Mac News: Hardware

MainGear Warms Up New Line of Personal Supercomputers
November 02, 2009

Boutique gaming PC maker MainGear on Monday announced a new line of what it describes as "personal supercomputers." The Shift, a large desktop built to user specifications, runs at up to 4 GHz and features its a liquid cooling system. Prices begin at $2,199. MainGear has designed the Shift line to exploit the natural behavior of heat, according to the company.

Intel Boasts Breakthrough in Durable Multilayer Memory
October 29, 2009

Intel and Numonyx on Wednesday announced what they categorized as a "key breakthrough" in research on phase change memory. Their researchers demonstrated a 64Mb test chip that lets manufacturers stack multiple layers of PCM arrays within one die. This could lead to the creation of smaller memory devices with more capacity and lower power consumption for RAM and storage.

Tilera Crams 100 Cores Into Next-Gen Processors
October 26, 2009

Multicore processor specialist Tilera has announced a new family of processors which includes what the company says is the first-ever 100-core processor. The TILE-Gx family will have four processors, with 16, 36, 64 and 100 cores. It is aimed at cloud computing, enterprise networking, multimedia and wireless infrastructure.

Windows 7 Draws New PC Designs Out of the Woodwork
October 25, 2009

Although no one waits in long lines for a new edition of Windows anymore, the debut of Microsoft's latest software that runs PCs is part of why buying a computer is starting to feel fun for the first time in years. Windows 7 is expected to work better than its predecessor, Vista. At the same time, Microsoft's marketing has gotten savvier, and PC makers have followed Apple's lead by improving hardware design.

Weighing Windows 7's Wallop
October 23, 2009

So how's your head after that wild Windows 7 launch party with the Stepford crew? Still got the spins? OK, if you really did throw or attend an official Windows 7 launch party, then that's ... interesting. I sincerely hope you had a good time. For the rest of us, the official introduction of Windows 7 was a pretty austere affair.

Apple Is Saving the Best for Last
October 23, 2009

Usually by the end of October, early November at the latest, Apple tends to wrap up its retail product innovation and set its lineup in stone for the upcoming holiday buying season. Not this year. Rest assured, something new and important is coming from Apple in time for holiday sales.

Acer Takes Interdimensional Leap With New Laptop
October 22, 2009

Acer on Thursday announced a notebook with 3-D viewing technology aimed at gamers and entertainment buffs. The Aspire 5783DG has a 15.6-inch backlit Acer CineCrystal HD display integrated with a TriDef 3-D screen. It comes with 3-D software and glasses. It also has an integrated multi-in-one media reader and an HDMI port.

Android and Windows, Living Together in Perfect Harmony?
October 22, 2009

Fall may be the season for leaf-gazing and apple cider, but this year there's no doubt it's also the season for Android. Just short of one year after the announcement of the first Android phone -- HTC's Dream, marketed by T-Mobile as G1 -- WiseAndroid proclaimed on Monday that there are no fewer than 50 (yes, five-zero!) Android phones expected in the near future.

The Juggernaut's New iMac
October 21, 2009

Apple launched three new products Tuesday just hours after disclosing details on the most successful non-holiday quarter in the company's history. The new hardware includes new iMac models, a new sub-$1,000 MacBook and a multitouch mouse that Apple has dubbed the "Magic Mouse." On Wall Street, the company's revelations sent its stock climbing.

Windows 7 and What Comes After the PC
October 19, 2009

Microsoft and Windows go back to the very beginning of the PC -- when people couldn't afford them, when networks were defined by terminal emulators and floppy disks, and when many of the Google pioneers were in diapers. Looking back at what Windows initially did and considering what Windows 7 is capable of, you can certainly say a lot has changed.

Sidekick Snafu: The Data Saved and the Damage Done
October 16, 2009

T-Mobile's Sidekick users had a pretty rough time this week thanks to a mistake that first looked enormous but eventually was pretty much fixed, though with no small amount of worry and strife in between. An unfortunate series of events caused a major inconvenience for users of the smartphone.

Acer Topples Dell to Claim No. 2 PC Vendor Slot
October 15, 2009

As global PC shipments rose 2.3 percent year over year in the third quarter, Taiwanese PC manufacturer Acer took the No. 2 spot in PC sales worldwide, according to market research firm IDC. That pushed Dell into third place; market leader HP, however, maintains its commanding lead. HP accounted for 20.2 percent of PC shipments worldwide in the third quarter, with almost 15.8 million units.

Oracle's Ellison Challenges IBM to Server Duel
October 15, 2009

Larry Ellison ratcheted up his rhetoric against IBM on Wednesday, challenging Oracle's longtime partner and rival to "make our day" in a battle over business software performance. Ellison, Oracle's billionaire CEO, shook up the technology world in April by outbidding IBM and snatching up struggling server and software maker Sun Microsystems for $7.4 billion.

Acer Joins the Android Horde
October 14, 2009

Acer has announced details surrounding two hotly anticipated mobile devices running Google's Android mobile operating system: the Liquid A1 touchscreen smartphone, which Acer first said it was developing when it joined the Open Handset Alliance earlier this year; and the Aspire One netbook, which is available for preorder at Amazon for $349.99.

California May Lead US in Setting Green-TV Standards
October 14, 2009

California utilities and environmental groups Tuesday urged state energy regulators to ban the most power-hungry televisions from stores as a way to lower electricity demand. A rule before the California Energy Commission would impose the nation's first energy-efficiency requirements for flat-screen TVs, a mandatory standard that is expected to be copied by other states.

Wall Street Cheers Intel's Q3 Results, Q4 Forecast
October 14, 2009

Intel has been asserting for months that the personal computer business is rebounding from its deepest slump in nearly a decade. Its stock surged Wednesday on signs that things are picking up faster than expected, despite a few lingering trouble spots. Intel reported after the market closed Tuesday that its profit and sales both dipped 8 percent from July through September as spending by corporations remained weak.