Tag: HP

HP TouchPad, Veer and Pre3 Smartphones with webOS Introduced

Hewlett-Packard (HP) today announced the TouchPad, described as a version of webOS for the big screen. It’s essentially an iPad competitor, and is due out this summer.

"Today we’re embarking on a new era of webOS with the goal of linking a wide family of HP products through the best mobile experience available," said Jon Rubinstein, SVP and GM of HP’s Palm Global Business Unit. "The flexibility of the webOS platform makes it ideal for creating a range of innovative devices that work together to keep you better connected to your world."

Full specs here.

In addition, HP introduced the Veer smartphone, which also runs webOS. In fact, it’s the smallest webOS phone to date. It will be available in early Spring.

"While much of the industry is trending toward larger and larger devices, we believe there’s also a whole lot of room for thinking small,” said Jon Rubinstein. "Veer bridges the gap for a new generation of smartphone users, proving they really can have it all without sacrificing the size they want."

Specs on that here.

HP also announced the HP Pre3 smartphone running webOS, which the company says is "ideal smartphone for multitasking professionals." It will be available in the summer.

HPHP Touchpad, HP Veer and HP Pre3! Our HP Corporate communications team has summarized all the links to our WebOS news that dropped today –> http://tlk.tc/bcy16 hours ago 157 likes 19 comments

"In the suite of webOS products we’re introducing today, Pre3 is our premier phone, designed for the speed of business," said Rubinstein. "It enables professionals to accomplish more of their important workday tasks while easily keeping their fingers on the pulse of their personal lives."

Specs on that one here.

February 9, 2011
Amazon To Launch Kindle App For HP TouchPad

Amazon said today it is launching a free Kindle app for the new HP TouchPad coming out this summer.

Amazon said its Kindle app for the TouchPad will gives users access to more than 810,000 titles from its Kindle store.

“When you buy a Kindle book, you can already read it on Kindle and our free ‘Buy Once, Read Everywhere’ apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, PC, Mac, BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7, and Android-based devices, so you never have to worry about what to do with your books if you change devices or platforms,” said Dorothy Nicholls, Director, Amazon Kindle.

“We’re very excited to add webOS to this list. As with our other Kindle apps, the webOS app will be free and will incorporate our Whispersync technology so you can seamlessly switch between devices and platforms and never be without your reading.”

February 9, 2011
HP Launches Live Streaming Comedy Show On YouTube

HP has launched a live streaming comedy show on YouTube that is hosted by comedian Rob Riggle and will feature actors from the Upright Citizens Brigade.

The video series called HP ePrint Live calls on people to send in ideas for comedic skits.

Viewers can submit their ideas to ideas@hpeprintlive.com. The accepted messages will print to one of the HP printers on stage. Riggle and the team of UCB Theater comedians will choose skit ideas and perform them live before millions of YouTube viewers. Submissions will be assembled into an ePrint gallery viewable on the live stream.

The show will be featured today on the homepage of YouTube. The live event begins at 3 p.m. ET and will be followed by five days (Jan. 22 – 26) of comedy shorts based on new ePrint submissions.

The two-hour live show will broadcast on the HP ePrint Live YouTube channel as well as the HP for Home Facebook page. Viewers also can participate for five days following the show, as suggestions will continue to be converted into original comedy shorts for viewing and sharing across online networks.

January 21, 2011
HP Settles E-Rate Fraud Charges For $16 Million

Hewlett-Packard has agreed to pay the government $16.25 million to settle e-rate fraud charges.

The E-rate program, which funds Internet connections in schools and libraries, has brought Internet connectivity to virtually every classroom in the country.

The Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission, acting on tips from whistleblowers, said contractors working with HP and other companies lavished gifts on Dallas Independent School District and Houston Independent School District officials in order to get contracts that included $17 million in HP equipment.

Meals and entertainment — including trips on a yacht and tickets to the 2004 Super Bowl — were provided by the contractors to get inside information and win contracts that were supposed to be awarded through a competitive bidding process.

“Broadband is key to our children’s 21st century education,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.

“That’s why one of the FCC’s top priorities is making sure E-rate works to benefit students and libraries. Today’s settlement shows the extensive efforts of the FCC and DOJ to protect the E-rate program from waste, fraud, and abuse, and to deter misconduct in the future.”

As part of the settlement, HP has agreed to pay the government $16.25 million, most of which will be returned to the E-rate program. In addition, the FCC has negotiated and will oversee a compliance agreement with HP that will ensure that the company plays by the rules in the future.
(more…)

November 11, 2010
HP Taps SAP for CEO Position

HP named Léo Apotheker, formerly CEO of SAP, as its new CEO to replace the recently ousted Mark Hurd. Apotheker will also join HP’s Board of Directors.

"Léo is a strategic thinker with a passion for technology, wide-reaching global experience and proven operational discipline – exactly what we were looking for in a CEO," said Robert Ryan, lead independent director of HP’s Board. "After more than two decades in the industry, he has a strong track record of driving technological innovation, building customer relationships and developing world-class teams."

Ryan added, "Léo has been a leader in anticipating the transformation taking place in our industry, and we believe he is uniquely positioned to help accelerate HP’s strategy. He has demonstrated success in the U.S. market and also has vast international experience – which will be a major asset as HP continues to expand globally, particularly in high-growth emerging markets. HP has the right assets and market positions, and now we have the best team to realize the company’s enormous potential."

"HP has a powerful mix of businesses, products and services, one of the most innovative cultures in the industry, and an accomplished management team who have played a critical role in its success," said Apotheker. "I am deeply honored to be joining the more than 300,000 dedicated HP employees."

"Given HP’s diversified products and services, its financial strength, and its leadership position across markets, no other company is as well positioned to drive – and profit from – the revolutionary changes under way in the marketplace," he added. "As we move forward, HP will continue to be a valued partner with our customers as well as a fierce competitor. I look forward to working with the outstanding people at HP to write the next chapter in the company’s long and proud history."

HP’s Board also elected Ray Lane, Managing Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, as a new member of the Board and designated him as non-executive Chairman.

September 30, 2010
Oracle and HP Make Up

Update 3: The companies have apparently resolved their differences and will continue their partnership. Bloomberg BusinessWeek has details.

Update 2: Oracle has responded with the following statement:

“Oracle has long viewed HP as an important partner,” said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. “By filing this vindictive lawsuit against Oracle and Mark Hurd, the HP board is acting with utter disregard for that partnership, our joint customers, and their own shareholders and employees. The HP Board is making it virtually impossible for Oracle and HP to continue to cooperate and work together in the IT marketplace."

Update: HP is now suing Hurd. The company released this statement:

“Mark Hurd agreed to and signed agreements designed to protect HP’s trade secrets and confidential information. HP intends to enforce those agreements.”

More on HP’s corporate blog.

Original Article: Oracle announced that Mark Hurd is now the Co-President of the company, and has been named to the Board of Directors. Yes, that Mark Hurd.

Hurd was recently forced to resign as CEO of HP after an internal investigation from the company around a questionable relationship with a contractor and related expense reports. It didn’t take long for him to get another job.

"Mark did a brilliant job at HP and I expect he’ll do even better at Oracle," said Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. "There is no executive in the IT world with more relevant experience than Mark. Oracle’s future is engineering complete and integrated hardware and software systems for the enterprise. Mark pioneered the integration of hardware with software when Teradata was a part of NCR."

"Mark is an outstanding executive and a proven winner," said Oracle President Safra Catz. "I look forward to working with him for years to come. As Oracle continues to grow we need people experienced in operating a $100 billion business."

"I believe Oracle’s strategy of combining software with hardware will enable Oracle to beat IBM in both enterprise servers and storage," said Hurd. "Exadata is just the beginning. We have some exciting new systems we are going to announce later this month at Oracle OpenWorld. I’m excited to be a part of the most innovative technology team in the IT industry."

The New York Times ran a story a few weeks ago about Hurd’s reputation among HP’ staff. Let’s just say it was painted in an unfavorable light. Hopefully Oracle’s staff will get along with him better, if there’s any truth to that.

September 20, 2010
Print from the iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch with Apple’s Airprint

Apple announced that its releasing a beta version of Airprint wireless printing for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch as part of the iOS Develope Program. The service will be included in the iOS 4.2 software update in November.

What AirPrint does, is automatically find printers on local networks and print text, photos and graphics to them wirelessly over Wi-Fi. There is no need to install drivers or download software.

HP’s existing and upcoming ePrint enabled printers will be the first to support Airprint. Compatible printers include: the HP Photosmart, Officejet, Officejet Pro and LaserJet Pro series ePrint enabled printers.

"AirPrint is Apple’s powerful new printing architecture that matches the simplicity of iOS—no set up, no configuration, no printer drivers and no software to download," said Philip Schiller, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing. "iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users can simply tap to print their documents or photos wirelessly to an HP ePrint printer or to a printer shared on a Mac or PC."

"We’re pleased to work with Apple to bring Apple’s AirPrint to our fall lineup of ePrint printers in time for the holiday shopping season," said Vyomesh Joshi, HP executive VP, Imaging and Printing Group. "Making it easy for our customers to print anytime, anywhere, is a key priority for HP. iPad, iPhone and iPod touch customers are going to love how easy it is to print using our new range of ePrint printers, creating high-quality printed pages in an instant."

Apple says Airprint will support a wide range of inkjet and laser printers. iOS 4.2 devices can print to printers shared through Macs or PCs.

AirPrint will work with iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (second generation and later).

Google has a similar offering called CloudPrint, but it’s not yet available. It will be supported by web apps, Android apps, iPhone apps, Chrome OS, etc. – "any type of application" Google says.

September 15, 2010
HP Acquiring ArcSight for $1.5 Billion

HP announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire ArcSight, a security and compliance company, for $1.5 billion at $43.50 per share. There were rumors of the acquisition going around over the weekend, but the companies have now made it official.

HP says that the acquisition will help it improve security, reduce risk, and facilitate compliance at a lower cost for its customers. "ArcSight’s superior technology is highly complementary to HP’s existing security portfolio of hardware, software and services," the company says.

HP also says the deal will make it better positioned to deliver broader visibility, deeper context, and better continuity.

"HP’s acquisition of ArcSight will enable the creation of a new type of security solution, one that serves the modern enterprise," said ArcSight President and CEO Tom Reilly." By combining ArcSight’s Enterprise Threat and Risk Management Platform with HP’s breadth of application development and operations management solutions, HP will be able to offer an integrated security platform that delivers broader visibility, deeper context and faster remediation of enterprise-wide security and risk-related events. In a world where perimeter security is no longer enough, businesses need this holistic approach to securing their networks, applications and sensitive data."

The deal is subject to customary closing conditions, and is expected to close by the end of the year.

September 13, 2010
HP Acquires Stratavia for Undisclosed Sum

HP has acquired Stratavia, a database and application automation company out of Denver.

HP says the addition of Stratavia will help strengthen its software and solutions portfolio, adding deployment, configuration, and management solutions for enterprise databases, middleware, and packaged applications.

HP’s goal is to simplify app deployment and management in hybrid IT environments.

"As applications and IT environments become increasingly complex, organizations need to automate changes that range from large-scale application updates to simple one-line configuration updates with consistency and control," said Bill Veghte, executive vice president, Software and Solutions, HP. "Stratavia’s database and application automation solutions, combined with HP’s leading Business Service Automation portfolio, give organizations a one-stop shop for infrastructure and application deployment management."

"For eight years, Stratavia has been focused on developing application deployment automation solutions supporting tasks including provisioning, code deployment, configuration management, compliance, patching, as well as common user requests including migrations, refresh and back-ups," said Stratavia CEO Thor Culverhouse. "Combining Stratavia’s offerings with HP Server Automation will give clients a way to simplify and automate application deployment operations, minimizing downtime and mistakes."

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

August 26, 2010
NYT: HP Staff Despised Hurd

A week ago, HP announced the departure of Chairman, CEO, and President Mark Hurd, following an investigation into sexual harassment claims that were later revealed to come from actress and former HP contractor Jodie Fisher.

Hurd allegedly fudged some expense reports connected to the relationship with Fisher. A New York Times article this weekend alleges that that it may be about more than all of that. Joe Nocera writes:

Mr. Hurd’s sudden departure from H.P. can be traced, in truth, to the last time the H.P. board did something shameful. That was the infamous “pretexting” scandal, which burst into public view about a year and a half into Mr. Hurd’s tenure. The essential allegation was that the company, led by its board chairwoman, Patricia C. Dunn, had gone way over the line in investigating a series of damaging leaks, including hiring investigators who used false pretenses to obtain phone records of people suspected of being the leakers.

According to “The Big Lie: Spying, Scandal and Ethical Collapse at Hewlett-Packard,” an authoritative account by the former BusinessWeek writer Anthony Bianco, Mr. Hurd was very involved in H.P.’s efforts to hunt down the leakers. After the scandal broke, he hijacked H.P.’s internal investigation, hiring an outside law firm and ordering it to report directly to him, instead of the board, which is the normal practice.

He goes on to say the company’s employees "despised" Hurd, even among top executives. Basically, Nocera’s presumption appears to be that the company was looking for a reason to get rid of him.

Either way, shareholders aren’t thrilled that they weren’t clued in. One has filed a suit against HP’s Board for failing to live up to fiduciary responsibilities.

August 15, 2010
HP Shareholder Sues Board Over Hurd Investigation

Last weekend, HP announced the "resignation" of Chairman, CEO, and President Mark Hurd, following an investigation into sexual harassment claims that were later revealed to come from actress and former HP contractor Jodie Fisher.

Well, HP’s board may have forgotten to clue in shareholders about that investigation, and now the board is being sued over it. The suit, filed by a Connecticut-based law firm, according to the Wall Street Journal, was actually filed on Tuesday on behalf of HP shareholder Brocton Contributory Retirement System.

The complaint alleges that the board failed to live it to its fiduciary duties related to the investigation. CNET’s Erica Ogg quotes the complaint, "As a result of Hurd’s, Lesjak’s, and the HP board’s shortcomings, HP lost significant credibility, and the market punished HP (and its shareholders) upon the 8/6/10 revelation of Hurd’s termination–slashing its stock rating and erasing over $9 billion in market capitalization when the company’s stock resumed trading on 8/9/10."

Lesjak would be HP’s CFO, which has assumed the CEO role on an interim basis as the board looks for Hurd’s replacement.

Hurd did indicate that the company will be fine without him, if that counts for anything. "The corporation is exceptionally well positioned strategically," he said upon resignation. "HP has an extremely talented executive team supported by a dedicated and customer focused work force. I expect that the company will continue to be successful in the future."

HP has not offered a statement on the lawsuit.

August 13, 2010
HP Sexual Harassment Claimant “Saddened” By News

Following the announcement of HP CEO Mark Hurd’s departure, the attorney of Jodie Fisher, the contractor who made the sexual harassment claim against him released a statement from her client.

Fisher had the following things to say:

"I was surprised and saddened that Mark Hurd lost his job over this. That was never my intention."

"Mark and I never had an affair or intimate sexual relationship. I first met Mark in 2007 when I interviewed for a contractor job at the company."

"At HP, I was under contract to work at high-level customer and executive summit events held around the country and abroad. I prepared for those events, worked very hard and enjoyed working for HP."

"I have resolved my claim with Mark privately, without litigation, and I do not intend to comment on it further."

"I wish Mark, his family and HP the best."

Attorney Gloria Allred added, "My client is a single mom focused on raising her young son. She has a degree in Political Science from Texas Tech and was recently the vice president of a commercial real estate company. She formerly worked on the House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control. She has also been a successful salesperson for a Fortune 500 company and has been in various television shows and films, some of which were R-rated when she was in her 30’s. Most recently, Jodie was one of the stars in an NBC television show called ‘Age of Love.’ Our office does not plan to have any further comment."

There you have it.

HP CFO Cathie Lesjak has stepped into the CEO role on an interim basis as the company commences with its search for a new CEO.

August 9, 2010
HP CEO Out After Sexual Harassment Investigation

HP has announced that Chairman, CEO and President Mark Hurd has resigned his positions. This comes following an investigation into sexual harassment claims made against Hurd and the company made by a former contractor.

The company says the investigation determined there was no violation of HP’s sexual harassment policy, but did find violations of HP’s "Standards of Business Conduct."

Hurd had the following to say: "As the investigation progressed, I realized there were instances in which I did not live up to the standards and principles of trust, respect and integrity that I have espoused at HP and which have guided me throughout my career. After a number of discussions with members of the board, I will move aside and the board will search for new leadership. This is a painful decision for me to make after five years at HP, but I believe it would be difficult for me to continue as an effective leader at HP and I believe this is the only decision the board and I could make at this time. I want to stress that this in no way reflects on the operating performance or financial integrity of HP."

"The corporation is exceptionally well positioned strategically," he added. "HP has an extremely talented executive team supported by a dedicated and customer focused work force. I expect that the company will continue to be successful in the future."

Robert Ryan, lead independent director of the Board, added, "The board deliberated extensively on this matter. It recognizes the considerable value that Mark has contributed to HP over the past five years in establishing us as a leader in the industry. He has worked tirelessly to improve the value of HP, and we greatly appreciate his efforts. He is leaving this company in the hands of a very talented team of executives. This departure was not related in any way to the company’s operational performance or financial condition, both of which remain strong. The board recognizes that this change in leadership is unexpected news for everyone associated with HP, but we have strong leaders driving our businesses, and strong teams of employees driving performance."

HP’s Board of Directors has appointed CFO Cathie Lesjak as CEO on an interim basis. She has 24 years with the company under her belt. She will also retain her CFO responsibilities during the interim period. "I accept the position of interim CEO with the clear goal to move the company forward in executing HP’s strategy for profitable growth," she said. "We have strong market momentum and our ability to execute is irrefutable as demonstrated by our Q3 preliminary results."

A Search Committee of the Board of Directors has been created to oversee the process for finding a new CEO and Board Chair.

August 7, 2010
Apple’s iAds Now Appearing for Users

Apple’s iAds are making their way into the wild after weeks of hype. MacRumors.com says, "their presence appears to be very spotty on iAd-compatible applications at the moment with banners appearing only occasionally while at other times the apps simply show blank space in the banner location."

Engadget has an interesting piece on "What Killed the Kin", Microsoft’s ill-fated feature phone that has not been around for very long. The article seems to suggest that the product line may have been doomed from the get go.

Gizmodo reports that Finland’s policy to make broadband a legal right went into effect today. This was originally announced back in October. "It’s only a 1Mbps connection for now, but by 2015 they’re promised 100Mbps," writes Kat Hannaford.

Complaints about the iPhone 4’s antenna troubles have amounted to multiple class action suits against Apple, according to reports. Boy Genius Report has an alleged "conversation" with Steve Jobs, who appears to be playing down the antenna issues. Update: Fortune reports this conversation was a Facek, citing Apple PR.

HP completed its acquisition of Palm, after just a couple months. HP got it for a pirce of $5.70 per share of Palm common stock in cash.

July 1, 2010
HP’s Acquisition of Palm is Complete

Update: The acquisition is now complete. See releases from HP and Palm.

Original Article (04/28): Hewlett-Packard just announced its intent to buy Palm for $1.2 Billion at $5.70 per share. The transaction has already been approved by the HP and Palm boards of directors.

The move was made to give HP a better shot at winning some smartphone marketshare – an industry quickly growing.

"Palm’s innovative operating system provides an ideal platform to expand HP’s mobility strategy and create a unique HP experience spanning multiple mobile connected devices,” said Todd Bradley, executive vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. "And, Palm possesses significant IP assets and has a highly skilled team. The smartphone market is large, profitable and rapidly growing, and companies that can provide an integrated device and experience command a higher share. Advances in mobility are offering significant opportunities, and HP intends to be a leader in this market."

"We’re thrilled by HP’s vote of confidence in Palm’s technological leadership, which delivered Palm webOS and iconic products such as the Palm Pre. HP’s longstanding culture of innovation, scale and global operating resources make it the perfect partner to rapidly accelerate the growth of webOS," said Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein. "We look forward to working with HP to continue to deliver industry-leading mobile experiences to our customers and business partners."

Rubinstein, is expected to remain with the company.

July 1, 2010
YouTube, Guggenheim Partner To Seek Creative Vids

YouTube, HP, and the foundation behind some of the most famous museums in the world have teamed up to discover creative online videos. Winners of the YouTube Play: A Biennial of Creative Video competition will then get to see their videos presented at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, along with the Guggenheim museums in Berlin, Bilbao, and Venice.

As you might imagine given that tie-in, the contest is shaping up to be quite special. A post on the Official YouTube Blog stated this morning, "We’re looking for animation, motion graphics, narrative, non-narrative, or documentary work, music videos and entirely new art forms – creations that really challenge the world’s perceptions of what’s possible with video."

The post then continued, "We want to elevate the debate. This presentation, we hope, will garner some of the finest creative work from every corner of the globe . . ."

As for who will decide which works of art are best, the Guggenheim will be responsible for picking 200 videos, and an international jury of yet-to-be-named artists, filmmakers, musicians, and designers will complete the selection process, picking as many as 20 videos for the showcase.

Two more important details if you’re interested in either participating or following along: the deadline for submission is July 31st, and the final presentations will occur on October 21st.

June 14, 2010
Google Cloud Print’s Arrival Getting Closer

Google has provided an update on the Google Cloud Print service it announced back in April. Google Cloud Print was described as a service that would allow any desktop, web, or mobile app on any device to print to any printer that the user sets up.

Google now says development is progressing quickly, and they’re testing the service internally. Perhaps more interesting is the fact that Google hopes to launch the service in the coming months.

"Google Cloud Print will work with all printers, including those that are not themselves web-connected (we call these ‘legacy printers’)," says group product manager Mike Jazayeri. "However, as we said in the April announcement, the best experience will be with a new generation of web-connected printers that are natively cloud aware. We are working with a number of printer manufacturers to bring cloud print capabilities to their printers."

This week, HP announced a suite of cloud-aware printers and these will all work with Google Cloud Print from the start. Jazayeri and Google VP for Client Products Sundar Pichai joined HP for its announcement of its new printers, and demonstrated Google Cloud Print. Video can be found here.

In April, Google said that the service was in the very early stages of development, so it is somewhat surprising that it looks like it will be ready in the pretty near future. Google Chrome OS will be out later this year though, and they’ll probably want it ready for that.

June 8, 2010
HP Launches Music Service In Europe

Hewlett-Packard said today it is launching a subscription-based music service in Europe in partnership with Omnifone.

The service called MusicStation will be pre-loaded on 16 HP models across 10 European countries. The service will provide access to songs from all four major music labels and independent labels.

MusicStation will be available on new HP PCs in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. Users will pay around $14 a month for access to MusicStation. They can trial the service for free for 14 days, and keep 10 songs each month.

"The HP rollout sees MusicStation Desktop preinstalled on multiple HP PCs, available in 7 languages with each territory featuring an individually tailored music catalogue from Omnifone’s roster of over 6.5 million tracks," said Rob Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of Omnifone.

The new service is fully licensed by Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and Warner Music International.

"With its huge scale and user base, HP’s 10 country introduction of Omnifone’s MusicStation unlimited music service for the PC will help encourage legitimate access to digital music content from Universal Music and all the other major and independent labels," said Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, Universal Music Group International.

Related Articles:

>iTunes 9 Improves Sharing and Syncing

>Sony To Offer eMusic Its Older Catalog

>Yahoo Music Makes Peace with iTunes, Amazon, YouTube

January 25, 2010
U.S. PC Shipments Up 24%

The global PC market saw double-digit growth in the fourth quarter, led by strong U.S. holiday sales of low-cost netbooks, according to the latest report by IDC.

The U.S. PC market reached a new record of nearly 20.7 million units shipped in the fourth quarter of 2009 (4Q09), resulting in year-on-year growth of 24 percent. Other regions also experienced solid growth, particularly emerging markets in Asia/Pacific and Latin America, leading the global market to 15.2 percent year-on-year growth for the quarter. According to IDC, this marked the first quarter of double-digit volume growth since 3Q08.

Along with continuing price cuts throughout the year, other factors were in play in the fourth quarter. Following a number of improving economic indicators, which began in 3Q09, pent-up demand led buyers to focus on a variety of value-oriented notebooks that dominated the landscape in the holiday season.

"The U.S. market exploded in the fourth quarter, driven by a series of factors contributing to the unexpected 24% year-on-year growth. First is the rubber-band effect and recovery from the year-ago quarter, which suffered from buyer contraction when the economic crisis was confirmed," said David Daoud, research manager, IDC U.S. Quarterly PC Tracker.

"The vendors responded with new low price points to stimulate demand and face competition. In this context, low-cost notebooks and mininotebooks were the biggest contributors to the successful fourth quarter. Once again, the consumer market overcame the weak commercial sector to save the quarter."

When it came to vendors, HP had strong market performance in all regions except Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), with solid shipments in the U.S. from holiday retail sales. It also gained double-digit growth in the emerging markets of Asia/Pacific and Latin America.

Dell moved back into positive territory after four quarters of yearly declines. The company managed overall growth of 5 percent and gains of 24 percent in Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan).

"The market has weathered a storm which looks to be behind us," says Jay Chou, research analyst, Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker.

"But salvaging decreasing margins will soon become even more pertinent as one considers the long-term effects of holding market share at the cost of profitability. Without an effective strategy to convey a clear usage model and feature set tied to each segment, the market will inevitably continue down the slippery slope of ‘good-enough’ computing sold to the lowest bidder."

Related Articles:

> PC Market To See Positive Growth In Q4

> Global PC Market Up 16%

> PC Shipments To See Record Decline

January 14, 2010
What Microsoft is Sharing in Consumer Electronics

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s keynote last night was one of the most anticipated events of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. It was expected that he would unveil a device to compete with a supposedly upcoming tablet from Apple, but people anticipating such news were met with the unveiling of a different device – the HP Windows 7 slate device, which apparently doesn’t live up to some of the tech crowd’s expectations.

Ballmer says the device is more powerful than a phone, and "almost as powerful" as a PC. You can’t get too much out of it, but here’s an official video of the device that’s floating around:

The device will be available some time later this year.

In addition to this, Microsoft-related news to come out of CES includes:

– The Sony VAIO L all-in-one laptop built for HD entertainment and multimedia content creation, and including a 24-inch touchscreen (Windows 7)

– The Lenovo A300, one of the thinnest PCs yet at just 18mm, but with a 21.5-inch HD widescreen LED display (Windows 7)

– Microsoft and HP are teaming up on search and portal experiences. Bing will be the default search engine, and MSN the default homepage on HP PCs in 42 countries.

– Ballmer announced the upcoming exclusive availability of the HTC HD2 in partnership with T-Mobile USA, Inc. and HTC.

– Microsoft Mediaroom 2.0, the next version of its Internet Protocol Television solution for service providers

– Big games coming to XBox: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Halo Reach, Conviction, Crackdown 2, Mass Effect 2, Alan Wake, and Fable 3

– Game Room on Xbox LIVE, which Microsoft says will be the place to relive the glory days of arcade games, with over 1000 games being released throughout the next three years

– "Project Natal," the controller-free gaming experience that tracks movement of the body and facial expressions, and responds to your voice, scheduled to be available in holiday season 2010

"We’ve reached a point with technology where it’s very feasible to listen to or watch whatever you want, whenever you want, whether on your smartphone, laptop or a connected TV in the comfort of your living room," said Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division President Robbie Bach. "That concept of greater control is compelling to many people. It’s all about tying together these disparate technologies into a digital entertainment experience that’s consistent, easy to use and relevant to consumers’ needs."

Watch for more WebProNews coverage of CES, with exclusive video interviews coming soon.

Related Articles:

> CES: Opera Releases New SDKs and New Browser

> Cisco Leaving a Big Mark on Consumer Electronics Show

> HP Unveils New Touch Notebook and Some New Minis at CES

January 7, 2010
HP Unveils New Touch Notebook and Some New Minis

HP unveiled a few new mobile devices today at CES. These include a new TouchSmart notebook, and a handful of minis.

The HP TouchSmart tm2 builds on HP’s existing TouchSmart software, and updates the tx2. "With the convertible tm2, customers can choose the product configuration and input method that is most comfortable and natural, whether on a couch, in an airplane or while surfing the web," the company says. "As a traditional notebook, the tm2 offers a keyboard and touch-enabled display for input. Converted to a slate, the tm2 morphs into a sketchpad with digital pen, allowing artists to sketch on the go and students to take notes in class."

HP lists the following new touch applications that enhance the tm2 experience:

– BumpTop, a touch-enhanced 3-D interface for photos and documents that allows users to spatially organize and “toss” or share files and photos to social media sites or email.

– DigiFish Dolphin, an interactive 3-D screensaver that recreates an ocean environment to be experienced via touch or a mouse.

– Corel Paint it! Touch, which allows users to draw and paint or turn photos into paintings using fingertips.

More details about the TouchSmart tm2 can be found here.

The HP Mini 5102 is described as a "full-performance "netbook designed for mobile professionals and students. It comes in either a standard or touch-enabled version. The touchscreen option includes multitouch gestures, finger taps, and swipes across the screen for navigation. More can be read about this here.

Finally, unveiled the HP Mini 210 and HP Mini 2102, with optional 3G broadband connectivity and GPS in multiple color options. HP says new software enhances the HP Mini 210’s multimedia experience:

– HP CloudDrive powered by ZumoDrive allows users to access their synchronized content – documents, photos and music – from the cloud, without having to store it on a local drive.

– HP MediaStream allows users to stream multimedia content from one PC to another over the Internet, without requiring data to be downloaded.

– HP QuickSync software, also available on the HP Mini 2102, automatically synchronizes files created or edited on the road with a home or business PC over a wireless connection when connected to the same network.

– HP QuickWeb allows users to access the web without booting up the notebook by simply pushing a button. In seconds, users have a connection to the Internet and can access websites and other content that normally requires a standard browser, as well as photos, music and more.

More details about the Mini 210 and Mini 2102 can be found here.

The HP TouchSmart tm2 is expected to be available in the US on Jan. 17 in all colors with a starting price of $949. The HP Mini 5102 is expected to be available in the US this month with a starting price of $399. The HP Mini 210 is expected to be available in the US tomorrow with a starting price of $299 for Windows 7.The HP Mini 2102 is also expected to be available in the US tomorrow with a starting price of $329.

Watch for more WebProNews coverage of CES, with exclusive video interviews coming soon.

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January 6, 2010