Mark Hachman

Both Dell and Alienware havent quite quashed rumors that the PC giant is out to purchase the boutique computer maker. Representatives of both companies contacted March 14 and early March 15 declined to comment on any potential transactions, however. Reports linking the two surfaced earlier this month. On March 1, VoodooPC chief Rahul Sood, a […]

IBM researchers said Feb. 6 that they have created a low-power chip set that will compete with Ultra-Wideband technology, offering data rates at around 630M bps. The chip set conforms to the IEEE 802.15.3c specification, which IBM refers to as “millimeter wave” or “mmWave” technology. Using unlicensed spectrum around the 60GHz range in the United […]

Apple Computer has applied for a patent on several methods of applying gestures to touch-sensitive input devices, possibly implying a touch-pad- or touch-screen-enabled product is in the companys future. The companys patent, “Gestures for touch sensitive input devices,” features a large illustration of a hand making the “dialing” motion that controls an iPod on a […]

Unable to resolve a deadlock between two competing proposals, the IEEE working group responsible for the ultrawideband technology threw in the towel Thursday. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.3a task group (TG3a), which oversaw the formation of the UWB standard agreed to withdraw the Jan. 2003 project authorization request that formed the […]

On Thursday, Hewlett-Packard Co.s original semiconductor business will have a go of it yet again. Avago Technologies, which spun out of Agilent Technologies, which in turn spun out of HP in 1999, began operations on Thursday as the worlds largest privately held fabless chip company. The firm will employ 6,500 employees worldwide, with headquarters on […]

Micron and Intel said Monday that they would form a new company dedicated to manufacturing NAND flash memory, of which a “significant portion” will be shipped to Apple Computer. The venture, which will be 51 percent owned by Micron Technology Inc., will be named IM Flash Technologies LLC. Micron will list IM Flash as a […]

Sony and NEC agreed to merge the optical disk-drive operations of both companies on Thursday, a move that will combine members of the two opposing next-generation DVD camps. Beginning in April 2006, the two companies will combine their optical-storage component operations under Sony Corp.s leadership, which will own 55 percent of the combined operations and […]

IBM researchers have developed a method to ensure consumer privacy while using RFID tags that imitate scratch-off lottery tickets and perforated clothing labels. While the RFID device would remain on the shirt, can or package itself, IBMs idea is attach a partially destructible RFID antenna so that the consumer can remove it after purchase. IBM […]

Seagate Technology Ltd. has brought its desktop Barracuda drives into the ninth generation, adding a half-terabyte model and 3-Gbit SATA technology to its lineup. The Barracuda 7200.9 drives, as theyre known, have begun shipping in 40GB to 500GB capacities, with cache sizes ranging from 2MB to 16MB. Manufacturer suggested pricing will be $61 for a […]

LONDON—A report prepared for and endorsed by the British Screen Advisory Council promotes widespread digital rights management programs to manage content, while advising shrinking the “window” between theatrical and DVD releases. That position was echoed Thursday by the United Kingdoms Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, in a speech scheduled to be delivered to an intellectual-property and […]