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Dell Consumer Investments Hinder Quarterly Earnings
Dell invested heavily to expand its nonenterprise market share in Europe and in various IT sectors and may have overextended itself in trying to set up retail outlets and woo consumers over to its laptops, desktops and peripherals. Dell revealed in its quarterly report that its fiscal second-quarter earnings fell a full 17 percent from a year ago.
- Dell, in its zeal to expand its nonenterprise market share in Europe and in various IT sectors, may have expended too much marketing energy and cash trying to set up retail outlets and woo consumers over to its laptops, desktops and peripherals. Dell revealed in its quarterly report on Aug. ...

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 Privacy Features Win User Support
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 includes a number of security and privacy features that allow it to keep pace with competing browsers such as Firefox and Safari. Many users of Internet Explorer seem to appreciate Microsoft's privacy protections, which are designed to protect users' browsing information. The most talked-about features are InPrivate Browsing and InPrivate Blocking.
- Much has been made of the new security features in Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2. As users and testers bang on the beta version of the browser, Microsoft appears to have gotten a lot right when it comes to privacy. In the Beta 2 version of Internet Explorer 8, Microsoft has added a num...

HP Wins Inkjet Printer Cartridge Patent Suit Against Pelikan Hardcopy
Hewlett-Packard says a German court has found Pelikan Hardcopy to be in violation of laws on unfair competition. Earlier in August, the court ordered Pelikan, a provider of printing supplies, to stop importing and distributing inkjet cartridges that infringed on HP's patents.
- NEW YORK (Reuters) Hewlett-Packard Co said on Thursday a German court has found Pelikan Hardcopy to be in violation of laws on unfair competition. Earlier this month, the court ordered Pelikan, a provider of printing supplies, to stop importing and distributing inkjet cartridges that infringed on...

KDE Momentum Continues with New Updates, Features
The KDE community has released KDE 3.5.10, a maintenance release for the KDE 3.5 series of the popular Linux desktop. Meanwhile, KDE developers continue work on bringing service-oriented computing to KDE, as well as a new Amarok media player and enhanced Qt support. KDE also has adopted the Free Software Foundation Europe's Fiduciary License Agreement.
- The KDE Community has announced the availability of KDE 3.5.10, a maintenance release of KDE, the free desktop for GNU Linux and other Unix flavors. The KDE desktop is the system of choice for a broad array of Linux users. And although the KDE community released KDE 4.1 at the end of July, K...

ITC Trade Panel Agrees to Take Up Microsoft Patent Case Against Primax
Microsoft accused Primax Electronics of Taiwan of infringing on its patents for peripheral devices like keyboards and mice. The International Trade Commission has agreed to hear Microsoft's case against Primax Electronics. The complainant requests that the ITC issue an exclusion order and a cease and desist order.
- WASHINGTON (Reuters) A trade panel has agreed to investigate Microsoft Corp's accusation that Primax Electronics of Taiwan has infringed its patents for peripheral devices like keyboards and mice, the International Trade Commission said on Thursday. The complaint was filed on July 30, 2008. The ...

Dell Earnings Disappoint, Tech Spending Seen Weak
Dell, the top maker of desktop, notebook and laptop computers, posts a surprisingly steep drop in quarterly earnings and says companies around the world are cutting back on technology spending, sending its shares tumbling and sparking fears of weakness in the whole tech sector. Dell's outlook is for slower spending especially in Asia and Western Europe. Dell has cut 8,500 jobs so far based on a plan to slash 8,900, and at least one analyst says the results could presage further cutbacks.
- SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) Dell Inc. posted a surprisingly steep drop in quarterly earnings and said companies around the world are cutting back on technology spending, sending its shares tumbling and sparking fears of weakness in the whole tech sector. quot;They're saying lower IT (information te...

Adaptec Acquires RAID Storage Maker Aristos Logic
Storage infrastructure provider Adaptec is getting back into the ASIC production business with this $41 million acquisition. Aristos Logic makes multiprotocol RAID storage processor boards that are delivered in both software and silicon solutions. Its ASIC development team has produced a scalable architecture that can be used in multiple product families.
- Storage infrastructure provider Adaptec is getting back into the ASIC production business. Adaptec announced Aug. 27 that it is acquiring privately held RAID board maker Aristos Logic for about $41 million in cash. Aristos employs about 75 people and has been supplying a handful of the top 10...

Enterprise Uses of Social Networks
Many argue that Social Networks are a dangerous model for sharing confidential or proprietary information and that their employees are distracted enough at work without something like Facebook competing for their time. Others such as IBM claim that its Blue Pages social intranet is an invaluable tool to help people stationed all over the world connect. Pharmaceutical company Pfizer successfully uses a Wikipedia-like service called Pfizerpedia. Ultimately, all companies need to set rules that determine acceptable use for social networking.
- Video Content....

Google Search Ranking Feature Threatens Wikia Search
In a battle between two search engines, Google and Wikia Search are letting users rank search results. While Google's experiment is random, Wikipedia and Wikia Founder Jimmy Wales says Wikia Search is about building a community using simple Web services tools such as ranking and tagging to let users influence search results. Google has no timetable for its search ranking feature and isn't saying how it works.
- It's no secret that Google has been working on a Digg-like feature that lets users vote searches higher or lower, make comments, and alter the search results. Screenshots of the feature at work have been popping up in the wild for a year now. Search Engine Land's Barry Schwartz noted it in 2007...

Aaron Sorkin to Write Facebook Story for Big Screen
Writer-producer Aaron Sorkin, creator of The West Wing, is about to get a whole lot of friends on Facebook. Sorkin, one of Hollywood's highest-profile writers and TV show creators, is in negotiations to write an untitled film project about the founders of the popular social networking site that Scott Rudin will produce for Columbia. Sorkin broke the news on Facebook when he opened up his own account.
- LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Writer-producer Aaron Sorkin, creator of quot;The West Wing, quot; is about to get a whole lot of friends on Facebook. Sorkin, one of Hollywood's highest-profile writers and TV show creators, is in negotiations to write an untitled film project about the foun...

EU, Mobile Operators Clash Over Call Billing
Mobile phone operators may face legislation from the European Commission to crack down on what the EU executive sees as overcharging, but industry said such a step would amount to micro-management. European Union Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding is concerned that some mobile operators are charging by the minute rather than second for calls made while traveling between EU states.
- BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Mobile phone operators may face legislation from the European Commission to crack down on what the EU executive sees as overcharging, but industry said such a step would amount to micro-management. European Union Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding is concerned that some...

iPhone Security Flaw Exposes Private Data
A security flaw in the Apple iPhone allows unauthorized users to gain easy access to private contacts and e-mails even when the device is locked, but the company said a fix is on the way. Popular technology blog Gizmodo and an online forum run by the Mac Rumors site showed that it took only three taps to gain access to locked iPhones, which run the latest 2.02 Apple iPhone software. A spokeswoman said in an e-mail that Apple was aware of the problem and was readying a software update to fix it. In the meantime, she recommended users set the iPhone's Home button to open up the phone's iPod music collection rather than the phone's Favorites menu.
- NEW YORK (Reuters) - A security flaw in Apple Inc's iPhone allows unauthorized users to gain easy access to private contacts and e-mails even when the device is locked, but the company said a fix is on the way. Popular technology blog Gizmodo and an online forum run by the Mac Rumors site show...

Vimpelcom to Sell Apple iPhone in Russia
Vimpelcom, Russia's second-largest mobile phone operator, said on Thursday it had signed a distribution deal with Apple Inc. to sell iPhone 3G in Russia. Vimpelcom announced today it has signed an agreement with Apple to bring iPhone 3G to Russia, expected later this year.
- MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vimpelcom, Russia's second-largest mobile phone operator, said on Thursday it had signed a distribution deal with Apple Inc. to sell iPhone 3G in Russia. quot;Vimpelcom announced today it has signed an agreement with Apple to bring iPhone 3G to Russia, expected later this yea...

Sony CEO Reconsiders Ericsson Joint Venture
Sony's joint venture with cell phone maker Ericsson must do better, Sony's CEO Howard Stringer said. Asked whether Sony is planning to end its Sony-Ericsson joint venture, Sony CEO Howard Stringer told German newspaper Die Welt: It's certainly been a difficult year but buying out a partner is never an easy thing. Sony CEO Howard Stringer added that it was hard for a company to be as nimble as possible when it works in a joint venture.
- FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Sony's joint venture with cell phone maker Ericsson must do better, Sony's chief executive was quoted as saying by a German newspaper on Wednesday. Asked whether Sony is planning to end its Sony Ericsson joint venture, Howard Stringer told Die Welt: quot;It's certainly bee...

Mystery Chinese iPhone Worker Becomes Internet Star
A Chinese factory worker at an Apple iPhone factory has become an Internet sensation after a picture of her smiling and flashing a peace sign to a co-worker testing an Apple iPhone stayed on the phone that was sold to a man in Britain. Photos of the unidentified Apple iPhone factory worker were posted on the Apple discussion website MacRumours.com by a customer identified as markm49uk from Kingston-upon-Hull and quickly posted around other sites. Some people voiced concern that the Apple iPhone factory worker could now lose her job while others joked on the website that they were considering returning their phones because they did not come loaded with a photo.
- CANBERRA, (Reuters) - A Chinese factory worker has become an Internet sensation after a picture of her smiling and flashing a peace sign to a co-worker testing an Apple iPhone stayed on the phone that was sold to a man in Britain. Photos of the unidentified, smiling woman were posted on the Appl...