Less than a year after its much-ballyhooed rollout of Vista, Microsoft is giving in to the demands of manufacturers and business users who want to switch back to the XP operating system (OS). 25 Sep 2007
There's still a lot of back and forth: Offline factors influence online activity, and vice versa, for a merging of the online and the offline worlds. In an audio podcast discussion, as well as the accompanying BriefingsDirect multimedia video podcast, I helped plumb the depths of Enquiro's findings and then vetted them through the experiences of B2B search engine ZoomInfo. 21 Sep 2007
Dell's XPS desktop has had an impressive run. Like the Dodge Viper, it blended many aspects of a high-end gaming system with the quality and controls of a volume-based PC company. While incredibly powerful, the XPS is a little raw when compared with Hewlett-Packard's Blackbird. If XPS is a Dodge Viper, the Blackbird is more like a Corvette in that it is both very powerful and incredibly refined, writes Rob Enderle of TechNewsWorld. 20 Sep 2007
Sony has denied reports that it will sell its production facilities for advanced chips used in the PlayStation 3 to Toshiba for nearly 100 billion yen (US$864 million). 20 Sep 2007
The iPhone's arrival on UK shores became imminent Tuesday as Apple revealed that O2 will be the device's official carrier for the area, confirming widespread speculation. The price for the device in the UK will be about US$542 - less than the iPhone's price when it debuted stateside, but significantly more than Americans currently pay. It will hit UK shelves on 9 November, little more than five months after its US launch. 19 Sep 2007
PrintVillage, Inc. and its digital dye sublimation division, US Sublimation, are to introduce the Velotex direct-to-textile and sublimation system for digital printing on textiles. 17 Sep 2007
Will the reorganisation help Philips achieve its growth goals? Jan Willem Berghuis, a financial analyst at Kempen & Co., says he is convinced Philips can do it. The company has a debt-free balance sheet, so it could double earnings through acquisitions or share buybacks. Instead, it has said it plans to grow its operational margin from 7.5% to 10% organically by 2010. 17 Sep 2007
Microsoft struck again in the consumer hardware space on Wednesday, rolling out new hardware with special emphasis on notebook computers. Two new mice are focused on laptop use, and one of the new webcams the company unveiled is designed for notebooks as well. One of the mice features Bluetooth connectivity, while the other has a transceiver containing a 1 GB thumb drive. 14 Sep 2007
Implanted RFID microchips may cause cancer, suggest several reports based on studies with rodents. 13 Sep 2007
SVP Worldwide, owner of Husqvarna Viking brand sewing machines, has announced the worldwide introduction of the new Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 870 Quilt sewing machine. Along with the Sapphire 830 and 850 sewing machines, the new 870 brings more exclusive features to sewers worldwide that have previously been available only on top-of-the-line sewing machines. 12 Sep 2007
Delegates from a broad spectrum of industries came to the Axiz Auditorium in Midrand in August to attend the first EMS “Smart Rock” RFID seminar to be held in South Africa. 12 Sep 2007
People may believe that a full and rewarding digital lifestyle is restricted to a few super-rich techno-geeks but, in fact, just about anyone can enjoy quality entertainment that suits their pocket. 12 Sep 2007
In the context of changing market conditions, Africa's telecommunications leaders will meet at AfricaCom in Cape Town to discuss growth strategies. 10 Sep 2007
Optimizing your website to take advantage of the power of search engines to put you in front of customers gives you a huge competitive advantage. 7 Sep 2007
By breaking up pieces of USA Today's daily output and allowing users to pick and choose how and when they access them, the newspaper is making it possible for Web users to consume only certain parts of it, and not necessarily on the newspaper's own site and without buying a printed copy of the newspaper. 7 Sep 2007
23half Inc, a pioneer of technologies designed to extend the functionality of camera phones, has announced the commercial availability of Thrrum Visual Browser on select Sony Ericsson camera phone models. The application enables camera phone users to search and browse relevant information by simply pointing their camera phones at products and other objects of interest in their physical environment. 6 Sep 2007
Community Services Platform for wireless cities looks set to narrow southern Africa's digital divide. 6 Sep 2007
Sony Ericsson President Miles Flint unexpectedly resigned from his position on Tuesday, 4 September, reports Keith Regan of E-Commerce Times. Flint will be replaced by Hideki Komiyama, who is the current chairman of Sony Electronics USA and executive vice president of electronics marketing and sales for Sony. 5 Sep 2007
A 'Center for Commercial and Agricultural Information' (PICA) for the collection and the publication of price lists via the internet has been launched in Togo to enable farmers and traders to interact over prices and availability of the products by ICT, Noel Kokou Tadégnon of the Highway Africa News Agency reports. 4 Sep 2007
Packard Bell, one of the leading consumer electronics brands in Europe, has announced the launch of its new EasyNote XS, a 7-inch notebook which combines advanced portability with a full featured PC running Windows XP Home Edition. 4 Sep 2007