Top Ten Tips To Improve System Speed

1.Let your PC boot up completely before opening any applications.

2.Refresh the desktop after closing any application. This will remove any unused files from the RAM.

3.Do not set very large file size images as your wallpaper. Do not keep a wallpaper at all if your PC is low on RAM (less than 64 MB).
4.Do not clutter your Desktop with a lot of shortcuts. Each shortcut on the desktop uses up to 500 bytes of RAM

5.Empty the recycle bin regularly. The files are not really deleted from your hard drive until you empty the recycle bin.

6.Delete the temporary internet files regularly.

7.Defragment your hard drive once every two months. This will free up a lot of space on your hard drive and rearrange the files so that your applications run faster.

8.Always make two partitions in your hard drive. Install all large Software's (like PSP, Adobe Photoshop, 3DS Max etc) in the second partition. Windows uses all the available empty space in C drive as virtual memory when your Computer RAM is full. Keep the C Drive as empty as possible.
9.When installing new Software disable the option of having a tray icon. The tray icons use up available RAM, and also slow down the booting of your PC. Also disable the option of starting the application automatically when the PC boots. You can disable these options later on also from the Tools or preferences menu in your application.

10. Protect your PC from dust. Dust causes the CPU cooling fan to jam and slow down thereby gradually heating your CPU and affecting the processing speed. Use compressed air to blow out any dust from the CPU. Never use vacuum.

You might also like:

* CCleaner
* Speed Up Your Computer - Video Tutorial
* Associate an icon with a drive

FROM rizeworkshop.blogspot.com

5 Ways to Speed Up Your PC

No matter how fast your processor and regardless of how
much ram

you carry, there comes a time when you realize
your computer

just doesn't run as fast as it did when you
bought it.

Windows loads slower, programs take longer to launch,
and, in general, your computer drags like it just came
off a 2-night drinking binge.

If this sounds like your situation, these 5 tips should
help you get some extra speed from your PC.

~ Disk Cleanup Utility ~

You may not realize it, but just because you finish with
a file doesn't mean your computer does.

In many cases, if your computer's hard drive were a
garage, you would have unused junk files piled 20 feet
high and spilling out into the street.

Everyone should use the Windows "Disk Cleanup Utility" to
delete old, unused, and temporary files that clog your
hard drive.

Click Start, point at All Programs (or Programs),
Accessories, System Tools, and click Disk Cleanup.
Analyze your hard drive for files you can eliminate and
it may shock you to see how much hard drive space (and
speed) you can free up with a few clicks.


~ "Defrag" ~

Imagine a properly maintained hard drive as room the size
of Wal-Mart filled with filing cabinets.

Now imagine ripping open every drawer of every filing
cabinet, slinging the contents onto the floor and trying
to find one document -that's a fragmented hard drive.

Sometimes lack of speed simply results from your computer
working too hard to find the files it needs.

You can solve this problem by "defragging" your hard
drive.

Click Start, point to All Programs (or Programs),
Accessories, System Tools, and click Disk Defragmentor.
Choose the disk you want to defragment and expect to let
the program run for several hours.


~ Uninstall Unused Software ~

We all maintain software on our systems we rarely, if
ever, use.

That software can steal system resources. Click Start,
Control Panel, and "Add Remove Programs" to pull up a
screen that allows you to remove old programs you don't
use anymore.

Simply select and uninstall all programs you know for
sure you don't need or want.


~ Buy More RAM ~

Increasing your RAM, a computer's memory, can
dramatically increase speed when running certain
operations or programs.

RAM costs so little now that you should install the
maximum amount of memory your system can handle.


~ "Stop Them At Startup" ~

This operation requires a bit more technical savvy than
the other four, so proceed with caution.

Many programs load into the system tray in the lower
right of your computer's desktop and consume system
resources even if you never use them.

Click Start, Run, type in msconfig, and press Enter.
Click the "Startup" tab to see a list of programs that
automatically start with Windows.

Clear the check box next to programs you know you don't
want to load at startup.

But don't clear any checkbox unless you are 100% certain
of a program's purpose.

Once you finish, click OK and it will prompt you to
restart Windows.

About The Author:

Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the
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Source: http://www.a1articles.com

Cisco CCNA / CCNP: How And Why To Build An Etherchannel

CCNA and CCNP candidates are well-versed in Spanning-Tree Protocol, and one of the great things about STP is that it works well with little or no additional configuration. There is one situation where STP works against us just a bit while it prevents switching loops, and that is the situation where two switches have multiple physical connections.

You would think that if you have two separate physical connections between two switches, twice as much data could be sent from one switch to the other than if there was only one connection. STP doesn't allow this by default, however in an effort to prevent switching loops from forming, one of the paths will be blocked.

SW1 and SW2 are connected via two separate physical connections, on ports fast0/11 and fast 0/12. As we can see here on SW1, only port 0/11 is actually forwarding traffic. STP has put the other port into blocking mode (BLK).


SW1#show spanning vlan 10


(some output removed for clarity)


Interface Role Sts Cost Prio.Nbr Type


Fa0/11 Root FWD 19 128.11 P2p

Fa0/12 Altn BLK 19 128.12 P2p


While STP is helping us by preventing switching loops, STP is also hurting us by preventing us from using a perfectly valid path between SW1 and SW2. We could literally double the bandwidth available between the two switches if we could use that path that is currently being blocked.

The secret to using the currently blocked path is configuring an Etherchannel. An Etherchannel is simply a logical bundling of 2 - 8 physical connections between two Cisco switches.

Configuring an Etherchannel is actually quite simple. Use the command "channel-group 1 mode on" on every port you want to be placed into the Etherchannel. Of course, this must be done on both switches if you configure an Etherchannel on one switch and don't do so on the correct ports on the other switch, the line protocol will go down and stay there.

The beauty of an Etherchannel is that STP sees the Etherchannel as one connection. If any of the physical connections inside the Etherchannel go down, STP does not see this, and STP will not recalculate. While traffic flow between the two switches will obviously be slowed, the delay in transmission caused by an STP recalculation is avoided. An Etherchannel also allows us to use multiple physical connections at one time.

Here's how to put these ports into an Etherchannel:

SW1#conf t

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

SW1(config)#interface fast 0/11

SW1(config-if)#channel-group 1 mode on

Creating a port-channel interface Port-channel 1


SW1(config-if)#interface fast 0/12

SW1(config-if)#channel-group 1 mode on



SW2#conf t

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

SW2(config)#int fast 0/11

SW2(config-if)#channel-group 1 mode on

SW2(config-if)#int fast 0/12

SW2(config-if)#channel-group 1 mode on


The command "show interface trunk" and "show spanning-tree vlan 10" will be used to verify the Etherchannel configuration.


SW2#show interface trunk (some output removed for clarity)


Port Mode Encapsulation Status Native vlan

Po1 desirable 802.1q trunking 1


SW2#show spanning vlan 10 (some output removed for clarity)


Interface Role Sts Cost Prio.Nbr Type


Po1 Desg FWD 12 128.65 P2p


Before configuring the Etherchannel, we saw individual ports here. Now we see "Po1", which stands for the interface "port-channel1". This is the logical interface created when an Etherchannel is built. We are now using both physical paths between the two switches at one time!

That's one major benefit in action let's see another. Ordinarily, if the single open path between two trunking switches goes down, there is a significant delay while another valid path is opened - close to a minute in some situations. We will now shut down port 0/11 on SW2 and see the effect on the etherchannel.

SW2#conf t

Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.

SW2(config)#int fast 0/11

SW2(config-if)#shutdown

3w0d: %LINK-5-CHANGED: Interface FastEthernet0/11, changed
state to administratively down


SW2#show spanning vlan 10


VLAN0010

Spanning tree enabled protocol ieee

Interface Role Sts Cost Prio.Nbr Type


Po1 Desg FWD 19 128.65 P2p



SW2#show interface trunk


Port Mode Encapsulation Status Native vlan


Po1 desirable 802.1q trunking 1

The Etherchannel did not go down! STP sees the Etherchannel as a single link therefore, as far as STP is concerned, nothing happened

Source: http://www.a1articles.com

How To Choose The Best Gaming Laptop

The gaming laptop is coming of age! It is steadily
increasing in popularity as performance quality goes
up. Gamers now regularly consider laptops or notebooks

when searching for that perfect gaming machine.

With each new generation of notebooks we are seeing some
novel breakthroughs: dual core notebooks, PCI Express,
Sonoma chipset, increased storage, increased RAM, faster
CPUs, better battery life and better wireless connections
including a Cellular Modem. All welcome news for gamers
and notebook lovers alike.

Generally, gamers are a very demanding group, they know
their computers and they know what they want in their
computers. Most gamers like to order their gaming laptop
with their own specs and configurations. In that light,
if you closely examine the main points gamers consider
when configuring or building their Dream Machine - you will
have a good blueprint for the best gaming machine.

Since notebook technology changes every two years or so,
it's probably wise to purchase a laptop that can be easily
upgraded as new products come on line. So consider the
upgradable factor in any notebook that you plan to buy.

Now, lets look at some of these key gaming factors:


GRAPHICS

You must have the best/latest/fastest Graphics on the market. DUH!

Serious gamers are concerned with graphics, obsessed would
probably be a better word. And rightly so! Graphics or the
quality of the graphic chipset in your notebook computer will
be your first area of consideration and it will greatly
determine the gaming performance of your PC.

Go with the latest Graphic Chipset and also check to see
if you can upgrade your Graphics Card on the particular
machine you're thinking about buying. Many machines allow this.

Here are some Graphic Chipsets that are highly rated: ATi
Mobility Radeon 9700, ATI's Mobility FireGL V3200 or Intel's
Graphics Media Accelerator 900.

ATi Mobility Radeon 9700 is a high quality Graphics Card
or visual processing unit (VPU) present in many next
generation notebooks. It will give you higher performance
at a lower power level, saving battery power.

It makes your notebook computer capable of many functions:
3D games, wide-screen HDTV, dynamic presentations, mobile
video editing studio and graphic processor.

Many notebooks now come with integrated graphics, where
components interact and are sometimes shared, especially
memory. If you want a notebook computer for 3D games - check
the amount of video RAM - this is memory that's dedicated to
graphic or video applications.

Other common graphic chipsets are: STMicro, NVIDIA,
3D Labs, Matrox, Trident S3 and SIS.



RAM


Get the largest amount of RAM possible. DUDE!

RAM or random-access memory will determine how much
graphics your notebook computer will be able to handle.
It's best to get the largest amount possible on your
machine or what you can afford.

It's generally agreed that you need at least 256MB for
Windows XP and Mac OS X. You will only need 128MB for other
operating systems in Windows or Mac.

RAM or the amount of RAM on your notebook computer is
extremely important if you want to handle heavy graphic
files or want to play games on your notebook. The more
RAM you have, the more applications you will be able to
handle. Some notebook now come with up to 2GB of
DDR2 533MHz RAM!

DDR2 SDRAM - is a new standard that can boost conventional
SDRAM memory up to speeds well over 200MHz and beyond.
For example, the IBM ThinkPad T43, thanks to the
Sonoma Chipset or platform has 533MHz DDR 2 SDRAM.

This is much better than standard SDRAM which tops out
around 150-166MHz and DDR SDRAM which starts at 200MHz
and goes up to around 400MHz.

Video RAM or VRAM is special memory that's used by video
adapters on your notebook. This is RAM that is dedicated
to handling the visuals and graphics on your notebook
computer. This is helpful if you want to play a lot of
the latest 3D video games on your notebook.

It is somewhat different from ordinary RAM because it can
be accessed by two different devices at once - enabling
screen updates while the video processor processes new data.
VRAM provides better graphics but is more expensive than
ordinary RAM.



SPEED


You need the fastest computer money can buy. Period!

In order to get the maximum performance from your ultimate
gaming computer you must have the fastest speed you can get
or afford. Your ultimate PC must be able to process and handle
the latest 3D video games with ease. There is nothing as annoying
as your PC freezing up in the middle of some major gaming action!

Therefore, your Processor's speed is very important.

CPU or Central Processing Unit, you probably know it as
the processor! It's the heart or rather the brain of your
notebook or computer. It does all your computer's data
processing and applications. Since it does most of the work,
it's usually the most expensive part of your notebook computer.

Go with SATA!

SATA is a type of hard drive and stands for Serial Advanced
Technology Architecture. It was developed by a whole group of
companies including Seagate, Intel, Maxtor, Dell and others.
SATA transmit data in a serially (in a single stream) as
opposed to PATA or Parallel ATA which is commonly referred
to as an IDE hard drive.

Serial ATA hard drives uses less power and are ideal for
notebook computers, they are also more advanced than PATA
hard drives which uses multipe streams of data - go figure!
But Serial Technology carries data in a single stream and
unlike PATA is not limited to a particular clock speed,
Serial transfers data packets almost 30 times faster than
parallel.

If top performance in your notebook is one of your goals,
go with a SATA hard drive.

Intel Pentium M processors are commonly found in a lot of
notebooks and laptops. When in doubt also go with a Pentium!

The speed of microprocessors is measured in MHz.

MHz is short for megahertz. One MHz equals one million
cycles per second. The speed of processors, usually known
as clock speed, is measured in megahertz (MHz) or these
days in gigahertz (GHz).

The higher the clock speed, the faster the computer will
process applications and data. It determines how powerful
your notebook computer will be. Processor speeds for notebooks
or laptops are steadily increasing, not quite the same as
a desktop but the gap is narrowing quickly. Speeds of
3.4GHz or more.

Don't forget to ask or check the hard drive speed! A 7,200rpm
hard drive is faster than a 4,200rpm or 5,400rpm and usually
gives better performance.


DISPLAY

You need the sharpest, brightest display screen or all the above
points are moot!


Display quality is also extremely important to your gaming
experience. Make sure the resolution and display quality of
your notebook computer can handle the graphics for 3D Gaming.

What to keep in mind...

SVGA Resolution. Put simply, computer images are made up of
dots, the more dots you have - the better the image.
SVGA Resolution is made up of 800 x 600 dots.

Many notebook computer have XGA (1024 by 768 dots) or
SXGA (1280 x 1024 dots), these resolutions will give
a higher quality image. WXGA stands for widescreen XGA.

TFT Active Matrix Display. TFT stands for thin-film
transistors and many high-end notebook computers use
(TFT) active matrix liquid crystal displays.

If display quality is your main reason for buying
a notebook, it's best to give it the 'old eye test'
and check out the image quality first-hand and decide
for yourself. Panasonic, Toshiba, Sony, and others
are known for their high quality monitors - this
quality is also present in their notebook display
screens.

So when buying your perfect Gaming Notebook Remember This:

Graphics + Ram + Speed + Display = Perfect Gaming Notebook

Consider all the above factors before you buy or config
your perfect gaming machine. Chances are high that you
will get a top-notch quality Gaming Notebook that will
give you hours and hours of pure gaming bliss!



----

For a list of the top rated Gaming Notebooks and Laptops Click Here:
Best Gaming Laptops & Notebooks.
Copyright � 2005 Titus Hoskins.
This article may be freely distributed if this resource
box stays attached.

Source: http://www.a1articles.com

How To Find The Best Laptop Deals

Finding a special laptop deal or price is within
every shopper's reach. It's mainly knowing where to
look!

Simple as that statement may sound, many people in
the market for a new or used laptop don't know where
to look for that special laptop or notebook deal. They
simply don't know how to proceed or what steps they
should take to find the laptop deals that do exist,
sometimes right in they very own neighborhood.

Simple shopping tips or advice that may take 100s off
the price of a new or used laptop. Most of these shopping
tips or guidelines fall within the realm of common sense.
Common procedures that will reduce the price tag on your
next laptop purchase.

Here's a short run down on some shopping tips you can try:


Use The Internet

Your neighborhood is the whole world. We are no longer
confined to a small shopping location or area. We have
the whole world at our disposal because of the Internet.
Use it!

Use the Internet to find online stores, information,
special deals or offers. Use Froogle! Its a great starting
point. Use online notebook guides to find the top rated
laptops, many of these sites will also have special deals
or links. These sites know their laptops - use their knowledge
and expertise to find the right notebook computer for you.


Comparison Shop


Perhaps, one of the best ways to get a great bargain, is to
Comparison Shop to compare different products and prices.
Again, the Internet is ideally designed to give you mass
amounts of data and information. It makes comparison shopping
a real breeze. Use online sites like Pricerunner.com, PriceGrabber.com,
NextTag.com, Shopping.com and don't forget Google's Froogle.com!

These comparison shopping sites will list the best laptop
deals and prices for you. More importantly, they will also
rate the service and support given by each of these online
stores. Very important when you're buying online. Make sure
you check out the store's warranties, return policies, service
records and customer ratings.


Refurbished Laptops

The real special deals are reserved for refurbished laptops.
Many times you can get a great laptop at a very reduced
price by purchasing a refurbished laptop. Make sure you
get a warranty or buy extra warranty - even then the price
will still be worth your while. You can buy a refurbished
laptop for a fraction of its original price. Check online
for sites selling refurbished laptops or check your
local dealer.

Make sure the dealer is legitimate, and watch out for stolen
laptops. Be extra careful to get the needed warranties,
bill of sales, etc. when buying a refurbished laptop.


Close-out Sales, Liquidation

Keep your eyes peeled for close-out, fire, and liquidation
sales. Laptop technology is changing at a fast pace, many
lines are discontinued to make room for newer inventory with
the latest technology. Many of these close-out sales will
offer great laptops at reduced prices.


Don't Forget eBay

The shopping Mecca of the modern era - don't forget to check
out eBay. You may find some very special deals. Again, make
sure you check out the seller's past history.


Coupons

Mail-in rebates, coupons, online special deals - all these
offer great savings to the observant shopper. Don't buy a
laptop until your have searched for coupons or discounts,
special deals and the like. Dell is famous for its coupons.
Don't buy a Dell Laptop without using one of these coupons.
You will save 100s off the price of your laptop.

Other notebook makers such as Toshiba, Apple, Sony... offer
great online deals and discounts... search for these before
you purchase your laptop.


Don't Forget To Haggle

If you're buying a laptop from your local dealer, don't always
take the sticker price as gospel. Ask for a special deal, you
may be pleasantly surprised at the savings. This works best with
independent dealers who can offer you a special deal. If you're
a regular customer, the better the deal you should demand!



In conclusion, just use some common sense before you buy your
laptop. Use the Internet to check out and comparison shop for
the best laptop deals. Use coupons and mail-in rebates whenever
possible. Watch out for great close-out, or liquidation sales and
don't forget to check out refurbished laptops. Last, but not
least, if you get the chance, don't forget to haggle. It's a
centuries old technique that still works. It may just get you
the best laptop deal.


---------------

For a whole range of Laptop Deals and Discount Coupons - Visit This Link:
Dell Notebook CouponsGet a Free Desktop Calendar & Planner compliments of Titus Hoskins and DATEwise. Copyright � 2005. This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.



Source: http://www.a1articles.com

ATA vs SATA

Hard Drives: ATA versus SATA

The performance of computer systems has been steadily increasing as faster processors, memory, and video cards are continuously being developed. The one key component that is often neglected when looking at improving the performance of a computer system is the hard drive. Hard drive manufacturers have been constantly evolving the basic hard drive used in modern computer systems for the last 25 years, and the last few years have seen some exciting developments from faster spindle speeds, larger caches, better reliability, and increased data transmission speeds.

The drive type used most in consumer grade computers is the hearty ATA type drive (commonly called an IDE drive). The ATA standard dates back to 1986 and is based on a 16-bit parallel interface has undergone many evolutions since its introduction to increase the speed and size of the drives that it can support. The latest standard is ATA-7 (first introduced in 2001 by the T13 Technical Committee (the group responsible for the ATA standard)) which supports data transfer rates up to 133MB/sec. This is expected to be the last update for the parallel ATA standard.

As long ago as 2000 it was seen that the parallel ATA standard was maxing out its limitations as to what it could handle. With data rates hitting the 133MB/sec mark on a parallel cable, you are inviting all sorts of problems because of signal timing, EMI (electromagnetic interference) and other data integrity issues; thus industry leaders got together and came up with a new standard known as Serial ATA (SATA). SATA has only been around a few years, but is destined to become "the standard" due to several benefits to be addressed in this Tech Tip.

The two technologies that we will be looking at are: ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) � a 16-bit parallel interface used for controlling computer drives. Introduced in 1986, it has undergone many evolutions in the last 18+ years, with the latest version being called ATA-7. Wherever an item is referred to as being an ATA device, it is commonly a Parallel ATA device. ATA devices are also commonly called IDE, EIDE, Ultra-ATA, Ultra-DMA, ATAPI, PATA, etc. (each of these acronyms actually do refer to very specific items, but are commonly interchanged) SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) � a 1-bit serial evolution of the Parallel ATA physical storage interface.

Basic Features & Connections

SATA drives are easy to distinguish from their ATA cousins by the different data and power connections found on the back of the drives. A side-by-side comparison of the two interfaces can be seen in this PDF from Maxtor, and the following covers many of the differences�

Standard ATA drives, such as this 200GB Western Digital model, have somewhat bulky, two inch wide ribbon cable with 40-pin data connections and receive the 5V necessary to power them from the familiar 4-pin connection. The basic data cables for these drives have looked the same for years. A change was made with the introduction of the ATA-5 standard to better improve the signal quality by making an 80 wire cable used on the 40-pin connector (these are commonly called 40-pin/80-wire cables). To improve airflow within the computer system some manufacturers resorted to literally folding over the ribbon cable and taping it into that position. Another recent physical change also came with the advent of rounded cables. The performance of the rounded cables is equal to that of the flat ribbon, but many prefer the improved system air flow afforded, ease of wire management, and cooler appearance that come with them.

SATA drives, such as this 120GB Western Digital model, have a half inch wide, 7 "blade and beam" data connection, which results in a much thinner and easier to manage data cable. These cables take the convenience of the ATA rounded cables to the next level by being even narrower, more flexible and capable of being longer without fear of data loss. SATA cables have a maximum length of 1 meter (39.37 inches), which is much greater than the recommended 18 inch cable for ATA drives. The reduced footprint of SATA data connections frees up space on motherboards, potentially allowing for more convenient layouts and room for more onboard features!

A 15-pin power connection delivers the 250mV of necessary power to SATA drives. 15-pins for a SATA device sounds like it would require a much larger power cable than a 4-pin ATA device, but in reality the two power connectors are just about the same height. For the time being, many SATA drives are also coming with a legacy 4-pin power connector for convenience.

Many modern motherboards, such as this Chaintech motherboard, come with SATA drive connections onboard (many also including the ATA connectors as well for legacy drive compatibility), and new power supplies
, such as this Ultra X-Connect, generally feature a few of the necessary 15-pin power connections, making it easy to use these drives on new systems. Older systems can easily be upgraded to support SATA drives by use of adapters, such as this PCI slot SATA controller and this 4-pin to 15-pin SATA power adapter.

Optical drives are also becoming more readily available with SATA connections. Drives such as the Plextor PX-712SA take advantage of the new interface, although the performance will not be any greater than a comparable optical drive with an ATA connection.

Performance

In addition to being more convenient to install and drawing less power, SATA drives have performance benefits that really set them apart from ATA drives.

The most interesting performance feature of SATA is the maximum bandwidth possible. As we have noted, the evolution of ATA drives has seen the data transfer rate reach its maximum at 133 MB/second, where the current SATA standard provides data transfers of up to 150 MB/second. The overall performance increase of SATA over ATA can currently be expected to be up to 5% (according to Seagate), but improvements in SATA technology will surely improve on that.

The future of SATA holds great things for those wanting even more speed, as drives with 300 MB/second transfer rates (SATA II) will be readily available in 2005, and by 2008 speeds of up to 600 MB/second can be expected. Those speeds are incredible, and are hard to imagine at this point.

Another performance benefit found on SATA drives is their built-in hot-swap capabilities. SATA drives can be brought on and offline without shutting down the computer system, providing a serious benefit to those who can't afford downtime, or who want to move drives in and out of operation quickly. The higher number of wires in the power connection is partially explained by this, as six of the fifteen wires are dedicated to allowing the hot-swap feature.

Price

Comparing ATA drives to SATA drives can be tricky given all of the variables, but in general it is the case that SATA drives will still cost just a bit more than a comparable ATA drive. The gap is closing rapidly though, and as SATA drives gain in popularity and availability a distinct shift in prices can be expected. Considering the benefits of SATA over ATA, the potential difference of a few dollars can easily be justified when considering an upgrade. Computer Geeks currently has a limited selection of SATA drives, but several technical sites, such as The Tech Zone and The Tech Lounge, offer real time price guides to see how comparable drives stack up.

Final Words

The current SATA standard provides significant benefits over ATA in terms of convenience, power consumption and, most importantly, performance. The main thing ATA has going for it right now is history, as it has been the standard for so long that it will not likely disappear any time soon. The future of SATA will be even more interesting as speed increases will help hard drive development keep pace with other key system components.


Source: http://www.a1articles.com

How to Use Dell Coupons To Get The Best Deal

You would think using any discount coupon would be
a simple process and would need no explanation. In
most cases this is true. However, when using Dell
Coupons there are some important factors to consider
if you want to get the best deal or price on your
next Dell Product.

Dell Coupons are very popular with consumers. Each
month there are over 125,000 searches made for
Dell Coupons. Dell notebook coupons are extremely
popular. The buying public is very savvy when
it comes to getting a good deal or discount.
Customers search them out and find the best ones.

Dell Coupons can be found for a full range of products
from digital cameras to laptop computers to flat screen
monitors. Many of Dell's faithful customers wouldn't
dream of buying any Dell product without using a
coupon or two!

With that in mind, here are some points to consider when
using Dell Coupons:

There are usually two parts to most coupons. First
you need the E-value Code - this will identify and
take you to the Dell Product you're considering
buying. This has to be placed in the E-value search
boxes that can be found on many Dell Pages.

Next, attached to this E-value Code is the Coupon Code.
This is the Dell Coupon Code that you will use at the
Checkout.

For example, if you're looking to buy an Inspiron 600m RS
then you enter the E-value Code 1111-i600mrs. Include
the dash in the group of digits. At checkout use the Coupon
Code for the product you're buying. This Coupon Code may look
something like this: QRZ0SZXZSGN42W.

Here's what complicates things somewhat - some coupons
are stackable - you can combine them with other Dell
discounts and receive a better price. These stackable
coupons can be used in conjunction with other coupons
or discounts. Used properly, they can mean bigger
savings for the prudent consumer.

Other Dell coupons are non-stackable - these coupons
cannot be combined or used with other coupons/offers.

So in order to get the best Dell Deal you have to do
some homework. Check around the different sites offering
these coupons and find the ones you need to get the
best price. Many consumers are also subscribing to
Dell newsletters and RSS Feeds to get the latest
Dell Coupons or Offerings.

If you're wondering what RSS Feeds are - they're
simple updates that can be sent to your browser (if you're
using Mozilla Firefox) via RSS Feeds or these Feeds can
be read in an RSS reader like Feedemon. RSS stands for
Really Simple Syndication. Having these Dell RSS Feeds
and Newsletters will keep you aware of the latest Dell Coupons.

There are a few other factors to consider. Most Dell
Coupons are usually limited in two ways. First, they have
a time limit, they're only available for a limited timeframe,
usually two or three days. Second, they have a quota or are
limited to a certain number of units, for example a particular
coupon may be limited to 4,000 units, once these are sold the
coupon is invalid.

You may have to act fast on really popular deals or the
coupon will be invalid if the time limit or number of units
is reached, which ever comes first.

One last word of caution, when you're using Dell Coupons make
sure the price at checkout is lower than any other discounted
prices. Many times Dell offers special discounts with 10% or more
off the regular price. Just double check when you're using coupons
that the price you see at the checkout is a better deal than
any of these discounted prices.

The whole point of using a Dell Coupon is to get a lower
price on the product you're buying. Do a little homework and
you will get the best price. Put your Dell Coupons to good
use and save your money.

----

For more information and the latest Dell Coupons Click Here:
Dell Coupons.
Titus Hoskins Copyright � 2005. This article may be freely distributed
if this resource box stays attached.

Source: http://www.a1articles.com

The ABCs of Selling Your Used Laptop

What’s in a laptop
? Well, a lot as a matter of fact—even when it’s old, abused, malfunctioning and all but forgotten by the owner. That’s right: long after you have forsaken your laptop (leaving it under a mountain of other junk in storage) there are still electronics components inside that can be recycled in other, newer electronics equipment. In fact, many old laptops only need the kind, loving touch of a qualified technician to get them back in running order—much to the joy of whoever should be the next owner. Hence, it’s a wise idea to sell laptop computers instead of burying them in storage or—worse—throwing them away, just to have them contaminate some landfill on the other side of the country! Below is a brief description of how to take advantage of these services, which have been available for a couple of years already but are only recently attracting significant attention among the population:

First of all, to sell laptop computers to one of the companies in the computer recycling industry you can get absolutely everything done online. It’s hard to complain, then, that selling your old laptop demands too much time or is simply not convenient—it’s just a brief process on the computer (use your friend’s if yours is broken…hence the need to switch it out for something better).

So, simply visit the site of one of the companies that offers money for you to sell laptop (and in certain cases other) computer equipment. If you’ve been given a good lead by a friend or acquaintance, the site should be completely self-explanatory; if you’re confused by what you see, you may not be in the right place. Do a web search and find some other pages, and pay attention to sites that really make things simple. Be sure to check for indications of confidence and reliability (aka clues that you’re not about to be scammed) such as the VeriSign logo or the TRUSTe logo before deciding to sell laptop or other computer items online.

If you’ve made it to the right place, then the rest of the process should be a total cakewalk. Click on the button to get a free quote, which will take you to a different page where you will have to choose the model you want to sell (take note that usually only models still on the market will be accepted, or merit you a payment). After choosing the model, you’ll be prompted to answer a series of questions relating to the condition of your laptop—yes, to sell laptop computers the buyer first has to know what it is you’re trying to get off your hands! Of course, major damage will result in you getting paid less for your hardware; so be smart and search around and compare quotes, so that you can settle for the most convenient price.

Subsequently, if you accept the quote, you will merely have to put your address info into the right fields on the screen and within no time the mailman will bring you the adequate packaging materials. Wrap it all up and either run it down to the post office or schedule a courier pick up, and then just wait for the check to come in the mail. It’s really as simple as that!

Go to http://www.cashforlaptops.com/ to see an example of what one of these kinds of sites really should look like. Not only have they got the most convincing quotes, but they are the easiest and the fastest to use—so check out http://www.cashforlaptops.com/ and don’t waste any more time!

Source: http://www.a1articles.com

Belkin bluetooth GPS compact receiver

The Belkin bluetooth GPS compact receiver is a GPS receiver that you can pair with your cell phone or PDA that unfortunately lacks the useful little hardware for getting a GPS signal. Dont just shrug it off as just another one of the bulky box type devices that you attach to your sleek phone through ugly wires that cramp your style because the Belkin bluetooth GPS compact receiver connects through bluetooth and hence the name. It eliminates the necessity of wires or ugly extension slots by combining bluetooth technology with a GPS receiver. Now you can carry the sleek and smart Belkin bluetooth GPS compact receiver with you on road trips or anywhere without ever worrying about directions because you can store a huge no. of maps in the memory slot of the Belkin bluetooth GPS compact receiver itself and not necessarily on your phone.

The Belkin bluetooth GPS compact receiver has a very user friendly navigation software that uses voice guidance for turns and the Belkin bluetooth GPS compact receiver also boasts of a monster battery life of 10 hours which is very rare to come across making the Belkin bluetooth GPS compact receiver ultra portable. And the most important spec. the reception is exceptional and has knocked out any other GPS or GPS receiver that I have tried. It showed my position fairly accurately and got me to my location with some smart directions and turns. It seems to pick up signals from satellites other GPS devices never even read. The Belkin bluetooth GPS compact receiver is a tad on the pricy side of the tilt but you want complain once you experience its performance. Its got clear LED indicators for bluetooth status and battery life and comes with an AC adapter which only makes the Belkin bluetooth GPS compact receiver even more portable.

For more information about buying bluetooth gps on the web. http://www.zoombits.co.uk/bluetooth/ which has a huge range of options available, you can easily find bluetooth speakers and other bluetooth products you're looking for.

Source: http://www.a1articles.com

Duracell batteries
, a brand manufactured by Procter and Gamble

Duracell manufactures alkaline batteries (Duracell batteries) in many common sizes, such as AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V. Lesser used sizes such as AAAA (primarily for pagers, penlights, and blood glucose meters) and J size batteries (for hospital devices) are also manufactured along with a range of "button" batteries using Zinc-air chemistry, used in calculators, hearing aids, and other small (mostly medical related) devices. Duracell began selling Dane-Elec products such as flash memory in 2008.[2]

Duracell also manufactures specialty batteries, including NiMH rechargeable batteries and batteries for cameras, watches, hearing aids, etc. Their two main battery brands are "Coppertop," marketed as longer-lasting, and "Ultra," directed mainly at users of digital devices and devices that need more power. Duracell also has a line of lithium chemistry batteries and products, now manufactured outside of the U.S.

A Duracell Procell AA box with the battery superimposed

In recent years, Duracell's innovations expanded to include new battery designs with their prismatic batteries, which are prismatic in shape rather than cylindrical. Prismatic cells were made available in both alkaline and lithium designs. In 2006, Duracell introduced "Power PixTM" batteries with NiOx technology, designed to supply longer life in digital cameras and other high drain devices by up to twice the number of photos typically achievable with alkaline batteries.

Duracell batteries are also bulk packaged for end users under the brand name Procell.

[edit] History

Duracell originated via the partnership of scientist Samuel Ruben and businessman Philip Rogers Mallory, who met during the 1920s. The P.R. Mallory Company produced mercury cells for military equipment use, trumping the Zn-air battery technology used then in virtually all applications. During the late 1970s, when the company's concerns for the now-known effects of mercury began, mercury quickly became an obsolete ingredient in all their manufacturing processes. It was replaced by alkaline technology.

During the 1950s, Kodak introduced cameras with integral flash: the design required a new cell size, and thus size AAA was developed.

In 1964, the term "Duracell" was formally introduced as a brand. The name is a portmanteau for "durable cell."


P.R. Mallory was acquired by Dart Industries in 1978, which in turn merged with Kraft in 1980. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts bought Duracell in 1988 and took the company public in 1989. It was acquired by Gillette in 1996.

To read about rechargeable aa batteries and other information, visit the 6v battery site.

Source: http://www.a1articles.com

Duracell batteries
, a brand manufactured by Procter and Gamble

Duracell manufactures alkaline batteries (Duracell batteries) in many common sizes, such as AAA, AA, C, D, and 9V. Lesser used sizes such as AAAA (primarily for pagers, penlights, and blood glucose meters) and J size batteries (for hospital devices) are also manufactured along with a range of "button" batteries using Zinc-air chemistry, used in calculators, hearing aids, and other small (mostly medical related) devices. Duracell began selling Dane-Elec products such as flash memory in 2008.[2]

Duracell also manufactures specialty batteries, including NiMH rechargeable batteries and batteries for cameras, watches, hearing aids, etc. Their two main battery brands are "Coppertop," marketed as longer-lasting, and "Ultra," directed mainly at users of digital devices and devices that need more power. Duracell also has a line of lithium chemistry batteries and products, now manufactured outside of the U.S.

A Duracell Procell AA box with the battery superimposed

In recent years, Duracell's innovations expanded to include new battery designs with their prismatic batteries, which are prismatic in shape rather than cylindrical. Prismatic cells were made available in both alkaline and lithium designs. In 2006, Duracell introduced "Power PixTM" batteries with NiOx technology, designed to supply longer life in digital cameras and other high drain devices by up to twice the number of photos typically achievable with alkaline batteries.

Duracell batteries are also bulk packaged for end users under the brand name Procell.

[edit] History

Duracell originated via the partnership of scientist Samuel Ruben and businessman Philip Rogers Mallory, who met during the 1920s. The P.R. Mallory Company produced mercury cells for military equipment use, trumping the Zn-air battery technology used then in virtually all applications. During the late 1970s, when the company's concerns for the now-known effects of mercury began, mercury quickly became an obsolete ingredient in all their manufacturing processes. It was replaced by alkaline technology.

During the 1950s, Kodak introduced cameras with integral flash: the design required a new cell size, and thus size AAA was developed.

In 1964, the term "Duracell" was formally introduced as a brand. The name is a portmanteau for "durable cell."


P.R. Mallory was acquired by Dart Industries in 1978, which in turn merged with Kraft in 1980. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts bought Duracell in 1988 and took the company public in 1989. It was acquired by Gillette in 1996.

To read about rechargeable aa batteries and other information, visit the 6v battery site.

Source: http://www.a1articles.com

Indian IT industry wants environmental laws to cover e-waste

India's IT industry, together with Greenpeace and other organizations, are pushing for changes in the country's environmental laws to better reflect the complexities of managing and handling electronic waste.

Current rules regulating hazardous materials are focused on the handling and disposal of industrial waste generated in manufacturing. They do not take into account waste generated by products like computers at the end of their lifecycle, Ramapati Kumar, a campaign advisor at Greenpeace, said on Thursday.

The Environment (Protection) Act of 1986 and Hazardous Material (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules of 2008 govern how India handles its waste.

Greenpeace, Manufacturers Association of Information Technology (MAIT), a trade body of the IT industry, and other organizations hosted a seminar on Thursday in Delhi to discuss new proposed legislation on e-waste management and legislation.

The organizations are proposing specialized legislation, called "E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2008" under the Environment (Protection) Act 1986.

The new rules will enforce extended producer responsibility through a product's lifecycle, said Vinnie Mehta, executive director of MAIT.

MAIT became involved in drafting the new rules last April. Before that MAIT published in 2007 a report on India's e-waste problem.

"We couldn't refuse to face the facts about the problem of e-waste in India," Mehta said.

About five years ago, India's IT industry believed that it was a "clean industry" free of pollution since it mainly assembled products. That assessment omitted the problem of e-waste generated at the end of a product's life, Mehta said.

Some key IT companies in India have adopted environmental friendly production, eliminated hazardous substances and offer product recycling, Kumar said. But there is a need for formal rules, he added.

The new e-waste rules also propose to ban importing used electronic equipment for recycling or disposal.

A number of social organizations and environmentalists have expressed concern that India has become a dump for e-waste from developed countries. Some of this waste is recycled under hazardous conditions.

India may continue to import some e-waste that is being donated to local charities, Kumar said. Greenpeace is canvassing the Indian government to restrict the import of old computers that are unusable. "We don't want to block genuine charity," he added.

Apple offers matte screen option for 15-in. MacBook Pro
Apple today quietly began offering an anti-glare display option for the 15-in. models of its MacBook Pro laptop line.

The optional matte finish screen is a $50 upgrade and available on all three 15-in. MacBook Pro laptops. Previously, only the 17-in. MacBook Pro offered the upgrade to a non-glossy display.

Last month, AppleInsider first reported that Apple was considering expanding the anti-glare option beyond the 17-in. MacBook Pro.

Other Apple notebooks, including the $999 13-in. MacBook, the two 13-in. MacBook Pro models and the MacBook Air are sold only with the glossy screen. The company's iMac also comes only with the glossy display.

Although Apple has been promoting glossy screens, touting their deeper blacks and better color saturation, some users remained unconvinced, citing the reflections that appear under some conditions, such as in brightly-lit offices, that interfered with work.

Today, users on Apple's support forum and on other sites' comment or message threads applauded the matte finish move, while others took the company to task for the $50 price tag.

"You have to hand it to Apple, the cheeky bastards," said a user identified as "iBlue" on a MacRumors forum this morning. "They take the choice away from their customer, then they bring it back but at a substantial fee...and people are actually grateful!"

"This is just money-grabbing from Apple," added "thejadedmonkey" on the same thread. "My MacBook Pro came with a matte screen, and it was free. Kudos to Apple for bringing back what they had, but why in the world do they have to be so greedy about it?"

On Apple's support forum, some users who had recently purchased MacBook Pro notebooks were upset that they'd missed out on the anti-glare option. "I just bought mine a MONTH ago, and I am freaking LIVID, right now," said someone using the moniker "24Golfer" in a thread on Apple's MacBook Pro forum. "I bought an anti-glare sticker for it too, to make it matte screen, which cost me the same as it would've if they had this damned option in the first place. Will Apple do a free replacement? Probably not."

Apple first offered glossy screens on its MacBook line in 2006, then added it to the MacBook Pro 17-in. a year later; that same year it used glossy screens in the major revamp of its iMac desktop line. Last October, when Apple unveiled redesigned "unibody" MacBooks and MacBook Pros, the glossy display was the only option for all but the 17-in. MacBook Pro.

Lenovo, targeting HP, releases quartet of 'digital home' PCs

Best known for its conservative Thinkpad business laptops, Lenovo Group Ltd. is trying its best to break out of that box.

The PC maker today released a quartet of consumer PCs under its IdeaCentre line that are firsts in their respective categories for Lenovo. They also sporting slim-and-sexy designs targeting the family or the living room rather than the traditional home office.

They also target No. 1 PC maker Hewlett-Packard Co., which generally rules the consumer segment.

The first are a pair of net-top PCs, the IdeaCentre Q100 and the Q110, that run Intel's Atom processor. They measure 6 x 6 inches and are 0.7 inches thick.

The Q100 uses just 40 watts of power at full operation and 14 watts when idle. The Q110 is not as green, but, instead of Intel's integrated graphics, uses Nvidia's ION graphics chip for 1080p video and DirectX 10 graphics, said Lenovo, making it suitable for watching high-def videos or gaming.

The Q100 and Q110 start at $249 and $349, respectively, and will be available in mid-September.

The IdeaCentre Q700 is a slightly chunkier although more powerful machine aimed squarely at the home theatre PC (HTPC) market. It sports an Intel E5200 dual-core CPU at 2.5 GHz, 4 GB memory, 320 GB SATA hard drive, DVD-RW drive, and Intel integrated GMA X4500 graphics. It also supports 1080p graphics via its HDMI connector and 7.1 digital surround sound.

The Q700 is available from Lenovo's Web site, starting at $499.

The IdeaCentre D400 is Lenovo's first Windows home server. It will compete with Acer's EasyStore Home Server and HP's MediaSmarts.

The D400 supports up to 8TB of total storage, said Lenovo, via its four hard drive bays and five USB ports and eSATA port. It will be available in mid-September with prices starting at $499.

Blu-ray tanks in PCs
Despite a rapid rise in the sale of consumer Blu-ray Disc players due to a drop in prices and an increase in high-definition movie content, Blu-ray players in PCs are not seeing any significant increase in sales, according to iSuppli Corp.

By 2013, Blu-ray players will be found in only 16.3% of PCs shipped, up from 3.6% this year, iSuppli said, meaning DVD players will continue to be the primary optical drive in PC systems through at least the year 2013, according to Michael Yang, senior analyst for storage and mobile memory at iSuppli.

They eventually will find success, but during the next five years, that success will be limited in the PC segment, Yang said.

The main stumbling block to adoption of Blu-ray in PCs is cost, Yang said.

"The cost issue is amplified by the fact that the library of content is so small that there really isn't a reason for users to switch at the moment," Yang said. And while this is changing and studios are rolling out more Blu-ray content every week, there remains a long way to go, he added.

Another factor is that Blu-ray is having a difficult time supplanting the incumbent storage medium in PCs -- the DVD-RW drive, Yang said.

"From a historical perspective, each of the successful storage media in PCs has gained popularity only when content became available and when consumers actually understood that what they were getting was easy to use and worth the cost," iSuppli stated in its report .

The once-ubiquitous 3.5-inch floppy drive had a lifespan of around 15 years, surviving well past its prime, the company stated. Eventually, it was replaced by CD-ROMs, which, in turn, gave way to DVD drives. A changeover occurred and the floppy disk was finally supplanted when it became apparent that CD-ROMs not only offered a distinct advantage but were also the medium being adopted for music, games and movies.

Such a pivotal moment, Yang said, has not yet arrived for the Blu-ray drive. Its undeniable that Blu-ray delivers a higher-definition picture, better sound quality and larger storage space for home entertainment, he said. However, these benefits may have little or no value when viewing the content on a smaller desktop or laptop PC screen and using poor speakers.

Cisco, EMC starting new joint venture company?
Cisco and EMC are said to be forming a joint venture company to develop an integrated data center platform for computing, networking and storage.

According to several sources and a post in The Register, the joint venture will be a separate company funded by both Cisco and EMC. The name of the company could not be learned by press time, but sources say Cisco and EMC are actively recruiting sales personnel for it.

Cisco says it does not comment on rumors, and EMC also declined to comment.

The joint venture does not involve virtualization software vendor VMware, sources say, which is majority owned by EMC and in which Cisco is a significant investor. At the EMC Forum earlier this month, the three companies formed the so-called "VCE" alliance to jointly develop products for cloud computing.

VMware technology is a vital component of Cisco's new Unified Computing System (UCS), which integrates server virtualization and network and storage access into a single platform. What UCS lacks, however, is a storage component, says Zeus Kerravala, an analyst with the Yankee Group.

EMC was one of the showcase partners during the UCS launch.

"Since the UCS launch, both companies seem to have gotten closer," Kerravala says. "UCS has no storage component now, so it makes sense to add that."

It would also be the first time either company has engaged in the funding and formation of a separate joint venture company with another major vendor, Kerravala says. It could turn out that Cisco ultimately acquires the entire joint venture (much like 3Com did with its H3C venture with Huawei) like it did with internally incubated start-ups Nuova and Andiamo.

"Cisco has no internal storage expertise," Kerravala says in rationalizing a possible buyout of EMC's stake in the joint venture.

There have been hot and cold rumors to the effect that Cisco might buy EMC as well.

Observers note that the joint venture will continue to raise the stakes in the hotly competitive data center market. Major vendor such as IBM, HP, Cisco and Dell continue to line up strategic partners to address next generation data center requirements.

Dell, for example, has agreed to OEM Brocade's newest storage and Ethernet/IP switches in an effort to build out its data center portfolio beyond servers, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. IBM also OEMs Brocade's Ethernet/IP switches and routers, and HP private-labels the company's 8800 FibreChannel-over-Ethernet switch.

EC opens deeper probe of Oracle-Sun merger
The European Commission opened an in-depth investigation into Oracle's planned $7.4 billion takeover of Sun Microsystems Thursday, citing "serious concerns" about the deal's effect on competition in the market for databases.Europe's top competition authority called for a closer look at the deal after conducting a routine month-long examination. The Commission now has 90 working days, or until Jan. 19, 2010, to reach a decision.The Commission "has to examine very carefully the effects on competition in Europe when the world's leading proprietary database company proposes to take over the world's leading open source database company," said Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes in a statement. Sun competes against Oracle, among others, with its open source database, MySQL.The Commission's job in the extended investigation "is to ensure that customers would not face reduced choice or higher prices as a result of this takeover," she said.

In a statement issued Thursday, Oracle acknowledged the Commission had extended its probe but provided no specific commentary on the decision. The statement also noted that the U.S. Department of Justice and Sun shareholders have already approved the merger. Sun did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The database market is highly concentrated with the three main competitors of proprietary databases -- Oracle, IBM and Microsoft -- controlling roughly 85 percent of the market in terms of revenue, the Commission said in a statement. Oracle is the market leader in proprietary databases, while Sun's MySQL database product is the leading open source database. The Oracle databases and Sun's MySQL "compete directly in many sectors of the database market and MySQL is widely expected to represent a greater competitive constraint as it becomes increasingly functional," the Commission said.

The Commission said that during its initial probe it found that the open-source nature of Sun's MySQL might not eliminate fully the potential for anti-competitive effects.

"In its in-depth investigation, the Commission will therefore address a number of issues, including Oracle's incentive to further develop MySQL as an open source database," the Commission said.

Earlier this week Sun reported a 31 percent drop in sales during the quarter running from April to June, compared with sales during the same period in 2008. Operating loss for the quarter was $218m, compared with an operating profit of $63m a year earlier.

The delays in the merger have taken a toll on Sun's hardware business, analysts say, as customers turn to rival vendors such as Hewlett-Packard and IBM amid uncertainty over Oracle's intentions.

Oracle is apparently planning to feature Sun hardware's ability to run its software at the upcoming OpenWorld conference, but won't be able to provide a full product road map until the deal is complete.

Despite the extended probe, industry observers polled Thursday expressed doubt the merger will ultimately be blocked.

Long-life battery maker targets more laptop brands, but not netbooks
Boston-Power Inc. is ramping up the distribution of its long-life batteries for laptop computers as its CEO remains coy about when -- or if -- they will ever become available on most notebook systems.

The Westborough, Mass.-based startup makes Lithium-Ion batteries rated for 1,000 charge-discharge cycles, meaning it can hold most of its capacity for at least three years. Conventional Lithium-Ion batteries are rated at 300 cycles and start degrading after the first year of use.

Boston-Power's laptop batteries also recharge faster, expend less heat, and are safer than mainstream batteries, says CEO Christina Lampe-Onnerud.

The company, which is backed by $125 million in venture capital funds, currently has an exclusive deal to supply its long-life batteries to Hewlett-Packard Co.

HP began offering Boston Power's batteries for a trio of its business laptops and a wider variety of consumer models this spring . HP packages the batteries under the Enviro moniker, which the company said which highlights their "green" credentials.

HP is now selling the Enviro as a replacement battery . The product is available on the HP site.

HP charges $150 to $170 for an Enviro battery, which Lampe-Onnerud said is $20 to $40 more than equivalent 6-cell batteries (the Enviros are currently discounted by 25% as part of HP's Labor Day Sale).

HP recently began letting enterprise and consumer buyers configure notebooks online with Enviro batteries, said Lampe-Onnerud. HP will soon begin shipping notebooks into its distribution channels with an Enviro battery instead of a conventional one, she added.

Both moves should boost shipments of the Enviro, Lampe-Onnerud said. However, she declined to disclose sales figures for the battery.

Lampe-Onnerud also said that the company expects to eventually sign deals with other PC vendors. "We had to choose a champion -- and that is HP," she said. "But I'm sure you'll see the batteries come through other brands."

By year's end, Boston Power plans to start selling its batteries into vertical markets such as healthcare, military and homeland security for a variety of potential applications, such as medical carts in hospitals and electronic military gear, said Lampe-Onnerud.

Boston Power is also targeting the electric and hybrid car market, though those efforts hit a speed bump last month when the company lost a bid for a huge Department of Energy grant to retrofit a Boston area factory to build car batteries based on its technology.

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Sun Server Sales Crashing as Oracle Deal Stumbles
Continued delays in the completion of Oracle Corp.'s pending $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems Inc. have put the latter into a limbo that appears to be devastating its computer server business.

The acquisition hit another major roadblock late last week when the European Commission announced that it is launching an in-depth investigation into the proposed deal based on what it called "serious concerns" about how the merger could affect competition in the database market.

U.S. regulators approved the deal last month.

The EC disclosed its latest investigation just days after research firm IDC released a report showing that Sun's second-quarter server revenue plunged by 37% to $981 million, the worst percentage drop of the major server vendors.

Analysts noted that IBM, Hewlett-Packard Co. and other computer manufacturers have aggressively courted Sun customers, offering them migration incentives and other deals that seek to take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding the Oracle deal.

IBM and HP also saw sales decline in the second quarter, but their shortfalls weren't as precipitous as Sun's. IBM's sales dropped by 26% and HP's by about 30%, according to IDC.

Lenovo parent may move farther from Chinese government
The purchase of a stake in Lenovo's parent company, Legend Holdings, by a private investment group could be followed by more moves away from Chinese government influence in the company, Legend said Tuesday.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences, a state-controlled high-tech research institute and the largest stakeholder in Legend, is reducing its holding in the company to bring it closer to the private sector. The academy wants market experience to play a bigger role in the corporate governance, management and marketing of its subsidiaries, it said in a joint statement with Legend.

In a step toward that goal, the academy is selling a 29 percent stake in Legend to China Oceanwide Holdings Group, a private conglomerate, for 2.76 billion yuan (US$404 million), Legend said last week.

The move comes as Lenovo, the world's fourth-biggest PC maker, struggles to recover from a major hit to its sales from the global economic crisis. The company this year began restructuring to bring its focus back to emerging markets and has posted net losses for the last three quarters. Legend is responsible for strategic guidance and governance for subsidiaries including Lenovo, Legend said.

"Many clients abroad may think Lenovo is a nationally-controlled company," Liu Chuanzhi, the chairman of Lenovo and newly named chairman of Legend, said at a briefing. "China Oceanwide's entrance makes even clearer that Lenovo is a private enterprise."

The state academy will still retain a 36 percent stake in Legend, remaining the company's biggest investor, but it may move to end that status. The academy aims to reduce its stakeholding in companies to below 35 percent by 2010, it said.

Legend also hopes eventually to list on a stock market, Liu said, a move that could dilute the academy's holdings in Legend.

Executives declined to comment on what business deals might be reached between the companies held by Legend and China Oceanwide, but said there was room for cooperation. Legend's subsidiaries besides Lenovo are focused on equity investment and real estate, while China Oceanwide has holdings in industries like real estate, finance and energy.

Legend is also an investor in a new $115 million angel investment fund launched this week by Kai-Fu Lee, Google's former China head.