Nicholas Kolakowski

Dell and other PC vendors will stop shipping systems with Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home installed, beginning Oct. 22. Dell customers will no longer have Windows XP as an option starting in late September, although the manufacturer plans to continue Windows XP driver support through December 2012. “After the Oct. 22 date, qualified […]

Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced a number of products during his company’s Sept. 1 presentation in San Francisco, devoting a substantial chunk of time to the now-annual refresh of the iPod line. In particular, the revamped iPod Touch-which Jobs joked was an iPhone “without a phone”-will receive a number of features already present in the […]

Microsoft released Windows Phone 7 to manufacturing on Sept. 1. After months of updates and rumors, this is the milestone that anticipates that most final of final steps: actual product release. Now Microsoft’s OEMs will integrate the software platform into their devices, which will reportedly debut in the October-November timeframe. “Windows Phone 7 is the […]

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab will be one of the first tablets to try to wrest market share from the Apple iPad. Unveiled at the IFA 2010 consumer electronics show in Berlin, the device features a TFT-LCD 7-inch screen and a Cortex A8 1GHz processor, and it runs Google Android 2.2. Along with Dell’s recently released Streak, […]

Apple TV, iOS Updates, iPods, Ping Show Company Direction by Nicholas Kolakowski Apple TV Apple introduced a revamped Apple TV, with a smaller form factor, HDMI connector, Ethernet and WiFi. It will retail for $99. iPod Nano The radically revised iPod Nano includes a multitouch screen, a built-in FM radio, a 46 percent smaller body […]

Microsoft is reintroducing the Windows 7 Family Pack, an offer it discontinued last year. Those with PCs running Windows Vista or Windows XP, and capable of running Windows 7, qualify for the program, which includes three upgrade licenses of Windows 7 Home Premium for $149.99. Microsoft will start selling Windows 7 Family Pack through retailers […]

HP Back-to-School Laptops Include 3D, Intel Core, Redesigns by Nicholas Kolakowski HP Envy 14 Beats Edition Marketed as a multimedia powerhouse, the HP Envy 14 Beats Edition includes either Intel Core i5 or i7 processors, AMD ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics, and Beats Audio sound technology developed in collaboration with Dr. Dre. Colorful Design […]

Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble’s strategies for conquering the e-reader market? Cut the prices of their respective Kindle and Nook devices. Sony’s strategy for boosting its sales numbers in that same market? Raise the price of its refreshed Reader Pocket Edition and justify it with additional features such as touch screens and a lighter, smaller […]

Apple’s Sept. 1 event in San Francisco saw the debut of new iPods, a revamped Apple TV and several new services, including a social network devoted to music. Those items are virtually guaranteed to give Apple buzz heading into the holiday shopping season, but they could also bring the company into more fierce competition with […]

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 reached its release-to-manufacturing milestone Sept. 1. From here, the smartphone operating system will be released to Microsoft’s partners, who will integrate the software with their devices. Microsoft plans to release Windows Phone 7 devices in time for the 2010 holiday shopping season, and hopes that consumers will gravitate to the platform […]

Autodesk is releasing AutoCAD for Mac software, returning to the Apple platform after 18 years. In addition to a version running natively on Mac OS X, Autodesk also plans on releasing an AutoCAD WS mobile application for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. AutoCAD allows illustration-minded professionals, including engineers and architects, to draft and edit 2D […]

Borders plans on slashing the prices of the Kobo and Aluratek Libre e-readers by $20, in a bid to better compete against competitors such as the Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook, according to a new online report. Borders President Mike Edwards told the Wall Street Journal Aug. 31 that the price cuts allowed […]