VA battery recharge time is of eight hours and INTEX Green X 700 takes four hours thirty minutes for battery recharge. And it has an extra feature of 'no-load shut-down'.The warranty period of battery is two-year and they are available in market at MOP range: Rs 1800 to Rs 2200.

Maximizing revenue by exposing your channels to the right advertisers

As you may know, you can set up your custom channels so that they're targetable by advertisers - these targetable custom channels are known as ad placements. By selecting the 'Allow advertisers to target this channel' checkbox on the channel creation page, you can enable brand advertisers to target their content to your audience directly on a CPM or CPC basis.Creating ad placements allows them to show up in AdWords, so that advertisers who create placement-targeted campaigns can include your content directly. What many publishers don't know is that this also makes your content available to Google's internal sales teams, who work closely with many advertisers looking to target a certain audience or type of content. With this in mind, we thought it would be important to mention a few best practices which will help advertisers and our internal sales teams target your content to help you maximize revenue:First, take time to make sure your channel names and descriptions accurately describe your content and audience. By including descriptions that closely reflect your content, you'll also attract advertisers from those areas. Naming and descriptions are important.

On that note, our second tip: be very careful about changing the name of an ad placement. If an advertiser has already targeted one of your specific channels, the channel will become unavailable to the advertiser once you change its name. If you wish to rename a channel, we recommend creating a second channel with the new name, and then attaching both channels to your ad unit. Remember, you can attach up to five custom channels to an ad unit.Third, use the 300x250 medium rectangle, opted in to both text and image ads. This is one type of targetable ad unit that's in high demand by Google's CPM advertisers. We recommend placing these units in line with your content, and describing them as they relate to the content. This combination of format and placement enables advertisers to use image, text, or rich media (including gadget ads) effectively. In feeds, we recommend opting in to both image and text in all ad units, as many of these advertisers only target with image ads into feeds.Finally, as always, the most important tip for maximizing revenue from your ad placements is to create quality content that is visually appealing and attracts a quality audience. Many brand advertisers look at all placements before placing an advertising order to make sure the destination sites are in line with their brand and attract the type of audience they wish to target for a particular campaign.

iBall forays into Networking category with iBall Baton.

iBall, a leading brand in computing peripherals and life-style products is known for its innovative and superior technology in its offerings. iBall launched a range of networking products under the brand iBall Baton on 1st March 2008 at Mumbai.iBall Baton...We all know the 4x400 relay race of sprinters where a Baton is passed on to ensure connectivity and seamless co-ordination amongst the runners. Going completely away from the normal trend of naming brands in this category, iBall has named its Networking range as iBall Baton. The brand name is apt conveying connectivity with speed and seamless performance. iBall Baton promises to ensure that every byte of information is accessible and delivered on time... every time. The positioning of Networking...not just working is a commitment from iBall Baton to bring cohesiveness with performance.As always, iBall is committed to ensure the best products and support in its iBall Baton Range too! The product is being launched in Mumbai and shortly will also be launched at iBalls 20 offices across the country. With networking product portfolio added in its existing impressive range the Company plans to cross revenue of over Rs.500 crores by FY March 2010.For more information visit iBallBaton.com

iBall launches C2.0 Face2Face Web-Cam designed to suit Indian skin tone

iBall, the leading brand for desktop and computing peripherals introduces yet another innovation by way of C 2.0 Face2Face web-cam. This high quality CMOS sensor based true 1.3 megapixel web-cam has built-in interpolation up-to 2.0 megapixel. High quality 5G wide angle lenses are used for sharp and clear pictures. The lens focus supports from 5 cm to infinity. Based on various experimentations by the iBall technical team, this C 2.0 Face2Face Web-Cam is specially designed to give best results on Indian skin tones. The product has been specifically fine tuned to ensure best quality image for skin tones in India.iBall C 2.0 Face2Face Web-Cam also incorporates 6 auto lighting LEDs for night vision / enhanced picture quality in low-light conditions. This beautiful looking product has built-in high sensitive microphone and snap shot button for still image capture. It also supports 4x digital zoom and has an auto face tracking function. Auto face tracking function tracks ones face and keeps it focused on the video frame even if one moves within the range of webcams view. The base has been designed to make it a true multi-utility web-cam for use with desktops, laptops, on LCD monitors and with tripod. A free tripod is also initially bundled with the package during this launch phase of iBall C2.0 Face2Face Web-cam.

iBall launches yet another innovation in human interface with digital world

iBall received overwhelming response for ‘Take Note’ from many parts of the country from individuals and corporate of diverse fields....and many wanted a more affordable option and suggested that even if it was an online option it was good for them. iBall true to its philosophy of “Your eyeball view. Our technology new” brings this online iBall TakeNote (Model ITN-144). Just connect it to your PC / Laptop USB port and you are ready to have your handwritten notes, sketches, drawings, pictures and much more in real time seen on your computer screen along-with a hard copy as you write.

iBall launches 2.4 GHz Cordless Couple

It’s time to BREAK FREE..hassle FREE..wrinkle FREE..wire FREE. iBall, with the tradition of introducing latest and superior technology brings yet another one with the introduction of 2.4 GHz Cordless Couple – a wireless desk-set (Keyboard + Mouse).2.4 GHz technology in wireless removes all the major limitations of the earlier 27 MHz technology. It supports longer distance (up-to 10 meters) as compared to 1 to 1.5 meters in 27 MHz). It is highly reliable and sturdy compared to the 27 MHz technology.The major benefits of iBall 2.4 GHz Cordless Couple are: - Smart Link / Auto Connect (no need to connect through pair button) - Long working distance (up-to 10 metres) - Long battery life and low battery indicator 16 Auto hopping channels with 65K IDs. - Very slim, sleek & stylish keyboard with smooth & tactile feel soft keys (a delight for every user) - A designer mouse which looks great and performs to its looks (Beauty with performance). - Very small micro receiver.

iBall launches Compact Keyboard

iBall, known for its innovative and latest technology products, brings yet another innovation with the launch of iBall Compact Keyboard. iBall Compact Keyboard is very stylishly designed and comes in Black Silver color. It is enriched with many key benefits for the users viz its very sleek, small and compact design to save on the space required and yet, makes it extremely desired product with its aesthetics, a special slide out / slide in numeric pad. Such an option is being introduced in a keyboard for the FIRST TIME in INDIA. With all these benefits it becomes a very powerful and extremely irresistible keyboard. iBall Compact is specially useful to high-end users who use LCD monitors and is definitely a must buy for places where space is a constraint like a Retail Counter. It is also going to be a status reflection product at Hotels, Corporate receptions, etc.

New Intel High-End Xeon® Server Processors Raise Performance Bar

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 15, 2008 – Intel Corporation has extended its lead in the high-end server segment, setting new standards in virtualization performance with the launch of seven 45 nanometer (nm)-manufactured Intel® Xeon® Processor 7400 Series products. With up to six processing cores per chip and 16MB of shared cache memory, applications built for virtualized environments and data demanding workloads, such as databases, business intelligence, enterprise resource planning and server consolidation, experience dramatic performance increases of almost 50 percent in some cases.
Platforms based on these processors can scale up to 16 processor "sockets" to deliver servers with up to 96 processing cores inside, offering tremendous scalability, ample computing threads, extensive memory resources and uncompromising reliability for enterprise data centers.
"The arrival of these processors extends Intel's lead in the high-end server segment," said Tom Kilroy, Intel vice president and general manager of the Digital Enterprise Group. "This new processor series helps IT manage increasingly complex enterprise server environments, providing a great opportunity to boost the scalable performance of multi-threaded applications within a stable platform infrastructure. With new features such as additional cores, large shared caches and advanced virtualization technologies, the Xeon® 7400 series delivers record-breaking performance that will lead enterprises into the next wave of virtualization deployments."
Several Performance RecordsThe Intel® Xeon® processor 7400 series has already set new four-socket and eight-socket world records on key industry benchmarks for virtualization, database, enterprise resource planning and e-commerce. IBM, following the record-setting 1.2 million tpmC result on its eight-socket System x* 3950 M2 platform, delivers an all-time high result for four-socket servers on System x* 3850 M2 server with a score of 684,508 tpmC on the TPC*-C benchmark, which measures database performance in an online transaction processing environment.
An HP ProLiant DL580 G5 server on the SAP-SD benchmark that measures a server's sales and distribution capability on SAP software set a world record with a score of 5155 SD-Users. On the SPECint*_rate2006 benchmark, which measures a system's integer throughput performance, a Fujitsu-Siemens PRIMERGY* RX600 S4 server set a record with a score of 291. Several other records were also set on other key enterprise-related benchmarks.

Virtualization Platform of Choice
Based on Intel's 45nm high-k process technology and reinvented transistors that use a Hafnium-based, high-k metal gate formula, the new Xeon® 7400 series delivers exceptional performance improvements with lower power consumption. This delivers almost 50 percent better performance in some cases, and up to 10 percent reduction in platform power, and has resulted in a world record VMmark (a virtualization benchmark) score for four-socket, 24 processing core servers at 18.49 on a Dell PowerEdge R900 platform using VMware ESX server v3.5.0.*
These virtualization performance increases, and advanced virtualization capabilities such as Intel Virtualization Technology (VT) FlexMigration make Xeon® 7400 series-based servers ideal platforms for customers to standardize their virtual infrastructures. FlexMigration enables VM migration from previous-, present- and future-generation Core microarchitecture-based platforms. This ensures investment protection for administrators seeking to establish pools of virtualized systems and using those pools to facilitate failover, disaster recovery, load balancing and optimizing server maintenance and downtime.

Product Details, Customers
These products offer frequencies up to 2.66 GHz and power levels down to 50 watts, including the first 6-core, x86 compatible 65-watt version which translates to just under 11 watts per processor core, with platforms available in rack, tower and highly dense blade form factors.
The Xeon® 7400 processor series is compatible with Intel's existing Xeon 7300 series platforms and the Intel® 7300 chipset with memory capacity up to 256GB, allowing IT departments to quickly deploy the new processor into a stable platform infrastructure.
Starting today, servers based on the Intel® Xeon® 7400 processor series are expected to be announced by more than 50 system manufacturers around the world, including four-socket rack servers from Dell, Fujitsu, Fujitsu-Siemens, Hitachi, HP, IBM, NEC, Sun, Supermicro and Unisys; four-socket blade servers from Egenera, HP, Sun and NEC; and servers that scale up to 16-sockets from IBM, NEC and Unisys.
Many software vendors are also supporting Intel® Xeon® 7400 based platforms with innovative solutions enabling virtualization and scalable performance for the high-end enterprise, including Citrix, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Red Hat, SAP and VMware.
Pricing for the Xeon® 7000 Sequence processors in quantities of 1,000 ranges from $856 to $2,729. For more details on the Intel® Xeon® 7400 processor series, visit www.intel.com/xeon. For more details on world records and other claims, visit www.intel.com/performance/server/xeon_mp/summary.htm

Intel Announces Intel® Atom™ Brand for New Family of Low-Power Processors

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 2, 2008 – The Intel® Atom™ processor will be the name for a new family of low-power processors designed specifically for mobile Internet devices (MIDs) and a new class of simple and affordable Internet-centric computers arriving later this year. Together, these new market segments represent a significant new opportunity to grow the overall market for Intel silicon, using the Intel Atom processor as the foundation. The company also announced the Intel® Centrino® Atom™ processor technology brand for MID platforms, consisting of multiple chips that enable the best Internet experience in a pocketable device.
The Intel Atom processor is based on an entirely new microarchitecture designed specifically for small devices and low power, while maintaining the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo instruction set compatibility consumers are accustomed to when using a standard PC and the Internet. The design also includes support for multiple threads for better performance and increased system responsiveness. All of this on a chip that measures less than 25 mm², making it Intel's smallest and lowest power processor yet.1 Up to 11 Intel Atom processor die -- the tiny slivers of silicon packed with 47 million transistors each -- would fit in an area the size of an American penny.
These new chips, previously codenamed Silverthorne and Diamondville, will be manufactured on Intel's industry-leading 45nm process with hi-k metal gate technology. The chips have a thermal design power (TDP) specification in 0.6-2.5 watt range and scale to 1.8GHz speeds depending on customer need. By comparison, today's mainstream mobile Core 2 Duo processors have a TDP in the 35-watt range.
"This is our smallest processor built with the world's smallest transistors," said Intel Executive Vice President and Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Sean Maloney. "This small wonder is a fundamental new shift in design, small yet powerful enough to enable a big Internet experience on these new devices. We believe it will unleash new innovation across the industry."
With personal computing increasingly going mobile and the computer industry rapidly developing new classes of products to connect the next billion people to the Internet, the Intel Atom processor offers customers the unique ability to innovate around the new low-power design. In addition to the MID opportunity, Intel believes the demand for a new category of low-cost, Internet-centric mobile computing devices dubbed "netbooks" and basic Internet-centric desktop PCs dubbed "nettops," will grow substantially over the next several years. The Intel Atom processor is perfectly suited to meet these new market segments.
Intel said the Intel Atom processor also has potential for future revenue opportunities in consumer electronic devices, embedded applications and thin clients.
Intel Centrino Atom Processor TechnologyThe Intel Centrino Atom processor technology brand represents Intel's best technology for MIDs. Formerly codenamed "Menlow," Intel Centrino Atom processor technology includes the Intel Atom processor, a low-power companion chip with integrated graphics, a wireless radio, and thinner and lighter designs. Together, these components are designed to enable the best mobile computing and Internet experience on these new devices.

Lucy's final tips for Friday newbies

As the summer draws to a close, it is with a heavy heart that I bring you our last Newbie Friday post. I hope you've enjoyed our words of wisdom over the past few months and have found the information useful. Our team will continue to update this blog with the most up-to-date AdSense news and information, so please don't let this be goodbye. If you missed part of the series or want to re-read specific posts, just visit our Newbie label at any time and look for our summer-themed logo. So, from one oldie to many newbies, I'll close out this season with a few final tips for our new publishers.Go wide and get rich (media)If you've just recently started with AdSense, there are two format-related tips I would instantly recommend. The first is to enable both text and images ads, which will increase competition among ads to appear in your ad units and may result in higher CPMs. Second, use some of our wider units, such as the 160x600 wide skyscraper, the 300x250 medium rectangle, or the 728x90 leaderboard. There are more rich media (image, flash, video and gadget) ads available in wider ad formats, and wider ad units are the preferred formats for advertisers looking to target your site. Again, increased competition or your ad space will help you maximise your earnings potential.Use channels are powerful reporting tools, sometimes overlooked by new publishers. They allow you to view the AdSense performance of a site, a specific page, or even a specific ad unit, which can help you see where your ads are performing best. You can name these channels, give them descriptions, and then define them as ad placements so that they are visible to AdWords advertisers.The secretAs top AdSense earners will tell you, when it comes to earning with AdSense, the most important thing is a policy-compliant site with good-quality, original content. Such sites attract users, relevant ads and, ultimately, revenue.Finally, we constantly maintain online resources like our Adsense Help Forum, Newbie Central, and our Known Issues page to share useful information with you. We hope you'll use them to make the most of AdSense.

AdSense for content, now in Thai

Late last year we welcomed Thai to our AdSense for search family, and we're now excited to let you know about the launch of AdSense for content in Thai. If you're a publisher with a Thai website, you'll now be able to earn money for valid clicks and impressions for Google ads on your site. Get started by logging in to your account and visiting the AdSense Setup tab to generate ad code. Or, if you don't have an AdSense account yet, review our program policies and then feel free to submit an application.To celebrate this launch, why not look up a few Thai recipes and prepare traditional dishes like Som Tum, a spicy green papaya salad, or Tom Yam, a hot and sour soup? We hope they'll leave you content and ready to create new content of your own.ยินดีต้อนรับสู่โปรแกรมของเราค่ะ

Reduce the shutdown time of Windows 2000 and XP.

You can reduce the shutdown time of windows 2000 and XP using some tricks. Actually windows XP take time to close all running programs and applications before shutdown, but you can minimize this time if you have little knowledge about editing windows registry.
Follow the given steps to reduce the shutdown time:
First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option. Here locate the location to:
Go to Hkey_Current_User\Control Panel\Desktop
Here in right side panel, double click on AutoEndTasks and here its default value is 0. Now change it to 1.
Now in same side panel double click on value name WaitToKillAppTimeout. Its default value data is 20000; now change this value of WaitToKillAppTimeout to 3500.
Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

Changing the Title on Windows Media Player.

You can change the title bar for the Windows Media Player
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_USERS \ .DEFAULT \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ WindowsMediaPlayer
Create a string value of TitleBar
Give it a value of whatever you want to appear in the title bar

Create Autorun CDsMake your CDs launch a file or program automatically.

Step :
1.Go to Start Menu > Programs > Accessories and click on 'Notepade'.
2.In the notepad, type '[autorun]' in the first line (without the quotes).
3.in the second line, type 'Open=', followed by the filename and its extension that you want to launch when the CD is insertred, such as execuutables, flash file,PowerPoint presentation, html page, etc. (E.g.: Open=start.html)
4.Save the file as 'autorun.inf' to your desktop.
5.When you write the CD, place this autorun.inf file along with the program to be launched in the root directory of the CD.
6.The CD will run in any windows PC that has autorun enabled.

Edit default Recycle Bin name with new name.

Recycle Bin name is the windows default name of Recycle Bin Desktop Icon. Normally there is no option to change the name of Recycle Bin Icon, but you can rename of Recycle Bin icon name using any windows tweak application or with edit the windows Registry. Always be careful to edit windows registry because any mistake can create problem for windows.
Follow the given steps to change the Recycle Bin name:
· First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.
· In regedit editor you will open HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT folder, In this folder open the CLSID folder then open the {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} folder >ShellFolder folder at last.Here simply change the data value from "40 01 00 20" to "70 01 00 20". Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect. When next time you start your computer then change the Recycle Bin name after right click on Recycle icon.

Removing Unwanted or selected Items from the RUN Menu.

In Windows environment the Run prompt is the shortcut key to access mostly computer programs. You can open the lot of computer programs very quickly using Run command, that is why mostly computer professional love to using Run prompt. But if you want to clear the unwanted or selected search items from Run Menu, you must edit the registry of windows and be careful to work with computer registry.
Follow the given steps to clear the history Menu.
First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.
In Registry Editor go to Edit (Shortcut Ctrl+F) then Find to search the word RUNMRU.
In right panel delete the unwanted items using right click on that item then delete.
Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.