John G. Spooner

Intel will part with its XScale application processor chips. The chip maker will sell the line, best known for powering some Palm and Research in Motion BlackBerry handhelds, to Marvell Technology Group for $600 million. The June 27 deal, which is subject to regulatory review, is expected to close in four to five months, the […]

Broadcom is promising to use silicon to beef up office security. The chip maker on June 27 released its Broadcom BCM5890 secure processor, an RFID (radio-frequency identification)-enabled security chip thats designed to better protect the personal authentication process when granting employees access to buildings and even computer networks. By offering enhanced protection for access credentials […]

Tiny new laptops from Dell and Fujitsu Computer Systems are taking flight, continuing a trend toward lighter-weight systems. Fujitsu Computer Systems delivered the 2.2-pound LifeBook Q2010 on June 19, while Dell unveiled its Latitude D420, which weighs 3 pounds, on June 20. The machines fit into the ultraportable category, which includes notebooks that weigh up […]

Robotics industry executives, in an effort to grow their nascent market, are hoping to borrow some experience from the PC business. Several executives, speaking at the RoboBusiness Conference & Expo in Pittsburgh on June 20, said the market for mobile robots—bots that move on their own and can interact with their surroundings—is eyeing steady growth […]

PITTSBURGH—Mobile robots could become businesses newest recruits in the not-too-distant future, raising questions about who will ultimately manage these machines. The industry for mobile robots—machines that can interact with their environment and navigate on their own versus fixed-function bots—is emerging from university labs into the mainstream. Many robots are still rudimentary and expensive to manufacture. […]

Server makers are lining up a host of new and enhanced systems armed with Intels new “Woodcrest” Xeon processor, a chip built on a new architecture that promises better performance coupled with greater energy efficiency. Intel initially said the Xeon 5100 family—based on Intels new Core microarchitecture—would be released in the third quarter. However, earlier […]

According to a new report by Gartner, PC manufacturers have cut annual failure rates on their desktop and notebook PCs by about 25 percent over the past two years. But PC reliability—the main enemies are motherboards and hard drives—could still be improved in some areas, especially for notebooks, the Stamford, Conn., firm said in the […]

Advanced Micro Devices on June 23 announced plans to build a new chip manufacturing plant in New York state. The chip maker, which has seen market share gains of late against rival Intel, said it would build the new plant—or fab, in industry parlance—in Saratoga County, in upstate New York near Albany. The plant is […]

Dell says its investigating an incident in which one of its laptops is said to have caught fire. The event, detailed in a report by the Inquirer.net, saw the Dell laptop produce smoke and then catch fire during a business conference in Japan. The Web publication is hosting several pictures of the event on its […]

PITTSBURGH—Robotics industry executives, in an effort to grow their nascent market, are hoping to borrow some experience from the PC business. Several executives, speaking to attendees here at the RoboBusiness Conference & Expo on June 20, said the market for mobile robots—bots that move on their own and can interact with their surroundings—is eyeing steady […]

PITTSBURGH—Microsoft has robot dreams. The company on June 20 released a community technical preview or beta of its Microsoft Robotics Studio. The companys robotics software development suite, previewed here at the Robo Business 2006 Conference, is designed to grant robot designers a framework for creating the code that serves as the brains behind the various […]

Despite having been on the market only a few months, ultramobile PCs, the keyboard-less handheld computers capable of running Windows XP, have already been panned by analysts and many reviewers. Now theyre being targeted by the likes of Sony and startup OQO, who are offering their own diminutive computers for businesses. But Microsoft and partners—the […]