ExtremeTech Staff

Skype launched Version 1.4 of its VOIP software for the Windows platform on Friday, adding call forwarding and the ability to add customized ring tones. The new service entered beta testing in August. Like earlier versions, the service is free, although users will pay for the premium services, such as calls made to landline phones […]

Auction site eBay said Monday that it plans to acquire VOIP powerhouse Skype Technologies SA for a whopping $2.6 billion in cash and stock. The deal, worth $1.3 billion in cash plus 32.4 million shares of eBay stock, will command a substantial premium, 42 times Skypes expected 2005 earnings of $60 million. Skype expects revenue […]

Air Products & Chemicals has shut down a hydrogen gas complex near New Orleans, limiting the supply of an obscure but important component in semiconductor wafer production. AP&C shut down the plant on August 31 following Hurricane Katrinas landfall near New Orleans. The plant manufactures hydrogen, used to create epitaxial films on silicon wafers. The […]

Advanced Micro Devices released a pair of mobile Turion 64-bit processors on Monday, both of which will appear in boutique notebooks from VoodooPC. The AMD MT-40 and MT-37 will form the new high end of the Turion “MT” family, the designation used for AMDs thin-and-light processors that use a 25-watt thermal design power envelope. A […]

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. on Monday released a dual-core version of its existing AMD Athlon 64 3800+ processor, cutting prices in the process. The addition to the low end of the AMD dual-core desktop microprocessor line is AMDs first dual-core chip rated at the same performance level as one of its single-core offerings. The 3800+ […]

Vonage was found to be the most reliable VOIP vendor in a study released this week, with AT&Ts CallVantage Service lauded as having the best voice quality. Keynote Systems placed VOIP calls every 30 minutes on a variety of networks and services, evaluating every service for uptimes, call quality and audio delays. VOIP calls have […]

Intel shifted the majority of its Pentium 4 processors to 64-bit capability over the weekend. Intel quietly introduced the Intel 5×1 series, which shifts the existing 775-pin, 32-bit Pentium 4 line—known as the 5xx series—to 64-bit memory addressing. For customers, all this means is that Intel is encouraging its customers to buy 64-bit chips instead […]

Samsung said Wednesday that it will ship a line of notebooks containing MIMO antennas, the technology bridging todays Wi-Fi and tomorrows 802.11n specification. The new X20 and X25 notebooks integrate Airgo Networks MIMO technology—an array of multiple antennas that are designed to improve wireless throughput. While the MIMO technology is at the heart of the […]

Samsung Electronics Co. said Monday that it had developed a solid-state hard disk based on flash memory. The new drives will be available in capacities up to 16 gigabytes in total, although the prices of the drives were not announced. All of the drives will house Samsungs NAND flash memory, the same memory used to […]

Memory-Tech Corp. and Toshiba said late Tuesday that they have developed plans for a three-layer, 45-Gbyte HD DVD disc. The super-high-density HD disc is constructed from a double-layer disc attached to a single-layer disc, according to Memory-Tech. The two companies did not release a timetable for the discs production. Toshiba and its HD DVD disc […]