Archive for November, 2010

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Highest sales per share in the computer hardware industry detected in shares of apple (aapl, hpq, dbd, dell, ncr)

November 30th, 2010
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Below are the top five companies in the Computer Hardware industry as ranked by sales per share. Sales per share is a valuable metric in comparing relative value for companies in the same industry.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) ranks first with sales per share of 71.7x; Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) ranks second with sales per share of 52.6x; and Diebold (NYSE:DBD) ranks third with sales per share of 41.5x.

Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) follows with sales per share of 31.1x and NCR (NYSE:NCR) rounds out the top five with sales per share of 29.8x.

SmarTrend currently has shares of Apple in an Uptrend and issued the Uptrend alert on September 08, 2010 at $261.74. The stock has risen 21.1% since the Uptrend alert was issued.

Source:http://www.zacks.com/research/get_news.php?id=334l6028

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How to buy a computer preloaded with Ubuntu

November 30th, 2010
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If you’ve ever paid attention to the market share statistics for desktop operating systems you probably know that Linux is most frequently pegged at about one percent.

That’s a dramatic underrepresentation, of course, due largely to the fact that Linux is free. Whereas Microsoft, for example, keeps careful count of each and every copy of Windows it distributes, in the case of Linux there’s typically no vendor keeping count. Rather, users simply download, share, and enjoy the open source operating system to their heart’s content without any official monitoring.

Functionally this works just fine for users. The problem is that it makes it too easy for software and hardware vendors, makers of device drivers, and critics of all kinds to discount Linux’s importance in the marketplace. That, in turn, makes it less likely that new software will be ported to Linux, for example, or that key drivers will be created for the operating system; in short, it slows Linux’s growth.

What can you do about it? Well, if you use Linux already, you can make it known at DudaLibre, which maintains its “We are more than one percent” Linux counter to prove that the operating system accounts for more than the standard estimates suggest.

Next time you’re in the market for a new machine for your business, however, another way to help prove Linux’s market worth is by buying the distribution you choose preloaded. Not only will it save you the trouble of installing it yourself, but it can also help make sure everything “just works” out of the box, with support for any glitches that may arise.

Perhaps even more important, though, is that since there is a vendor keeping count, your purchase is sure to be included in the next batch of market data.

There are a number of very good vendors that will preload a computer with Ubuntu or other Linux distributions. Here are some of the best Linux-friendly vendors to check out.

1. System76

Specializing in Ubuntu-powered laptops, desktops and servers, Colorado-based System76 is particularly notable because its success has just recently prompted it to start serving the United Kingdom as well. With a commitment to the ideals of open source software, System76 aims to help make it easy for consumers, businesses, schools and governments to make the transition to the world of open source software through world-class hardware, software and support. System76 ships to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

2. ZaReason

California-based ZaReason will install a variety of free and open source operating systems on its laptops, desktops and servers, including not just Ubuntu but several of its derivatives along with Debian and Fedora. International shipping is available.

3. EmperorLinux

Based in Atlanta, EmperorLinux has been supplying Linux laptops since 1999 to corporate, government, academic, and individual users. Customers can choose the hardware, the Linux distribution, and even the partition setup on their machine, which will be ready to use out of the box with full hardware support under Linux. International shipping is available.

4. LinuxCertified

Also specializing in laptops, California-based LinuxCertified offers a variety of installation, customization and training services as well, with support for a variety of Linux distributions including Ubuntu, Fedora, and openSUSE. International shipping is available.

5. Los Alamos Computers

With a long list of high-profile customers, New Mexico-based Los Alamos Computers offers both workstations and laptops with the customer’s Linux distribution of choice preinstalled, though it recommends Ubuntu, Debian, and gNewSense in particular. International service is available.

6. Dell

Though it has a somewhat mixed history with regard to Linux, it would be remiss not to mention Texas-based Dell, which has been offering Ubuntu preloaded on select machines since 2007. As of this writing, one minitower and one Inspiron laptop are listed on the company’s U.S. site preinstalled with Ubuntu.

Many other vendors ship computers loaded with Ubuntu and other Linux distributions, of course. For more comprehensive lists of such vendors around the globe, visit Ubuntu’s Community Documentation page or similar lists available on TuxMobil and LXer.

Wherever you end up, though, know that your purchase will not only get you a powerful machine loaded with what’s arguably the best operating system on earth; it will also help create some long-overdue realistic market statistics.

Source:http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9198700/How_to_Buy_a_Computer_Preloaded_With_Ubuntu?taxonomyId=18

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Can an iPad replace a laptop on a business trip?

November 30th, 2010
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A recent multiple-city speaking tour in Asia gave me the opportunity to gain some real-world insight into traveling with an iPad rather than my usual laptop and Kindle.

The business part of the trip was something of a whirlwind and then I was taking vacation for about a week. So I figured that if I weren’t going to be creating or editing documents, I might as well keep my luggage as light as possible.

My experience was mixed.

On the positive side, the iPad is a great device for watching video and playing casual games. Crammed into an economy seat on a plane, the iPad is a much, much better video platform than a laptop, which can be hard to open at a comfortable angle and runs out of juice relatively quickly.

If there’s a downside to video on the iPad, it’s getting the content onto the device. It’s straightforward to purchase TV shows and movies through iTunes, of course. But manually ripping, converting, and transferring DVDs is time-consuming and messy relative to the straightforward process of ripping them directly to a laptop and viewing them with DVD player software.

The iPad also serves as a credible e-book reader. It has some plusses and minuses compared with a Kindle or another e-paper-based reader, but I find it more than satisfactory. So long as I have the iPad with me, I certainly don’t feel a need to bring a dedicated e-book reader as well.

Before getting into the issues I experienced, I do want to emphasize one point. My intent here is not to critique a tablet for, essentially, not being a laptop. They are different devices for different purposes and they make trade-offs accordingly. Rather, I want to offer my experience using an iPad in a setting where I would normally take a full-blown computer.

My experience was that in a business setting, it’s far too easy to run into a situation where you can’t really do what you need to do on a tablet. For example, when I was unexpectedly scheduled for a Webcast, I had to borrow a PC because the required Java plug-in couldn’t run in Safari on the iPad.

In another instance, I would have shown a few slides during an interview had my usual laptop been available. Given that various applications let you display and even edit certain file formats on the iPad, this needn’t have been an insurmountable problem. However, it’s another case where some advance planning may be needed and not everything ultimately will be possible.

Another nit I encountered was that, in a couple places, wired Ethernet connections were available but no Wi-Fi and therefore I had no way to connect an iPad to the network. You can deal with this particular limitation by carrying an Airport Express to create a wireless network to which the iPad can then connect, but at some point carrying supplemental workaround gadgetry sort of defeats the purpose of going lightweight.

Had the entire trip been personal, none of this would have particularly mattered. E-mail, social media, and browsing every day or two would be plenty and any tablet can handle that just fine–as indeed can my phone for the most part. But, in a business setting, you’re working against the expectation that you have a laptop handy and can use it to perform the myriad unexpected tasks that arise.

A tablet can indeed handle a variety of routine business jobs but there are also many things, too many, that it cannot do. As a result, I’m inclined to chalk this trip up as more of a learning experience than a particularly successful experiment.

Source:http://news.cnet.com/8301-13556_3-20024089-61.html

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Seagate Leading Hardware Sector Lower After Ending Going Private Talks

November 30th, 2010
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Computer hardware stocks are seeing considerable weakness during trading on Tuesday, with Seagate Technology (STX) leading the sector lower after announcing that it has terminated discussions with private equity firms regarding a going private transaction.

The weakness among computer hardware stocks is reflected by the 1.5 percent loss currently being shown by the NYSE Arca Computer Hardware Index. Despite the loss, the index remains well off the one-month intraday low it set two weeks ago.

Seagate Technology is turning in one of the sector’s worst performances, with the hard disk drive maker currently down by 2.9 percent. At its low for the session, Seagate was at its worst intraday level in well over a month.

The loss by Seagate comes after the company ended the going private talks, saying that the indications of the valuation range were not in the best interest of the company and its shareholders.

The company also said that its board has authorized the repurchase up to an additional $2 billion worth of its outstanding ordinary shares. Seagate said the repurchase authorization reflects its continued commitment to enhancing shareholder value.

Shares of Dell (DELL) have also come under pressure on the day, falling by 2.7 percent. With the loss, the computer maker hits its worst intraday level in almost two months earlier in the session.

Lexmark (LXK), Apple (AAPL), and NetApp (NTAP) are also posting notable losses, contributing to the weakness in the sector.

Source:http://www.rttnews.com/Content/sector-market-trends.aspx?Node=B5&Id=1493727

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Analysts more cautious on PC sales outlook

November 30th, 2010
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Market researchers are scaling back forecasts for global sales of personal computers, blaming an uncertain economic outlook in some markets and competition from tablet devices such as Apple Inc’s iPad.

Research firm Gartner cut its 2010 forecast on Monday, just as the crucial holiday sales season was getting under way for PC makers like Hewlett-Packard Co, Acer, Dell Inc and Lenovo.

Gartner said it expected consumers and businesses to hold off on buying PCs in the near-term as they seek to save money.

It said it now expected PC shipments this year to rise 14.3 percent to 352 million units, and it pegged next year’s growth rate at 15.9 percent. It had previously forecast growth of 17.9 percent in 2010 and 18.1 percent in 2011.

“These results reflect marked reductions in expected near-term unit growth based on expectations of weaker consumer demand, due in no small part to growing user interest in media tablets such as the iPad,” Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner, said in a statement.

He said he expected media tablets to displace about 10 percent of PC units by 2014.

Market researcher IDC said it was seeing a similar trend, though a spokesman said sales were still poised to grow in the double digits. IDC will update its forecast in mid-December.

Data from Gartner and IDC are watched closely to gauge the strength of the PC market.

Separately, Gartner said worldwide shipments of servers, or computer systems used by large organizations, rose 14.2 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier. HP led with 32.1 percent of overall revenue in the server market, with IBM a close second with 30.2 percent, Gartner said.

Of the top five vendors, only Oracle suffered a decline in third-quarter revenue, Gartner said. Oracle, the world’s third-largest software maker, has been trying to step up its competitive edge in hardware following its $7.5 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems earlier this year.

Source:http://wtaq.com/news/articles/2010/nov/29/analysts-more-cautious-on-pc-sales-outlook/

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Stealth computer celebrates 20 years of business success as a leader in the industrial/rugged computer market

November 30th, 2010
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Stealth Computer is the company entrepreneur Ed Boutilier founded in 1990 after finding the doors of his employer locked and out of business. Despite almost no capital, Boutilier used his wealth of experience and a relentless desire to succeed, to grow his company into a recognized global leader in the industrial/rugged computer and peripherals marketplace.

During the early 1990’s with the growing adoption of Microsoft Windows the personal computer market exploded with opportunities outside the realm of the typical office applications. Demand for computers and peripherals moved beyond the clean office to other not so friendly environments. The first computers to venture out to the shop floor were the office grade PC’s. It quickly became apparent that these systems were inadequate for the harshness of the shop floor where dirt, moisture, heat, vibration and electrical noise forced systems to a screeching halt. Boutilier spotted the opportunity to create computer hardware that would survive in industrial and harsh environments.

Two decades later Stealth continues to enjoy significant organic growth and has been recognized with numerous product awards, industry recognition and more importantly, customer loyalty. Major achievements over the years have included purchasing new facilities to house the continuous growth, adoption to the international ISO 9001 standard and non-stop product development. In the mid 90’s the company embraced the digital renaissance and quickly adopted to web based technology eventually securing the prized domain, stealth.com

“A lot has changed in the computer business over the past twenty years. We live in a very exciting time and constantly need to reinvent ourselves to stay current with the demands for new technology. While times have changed, our commitment to our customers and their success has not. Our 20th anniversary marks an important milestone for Stealth and we wish to acknowledge everyone who has made a contribution to our success including employees, customers and suppliers,” remarked Ed Boutilier Stealth, CEO.

Source:http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/10/11/p651242/stealth-computer-celebrates-20-years-of-business-success-as-a-leader-in

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Magixtable is thinnest multi touch table computer from touchmagix media

November 30th, 2010
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The MagixTable is claimed to be the world’s thinnest multi-touch surface, and first of its kind. Launched yesterday by TouchMagix Media Pvt. Ltd., this multi-touch interactive table computer is a “surface computer”. MagixTable and MagixFone are both products said to be conceptualised and designed by the company. They utilize a multi-touch interface which responds to human touch, and to gestures made with a combination of finger touch.

The multi-touch table is claimed to have 40 simultaneous touch points, and of being capable of functioning in high-ambient light (brightly lit) conditions. Also, the release mentions the MagixTable consuming 60 per cent less power than other surface computers.

The MagixFone is a combination of hardware and software allowing any user to engage with a display using their mobile phone, with a simple local phone call. Yes, it does sound quite nebulous and curious, we are not sure how this will play out, as more details about the MagixFone concept are not available yet.

As per the use cases described in the release, the MagixTable could act as an interactive surface and and engage with consumers, in hospitals and hotels, besides other possible uses like schools, malls, conferences, games, and so on. Initially, the company sees it as being applicable in brand visibility and corporate communications.

TouchMagix claims to have a rich application suite with easy customization tools, and provides SDK tools for third party application developers, who wish to design content for use on the MagixTable multi-touch surface.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Anup Tapadia, the founder of TouchMagix Media, affirmed, “My exposure to Silicon Valley has helped me find gaps in touch driven technologies currently present in the market. The MagixTable and the MagixFone have interactive applications that will make room for a new segment of marketing channels, to interact with the consumer. These products will create unforgettable experiences for its users which would lead its foray into the consumer segment. The use of this interactive technology has no boundaries. It is the next generation in the space of interactive media. Their uses are limitless.”

Source:http://www.pcworld.in/news/magixtable-thinnest-multi-touch-table-computer-touchmagix-media-41842010

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