Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Remember the rumor back in February that Google was buying Plaxo for $200 million? Well, for the most part, it turned out to be a trumor.  However, instead of Google making the purchase, it turns out that Comcast is doing the buying. The cable company plans to utilize Plaxo to deliver upcoming social-networking features currently in the works for their TV, Internet, and phone service. Plaxo will be used to bridge all three Comcast services together, linking devices such as TVs, DVRs, and wireless devices. The terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but the two companies have already been working together in developing SmartZone, an online portal available to millions of Comcast broadband and phone customers that provides easy access to several communications tools (e.g., email and voicemail)—all in one place.

Plaxo was founded in 2001 with an original premise of keeping users’ address books updated by automatically sharing data among friends. With the emergence of social networking sites, the start up company now offers capabilities to keep in touch with family and friends by sharing photos, videos, and messages. According to the Plaxo blog:

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J.D. Power and Associates has published their first volume of the 2008 US Wireless Retail Sales Satisfaction Study. And guess who came out on top? As if the post’s title wasn’t obvious enough, T-Mobile has been awarded the first place spot in Retail Sales Satisfaction, achieving an overall score of 716 in customer satisfaction. Alltel and Verizon claim the number 2 and 3 spot with a score of 714 and 706 respectively. Likewise, T-Mobile also received top honors in January for #1 Customer Care in the J.D. Power and Associates’ 2008 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study. With T-Mobile’s 3G roll-out plans this year, the wireless company has never looked better. Now, if only they offered the iPhone, I’d actually switch. But in the meantime, I’m stuck with the non-ranking AT&T.

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In 2006, Dell acquired the high-end gaming PC brand Alienware to complement its own premium-gaming line of XPS computers. With a market worth around $12 billion, Dell’s investment in the gaming PC market by purchasing Alienware was a logical move. The company allowed Alienware to operate independently, but by doing so it created a problem in that they now had two competing gaming PC lines. Dell has admitted its XPS line has eaten into Alienware’s market share. As a result, the company plans to phase out four gaming XPS models from its lineup, streamlining their offerings and relieving their Alienware subsidiary of competition. Their plan is to essentially create two complementing brands, rather than two competing brands.

The reason why Dell took two years to realize the change was because the company originally thought the Alienware brand was hardcore enough that it would differentiate itself from their “family sedan” XPS line. Apparently, that wasn’t the case. Over time, Dell began to market the XPS as a high-end gaming machine, inadvertently creating competition within itself. In fact, some XPS systems in the past contained the same features and components offered in Alienware rigs.

It should be noted that not all XPS systems will be scraped. In June, Dell will be pushing all gaming-centric PCs to Alienware, while the XPS will morph into a more mainstream brand.

[Update] Dell has since released a statement on their Direct2Dell Blog in response to the phasing out of the XPS line. It turns out that the phasing out of the XPS lineup was a bit of an exaggeration. The XPS line will be continued, however Dell plans to expand their focus on Alienware.

“Dell XPS and Alienware are both great brands...and both will live on,” spokeswoman Anne Camden said in a blog. “But we are going to expand our focus on Alienware. We are going to invest like crazy in product development, design, and engineering to propel Alienware as the premier gaming brand in the future.”

Read [Tech News World] Update Via [CNET]

Originally announced back in February during the Mobile World Conference 2008, Samsung has now officially announced the release date for the rather slim and candybar-shaped i200 smartphone. Measuring 11.8mm thick, the phone is slated for a European launch in June, while other markets will get their hands on the phone in July. The compact, yet stylish, i200 will sport Windows Mobile 6.1, a glossy 2.3-inch QVGA screen, 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, music player, microSD slot and will support Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook). The phone will also support HSDPA (3.6 Mbps), though sadly, there is no Wi-Fi support. Samsung is touting the phone’s “light sensor” which automatically detects the amount of light available and varies the LCD and keypad’s brightness accordingly, saving battery life. Unfortunately, no pricing information was released.

Read [ZDNet Korea]

Sony Ericsson hasn’t been saying much about its upcoming UIQ-based, candybar phone, codenamed BeiBei. However, the latest tidbit of information to grace the Internet is a photo depicting a red stick protruding from the side of the phone. What could that red stick be, you ask? Well, most likely a stylus. Unless the photo is a Photoshop creation, then it would appear that the BeiBei will be sporting a touch-sensitive LCD.

Highlights of the Sony Ericsson BeiBei include its Symbian OS-based UIQ 3.3 user interface, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, 5.0-megapixel camera, FM radio, and Walkman music player. Unfortunately, Sony Ericsson still has not announced pricing or availability details.

Via [SlashPhone] Via [SEMC]

With the hotly anticipated summer launch of Apple’s 3G equipped iPhone, Fortune is reporting that AT&T has plans to subsidize the next generation iPhone by $200 for new customers that purchase the phone through AT&T stores, not Apple stores. Which in my opinion, doesn’t make sense. Why would Apple sell their product for more money when their partner, AT&T, is offering the same product with a $200 rebate? However, if the rumor holds true, the discount plummets the cost of the iPhone to $199, a deal that is undeniably attractive. Fortune notes that the subsidy will only be applied to new two-year contract signups. Furthermore, they continue to claim that the new iPhone will have GPS and be 2.7mm thinner.

Apple is expected to have two versions available: a 8GB and 16GB model for a base price of $399 and $499 respectively. Apple’s official 3G iPhone announcement is expected to be delivered at the 2008 Worldwide Developers Conference, which begins on June 9th.

Read [Fortune]

Motorola has announced its third iteration of the Z8, but this time with the addition of 7.2Mbps HSDPA connectivity. Called the Z8m, besides it’s upgraded HSDPA (from 3.2 to 7.2 Mbps), the new phone sports the same features as the original Z8. A 2.2-inch QVGA display, 2-megapixel camera, 80MB internal memory, microSD card slot (4GB max), one-touch music access, photo viewer, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, and GPS rounds out the highlights of the phone. Design wise, the Z8m is a “kick-slider” that has a curved body, which supposedly better fits your face. Motorola says the bent shape enhances call quality since the microphone is closer to your face.

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Despite the several deadlines Microsoft has set for Windows XP, Dell will continue to support and ship computers loaded with XP until 2010 (when Windows 7 is expected to make its debut). Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that it was extending the life of Windows XP on ultra-low-cost computers, like the Eee PC. However, Microsoft has issued June 30th as the date for PC manufacturers to discontinue shipping machines with Windows XP.

So the question is, how is Dell able to continue supporting the aging, yet still popular operating system? Simple...by taking advantage of a “loop hole” in Microsoft’s system builder license. The “Windows Vista Downgrade” clause essentially states that PC manufacturers are able to ship and preinstall PCs with XP Professional to consumers who select Vista Ultimate or Vista Business as their operating system of choice. The fine print grants PC manufacturers the freedom to determine how to implement the “downgrade.” In Dell’s case, after June 18, the company will factory-install XP Professional for customers who choose “Vista Ultimate Bonus” or “Vista Business Bonus” as their OS configuration option. Those that choose the latest Windows operating system will be given installation DVDs of both Windows XP and Vista; thus, allowing users to “upgrade” whenever they are ready. Technical support for both operating systems will continue to be offered by Dell.

In fact, Dell’s website states:

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According to Microsoft’s latest Security Intelligence Report for July through December 2007, web attacks are on the rise.

With more users becoming cautious about downloading and opening email attachments, hackers are now looking for new ways to “trick” users into downloading malware.  The most popular attack is the embedding of malware into websites, especially through banner advertisements. In fact, adware has increased by 66 percent. The most common type of malware removed by Microsoft’s Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) are Trojan horses, which disguise themselves as innocent software but contain hidden malicious code within—which can be used to create a back door or collect personal information, for example. Microsoft reports that the number of Trojan horses has exploded by 300 percent during the second half of 2007. In all, the software giant says that the number of malicious software removed by its MSRT has increased by 40 percent. Another attack gaining popularity is phishing, which is the act of tricking users into visiting a legitimate looking website and entering their personal information (e.g., social security and credit card numbers), only to have it stolen and/or sold to a third party. 

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Planning on building that new gaming rig? Here’s some good news. Putting pressure on rival chip-maker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Intel has surprisingly halved the prices on its Core 2 Quad Q6700 (from $530 to $266) and Quad-Core Xeon X3230 (from $530 to $266). Overall, fourteen processors experienced a price cut, ranging from 12% to 50% off. Other CPUs with slashed prices include the Core 2 Quad Q6600 (from $266 to $244), Core 2 Duo E6850 (from $266 to $183), Dual-Core Xeon 3085 (from $366 to $188), Celeron 560 (from $134 to $107) and more. All prices reflect 1,000 unit shipments. The reason for the discounted prices is Intel’s transition from their 65nm to 45nm process. All of the chips on sale are based off of the old 65nm technology. AMD announced its plans to begin shipping their 45nm chips in fourth quarter 2008, which puts them one year behind Intel, who began selling their 45nm CPUs back in November 2007.

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