by Jerry A. Dicolo, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
Intel Corp. Chief Financial Officer Stacy Smith said evidence is beginning to emerge that corporations are returning to technology spending, although such spending is driven more by the savings offered than by any spending increases.
“Our sales guys are picking up more interest at corporations,” Mr. Smith said in an interview Thursday.
by Andrew LaVallee, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
The latest possible reason that Northwest Flight 188 overshot its destination by more than 100 miles is that the pilots were distracted by their laptop PCs, The Journal reported Monday.
by Justin Scheck and Nick Wingfield, Reporters, The Wall Street Journal
Cash-strapped consumers have been slow to buy personal computers in the recession. But with the launch of Microsoft Corp.’s new Windows 7 operating system Thursday, PC makers are aiming to reverse that trend–and then some.
by Nick Wingfield, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
On Wednesday, a startup called OnLive that’s generating a lot of buzz–and skepticism–in the videogame world raised a new round of financing from AT&T, Warner Bros. and others. We spoke to OnLive founder Steve Perlman, a well-known serial entrepreneur, about the investment (which wasn’t quantified) and some of the implications if OnLive or startups like it are successful.
Hardware freaks flocked to San Francisco last week to hear Intel talk about microprocessors, the electronic brains in PCs. But Advanced Micro Devices made some pretty brainy claims of its own.
Silicon Valley has been talking for 15 years or so about marrying TV and the Internet. For the most part, it’s still just talk; most people still use their PCs when they want interactivity, and rely on their TVs when they want to be passive content-watchers.
There was a time when people cared a lot about the microprocessors in their PCs–a bit like teenagers once bragged that their Impala had a 450-horsepower V8 engine under the hood. Advanced Micro Devices seems to be betting those days are over.
by Don Clark, Geoffrey A. Fowler, Ben Worthen, Reporters, The Wall Street Journal
Consumers are helping pull the technology sector out of one of its worst-ever slumps, and optimism is building that businesses may also start switching on their spending soon.
That upbeat picture emerged as some bellwether technology suppliers issued numbers that were stronger than Wall Street expected, though still reflecting the recession’s harsh effects.
by Tiernan Ray, Blogger, Barron's, Tech Trader Daily
Personal computer sales in the June quarter were probably about average for this time of year, writes Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope this morning in a note to clients, and he expects Apple to be “best in show” among PC vendors in the quarter.
Netbooks are hot. Intel estimates that the laptops–which can cost less than $300–sold faster in their first 12 months on the market than Apple’s iPhone or Nintendo’s Wii game console did. Could a similar low-end niche emerge in server systems?
It’s too early to tell, but there are some tantalizing signs–and some big ramifications if the trend takes hold.
by Nick Wingfield, Staff Writer, The Wall Street Journal
Microsoft just started testing a new service, Vine, which is something like a Twitter for emergencies. It allows users to quickly notify neighbors when, say, a local river is about to flood or a rash of burglaries have occurred on the block.
As I said in my post last Sunday on Microsoft’s “Laptop Hunter” ads, it’s unrealistic to expect TV commercials to contribute to a thoughtful discussion of anything.
by Andrew LaVallee, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
With the economy affecting all manner of consumer spending, it’s a little surprising to hear upbeat commentary from the flat-panel sector.
But according to Scott Birnbaum, vice president of Samsung’s LCD unit, its sales are benefiting from “vidification,” a term he uses to describe consumers trying to create a big-screen experience at home.
Microsoft made a stunning announcement during today’s Professional Developers Conference: a lightweight Web-based version of Office. Earlier in the day, Microsoft debuted Windows 7. Windows 7’s core feature focus is making content more easily accessible across devices, PCs or services.
by Eric Savitz, Blogger and Columnist, Barron's, Tech Trader Daily
The freefall in memory chip prices continues unabated.
In a research note this morning, Lehman’s Korea-based chip analyst, C.W. Chung, said that DRAM contract prices in the first half of September are set to decline another 10 percent, following a 10 percent drop in the second half of August. And Chung sees a further fall in the second half of September.
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