Mark Hachman

Reports that IBM might spin off or sell its PC business have refocused attention on the evolving role of contract manufacturers and Asian ODMs, those companies who actually build the PCs that are later branded as “Dell” or “HP.” The same factors that have helped “original device manufacturers” such as Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn) […]

Iomega Corp. updated its network-attached storage line Friday with the NAS 400r, a rack-mounted NAS line featuring faster processors and improved capacity. The refresh also includes an increase in capacity, with options up to 1.6 terabytes. The San Diego-based companys NAS devices will compete just under an enterprise market thats become heavily saturated with competitors, […]

Intel said Thursday that it expects fourth-quarter revenue to be higher than anticipated, based on strong demand for its products. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chip vendor made its disclosure as part of a previously scheduled business update that it releases in the middle of every quarter. In a conference call with analysts, Intel said it […]

IBM, Sony Corp., Sony Computer Entertainment and Toshiba Corp. said Monday that the companies had “powered on” the first workstation designed around the collaboratively designed “Cell” processor, which will begin pilot production next year. The companies confirmed further details about the chip and said additional disclosures will be made at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference […]

Toshiba said Monday that four major Hollywood studios have signed on to release titles in the HD (high-definition) DVD format, a decision that should have a significant impact on the next-generation DVD Forum battle. Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Studios all released commitments to support the HD DVD format, Toshiba […]

Seagate Technology began shipping its first 400-Gbyte drive, the Barracuda 7200.8, this week. The 7,200-RPM drives are available in 200-GB, 250-GB, 300-GB and 400-GB capacity points, with either a native Serial ATA or parallel ATA interface. The drives feature either an 8-Mbyte or 16-Mbyte buffer, depending on the model. The new drive will cost under […]

SUNNYVALE, Calif.—Advanced Micro Devices Inc. plans to challenge the NAND flash market dominated by Samsung and Toshiba with a new, hybrid flash memory designed for removable storage. The “ORNAND” flash, scheduled for an introduction in 2005, will allow AMD to break out of its niche in the NOR flash market—which it shares with Intel Corp.—and […]

Broadcom Corp.s 2005 to-do list includes integrating security features into its enterprise products, backing AMDs microprocessors and boosting its presence in handsets, executives said Thursday. The communications giant held its semiannual analyst meeting at its Irvine, Calif., headquarters, touting its 2004 success as well as its plans to expand its business during 2004. Executives said […]

SAN FRANCISCO—T-Mobiles wireless division said Wednesday that it has signed partnership agreements with six other wireless carriers, allowing single sign-on services to 11 countries around the globe. The roaming agreement will be run under the auspices of the WBA (Wireless Broadband Alliance), a collection of wireless carriers that originated in Asia. Along with T-Mobile USA […]

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Though DDR-2 memory offers systems lower power and faster speeds than its predecessor, the first generation of DDR-1 DRAM refuses to go away, leaving the anticipated shift to DDR-2 memory at something of a standstill. A year ago, analysts expected that vendors would now be well into the replacement cycle for DDR-2 memory […]