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Archive for September, 2010

Ericsson launches LTE network in Texas with MetroPCS

September 30th, 2010

Telecommunications equipment company Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC | PowerRating) yesterday announced the launch of a new LTE (Long Term Evolution) network in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metropolitan area for MetroPCS Communications Inc (NYSE: PCS | PowerRating).

The company said that the launch will provide MetroPCS subscribers in the area with access to a high speed mobile broadband network. Ericsson created a custom rapid roll-out solution for its customer which allows for substantial reuse of existing infrastructure.

As part of the deployment contract Ericsson provided MetroPCS with network design, optimisation, engineering, implementation, integration and customer support services. The new network is based on the Ericsson RBS 6000 base station which supports Wideband CDMA, GSM and GRPS/EDGE in addition to LTE.

No financial details of the contract with MetroPCS were disclosed.

For full details on (ERICY) ERICY. (ERICY) has Short Term PowerRatings at TradingMarkets. Details on (ERICY) Short Term PowerRatings is available at This Link.

For full details on Metropcs Communications Inc (PCS) PCS. Metropcs Communications Inc (PCS) has Short Term PowerRatings at TradingMarkets. Details on Metropcs Communications Inc (PCS) Short Term PowerRatings is available at This Link.

For full details on LM Ericsson Telephone Company (ERIC) ERIC. LM Ericsson Telephone Company (ERIC) has Short Term PowerRatings at TradingMarkets. Details on LM Ericsson Telephone Company (ERIC) Short Term PowerRatings is available at This Link.

Source:http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/ericy_pcs_eric_ericsson-launches-lte-network-in-texas-with-metropcs-1200071.html

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Tags: Ericsson MetroPCS

7-inch LCDs

September 30th, 2010

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The 16:9 format 7-inch diagonal screen is emerging as a popular option for numerous portable test, measurement and input devices spanning all industrial sectors – logistics, transport, medicine, vehicle manufacturing and repair, the hotel trade and catering, etc – and various consumer applications such as pocket PCs, media players and electronic picture frames.
To cover the entire range of applications, Sharp has unveiled a series totalling five industrial standard 7-inch TFT LCDs. The spectrum ranges from the robust screens of the more mechanically resilient Strong2 class with extended temperature range from -30°C to 80°C to a ‘light’ type LQ070Y3DG3A variant, with an operating temperature of -20°C to 50°C which is designed to be more suitable for consumer applications. This display is also available as a touch screen model (type LQ070Y3DG3B) boasting very good optical properties: with 300 cd/m² it possesses comparatively high brightness and is equal in terms of contrast to its non-touch screen sister model. The TFT LCD is also slim, at 7,1 mm being only 1,1 mm deeper than the variant without the touch screen unit.
In addition to the 800 x 480 pixel resolution, what the five new 7-inch industrial displays have in common is their LED-based backlight. Compared with conventional CCFL backlights, two of the principal advantages of LEDs for industrial applications are their rapid responsiveness and good dimming qualities. This makes it possible to automatically adjust the display’s brightness so that legibility remains consistently good even in frequently changing light conditions.
At high temperatures, however, LEDs are sensitive. The generation of large amounts of heat, occurring locally in the vicinity of the illuminants, must be effectively evacuated as it can damage the LCD panel and backlight itself, considerably reducing their life. Consequently, Sharp has developed a special chassis for LED backlit industrial displays in which the backlighting LEDs are linked thermally directly with the mechanical parts of the module. Waste heat is thereby vented effectively through the rear of the display into the surrounding area so that no harmful heat accumulates, even at high ambient temperatures.

Source:http://dataweek.co.za/news.aspx?pklnewsid=36933

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Posted in Hardware News

Tags: IT LCD

Wireless USB 1.1 Specification Now Available

September 30th, 2010

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The Wireless USB Promoter Group today announced the completion of the Wireless USB 1.1 specification, the technical map for product developers to bring the next generation of Wireless USB products to the market.

Wireless USB 1.1 delivers key performance enhancements to Wireless USB technology, as well as added UWB upper band support for frequencies of 6 GHz and above, and offers backward compatibility with Wireless USB products currently in use by consumers. Wireless USB is evolving with optimized power efficiency and ease of use. Lower idle power requirements and improved battery life enhance Wireless USB power efficiency, and the new association model offers support for Near Field Communication (NFC) and proximity-based association, making Wireless USB even easier to install and use.

“The Wireless USB 1.1 specification is the next step in Wireless USB technology,” said Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF president and chairman. “Consumers want a fast, easy-to-use solution to wirelessly transfer content from PCs to devices. Wireless USB 1.1 is the solution supporting robust, high-speed wireless connectivity among devices.”

Source:http://www.tweaktown.com/pressrelease/4266/wireless_usb_1_1_specification_now_available/

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Tags: USB Wireless

HP Mini 5103 review

September 30th, 2010

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The HP Mini 5103 is a corporate-oriented netbook that does just about everything right: it has a plethora of business and security features, an excellent keyboard and touchpad and a touchscreen. However, performance is mundane, and a larger display would be nice – especially on a unit this pricey. The Mini 5103’s configurations, and there are a lot of them, start at £448 and can run up to nearly £600 even before including HP’s extended service and warranty plans.

The netbook we tested differs slightly from that available in the UK: our sample’s spec listed 2GB of DDR3 RAM and a 160GB 7,200rpm hard drive. The priciest HP Mini 5103, by comparison, is available with 1GB of DDR3 RAM and a 250GB 7,200rpm hard drive. That model will set you back £579 inc VAT.

If our test suite is to be believed, you gain little in the way of performance with the new dual-core 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 processor. The HP Mini 5103’s WorldBench score of 35 points is similar to other Atom-based netbooks. The unit also felt sluggish during evaluation, despite having 2GB of DDR3 memory and a 7,200rpm, 160GB Western Digital hard drive.

The lethargic feel is common among business portables, but worse on netbooks. It’s caused in no small part by all the value-added background apps and services doing everything from encrypting, to face recognition, to protecting the hard drive. The HP Mini 5103 had several useless startup items pertaining to Raid and the GPU, and the included McAfee security suite, while effective, is also a bit of a performance hog. Though IT might not like it, you can increase apparent performance significantly by weeding out the apps you don’t want or use. Windows 7 Home Premium generally performs well on netbooks, but it couldn’t overcome the software bloat in this case.

On the other hand, the HP Mini 5103 came alive when it came time to display video. The netbook played every movie we threw at it smoothly, including one at 1080p and a high-bitrate 720p MP4 file that gives a lot of netbooks, and even some laptops, a hard time. The video also looked quite nice on the 1366×768 screen, although for other applications that resolution is a bit high for a 10.1in display. Icons and text appear quite small unless you increase their size.

Increasing the text/icon size also helps considerably with configurations of the HP Mini 5103 that sport a touchscreen display. The touchscreen is undeniably handy for presentations and the like, but arm fatigue sets in quite rapidly when using a vertically oriented touchscreen. It would be nice if the netbook’s display could lie completely flat, but it tilts back only about 45 degrees.

The HP Mini 5103’s keyboard is the currently fashionable ‘island chiclet’ style; however, it feels a bit crisper than most. It has no numeric keypad, but is otherwise a notch above the norm. One caveat: the large gaps around the keys may collect debris at a rate that requires frequent cleaning. The touchpad is delineated from the rest of the keyboard deck by its shiny finish and is responsive. The buttons have a nice feel and a pleasant click for aural feedback.

It’s not often we run across a netbook Bios that needs discussing, but the HP Mini 5103’s has a number of low-level security features that bear mentioning. They include programmable system IDs (for in-house enumeration of fleets of notebooks), a DriveLock password, and a utility to securely erase said hard drive. You may also secure the three USB 2.0 ports and the connections for gigabit ethernet and 802.11n wireless. The Bios interface is also one of the nicest-looking we’ve run across, and better yet, is navigable via mouse or touchpad.

The HP Mini 5103 is a tad deeper than the average netbook at 262×180x25mm. Weight is about 1.3kg, while battery life is quite good at 7 hours, 49 minutes with the large six-cell, 66Wh power pack. Running out of juice will be a rare issue with the Mini 5103 unless you opt for the smaller four-cell battery – its run time fell just short of 3 hours.

Along with the aforementioned McAfee security software, our HP Mini 5103 netbook came replete with Skype and a full version of a capable, lightweight ode to Microsoft Office 2007: Corel Home Office.

Source:http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/index.cfm?reviewid=3241756

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Posted in Hardware News

Tags: HP IT

Tablets open growth opportunities for chip firms

September 30th, 2010

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A snapshot of the new but rapidly-expanding tablet market highlights growth potential for a host of chip makers, although sector leader Intel Corp. still finds itself in a supporting role.

The rise of tablets bodes well for processors from such companies as Texas Instruments Inc., Qualcomm Inc. and Nvidia Corp., according to chip analyst Craig Ellis of Caris & Co. These products are based on technology from ARM Holdings PLC, which currently dominates the mobile phone market.

“ARM is clearly doing well, largely as a function of its dominance of the handset environment,” Ellis said in a phone interview Wednesday, noting the technology’s strength in power-efficiency and “good enough Web performance.”

Meanwhile, Intel, the world’s biggest semiconductor company, will likely continue to struggle to broaden its footprint, although a coming version of its Atom chip could boost its standing, especially as tablet makers shift to a dual-supplier strategy, Ellis said.

While dominant in personal computers, Intel has struggled to offer more energy-efficiency features that are critical in the mobile computing market.

Ellis said ARM “is winning 75% of tablet 1.0 designs,” and is used in the “gold standard” of the tablet category–Apple Inc.’s iPad.

But Intel could boost its position in the coming year, according to Ellis, who cited the next version of the company’s Atom chip, code-named Medfield, which is aimed at a range of mobile computing devices, including smart phones and tablets.

“If our assessment of Medfield is correct, by mid-2011 Intel should begin to become a more significant alternate APU [application processors] supplier,” Ellis said.

Meanwhile, memory chip makers, including SanDisk Corp., and communications processor companies with products that offer “multifunction capability,” such as Broadcom Corp., are also well-positioned in the market, he added.

Total tablet sales are projected to grow rapidly in the next two years, with Apple blazing the trail, according to an earlier Caris note released in August.

The brokerage predicted that Apple would ship 13 million iPads this year and 20 million next year. In 2012, Caris predicted that total tablet shipments could reach 45 million units “with virtually every other PC and smart phone [manufacturer] now gearing up their own wannabe tablets.”

Source:http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=459006

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Tags: Tablets.PC

West alarmed over intel report of al-Qaeda planning

September 30th, 2010

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US and European security and intelligence agencies have launched a massive manhunt for a team of al-Qaeda commandos planning to carry out Mumbai-style terror attacks in European cities.

Disclosures by captured German al-Qaeda member Ahmed Sidiqi that a Mumbai-style terror attack may be in offing on the European mainland has unnerved American intelligence agencies.

American Media has reported that Western intelligence officials are extremely worried about a Mumbai-style attack if al-Qaeda chooses “softer” economic targets.

“We’re so vulnerable in Europe and the United States,” said CNN Terrorism Consultant Paul Cruickshank.

“Guns and ammunition can be concealed easily. They may be harder to access in Europe, but not impossible on the black market,” he said. “This new plot is perhaps an indication that al-Qaeda is trying to change its strategy,” CNN’s Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson was quoted as saying.

Following the revelation, US and European authorities are searching for the team of commandos planning attacks in Britain, France and Germany.

US law enforcement officials say they have been told the terrorists were planning a series of “Mumbai-style” raids on what were termed “economic or soft” targets.

“The American authorities are extremely nervous about what is going on, the Germans are extremely nervous about what’s going on,” Guido Steinberg, a counter-terrorism analyst at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, was quoted as saying by the ABC News.

“The advantage, of course, is the passport,” said Steinberg, adding that “because with the German passport it’s a lot easier to travel.”

Travelers with German passports do not require a visa to enter the United States.

Steinberg said that many of the German jihadis who train in Pakistan are killed, “but those who come back are a threat… And they are a threat not only to Germany… But also to our allies and especially the US because they are extremely anti-American.”

“Whatever maximizes visibility is what they’re after,” former US intelligence agent Bob Ayers told Fox News, adding “whatever instills the greatest fear in the greatest amount of people.”

“We know al-Qaeda types are out there determined to attack targets in the West,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told ‘Fox and Friends.

Source:http://www.dailypioneer.com/286747/West-alarmed-over-intel-report-of-al-Qaeda-planning.html

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Tags: INTEL IT

Toshiba announces ‘no-frills’ Satellite C660 laptop

September 30th, 2010

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We’ve got to give Toshiba a bit of credit here — it’s certainly not trying to sell its new Satellite C660 (and accompanying Satellite Pro model) as something it’s not. Tossing around words like “adequate” and “no-frills,” the company says that the revised Satellite is a “smart and affordable” solution, and it does indeed look like it’ll satisfy those looking for only the basics. That includes a 15.6-inch display, your choice of Intel or AMD processors up to a Core i3 or Athlon II, integrated graphics only, up to 8GB of RAM, up to a 640GB hard drive, and a multitouch trackpad, among other standard fare.

The only difference with the Pro model, it seems, is Windows 7 Professional for the OS, a black textured casing, and a “non-reflective” screen. No word on exact pricing just yet, but you can look for this one to at least be available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa sometime in the fourth quarter of this year. Full press release is after the break.

Source:http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/30/toshiba-announces-no-frills-satellite-c660-laptop/