Reg Hardware

23rd April 2007 Archive

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  • Dell: vertical lines, what vertical lines?

    Er, the dirty great big one on my Inspiron...

    Dell seems to have got its sizeable knickers in a twist over where it stands with the recent heavily bemoaned vertical line problem affecting several of its notebook models. As we reported in January, the firm had been hit by a fairly widespread problem with what looked to be a dodgy batch of LCD screens affecting some of its …

    PCs 23 Apr 2007, 07:02

  • Samsung adopts latest 3D chip stack tech

    Follows IBM, Intel

    First IBM, then Intel, now Samsung. The South Korean chip maker today said it too was going to implement the 'Through Silicon Via' (TSV) technique to allow it to stack layers of chip dice more efficiently. TSVs are tiny tubes drilled through a chip's silicon foundation and filled with metal and capped with connector bumps. …

    Bits 'n' Chips 23 Apr 2007, 09:58

  • O2 offers incentives to end phone upgrade insanity

    Keep your old handset and gain call credits

    UK mobile phone network O2 is to pay customers not to upgrade their handsets - a move that turns the usual approach to phone sales on its head - all in the name of going green. O2 said today it will give customers £95 call credit and donate £10 to the Energy Saving Trust (EST) charity if they agree to keep their current …

    Phones 23 Apr 2007, 10:19

  • RIM rolls out 'virtual' BlackBerry for Windows Mobile 6

    Carriers to choose which handsets get it

    Research in Motion (RIM) has said a new version of its BlackBerry Connect software will soon allow "select" Windows Mobile 6-based handsets to connect to its push email network as if they were BlackBerries. RIM claimed the code will provide handsets with a "virtual BlackBerry experience" that presents email, calendars, …

    Phones 23 Apr 2007, 10:49

  • iPod add-on draws out dock connector

    Got to take your iPod out of its case before you can dock it? Then accessory maker SendStation's Dock Extender may be just what you need. It does exactly what it says it does. SendStation said the extender was compact enough to connect to the dock of even the most thoroughly enclosed iPod and allow it to hook up to any dock …

    Media players 23 Apr 2007, 11:27

  • LG displays TV-PC monitor combo

    Is it a monitor? Is it a TV? LG's new Flatron M8W display family appears to be both. The 19in, 20in and 22in screens incorporate not only PC-friendly DVI connectors but also TV tuners for your televisual enjoyment. In fact, it's 'ports, no problem' here, with s-, composite- and component-video inputs; the aforementioned DVI …

    PCs 23 Apr 2007, 14:50

  • Teachers demand Wi-Fi health investigation

    Making us sick, students crazy

    A teacher's union has written to the education secretary to demand an immediate investigation into the possible health effects of Wi-Fi networks. The Professional Association of Teachers say it is concerned that the networks are making pupils behave badly, and could be contributing to poor health of teachers. Wi-Fi is …

    Gadgets and Gizmos 23 Apr 2007, 15:26

  • Sony shrinks UK PSP price

    Cheaper in Euro-zone too

    Sony will knock £20 off the price of the PSP on 4 May, reducing the handheld games console's price from £150 to £130. Euro-zone consumers will see the price fall from €200 to €170 on the same day. A number of games, including Ridge Racer 2, Tekken, Moto GP, LocoRoco and Killzone, will see their prices cut too, to £15. The …

    Consoles 23 Apr 2007, 15:38

  • Sinclair ZX Spectrum: 25 today

    The rubber keyboard that saved Britain

    Clive Sinclair's ZX Spectrum is a quarter of a century old today. The machine that really launched the UK IT industry hit the streets of a depressed Britain on 23 April, 1982. The Falklands War was properly kicking off, skirt-bothering Europhiles Bucks Fizz were number one with their unforgettable hit My Camera Never Lies [ …

    Consoles 23 Apr 2007, 15:44

  • Commodore prices up games machines

    Commodore Gaming - the latest reviver of ye olde Commodore brand - has priced up its high-end Wintel gaming systems, pledging to "redefine the line between gaming and reality" - whatever that means - for up to £2899 inc. VAT. That's what it's charging for the top-of-the-line Commodore xx, unveiled in March this year. The …

    PCs 23 Apr 2007, 16:19

  • AMD: very hush hush

    Reporter's notebook Where's Mr Skywalker when you need him?

    AMD is bigging up its latest graphic card offerings in Tunis, but sadly we cannot reveal any of this until 14 May. What does this leave in terms of what we can report? Let's just say that so far El Reg has learned, when in Africa, AMD execs tend to let their hair down by belly-dancing with the local, er, belly-dancer and …

    PCs 23 Apr 2007, 19:03

  • HP pitches Acer another sueball

    HP v Acer 2: Electric Boogaloo

    Hewlett-Packard has filed yet another lawsuit with Taiwan-based PC maker Acer, alleging more patent shenanigans. Last month, HP slapped Acer and with a lawsuit regarding infringement of five patents used in HP notebooks, desktops and media center systems. Now HP's open palm has moved inversely for a litigation backhand smack of …

    PCs 23 Apr 2007, 19:15

  • AMD tells Wall Street: 'Will dance for cash'

    $2.2bn for the poor, please sir

    Cash-starved AMD put out its hat on Monday, offering up to $2.2bn in convertible notes to help it raise money. The chipmaker will proffer $1.8bn worth of Convertible Senior Notes to institutional investors. In addition, AMD expects to bless the buyers with a 30-day option to nab up to $400m of extra notes “to cover over …

    Bits 'n' Chips 23 Apr 2007, 23:55