Posted 06/26/09 at 09:15:17 AM by Paul Lilly

Just a few days ago, iSuppli said worldwide PC shipments had declined in Q1 by the "largest historic rate" since the firm has been tracking the market. But after a rocky start, the PC market could be headed for a rebound by the end of the year, says market research analyst firm Gartner.

According to Gartner, the market is on pace to ship 274 million PCs worldwide by the end of 2009. That's still a 6 percent drop compared to last year's shipments of 292 million, but better than Gartner expected, who previously predicted a 9.2 percent decline.

Going forward, Gartner says shipments will pull an about-face in 2010 and predicts a 10.3 percent growth rate. However, the firm also warned that Windows 7, available today in pre-order form at a reduced rate, isn't likely to prove a game changer for PC sales.

"Unless Microsoft mounts a major marketing campaign in support of Windows 7, we think consumers will simply adopt the new operating system as they would normally buy new PCs and/or replace old ones," Gartner Research Director George Shiffler said in a statement.

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Posted 06/25/09 at 08:58:24 AM by Paul Lilly

First spied at CES earlier this year, ViewSonic has begun shipping its VPC100 All-in-One PC in the U.S. Billed as being eco-friendly, ViewSonic says the VPC100 uses about 50 percent less plastics and requires roughly 45 percent less power than a traditional computer.

The spec sheet screams nettop and consists of an 18.5-inch LCD display with a 1366x768 resolution, Intel Atom N270 processor (1.6GHz, 533MHz frontside bus), 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 160GB hard drive, four USB 2.0 ports, WiFi, Super Multi DVD writer, and Windows XP.

The VPC100 is available now with an MSRP set to $599, an street pricing hovering around $550.

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Posted 06/15/09 at 12:35:52 PM by Paul Lilly

Power users routinely punch into the BIOS in order to fine tune their system, but it can be an intimidating place to go exploring if you've never before burrowed beneath the surface. And just like in real life, poking around in unknown places can be a dangerous affair if you don't know what you're doing or where you're going. On the other hand, once you understand the inner workings of your PC's control center, a whole world of overclocking and troubleshooting suddenly opens up. But what exactly is the BIOS?

Every modern motherboard comes with an embedded Flash EEPROM module, otherwise known as the BIOS chip. Short for Basic Input Out System, this is the first bit of code executed when you boot your PC. The BIOS stores all kinds of essential information about your system, such as your CPU's clockspeed, the size and type of RAM you're running, the boot order of your media, what onboard devices are present, and much, much more. An improperly configured BIOS can prevent Windows (or Linux) from loading, while a finely tuned BIOS has the potential to significantly improve performance over that of a similarly spec'd machine.

Whatever your goal is, this is your go-to guide for everything you've ever wanted to know about the BIOS. We cover every setting -- even the obscure ones -- so you'll never feel lost or out of your element, no matter what motherboard you're rocking under the hood.

Hit the jump to get started!

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Posted 05/27/09 at 03:45:31 PM by Mark Edward Soper

Intel's ultra-low-powered CULV family of processors are becoming popular choices for many forthcoming ultrathin notebook computers in the $700-$900 range, like MSI's new X-Slim series we told you about in April.

However, you can also use CULV processors in standard-thickness notebook computers, and according to Digitimes, that's exactly what Hewlett-Packard plans to do. It will roll out ultra-thin models with CULV processors in the fourth quarter, but its first CULV-based products will use standard chassis and will thus be available earlier.

CULV processors are designed to fit between Intel's Atom and its faster Core 2 Duo processors in performance. Will the market put up with a full-sized notebook with a battery-sipping, but slower processor, or should prospective HP CULV buyers wait until late in the year for the new ultraslim chassis? Join us after the jump and sound off.

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Posted 04/06/09 at 05:14:12 PM by Andy Salisbury

A software engineer at Tata Consultancy Services was found dead in his apartment in Velachery, India late last Friday.

The engineer, Vijayakumar, was living in the apartment with two other roommates, Vignesh and Ram Prasad. The latter of the two was home during the accident, but was in another room at the time.

Vijayakumar’s body was found charred in a suspected computer blast, according to Police. “We are yet to ascertain the cause of the blast. The computer was completely damaged and the deceased was charred,” stated an official. “Ram Prasad had gone to take bath. He told us that suddenly he heard a blast and when he rushed out he saw the charred body of his friend and fainted. It sounds quite unbelievable. We have not heard of such a case before. But the scene of the accident seems to suggest that the youth was killed in an accident as his body was in the sitting position in front of the burnt computer.”

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Posted 04/06/09 at 01:32:54 PM by Paul Lilly

Obama may have sold the idea of hope and change to the American populace, but can his name sell a low-power PC? Little known Taiwanese company Seed seems to think so, who was spotted selling what it's calling the 'Obama PC,' otherwise known as a nettop, and a pretty basic one at that.

Built around the mini-ITX form factor, the Obama PC comes configured with an Intel Atom 230 processor nestled into Intel's 945GC chipset, 2GB of memory, a 500GB hard drive, DVD burner, four rear-mounted  USB 2.0 ports, two PS/2 ports, a parallel port, a serial port, a D-sub connector, and a 10/100Mb Ethernet port. It also adds another two USB 2.0 ports on the front, a 3.5-inch drive bay, and an internal PCI expansion slot.

The presidential PC sells for NT$7,999, which converts to about $242 in U.S. currency. No word on whether or not Seed plans to import a version for sale in the U.S. If it does, look for Biden-branded peripherals to accompany it.

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Posted 04/03/09 at 12:25:53 PM by David Murphy

Xbox 360?  PlayStation 3?  OnLive?  Psh.  A company you've never heard of released the first-ever Linux-based gaming console today, and if this is the route that open-source is taking to your living room... count me out.  Envizions Computer Entertainment's EVO Smart Console looks like the dark offspring of a PlayStation 2 and a home-theater PC -- only, instead of a baby, a penguin popped out.

Early adopters can pick up the Linux-based console starting today, with retail units expected to ship on April 10.  The system will set you back anywhere from $280 to $350, with the price shooting up to $380 after April 17.  Most games for the system will come shipped on SD cards at a cost of $20, although Envizions maintains that developers will be free to set whatever price they want for their offerings.  

Take a moment if you need one, because I'm about to delve into the guts of this pioneer platform.  Ready?  Click the link!

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Posted 03/03/09 at 09:37:20 AM by Paul Lilly

Bad news for the computer industry. According to market research company Gartner, PC shipments will plummet nearly 12 percent in 2009, recording the worst decline the industry has ever seen. This even after contracting sales in emerging markets for the first time.

"The PC industry is facing extraordinary conditions as the global economy continues to weaken, users stretch PC lifetimes, and PC suppliers grow increasingly cautious," said George Shiffler, research director at Gartner.

The 12 percent free fall translates into 257 million computers expected to be sold, but its even worse for desktops, whch are expected to slide a staggering 32 percent from last year. Laptops, meanwhile, are expected to go up by 9 percent, no doubt the result of strong netbook sales, a sector that had been keeping the worldwide PC market growing up to this point.

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