Comments Off on Software Issues Plague ARM Servers
PC World is reporting software issues are hurting the ARM Processors and may inhibit it from being a serious contender to x86 Processors. Dell Computer started testing some of the processors in low-end servers to appease some of their larger clients. It appears that these companies were interested in the low power and density in data centers.
Dell’s General Manager of Server Platforms stated “he had major concerns about the weak software ecosystem surrounding ARM. He said that there are lots of advantages from the architecture even if it means porting your code over to that new instruction set and maintaining two different software stacks. But he said that there are time and cost issues associated with porting software from x86 to ARM.” Read More….
Intel had a horrible start in 2011 when they released the first Sandy Bridge Motherboards that had a faulty SATA bug. Nevertheless, it appears as if the first P67 motherboards with the B3-stepping silicon fix have finally hit the market.
Other Intel OEMs have also listed a number of B3-stepping boards, but are not available to consumers. The boards are probably ready, but they are stuck in a shipping container somewhere on the high seas and if Somali pirates don’t have their way the boards should be in Europe soon. Read More…
In the phone wars between the two big carriers, it looks like AT&T wins this round. The iPhone 4 on AT&T’s network downloaded data twice as fast, on average, as the iPhone on Verizon Wireless, according to thousands of recent field tests in five U.S. cities performed by Metrico Wireless, an independent mobile device performance evaluation firm.
Metrico’s tests looked at several other variables, however, and found the average Web page load time was nearly the same on iPhone 4 on both networks, a Metrico official said.
Also, when the iPhone 4 was in a moving vehicle, the AT&T model successfully finished about 10% more download session than Verizon’s. But when the iPhones were stationary, the Verizon iPhone had a 10% better success rate in uploading data than the AT&T iPhone, Metrico said.
Metrico did not reveal actual time measurements for any of its results, including the data downloads and uploads or Web page loading times, prior to publication of its full study.
Some of Metrico’s findings are at odds with several smaller spot reports conducted last month that found Verizon’s iPhone performed better on several criteria. But a Metrico official noted that those quick studies were based on only a handful of test samples, often in a single city, including San Francisco, where AT&T’s coverage for the iPhone has been consistently criticized.
AT&T admitted more than a year ago that it had network problems in downtown San Francisco and Manhattan and had begun infrastructure updates. Read More….
Comments Off on Google Employees May Get Xoom Tablets
Google employees may be getting new tablets, Motorola’s CEO said earlier in the week.
Speaking at a Morgan Stanley conference, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha said it’s clear that his company’s focus on enterprise is paying off in that it is having conversations with companies wishing to buy tens of thousands of tablets. Motorola last week began offering its Xoom tablet, the first to run the Honeycomb version of Android, which was developed specifically for tablet devices.
When asked why those enterprises are choosing to go with an Android tablet rather than Apple’s iPad, Jha joked: “One of them is Google so I think I understand why that is.” Google may be more inclined to buy tablets running its own Android software rather than a device from competitor Apple. Read More…
Microsoft has begun updating Samsung’s Windows Phone 7-based smartphones again, after earlier technical problems forced a stop to the process, it said in a blog post Wednesday.
The update was initially announced Feb. 21, and doesn’t provide any new functionality, but rather improves the software update process itself, according to Microsoft.
However, after some users of Samsung phones began experiencing problems, Microsoft decided to temporarily suspend the update program.
The problems have been pinpointed and fixed, the blog post said, but it didn’t provide any details on what the issues were. At the same time, Microsoft has continued to update Windows Phone 7-based smartphones from other vendors. Read More…
Verizon Wireless will join AT&T in implementing data caps in the very near future, probably in mid-summer, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said at an investor’s conference Tuesday.
The exact timing for the move to a tiered-pricing structure has not been announced, however. AT&T squashed unlimited data plans for new customers last year.
Verizon has been selling the iPhone 4 since Feb. 10 with a $30 unlimited plan, which also applies to other smartphones it sells that are on the Verizon CDMA/EV-DO network.
Shammo said some of the details of the data caps and tiered pricing will come when Verizon launches the HTCThunderbolt on LTE soon. Thunderbolt will have a 4.3-in. screen and run Android, Verizon said in January. Read More….
Comments Off on Windows 7 SP 1 Released Into The Wild
As we have stated in the past, Microsoft officially rolled out the final release of Windows 7 yesterday to the general public.
Microsoft says Windows 7 SP1 includes all the previous security, performance and stability updates, as well as some major improvements to features and services to make Windows 7 perform even better. Microsoft advised users to use the regular Windows update process, although manual download will probably be the faster way to go. Read More……
Comments Off on Acer Returning To Server Market In U.S.
Acer, the No. 4 PC maker in this country, has released a line of servers and storage products for the United States market.
The launch marks the company’s return, or reinvestment, in the U.S. as a server vendor. Acer sells consumer PCs and related devices under its own name, as well under Gateway, eMachines, and Packard Bell brands.
It had previously sold servers in the U.S., but it let that business dwindle over the last few years. The company said it has made a major investment in this market.
It said it has expanded its support and service capabilities, and will manufacturer its server products in the U.S. through third-party makers.
“I want to make sure that we can we build very, very quickly and deliver much faster than everyone else,” said Todd Mottershead, senior manager for servers and storage at Acer.
IDC ranked Acer No. 3 worldwide PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2010, following Hewlett Packard and Dell. In the U.S., Acer is the fourth largest vendor; HP has 28.6% of the U.S. market; Dell about 22%; Toshiba, about 10%; and Acer 9%.
Acer has been selling servers outside the U.S.
For its U.S. reintroduction, Acer has released a tower rack, blade system, and systems especially designed for cloud computing, all with a number of configurations, as well as network attached storage products. Prices range from $721 for a tower to $10,499, for storage. Acer will be selling through channel partners. Read More…..
Comments Off on 80 Million Tablet Sales Expected By 2015
The fortune tellers at Juniper Research have looked into their crystal ball and project that the number of annual shipments of tablet devices will reach 81 million by 2015.
The assumption is based on the fact that more consumer electronics and handset manufacturers will enter the market.
It claimed that Android is allowing both new and existing device manufacturers to enter the market and products have been launched already by companies such as Dell with the Streak, Maylong’s M150 and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab.
Anthony Cox, senior analyst at Juniper Research said that competition for Apple is likely to arrive in earnest in 2011.
Earnest may be a small town in Hicksville USA. Cox thinks that by then Jobs’ and Co. will have launched another version of the iPad and will still be upping the bar.
Apple, as first to market with its compelling hardware and content combination, will maintain its market lead for the medium term, Cox said.
Products using QNX for Blackberry smartphones, Windows Phone 7 and MeeGo will come to market in 2011 and of course the netbook market will be pressured. However Juniper thinks that netbooks will remain resilient in the business market. Read more….
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PC World is reporting software issues are hurting the ARM Processors and may inhibit it from being a serious contender to x86 Processors. Dell Computer started testing some of the processors in low-end servers to appease some of their larger clients. It appears that these companies were interested in the low power and density in data centers.
Intel had a horrible start in 2011 when they released the first Sandy Bridge Motherboards that had a faulty SATA bug. Nevertheless, it appears as if the first P67 motherboards with the B3-stepping silicon fix have finally hit the market.
In the phone wars between the two big carriers, it looks like AT&T wins this round. The iPhone 4 on AT&T’s network downloaded data twice as fast, on average, as the iPhone on Verizon Wireless, according to thousands of recent field tests in five U.S. cities performed by Metrico Wireless, an independent mobile device performance evaluation firm.
Google employees may be getting new tablets, Motorola’s CEO said earlier in the week.
Microsoft has begun updating Samsung’s Windows Phone 7-based smartphones again, after earlier technical problems forced a stop to the process, it said in a blog post Wednesday.
Verizon Wireless will join AT&T in implementing data caps in the very near future, probably in mid-summer, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said at an investor’s conference Tuesday.
As we have stated in the past, Microsoft officially rolled out the final release of Windows 7 yesterday to the general public. 
Acer, the No. 4 PC maker in this country, has released a line of servers and storage products for the United States market.
The fortune tellers at Juniper Research have looked into their crystal ball and project that the number of annual shipments of tablet devices will reach 81 million by 2015.