Techzone

Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, is expected to announce the availability of Windows 7 Beta 1 to pre-approved testers in his Consumer Electronics Show keynote address on January 7.

As reported on the technology site, techarp.com, Microsoft has issued a draft of the Windows 7 Technical Guarantee Program to their OEM partners on December 10. Also per the report, the Redmond-based software major has given its OEM partners exactly one month to provide their feedback before Microsoft finalizes the program details. Techarp has managed to obtain a copy of the draft, which tentatively refers to the program as the Windows 7 Upgrade Program.

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We’ve heard so much of the Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds. The slide-out screen looks sturdy, and it’s capable of
swiveling 30 degrees forward and any steps in between. The tablet isn’t
going to replace a Wacom anytime soon, but it’ll get the job done in a
pinch. The laptop itself is rather bulky, but you come to expect it with the amount of features packed in.

The term “netbook” is often used to refer to a broad range of devices. Netbooks are mobile computers with screens ranging from 5 inches to 10 inches. Originally intended principally for the education market, they typically run Linux or Windows XP and need to connect to the Internet for heavy computing tasks. The terms “netbook” and “mini-notebook” are often used interchangeably. read more »

Japanese electronics conglomerate Hitachi Ltd said it and U.S. chipmaker Intel Corp would jointly develop solid state drive (SSD) memory devices, which are seen as a promising alternative to hard disk drives.

The move marks a strategic shift for Hitachi, the world’s third-largest hard drive maker, which until now has not made a commitment to SSD technology.

SSDs are increasingly being used as the storage device in laptop PCs, primarily because they are better at absorbing shocks and consume less power than hard disk drives.

Under the agreement, Intel will manufacture SSDs jointly developed by the two firms. Hitachi will sell the devices, with the first shipment planned for 2010, the companies said in a joint statement.

Hitachi said its SSD business would market the devices for business-use such as in servers and computer storage systems, and that it would not follow rivals like Toshiba in targeting laptop PCs and other consumer-based applications.

Hitachi said it had not given up on hard drives, which it believes will continue to see demand growth in applications where large data storage is required.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/zdnet/Apple/~3/466776037/

Earlier this month, a warning went out about problems with Seagate’s
Barracuda 8200.11 hard drives with a capacity of 1.5 terabytes. While
the initial warning was sounded for all operating systems, it may be
that the issue was more for Mac and Linux users. Seagate this week
told storage vendors that a firmware fix is available.