As part of its efforts to offer consumers an unparalleled technical support experience, HP today announced a series of new and updated programs designed to help consumers get answers to questions quickly and effectively online. A revamped global peer-to-peer online support forum allows members to connect with one another to exchange insights and tips, and get answers to each other’s questions regarding their HP consumer products. The updated HP Customer Care website makes it easier for more than 20 million monthly visitors to find the information they need to solve issues. Online classes, offered at no charge, help customers with subjects like migrating to Windows Vista®, safe wireless computing and digital scrapbooking.(1) A series of online videos provides tips and tutorials on topics ranging from connecting dual monitors to configuring a TV tuner on a PC. The new and updated programs reflect changes in how HP customers are sharing information and communicating online. According to Forrester Research, three out of four online adults in the United States now use social tools to connect with each other, compared with just 56 percent in 2007.(2) Traffic to the HP Customer Care site increased 18 percent from January to October 2007 compared to the same period in 2008 as more consumers go online for support. The online community initiative is the result of recent investments by HP to deliver superior consumer technical support worldwide. Internal HP surveys show these investments are making an impact – satisfaction with HP consumer support improved 30 percent from October 2007 to October 2008 with the launch of a new customer support infrastructure, new call centers and agent training programs in early 2008. “These programs represent a growing evolution in consumer support,” said Tara Bunch, vice president, Global Customer Support Operations, HP. “Providing a way for customers to assist each other through a community and get better support online helps us achieve our goal of improving customer satisfaction worldwide.” HP consumer support forumLeading these online support programs is the newly designed consumer support forum where community members can share ideas, ask questions and help other members with solutions. The forum is divided into different categories based on broad topics such as operating systems or wireless networking for notebooks. Community members can personalize their HP experiences by tagging or bookmarking key boards, threads and messages, or by adding RSS feeds to keep track of new posts on key topics. HP plans to add additional components to the consumer support forum over the next several months, including blogs for technical gurus and community members, online seminars with moderated questions and answers, and wikis to enhance the support library with new content. HP will be actively monitoring the forums to help identify common support issues and gain customer feedback and insights. If customers can’t find solutions to their problems, assistance is available directly from HP by phone, email and real-time chat. The HP consumer support forums are available worldwide in English and will be rolling out in additional languages in the future. The HP consumer support forums are available now at www.hp.com/support/consumer-forum. HP Customer CareThe HP Customer Care site has been revised and updated to make it easier for consumers to locate and download product drivers or find additional information about HP products. The site has more than 20 million unique visitor sessions per month and the updates were rolled out worldwide in more than 22 languages. Support pages have been simplified and modernized to create a customer-friendly design and flow. The improved HP Customer Care site is available at www.hp.com/support. Free online classes(1)HP is launching a new series of free online classes to aid consumers with a number of subjects from migrating to Windows Vista to photo restoration basics. In a recent HP survey of customers that completed a class, more than 93 percent said they would take another course and more than 92 percent said they would recommend classes to a friend. The instructor-led classes have message boards that allow students to communicate with an instructor and each other. More information about free online classes is available at www.hp.com/go/freeclasses. HP how-to videos HP also has produced more than 45 video tutorials, which are posted online at HP.com and on a number of video sharing sites. The initial series of videos, titled “Know Your PC,” centers on tips for learning how to use the new HP TouchSmart PC. Additional videos with tips on topics such as connecting dual monitors and retrieving files from floppy disks are available now and more will be released in coming months. HP how-to videos can be accessed at www.hp.com/products/howtovideos.
HP today announced the industry’s first convertible notebook PC with multi-touch technology designed specifically for consumers. Building upon the touch innovation HP developed for its TouchSmart desktop PCs, the HP TouchSmart tx2 Notebook PC was developed for people on the go who value having their digital content at their fingertips – literally. The enhanced HP MediaSmart digital entertainment software suite on the tx2 allows users to more naturally select, organize and manipulate digital files such as photos, music, video and web content by simply touching the screen. “Breezing through websites and enjoying photos or video at the tap, whisk or flick of a finger is an entirely new way to enjoy digital content on a notebook PC,” said Ted Clark, senior vice president and general manager, Notebook Global Business Unit, Personal Systems Group, HP. “With the introduction of the TouchSmart tx2, HP is providing users an easier, more natural way to interact with their PCs, and furthering touch innovation.” The tx2 is the latest result of HP’s 25 years of touch technology experience, which began with the introduction of the HP-150, a touch screen PC that was well ahead of its time, in 1983. Digital media powerhouseThe tx2 gives customers the choice to set aside the keyboard and mouse in favor of a more natural user interface – the fingertip. HP’s multi-touch display delivers quick and easy access to information, entertainment and other social media. The tx2 recognizes simultaneous input from more than one finger using “capacitive multi-touch technology,” which enables the use of gestures such as pinch, rotate, arc, flick, press and drag, and single and double tap. The convertible design with a twist hinge allows consumers to enjoy the TouchSmart in three modes: PC, display and tablet. With a rechargeable digital ink pen, users can turn the tx2 into a tablet PC to write, sketch, draw, take notes or graph right onto the screen – and then automatically convert handwriting into typed text. Starting at less than 4.5 pounds, the tx2 possesses a 12.1-inch diagonal BrightView LED display and an HP Imprint “Reaction” design. The tx2 notebook’s HP MediaSmart software lets customers enjoy photos, listen to music and watch Internet(1) TV or movies in high-definition.(2) The software is optimized for multi-touch input while also making it simple to search digital content. In an effort to provide consumers with rich content through the Internet, HP has expanded its partnership with MTV Networks (MTVN) by offering video content from 10 television channels and online brands within MediaSmart’s TV module. Beginning in December, users can enjoy all the best content from Nickelodeon, the No. 1 entertainment brand for kids; MTV, the premier destination for music and youth culture programming; and COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network and the No. 1 network in primetime for men ages 18 to 24. MTVN also plans to make content from Atom, CMT, GameTrailers, Logo, Spike, The N and VH1 available within MediaSmart’s TV module. The MediaSmart software was first brought to HP HDX notebook PCs in September, using the interface first popularized on HP TouchSmart PCs. HP plans to include the software in the tx2 and all future HP consumer notebook PCs. Powered by the AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor or AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor(3) and built on Windows® Vista Home Premium, the tx2 will be made available worldwide in an array of configure-to-order options. Additional features, accessories and service The HP TouchSmart tx2 series is ENERGY STAR® qualified and EPEAT™ Silver registered. Mercury-free LED display panels are included on the tx2 as part of HP’s ongoing commitment to reduce its impact on the environment. The HP tx Series Notebook Stand elevates the tx2, enhancing its usability while stationary, including making it possible to put the PC in an upright position for full interactivity with the touch screen. HP Webcam with Integrated Microphones allows users to see brighter, cleaner images when chatting over an Internet(1) connection. The tx2 offers access to a variety of self-help tools built in and online. It also is supported by HP Total Care, which enables consumers to reach support agents 24/7 by phone, email or real-time chat. Pricing and availabilityThe HP TouchSmart tx2 is available for ordering today in the United States at www.hpdirect.com with a starting U.S. price of $1,149.(4) More information about the tx2 is available at www.hp.com/go/touchsmarttx2.
HP today announced breakthrough networking, storage and server technologies that reduce costs, increase bandwidth flexibility and improve overall performance of virtual server environments. The HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 Ethernet module, a direct connect storage bundle for HP BladeSystem, and the HP ProLiant DL385 G5p server are among HP’s offerings that are helping customers efficiently deploy their virtualized infrastructures. While a growing number of companies deploy server virtualization to gain operational savings within their technology infrastructures, the cost of networking virtual servers continues to climb – for example, a typical server that hosts virtual machines requires six network connections.(1) To reap the benefits of their virtualized environment, companies are finding it necessary to invest in additional networking equipment, including network expansion cards, switches and cables. As an example, customers must purchase expensive network switches in either one Gigabit (Gb) or 10Gb increments to meet the increased bandwidth required for additional virtual server workloads. HP’s new Virtual Connect Flex-10 Ethernet module is the industry’s first interconnect technology that can allocate the bandwidth of a 10Gb Ethernet network port across four network interface card (NIC) connections. This increase in bandwidth flexibility eliminates the need for additional network hardware equipment. As a result, customers deploying virtual machines and utilizing Virtual Connect Flex-10 can realize savings of up to 55 percent in network equipment costs.(2) Virtual Connect Flex-10 can save 240 watts of power per HP BladeSystem enclosure – or 3,150 kilowatt hours per year – compared to existing networking technologies.(3) “Customers looking to eliminate the common obstacles of networking costs and bandwidth flexibility should look no further than HP,” said Mark Potter, vice president and general manager, BladeSystem, HP. “These technologies break down the barriers of virtualized networks, giving customers the greatest return on their investments.” Industry-leading cost benefits and four-to-one network consolidationHP Virtual Connect Flex-10 distributes the capacity of a 10Gb Ethernet port into four connections, and enables customers to assign different bandwidth requirements to each connection. Optimizing bandwidth based on application workload requirements enables customers to leverage their 10Gb investments across multiple connections, supporting virtual machine environments and other network intensive applications. This reduces overall network costs and power usage by provisioning network bandwidth more efficiently. The recently announced HP ProLiant BL495c virtualization blade includes built-in Virtual Connect Flex-10 functionality that enables it to support up to 24 NIC connections. With increased network bandwidth and memory capacity, the BL495c can accommodate more virtual servers than other competitive blade server offerings on the market.(4) Existing HP ProLiant c-Class blade customers can upgrade to Virtual Connect Flex-10 with the new HP NC532m Flex-10 expansion card. Simple, cost-effective storage expansion for HP BladeSystem customersHP’s new direct connect storage bundle for HP BladeSystem includes two HP StorageWorks 3Gb serial attached SCSI (SAS) BL switches and an MSA2000sa storage array. Traditionally, BladeSystem server administrators have had limited direct-attach or shared storage options and have had to rely on personnel with specialized knowledge to build a storage area network (SAN) based solution. This new low-cost, reliable storage option allows server administrators to easily deploy scalable shared SAS storage without the costs and complexity SANs require. By simply purchasing additional MSA2000sa arrays, customers can deploy up to 192 terabytes of external shared storage directly connected to an HP BladeSystem enclosure. The combination of the HP ProLiant BL495c virtualization blade server, Virtual Connect Flex-10 modules and the shared SAS storage bundle reduces the cost per virtual machine by more than 50 percent when compared to competitive solutions.(5) HP has enhanced its Virtual Connect 4Gb Fibre Channel module to allocate storage resources on a per virtual machine basis. This further simplifies storage and virtualization deployments for Fibre Channel storage customers. Customers can assign up to 128 separate SAN volumes per server blade for greater performance and flexibility. Innovative server design removes bottlenecks to virtual server performance
The new HP ProLiant DL385 G5p is a rack-based server optimized for virtualization. It offers up to 6 terabytes of internal storage as well as double the memory and a 67-percent improvement in energy efficiency when compared to previous generations.(6) Based on the new AMD Opteron™ 2300 Series Quad-Core processor, the DL385 G5p improves application performance and expands support for virtual machines.
Three of the biggest laptop computer makers are recalling certain batteries because of a risk they may overheat and catch fire. Sony made the batteries and the recall mirrors -- yet appears a lot smaller than -- a similar one that occurred two years ago.
This time, around 100,000 batteries are affected, a fraction of the 9.6 million [m] recalled in 2006. Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Toshiba have already issued recalls for the batteries that were used in their products and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said "consumers should stop using recalled products immediately."
The batteries in question were manufactured between October 2004 and June 2005 and to date there have been about 40 incidents reportedly globally of overheating, Sony said Friday.
Most of the incidents are believed to be due to manufacturing line adjustments made during the period that may have affected some batteries, Sony said. Additionally some may have been due to raw material flaws.
Of the 100,000 batteries affected, around 35,000 were used in laptops shipped in the U.S. By far the greatest number, about 32,000, were shipped with HP laptops.
The maker said it is recalling batteries that have a barcode label beginning with A0, L0, L1 or GC that were shipped with HP Pavilion dv1000, dv8000 and zd8000 models; with Compaq Presario v2000 and v2400 machines and with HP Compaq nc6110, nc6120, nc6140, nc6220, nc6230,nx4800, nx4820, nx6110, nx6120 and nx9600 computers.
Toshiba's U.S. recall covers around 3,000 Satellite A70/A75, P30/P5, M30X/M35X and M50/M55 laptops and Tecra A3, A5 and S2 computers.
Dell is recalling battery model OU091 in Latitude 110L and Inspiron 1100, 1150, 5100, 5150 and 5160 computers.
Consumers who believe they have batteries that have been recalled should stop using the batteries and check with their PC vendor.
An additional 2,000 batteries were shipped in the Japanese market and the remaining 63,000 went to consumers in other regions, including Europe and Asia. Recall notices for machines shipped in these other regions are expected to be issued shortly.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/153110/.html?tk=rss_news
HP made another move into the mini-laptop, or netbook, market today, unveiling three models priced from $379-$699.
 The new mini-laptops will ship between today and January, and have the same basic hardware specs: they are each less than 1 inch thick, weigh a little over 2 pounds, and come with a built-in web cam and microphone. They're powered by an Atom 1.6 GHz processor (the netbook processor of choice) and have a 1024-by-600 glass display with an LED backlight (8.9 or 10.2 inch diagonal display), an Ethernet jack, 2 USB ports, Wi-Fi ( 802.11bg WAN) and Bluetooth wireless capabilities, and a keyboard that is slightly smaller than standard size. You also have your choice of a solid state hard drive (SSD) or mechanical hard drive (HDD).
 The first model available today is called the HP Mini 1000; it comes in black only, runs XP Home Edition and is priced at $399. (See PC World's review) The second model, available mid-December, had its shell designed by fashionista Vivienne Tam and the look was debuted in New York last month when Tam unveiled her Spring collection. But if you want a designer netbook you'd better be prepared to pay designer prices; this one will cost you $699 for almost the same specs as the Mini 1000. HP plans to roll out 3G option for both of these models in December. There's no word on whether the memory is the same for both netbooks, but the Mini 1000 currently offers an 8 or 16 GB SSD drive or a 60 GB HDD.
The final model is by far the most interesting one that HP has to offer. Priced at $379, the HP Mini 1000 with MIE (Mobile Internet Experience) is about as pure a netbook as you can get with web-only applications designed by HP. Boasting the same specs as the other two, the Mini with MIE runs the open source Linux Operating System and comes pre-loaded with Skype as well as applications for Instant Messaging, e-mail, music, and web browsing. Don't get too excited, though -- the mini MIE won't be available in the U.S. until after the holiday season, sometime in January. HP has no plans to introduce a 3G model for the MIE.
All three models are configure to order, so specs on RAM and memory are up to you. 
This is HP's second move into the netbook market after it unveiled its 2133 in April; however, the 2133 was basically a mini-laptop that you could preload with Windows Vista instead of the Web-centric devices the company launched today. Ever since Western consumers expressed interest in the One Laptop Per Child's XO laptop -- which launched in 2007 and is aimed at children in the developing world -- we've seen an explosion of netbooks from traditional PC makers. Just in the last week, Dell unveiled its Inspiron mini 12 after months of speculation, and Toshiba launched its first netbook in Japan and Europe (but with no plans for the U.S. market). As the global economy begins to slow, netbooks may become the laptop of choice for many consumers and computer makers are jumping in with both feet even as they slash prices on traditional notebooks. The holdout, of course, is Apple, which recently introduced the newest versions of its popular MacBooks. However, Jobs recently argued that Apple already had two devices that compete with netbook capabilities: the iPhone and the iPod Touch.
jobs the iphone is apples notebook
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/152982/hp_netbooks_mini.html?tk=rss_news
Building on a 24-year relationship, HP and SAS today announced the opening of the HP SAS Customer Intelligence Excellence Center in Cary, N.C. The center provides an environment for clients to easily understand the benefits they can gain through the integration of the SAS suite of Customer Intelligence solutions with the HP Neoview enterprise data warehouse. The combination is designed to help companies maximize the business results of marketing programs. Using real-world examples, customers can experience how data can be turned into insight to drive successful marketing campaigns. The advanced interoperability of the solution, which incorporates data mapping and improved data upload and download time, lets businesses quickly access customer information to deliver increased business value. The first offering in the center is SAS Customer Intelligence for Financial Services, which is focused on credit card companies that use event-driven marketing. Using this integrated customer intelligence solution, companies can conduct targeted customer-centric marketing and sales campaigns that offer the right product to the right customer at the right time based on a total view of the customers’ current interactions with the company. “Financial Services companies can transform their marketing programs by achieving faster time to market and strengthening customer relationships through the new HP and SAS Customer Intelligence solutions,” said Kristina Robinson, vice president and general manager, Business Intelligence Solutions, HP. “HP and SAS are partnering to deliver unique solutions that help financial institutions optimize their business outcomes, and that better serve our joint customers.” “The need for immediate, actionable information is a key concern for financial services companies that seek to deliver the best customer service and the best operating results at the same time,” said Jim Davis, chief marketing officer, SAS. “By optimizing the integration of SAS Customer Intelligence solutions with HP Neoview, we can help companies leverage up-to-the-minute customer data in the most efficient and cost-effective ways.” “New real-time analytics platforms, like HP Neoview, promise to make it easier and more cost-effective to derive profitable insights out of massive volumes of data. Consequently, it is terrific to see SAS, the top analytics vendor, partnering with HP because their joint customers will benefit enormously,” says Wayne Eckerson, director of TDWI Research at The Data Warehousing Institute. SAS Customer Intelligence for Financial Services, powered by HP Neoview, is expected to be available soon globally at HP solution centers. More information is available at http://www.hp.com/go/sas. About SAS SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. With innovative business applications supported by an enterprise intelligence platform, SAS helps customers at 44,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976, SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW®. More information about SAS is available at http://www.sas.com. Reference : http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2008/081029c.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news
HP today announced two new consumer desktop PCs and a color display designed to have reduced impact on the environment. The HP Pavilion Verde Special Edition a6645f and HP Pavilion Phoenix Special Edition a6655f desktop PCs include AMD® energy-efficient processors(1,2) and recyclable packaging. The 25.5-inch HP w2558hc Vivid Color Display offers a wide range of new features, including a built-in webcam and 15-in-1 card reader, for enhanced entertainment and connectivity.(3) In addition, HP updated the HP Compaq Presario, HP Pavilion, HP Pavilion Slimline and HP Pavilion Elite lines of desktop PCs with new configurations to fit the needs of every consumer – from entertainment enthusiasts to budget-minded families and students. More information about the new lines is available at HP Direct. PCs designed with the environment in mind The HP Pavilion Verde Special Edition a6645f and HP Pavilion Phoenix Special Edition a6655f desktop PCs are ENERGY STAR® qualified and meet the standards for Silver registration in the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT™). The special-edition desktop PCs are designed with AMD energy-efficient processors(1,2) and advanced power management features that provide up to 45 percent energy savings compared to PCs without power management enabled. In addition, they come in 100 percent recyclable packaging with less plastic foam. “The Phoenix and Verde desktops represent HP’s ongoing efforts to innovate and design for the environment,” said John Cook, vice president, Marketing, Worldwide Consumer PC Business, HP. “HP is committed to offering consumers and businesses computing alternatives that can reduce energy consumption and lessen their overall eco-footprint.” The special-edition desktop PCs offer up to five gigabytes (GB) of memory, Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-bit edition with Service Pack 1,(4) a front-panel 15-in-1 memory card reader for easily transferring photos and files to and from peripheral devices, and a SuperMulti DVD burner with LightScribe technology for etching custom labels and artwork directly onto discs.(5) The HP Pavilion Phoenix Special Edition a6655f desktop PC includes an energy-efficient AMD Phenom™ X4 9150e Quad-Core Processor(1) and 640 GB hard drive(6) and features a stunning design symbolizing the mythical phoenix. The HP Pavilion Verde Special Edition a6645f desktop PC has a nature-inspired pattern on the chassis and includes an energy-efficient AMD Athlon™ X2 4850e Dual-Core Processor(2) and 500 GB hard drive.(6) Introducing a display that does it all HP’s new 25.5-inch diagonal widescreen flat panel display contains an array of features to provide enhanced entertainment, connectivity and performance. The elegant, ergonomically designed HP w2558hc Vivid Color Display includes a built-in 15-in-1 card reader for easily viewing slideshows and videos, even when the PC is turned off, as well as a built-in two-megapixel webcam for staying connected with friends and family through video chat.(7) The HP w2558hc also has multiple USB ports and digital outputs to provide convenient connectivity to external devices, such as MP3 players and digital cameras.(8) HDMI inputs allow for a high-definition experience,(9) delivering bright and brilliant images powered by a fast response time, high brightness and contrast ratio, and BrightView technology. The ergonomic design of the HP w2558hc with built-in speakers and a slim profile fits easily in the home and helps minimize desk space use. The display also includes height and tilt adjustments to suit viewing needs. The HP w2558hc is ENERGY STAR qualified and offers a Power Saver feature to help reduce energy consumption. Pricing and availability(10) The HP Pavilion Verde Special Edition a6645f Desktop PC is expected to be available Nov. 9 exclusively through Circuit City, starting at $579. The HP Pavilion Phoenix Special Edition a6655f Desktop PC is expected to be available Nov. 9 exclusively through Best Buy, starting $659. The HP w2558hc display is currently available through HP Direct and select retailers nationwide starting at $599. Reference : http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2008/081020xa.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news
HP today unveiled renewable energy initiatives in its facilities, research and products to support a new goal to double the company’s global purchases of renewable power from under 4 percent in 2008 to 8 percent by 2012. This complements HP’s goal to reduce energy consumption and the resulting greenhouse gas emissions from HP-owned and HP-leased facilities worldwide to 16 percent below 2005 levels by 2010. To reduce its carbon footprint, HP is relying on diversified renewable energy resources, improving energy efficiency and placing a strong emphasis on energy reduction and optimization at a number of its facilities around the world. In 2007, HP successfully met its goal to increase renewable energy purchases by more than 350 percent and purchased 61.4 million kilowatt hours (kwh) of renewable energy and renewable energy credits in the United States. “HP is investing in technologies that bring us closer to operating in a sustainable IT ecosystem,” said John Frey, senior sustainability executive, HP. “We are supporting renewable energy programs for our own operational efficiency, harnessing research to demonstrate environmental leadership and offering products that support customer concerns about rising energy costs.” Harnessing solar and wind power HP recently completed a 1.1-megawatt, 6,256 solar panel system at its facility in San Diego. This is one of the largest solar power installations in the County of San Diego and is projected to save the company $750,000 during the next 15 years while providing more than 10 percent of the facility’s power. Further, the system will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 60 million pounds over the next 30 years. This is equivalent to providing electricity to 3,800 homes or removing more than 5,250 cars from the road over this time period. SunPower installed the system and GE Energy Financial Services, a unit of GE that owns the system under SunPower Access, will provide the electricity under a power purchase agreement. HP also extended the benefits of solar power to its U.S. employees. To date, more than 600 HP employees and retirees have requested an evaluation of a home system installation, and more than 60 have completed an installation or are under contract to install SunPower systems at their homes. HP elected to participate in Austin’s Green Choice program, to procure almost 19.9 million kwh of wind energy from wind farms in western Texas for two of its Austin data centers, which represents nearly 20 percent of the annual energy used by the two centers. Additionally, the facilities are using the HP Dynamic Smart Cooling (DSC) system, which enables real-time changes to air conditioners, fans, vents and computing equipment help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and reduce energy costs. HP DSC typically yields energy savings of 20 to 40 percent over legacy HP data centers. HP’s Austin data centers are on track to achieve energy cost savings of more than $100,000 annually based on the integration of HP DSC technology. HP consolidated three of its facilities in Melbourne, Australia, with sustainability in mind. The new facility design included orienting the building to strategically reduce energy consumption associated with heating and cooling and using energy-efficient lighting. As a result, HP expects to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by 70 percent. Sustainable IT ecosystem HP is leveraging renewable and non-renewable resources to effectively and efficiently manage a limited supply of available energy. The use of various sources of power throughout its operations will support the development of HP’s micro-grid for power and cooling distribution in the data center facility, which ensures efficiency, manageability and regulatory requirements while meeting service level agreements. HP Labs, the company’s central research arm, has initiated research that uses nanowire photonics to potentially increase the efficiency of solar cells to more than 20 percent. This development allows solar cells to operate on a level of those used in expensive deep-space applications, while being manufactured at much lower costs, like those used in pocket calculators or to recharge portable devices. Nanowire photonics may be integrated with a greater selection of conductor materials, allowing for low-cost options. In the future, nanowire photonics may optimize renewable energy throughout the IT industry and other business sectors. Taking steps to reduce the energy required for manufacturing and distributing products, HP plans to reduce the energy consumption of its volume desktop and notebook PC families by 25 percent, relative to 2005. Today, HP announced two new desktop PCs and a display designed to have reduced impact on the environment with energy-efficient processors and recyclable packaging. The HP Pavilion Verde Special Edition a6645f and HP Pavilion Phoenix Special Edition a6655f desktop PCs are ENERGY STAR® qualified and meet strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The products also meet the standards for the Silver registration in the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT™), one of the highest ratings products can achieve for their environmental attributes. In addition, HP announced the ergonomically designed 25.5-inch HP w2558hc Vivid Color display, which is ENERGY STAR qualified and offers a Power Saver feature that helps to reduce energy consumption. The special-edition desktop PCs provide up to 45 percent energy savings compared to PCs without power management enabled and come in 100 percent recyclable packaging with less plastic foam. HP and the environment For decades HP has been an environmental leader, driving company stewardship through its holistic design for environment strategy. HP influences industry action through its long-standing commitment to maintain supply chain responsibility, sustain energy efficient operations, reduce its climate impact and offer product reuse and recycling options. HP also makes it easier for customers to recognize environmental attributes through HP Eco Solutions, a program that helps customers identify products and services designed with the environment in mind. More information is available at www.hp.com/environment. Reference : http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2008/081020a.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news
Hewlett-Packard is getting ready to launch the ExDS storage system, which will use up to 820 1T-byte drives for file-based storage, packaged in two 42U cabinets. The system is an online content repository that comes in the shape of an appliance, according to Jim Haberkorn, whose job description as a director at HP's StorageWorks division includes hyping the system to potential customers. "We first designed the product specifically for streaming media and for static media. We've got a company called Snapfish, and they have over 5 billion online images. We were kind of thinking of them when we designed it, and it wouldn't take much to go from static to streaming media, and it actually works really well for that," Haberkorn said. But as HP has started to show the ExDS to potential customers, more ways of using it have come to light, including oil and gas companies that want to use it for seismic research. But in the end, many industries are thinking of ways to handle fast data growth. Most likely companies that are interested in the new system have already looked at their old kind of storage, but have found it too expensive, that it takes up too much space or uses too much power for what they want to do, according to Haberkorn. "Maybe they want to start an online backup service or start saving their customer's videos, or their snapshots themselves -- traditional storage doesn't allow them to reach the right economies in order to make that viable," Haberkorn said. The system will cost less than US$2 per gigabyte or US$2,000 per terabyte. "That includes everything, so it includes the software, the hardware, the infrastructure, the cabinets, all the installation and all the services," Haberkorn said. HP has tried to make it as easy as possible to manage. "We can install this in hours, and the customers can then install the storage and the compute power themselves," he said. To keep costs down, HP's storage division has taken advantage of what already exists at HP, instead of starting from scratch. The system uses HP blade servers, and the drives are of course their own. "The hardware was the easiest thing to solve," Haberkorn said. Both the number of blade servers and the number of drives can be scaled independently, depending on how much performance and storage are needed. The model for building these kinds of storage systems is Google. By and large, how the search giant has managed to grow its infrastructure remains a closely guarded secret, according Haberkorn, but he is convinced ExDS can deliver better performance than Google's in-house system. "We, for example, get double the density, they get 6T bytes per U, we believe, and we get 12T bytes," said Haberkorn. Haberkorn doesn't want to specify a launch date for the ExDS, other than saying it will be out later this year। Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151179/ExDS_filestorage.html?tk=rss_news
Hewlett-Packard will lay off about 24,600 employees over the next three years in an effort to streamline the company following its US$13.9 billion acquisition of Electronic Data Systems last month, the company announced Monday. The layoffs will be part of a three-year restructuring program, HP said in a statement. The company will lay off about 7.5 percent of its workers during that time, with nearly half of the reductions coming from HP's U.S. workforce, HP said. About half of the positions will eventually be replaced, the company said. The restructuring program is expected to save HP about US$1.8 billion each year, HP said. HP will take a $1.7 billion charge in the fourth quarter of 2008 related to the restructuring program. The acquisition of systems integrator EDS was intended to give HP a comprehensive portfolio of IT products to help customers manage and improve their technology systems, HP said. "HP now has the broadest technology capabilities in the market to meet customer needs today and in the future," Mark Hurd, HP chairman and CEO said in a statement. "HP has a strong track record of making acquisitions and integrating them to capture leading market positions." The company is holding a meeting with financial analysts Monday afternoon at which it is also discussing its plans for integrating EDS। Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151102/HP_EDS_Layoffs.html?tk=rss_news
HP today announced new consumer notebook and desktop PCs and accessories that push the boundaries of personal computing design and experience while making it even easier for people to enjoy their photos, music and other content with anyone, anywhere. Striking new designs and innovative features distinguish the entertainment-rich HP HDX16 and HDX18 Notebook PCs, which deliver high-definition photos, videos and music on the go.(1) The HP TouchSmart IQ800 series PC with a 25.5-inch diagonal screen is a versatile entertainment system that puts the digital lives of consumers right at their fingertips. Additionally, an array of PC accessories, such as HP Digital Picture Frames and HP SimpleSave backup for music and data, help protect and enhance the digital entertainment experience. “HP’s new consumer notebooks and TouchSmart PC deliver smart and creative ways to engage the wealth of photos, videos, music and entertainment that was previously stuck on our PCs gathering digital dust,” said Stephen DeWitt, senior vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. “HP is developing new products and solutions that help make connecting to people and information simple and fun and create a truly personalized computing experience.” Notebooks offer premium design and high-definition experience For people who want access – wherever they are – to friends and family, TV, photos, movies, music, games and online information, HP has introduced the powerful HP HDX16 and HDX18 Notebook PCs. These notebooks provide a truly mobile, high-definition(1) experience while featuring striking designs, vividly bright 1,080-pixel displays, built-in TV tuners(2) and Blu-ray(3) disk capabilities. Both notebooks include built-in Wi-Fi(4) networking, along with home-theater-quality audio/video options that include Altec Lansing speakers, an HP Triple Bass subwoofer and Dolby Home Theater software. The HDX16 is a midsize notebook with a 16-inch diagonal widescreen with 720- or 1,080-pixel resolution display. The HDX18 is a powerful and visually captivating full-size notebook with an 18.4-inch diagonal Ultra BrightView 1,080-pixel screen and enthusiast-class graphics capabilities. Additionally, the HP HDX notebook PCs feature HP MediaSmart, which allows consumers to enjoy photos, listen to music and watch movies in high definition.(1) A stunning new high-definition, touch-enabled screen for the ultimate user experience The new HP TouchSmart IQ800 series PC is a sleek all-in-one touchscreen desktop that can double as a TV with a huge 25.5-inch diagonal high-definition(1) widescreen. With the natural user touch interface of the HP TouchSmart, users can quickly check the weather; play music and create playlists; crop, edit and share photos; or watch TV(2) – with only a tap or swipe of a finger. The wall mountable TouchSmart PC includes an image resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels and a slot-load Blu-ray(3) player, providing a stunning high-definition experience(1) The IQ800 series also features a powerful, energy-efficient Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor(5) and uses HP power management technology to provide up to 45 percent energy savings compared to PCs without power management enabled. Other features built into the sleek IQ800 series include a webcam(6); colored HP Ambient Light; media card reader; large-capacity, high-speed hard drive; an HP Pocket Media Drive Bay for adding an additional hard drive; and premium speakers. New accessories personalize and protect the digital experience HP also introduced a wide variety of accessories, including digital picture frames, SimpleSave solutions, mice, keyboards and flash storage that enhance the PC experience.HP has expanded its easy-to-use digital picture frame portfolio to help consumers show off photos, create slide shows and play videos – with no computer needed. The picture frames come in a variety of sizes, including a portable, 3.5-inch pocket frame and an attractive 10-inch cherry wood-finish frame. The frames feature clock and calendar options, support MP3 and other audio formats, and play music through stereo speakers. A variety of interchangeable, double-matting options give HP frames a more professional look and allow easy personalization. PictBridge functionality allows consumers to print photos right from the digital picture frame. HP SimpleSave for music and data provides an easy way to back up digital music or important documents in three steps. Simply insert the SimpleSave disk into the DVD drive and the solution finds all music or documents and saves them to the DVD. In the event of a hard drive crash, the HP SimpleSave restore process is as quick and easy as the original backup process. The solution is compatible with hundreds of music, music video, document and file formats. Designed for expert gamers, HP’s new gaming mice – the HDX Laser Mouse and Laser Gaming Mouse with VoodooDNA – offer up to five levels of on-the-fly sensitivity, allowing gamers to adjust dots-per-inch (dpi) settings up to 3,200 dpi in-game. Using the five programmable buttons and VoodooDNA GUI software, gamers can preset five different macros with five unique profiles for up to 25 different combinations of ultimate game-playing flexibility. The spill-resistant HP Wireless Comfort Keyboard and Mouse combo provides wave-shaped keyboard design, cushioned wrist rest and three different adjustable heights designed for better comfort while typing. The keyboard features 31 hotkeys – including instant access to the Web; enhanced Windows Vista® experience; and programmable buttons for multimedia controls. The mouse features a four-way-tilt scroll wheel and two programmable buttons along with an asymmetric design for better ergonomics and comfort. Pricing and availability(7) The HP HDX16 starts at $1,299, while the HP HDX18 starts at $1,549. Both are expected to be available starting later this month. The HP TouchSmart IQ804 PC starts at $1,899 and is expected to be available Sept. 21, while the HP TouchSmart IQ816 PC starts at $2,099 and is expected to be available Oct. 12. Available now, HP Digital Picture Frames come in 3.5-inch, 7-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch sizes and range in price from $59 to $219. HP SimpleSave is available in a five-pack for $14.99 from major electronics retailers. The HP HDX Laser Mouse and Laser Gaming Mouse with VoodooDNA mice are priced at $39.99 and $59.99, respectively. HP Wireless Comfort Keyboard and mouse combo are available now and are priced at $79।99. Reference : http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2008/080916a.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news
HP today announced new products, services and solutions to help customers simplify their virtualized environments to realize business benefits from the data center to the desktop. Announced at VMworld 2008, HP’s new offerings provide support for VMware technologies in four key areas: management software, virtualization services, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), and server and storage infrastructures. “Customers look to HP to implement virtualization projects and strategies that lower operational costs and reduce pressure on data center real estate,” said Mark Linesch, vice president, Infrastructure Software, HP. “As a leading VMware partner, HP is advancing the state of virtualization to help our joint customers drive continued growth, manage operations and reduce enterprise-wide risk.” Brian Byun, vice president, Global Partners and Solutions, VMware, said, “VMware and HP have a long history of collaboration to help support customers’ data center needs, spanning servers, desktops, storage and services. We are pleased to see the addition of HP products and services optimized for VMware virtualization, further expanding HP’s comprehensive IT portfolio.” Information faster – zero-impact information backup and instant recovery of VMware Protecting virtual machines and their application data with frequent backups and minimal impact to the virtual infrastructure has become one of the biggest information management challenges for technology organizations to overcome. HP Data Protector software simplifies and centralizes automated data protection and recovery operations. This includes increased availability of critical applications with Zero Downtime Backup and Instant Recovery capabilities. Now available for VMware environments, HP Data Protector Zero Downtime Backup and Instant Recovery tightly integrate with HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Arrays, giving customers zero-impact backup of mission-critical application data residing on virtual machines. This integration also provides the recovery of both the virtual machine and critical data in seconds or minutes instead of hours. “We are thrilled with HP Data Protector and VMware solutions to manage our data protection needs,” said Peter Molbæk, IT operations manager, VIA University College, the third-largest educational institution in Denmark. “You cannot ask for a better solution than what HP has provided.” Planning and provisioning physical and virtual resources together HP Insight Dynamics – VSE is the industry’s first integrated solution to visualize, plan and change physical and virtual resources in the same way, improving data center efficiency and lowering cost. Combined with VMware VirtualCenter, the solution provides for cost-effective, high-availability and simplified provisioning of resources across the data center. HP Insight Dynamics – VSE with VMware VirtualCenter can pre-emptively move virtual machines to a different hardware platform before any downtime occurs. The real-time capacity planning capabilities of Insight Dynamics – VSE let customers continuously analyze and optimize their server resources, both physical and virtual. With energy awareness built into the tool, users can optimize server configurations to lower power utilization. “Our company’s success depends on delivering quality business technology solutions to our hospitality industry customers,” said Pete Simpson, vice president, Business Technology – Europe, Middle East and Africa, Micros Fidelio, a leading supplier of information systems to the hospitality industry. “HP Insight Dynamics – VSE is working to consolidate and virtualize our entire data center stack, resulting in greater flexibility and significant operational cost savings to give us a real competitive advantage.” New HP services support VMware virtualization of Microsoft® Exchange 2007 New HP Virtual Exchange Infrastructure (VEI) Services supporting VMware help customers better understand and maximize their VMware and Microsoft Exchange 2007 investments. HP planning, quick-start and implementation services lead customers through the consolidation and migration of existing messaging systems to Microsoft Exchange 2007 on VMware Infrastructure without affecting day-to-day operations. This improves data protection by moving the message stores to the data center from remote locations. HP VDI for VMware virtualization – new services and thin client support New HP VDI Services supporting VMware virtualization allow customers to better utilize their HP VDI and VMware technologies. HP VDI is a desktop replacement solution that provides security for data and applications on a desktop and lowers the cost of desktop life cycle management, while providing users with the experience of a standard desktop. These planning, quick-start and implementation services help customers understand their VDI options, develop a roadmap that matches their business strategies, assess the business value of VDI and implement the right solution. The results include better control over – and more cost-effective management of – desktops, installations, upgrades, patches and backups. HP’s industry-leading thin client portfolio has been certified for VMware Virtual Desktop Manager, VMware’s next-generation connection broker. This certification ensures HP customers receive a superior out-of-the-box experience with smooth and easy deployment of VMware VDI with any HP thin client. Designed for global enterprise desktop customers, VMware Virtual Desktop Manager is a key component of VMware VDI, connecting HP thin clients to centralized virtual desktops that can be accessed securely from nearly any location. Using Virtual Desktop Manager, IT administrators can quickly automate the process of assigning virtual desktop resources to end users. Email stations at VMworld 2008 feature HP VDI technology. Consisting of HP ProLiant servers, HP Thin Clients and VMware VDI software, VMworld attendees encounter a real-life VDI session when they use the email stations to browse the Web or access the VMworld portal to build their event schedules. HP offers first virtualization blade, enhances servers with new Intel® chipset In addition to the recently announced HP ProLiant BL495c virtualization blade, HP has enhanced the HP ProLiant BL680c G5 server blade and HP ProLiant DL580 G5 rack-based server with the first-ever six-core processor for x86 platforms --- the Intel Xeon® processor 7400 series. Ideal for deploying many virtual machines, these servers deliver the performance and expansion capabilities that virtualized environments require. With the launch of new models of the HP ProLiant BL680c with Intel Xeon E7450 six-core processors, HP now has both the top-performing blade server for VMware and the top-performing server overall for VMware. Using the VMmark® benchmark, the HP ProLiant BL680c grabbed the top blade server spot with a VMmark score of 16.05 @ 12 tiles (using 24 cores). For overall VMmark performance, the 8-processor HP ProLiant DL785 holds the top position, scoring 21.88 @ 16 tiles.(1) Automated disaster recovery for virtualized environments HP and VMware have worked together to develop an integrated, simple and automated disaster recovery solution for virtual environments. This offering combines VMware Site Recovery Manager, HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Arrays (EVA) and HP Continuous Access Replication EVA Software. Whether due to complexity or cost, research by Info-Tech Research Group indicates 60 percent of North American businesses do not have a basic plan to mediate the effects of a natural disaster or unplanned downtime. HP’s support for VMware Site Recovery Manager provides customers of all sizes with cost-effective, reliable disaster recovery technology to protect their business-critical applications at all times. The HP EVA’s dual-redundant hardware architecture with replication software also ensures maximum uptime by eliminating any single points of failure. The HP StorageWorks 2000 Modular Smart Array (MSA2000fc and MSA2000i) also supports VMware VMotion; the MSA2000sa is expected to begin supporting the solution in October। When combined with array-based snapshots, this allows small to midsize businesses to have a robust, entry-level SAS, iSCSI or Fibre Channel storage solution for their virtualization deployments. Reference : http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2008/080915xb.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news
HP and world-renowned designer Vivienne Tam today announced they are working together to create a special edition notebook positioned to become the ultimate tech accessory for fashionistas around the globe. Vivienne Tam and HP unveiled the design of the new must-have digital clutch on the catwalk today at Tam’s fashion show during New York’s Fashion Week at Bryant Park. The HP Vivienne Tam Special Edition notebook represents the first time a computer company has partnered with a globally renowned designer to create a notebook PC that offers all the style and power needed for a delightful technology experience. Tam also worked with HP to design the notebook’s accessories and packaging. “When I was approached by HP to create a special edition notebook, I could see the design in my head instantly,” said Tam. “The notebook is a true reflection of the needs of a modern woman who cares about fashion but is also passionate about her technology. I wanted to create a notebook that would appeal to women of all ages, ethnicities and income levels across the globe.” The top of the notebook is gleaming red and bursting with peony flowers. The peony design is meticulously carried inside the notebook, under the keypad. The notebook also features a complementary embroidered storage sleeve that helps keep the exterior protected while being carried as a clutch. The peony design features a unique blend of Asian and Western cultures, antiquity and modern style, technology and fashion. It was inspired by Tam’s “China Chic” style, which is recognized from the runways in Milan to the Olympics in Beijing and represents her personal mantra to live well and be beautiful. “The peony is the national flower of China. They are beautiful and symbolize prosperity, good fortune and happiness,” said Tam. “Their many layers are similar to a modern woman who is as savvy in expressing herself with her personal style as she is with weaving technology into the fabric of her rich and multi-faceted life.” “With ‘China Chic,’ Vivienne Tam reinterpreted traditional Chinese art into a global fashion trend,” said Satjiv Chahil, senior vice president, Worldwide Marketing, Personal Systems Group, HP. “With her spring collection, Tam has helped HP take the personal computer from a necessity to a lifestyle and fashion ‘must have.’” The HP Vivienne Tam Special Edition notebook is expected to be available early next year. “Tech chic” virtual experience In addition to working with Tam on the new notebook design and accessories, HP today launched a fully integrated virtual experience to help fashionistas around the globe find design inspiration online. HP has created a virtual catwalk, a designer tour hosted by Tam, and a “design bot” gadget inspiring users to dress up their computers with Tam-designed wallpaper, screensaver and icons – all of which are available now in the United States and in early October worldwide. The efforts were created in partnership with Glam.com and are available at www.tech-chic.com।Reference : http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2008/080909xa.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news
Hewlett-Packard (HP) will release a laptop next month that can run for to 24 hours using a high-capacity battery -- but only if it's running Microsoft's Windows XP operating system. The long-lasting notebook will be a special configuration of the 6930p, part of HP's EliteBook line that the company targets at businesses. The allure of a battery that can last a day is incontestable, as anyone who has spent time in an airport searching for a power outlet knows. The secret to the 6930p's long battery life is new technology -- and some old technology too. To get the best battery performance, the 6930p will have to run Windows XP rather than Windows Vista, Microsoft's latest operating system. Vista has been criticized as being a power hog, although some of its flashy, power-draining features such as the translucent Aero windows can be turned off. Although Microsoft has been heavily pushing Vista, HP has said it will offer downgrades from Vista to Windows XP on business laptops through next year. The 6930p will also need a 12-cell Ultra-Capacity Battery, which sells for US$189. The battery lasts about 10 hours longer than the regular-capacity one. The new laptop model will also have HP's Illumi-Lite LED (light-emitting diode) display, which the company says adds four more hours to a battery's life than a traditional LCD (liquid crystal display) screen. Further power savings will come from the use of an Intel SSD (solid-state drive), which uses power-saving NAND flash memory rather than a rotating magnetic disk to store information. Use of an Intel SSD enables the battery to last around 7 percent longer, HP said. HP is one of Intel's partners and will soon being incorporating Intel X25-M and X18M Mainstream SATA SSDs in its products. HP lists the current available version of the 6930p as starting at $1,199 on its Web site, although the company has not listed how much the 24-hour battery life configuration will cost। Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/150824/hp_laptop_battery.html?tk=rss_news
HP today announced new additions to its recently updated portfolio of servers, storage, software and services – driving more business value into Microsoft® virtualization environments. Today’s unveilings offer: Immediate interoperability of Microsoft virtualization technologies with HP enterprise hardware and software offerings – including HP ProLiant and HP BladeSystem servers, HP StorageWorks and HP Thin Client products, and HP software. Strategy, design, transition, operation and continual improvement services for new Microsoft virtualization technologies in HP and heterogeneous environments. Customized training to prepare customers for Microsoft virtualization products and solutions. HP and Microsoft are expanding the Microsoft Technology Center in Reston, Va., with an increased focus on the manageability, security and sustainability advantages of joint HP and Microsoft virtualization solutions. This center is targeted to the U.S. federal market. “Customers are increasingly using virtualization to deliver lower costs and reduced risks to the business as virtualization moves from being a tactical technology toward becoming a key transformation strategy,” said Sean Hehir, vice president, Microsoft Strategic Alliance, HP. “HP has worked extensively with Microsoft to develop products and services across our portfolio that not only help customers realize the full value of Microsoft virtualization technologies, but also help them accelerate the growth of their businesses.” “HP and Microsoft have a proven track record of delivering strong results for our customers based on our combined technology experience and industry credibility; and we deliver solutions, products and services that solve real-world business problems and provide undisputable customer value,” said Bob Kelly, corporate vice president, Infrastructure Server Marketing, Server and Tools Business, Microsoft. “HP is both a key partner and valued customer for Microsoft, and together we are helping customers obtain the full value of their Microsoft virtualization investment.” Reduce costs, increase security and simplify management HP ProLiant, HP BladeSystem servers and HP StorageWorks – part of the industry’s most complete platform designed for virtualization – broadly support Microsoft virtualization technologies, including Microsoft Windows® Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft Hyper-V Server. HP ProLiant is one of Microsoft’s development platforms for testing and development of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V. Microsoft Hyper-V Server is a stand-alone server virtualization product that will be supported on a wide range of HP ProLiant servers, providing a cost-effective solution for consolidating existing workloads. HP Insight Dynamics – VSE, along with Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 (SCVMM), will provide a comprehensive physical and virtual systems management environment for advanced management of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V running on HP ProLiant and BladeSystem servers. This support is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2009. HP Insight Control Environment delivers integrated and easy-to-use life cycle management for server and storage infrastructure across an entire Windows Server 2008 environment. HP Insight Control Software complements and extends the capabilities of the Microsoft System Center suite of products. HP ProLiant is also management-enabled for Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008. HP will be including Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO) features in its ProLiant management pack to help customers manage their Microsoft virtual environments running on HP servers. HP StorageWorks and HP Thin Client products will provide comprehensive support for Microsoft virtualization technologies. This offers a unique opportunity for customers to work with a single vendor to purchase and deploy a comprehensive virtualization solution. New virtualization services and education offerings As the largest integrator of Microsoft technologies in the world, HP has the ability to integrate and support these technologies in heterogeneous environments, helping customers address strategic or large-scale virtualization deployments and management to deliver better business outcomes. The new HP Microsoft Virtualization Infrastructure Service offerings guide customers through a transformation of their server infrastructure, including virtualization strategy, consolidation, virtual machine management and security. Applying HP data center and system integration best practices results in a more reliable and manageable infrastructure with lower, more predictable costs. In addition, HP support services help customers increase stability in ongoing operations. The HP Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Service provides customers with an understanding of HP VDI, which includes Citrix XenDesktop along with Microsoft optimized desktop technologies such as Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, System Center Virtual Machine Manager, Microsoft Application Virtualization, Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services and Windows Vista®. This service enables customers to build a reliable desktop infrastructure that reduces total cost of ownership, increases security, simplifies technology management and readily adapts to new business requirements with improved flexibility. New customized training and education offerings include classroom training, live online training, self-paced e-learning and a variety of informal learning options. These services enable businesses to stay up to date while minimizing the time away from core business activities. HP is a worldwide Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for learning solutions. Increased management support for heterogeneous environments HP is furthering its support for heterogeneous management of virtualized environments and seamless management of physical and virtual environments. HP software extends management of systems virtualized via Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V environments with offerings in the HP Business Technology Optimization (BTO) software portfolio. HP IT Service Management software provides discovery of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and can be used to identify, manage and track the entire virtual asset life cycle, allowing customers to drive business value by paying for only the licenses they need. HP Business Service Automation, including HP Server Automation software (formerly Opsware Server Automation System), will fully enable automation of change and configuration management processes across virtual and physical environments for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V environments, and will integrate with System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 for managing the advanced platform capabilities, while decreasing downtime associated with uncontrolled change। Reference : http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2008/080908xa.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news
Hewlett-Packard has announced a broad sweep of new virtualization products along with survey results claiming that most businesses aren't making the most of what the technology has to offer. The products include a ProLiant blade server "built from the ground up" for virtualization, four thin-client computers for virtualizing desktops, new equipment for virtualizing storage and some consulting services. Virtualization is most widely used today for consolidating servers in data centers, which can help cut costs and reduce energy use. HP is trying to sell the technology as a way to make businesses more competitive, by freeing up IT resources that can be repurposed quickly to create new services. "Today, many companies are focused only on how virtualization reduces cost; we believe it enables much more," said Ann Livermore, head of HP's Technology Solutions Group, in a video on HP's Web site. On the desktop, HP is trying to push virtualization beyond call centers and into offices, for use by business analysts, engineers and even financial traders. It announced four thin-client PCs that will ship in October, two with its ThinConnect operating system, one with Windows CE and one with Windows XP Embedded. It also announced that its Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) software and blade PCs now support Citrix Systems' XenDesktop software, which was announced in May. VDI lets a company run multiple desktop OS environments on a server and is geared toward "basic productivity workers." HP also offers blade PCs, which use a dedicated server blade for each desktop environment, for workers who need more compute power. The thin clients cost about US$199 each when bought in volume, and each blade PC works out to about $1,000, said Tad Bodeman, director of product marketing for HP's client virtualization business. "All of these cost the same or a bit more to buy than a desktop PC, but very quickly you'll have a return on the investment," Bodeman said. The savings come from lower management costs for centrally managed virtual desktops, a longer lifecycle for the thin-client hardware -- up to seven years compared to five years for a standard desktop -- and fewer incidents of lost or stolen data because the data is stored on a central server. Thin clients also consume less energy -- around 25 watts compared to 100 watts or more for a desktop PC. For the data center, HP said its new BL495c blade server is built for virtualization because it has 16 DIMM slots for a possible 128G bytes of memory, up to eight network connections per blade and two solid-state disk drives. "When you're consolidating underutilized servers into a single platform, which is what many customers are doing with virtualization, that platform has to be very expandable," said Mark Potter, general manager of HP's BladeSystem Group. "Memory and I/O are the things that tend to get bottlenecked first." The server comes with one or two quad-core Opteron processors from Advanced Micro Devices and hypervisor software from VMware, Citrix or Microsoft. Pricing starts at $2,449 for a single processor, 4G bytes of memory and the hypervisor. Also new is StorageWorks 4400 Scaleable NAS File Services, which can be combined with HP's 4400 Enterprise Virtual Array to create a virtual storage pool that can be shared among servers connected to the system, according to HP. "All the servers will have read/write access to all the storage, so an administrator can create pools of storage resources that can be mapped more easily to where they need to be," Potter said. The system comes with 4.8 terabytes of storage, expandable to 96 terabytes. It is priced from $94,270 for the Windows File Services version and $97,630 for the Linux File Services version. HP also announced enhancements to its HP-UX operating system, some "fixed-price" consulting services and software updates for managing virtual environments. More information about the new consulting services as well as the other announcements are available on HP's Web site. Almost nine out of 10 companies are doing some sort of virtualization today, but most are in the early stages, according to an HP-commissioned survey of 150 decision makers at mostly large companies. Only about one-third of them see virtualization as a way to accelerate growth or to become more competitive, HP said. HP is among a glut of companies that will make virtualization announcements ahead of VMware's annual VMworld conference in Las Vegas, which starts Sept. 15. BMC Software also announced new management software Tuesday, and Microsoft, Surgient and Neterion are among the other companies expected to announce products before VMworld hogs the spotlight two weeks from now। Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/150587/.html?tk=rss_news
HP today announced new products, services and solutions designed to simplify the implementation and management of virtualization so that the technology delivers greater business value. Recent global research conducted on behalf of HP revealed that while 86 percent of technology decision makers have implemented virtualization projects, the vast majority of respondents expect to have virtualized just 25 percent of their technology environments by 2010.(1) While many of those surveyed anticipate eventually reaching 75 percent virtualization of their total environments, only one-third of these technology implementers recognize virtualization as a valuable business tool. Two-thirds of implementers relegate virtualization to the role of technology enabler. “Virtualization is a powerful step in transforming IT,” said Ann Livermore, executive vice president, Technology Solutions Group, HP. “To do it right means successfully managing and automating mixed physical and virtual environments. HP delivers the industry’s broadest portfolio for virtualized environments, covering applications and operations management, infrastructure and client architectures.” HP’s approach to virtualization is focused on removing the technology inhibitors that reduce virtualization’s impact on the business. It highlights how applications and business services can perform well regardless of where and how they are hosted, networked or managed. It dramatically simplifies management across a combined virtual and physical world, and it addresses the issue of pooling infrastructure resources across an organization. HP’s new offerings support business needs that span the desktop to the data center. They are focused on lowering operational cost, mitigating the risk of a heterogeneous environment and freeing resources to deliver new business services. These offerings are designed around three specific areas: applications and operations management, overcoming infrastructure barriers, and maximizing client architectures. Rethink … applications and operations management HP Business Service Management (BSM) and IT Service Management (ITSM) solutions have been enhanced with new virtualization monitoring and support capabilities to seamlessly link business services to the physical and virtual resources that deliver and manage them. This leads to faster deployments, lower costs and quicker problem resolution. HP Operations Agent, HP Performance Agent and HP SiteScope have been enhanced with hypervisor management capabilities, including the ability to collect management data to automate event and availability monitoring and management processes across heterogeneous infrastructures. HP Network Node Manager i-series has been updated to monitor the performance and availability of networks supporting dynamic, virtualized environments. This allows customers to proactively plan and monitor network capacity. New HP Asset Manager identifies and manages virtual machine asset inventory and licenses, allowing customers to pay for only the licenses they need. A new strategic development agreement with Red Hat simplifies the monitoring and management of virtualized environments. New and enhanced HP Virtualization Support Services achieve a smooth transition to, and ongoing management of, new virtualization technology while reducing the risk of unplanned downtime. Rethink … infrastructure barriers Current infrastructure was not designed to take complete advantage of virtualization. New HP offerings are designed to lower costs, mitigate the risk of downtime and free up resources that can drive additional business services to support growth. The HP ProLiant BL495c virtualization blade is the world’s first server blade designed specifically to host virtual machines. The BL495c eliminates key virtualization performance bottlenecks of memory, data storage and network connections. HP StorageWorks 4400 Scalable NAS File Services integrates the HP StorageWorks 4400 Enterprise Virtual Array, file servers, management software, and Microsoft Windows® or Linux support to virtualize the connection between servers and storage. The solution lowers maintenance costs and mitigates the risk of data loss with advanced replication software. HP-UX 11i V3 and the HP Virtual Server Environment have been enhanced for mission-critical virtualization with significant performance improvement, automated optimization, improved protection and simplified management capabilities. HP Virtualization Accelerator Services are new, predefined consulting services for planning, designing and implementing virtualization initiatives. This yields a faster return on investment. Rethink … client architectures Businesses can leverage client virtualization to achieve greater reliability, security and improved management of end-user computing. This decreases the cost of client management and support while increasing productivity. The new HP t5630, t5545, t5540 and t5145 Thin Clients feature scratch-resistant HP DuraFinish and provide expanded multimedia features, enhanced brokering capabilities, greater performance and improved management support. The HP ProLiant xw460c Blade Workstation with Graphics Expansion Blade supports a full range of graphics capability with the latest NVIDIA Quadro FX graphics. This provides more secure, easily managed data center workstation computing for the financial trading, public sector, mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD), and oil and gas segments. Enhancements to the HP Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution include new planning, quick-start and implementation services. These services determine specific VDI needs and associated business value, so customers can implement the right solutions. HP also unveiled the new HP VDI with Citrix XenDesktop, which is designed to enable everything from smaller, entry-level implementations to enterprise-wide desktop delivery. “Citrix Ready” blade PCs and thin clients are now certified for use within Citrix XenDesktop environments। They deliver a dedicated one-to-one remote computing experience at radically improved economics for knowledge workers requiring a broad range of application support and a rich graphics experience. Reference : http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2008/080902xa.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news
HP today announced that it has completed its acquisition of Electronic Data Systems Corporation (EDS), creating a leading force in technology services. With this acquisition, initially announced on May 13 and valued at an enterprise value of approximately $13.9 billion, HP has one of the technology industry's broadest portfolios of products, services and end-to-end solutions. The combined offerings are focused on helping clients accelerate growth, mitigate risks and lower costs. The acquisition is, by value, the largest in the IT services sector and the second largest in the technology industry, following HP's acquisition of Compaq, which closed in 2002. The companies' collective services businesses, as of the end of each company's 2007 fiscal year, had annual revenues of more than $38 billion and 210,000 employees, operating in more than 80 countries. "This is a historic day for HP and EDS and for the clients we serve," said Mark Hurd, HP chairman and chief executive officer. "Independently, each company is a respected industry leader. Together, we are a global leader, with the capability to serve our clients - whatever their size, location or sector - with one of the most comprehensive and competitive portfolios in the industry." As a business group, EDS, an HP company, will be one of the market's leading outsourcing services providers - with the ability to provide complete lifecycle capabilities in health care, government, manufacturing, financial services, energy, transportation, consumer & retail, communications, and media & entertainment. As previously announced, the group is led by Ron Rittenmeyer, president and chief executive officer, who had served as EDS' chairman, president and CEO. It remains based in Plano, Texas. "Today marks the beginning of an exciting new era," said Rittenmeyer. "Clients will benefit from the breadth and depth of our solutions, our commitment to unsurpassed quality and our ability to provide truly global service delivery. With the resources of HP's renowned R&D and world-class technologies, we have an opportunity to truly redefine the technology services market." HP's Technology Solutions Group (TSG) will shift to EDS its outsourcing services operations, as well as portions of its consulting and integration activities. TSG will focus on servers, storage, software and technology services, such as installing, maintaining and designing technology systems for customers, as well as certain consulting and integration services. "Clients will benefit from the combined scale and strength of our companies as they transform their technology environments," said Ann Livermore, executive vice president, TSG, HP. "This is an important step forward in our ability to help them solve their challenges through practical innovations that deliver valuable business outcomes." New EDS leadership team Rittenmeyer announced his leadership team for the new business group, representing a mixture of existing EDS direct reports, as well as new appointments from within EDS and HP. His direct reports are: Michael Coomer, 55, senior vice president, Asia Pacific & Japan, who held a similar role at EDS. Joe Eazor, 46, senior vice president, Transformation. He was previously responsible at EDS for corporate strategy and business development. Bobby Grisham, 54, senior vice president, Global Sales, who held a similar role at EDS. Jeff Kelly, 52, senior vice president, Americas, who held a similar role at EDS. Mike Koehler, 41, senior vice president, Infrastructure Technology Outsourcing (ITO) & Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), who held a similar role at EDS. Andy Mattes, 47, senior vice president, Applications Services. He was previously senior vice president, HP Outsourcing Services. Maureen McCaffrey, 45, vice president, Worldwide Marketing, who held a similar role at EDS. Dennis Stolkey, 60, senior vice president, U.S. Public Sector, who held a similar role at EDS. Bill Thomas, 48, senior vice president, Europe, Middle East & Africa, who held a similar role at EDS. In addition, functional support will be provided by the following individuals, who will report into global functions at HP, consistent with the company's organizational model. They are: Craig Flower, 46, senior vice president of IT, reporting to Randy Mott, executive vice president and chief information officer at HP. Flower was previously HP's senior vice president for eBusiness, customer and sales operations. Tom Haubenstricker, 46, vice president, Finance, reporting to Cathie Lesjak, executive vice president and chief financial officer at HP. Haubenstricker was previously vice president and chief financial officer for EDS' EMEA region. Deborah Kerr, 36, vice president and chief technology officer, reporting to Shane Robison, executive vice president and chief strategy and technology officer at HP. Kerr was previously HP's vice president and chief technology officer for services. Mike Paolucci, 48, vice president, Human Resources, reporting to Marcela Perez de Alonso, executive vice president of Human Resources at HP. Paolucci was previously EDS' vice president of Global Compensation and Benefits/HR Business Development. Sylvia Steinheiser, 43, vice president, Legal, reporting to Mike Holston, executive vice president, general counsel and secretary at HP. Steinheiser was previously HP's vice president, Legal, for the Americas. Securities analyst meeting HP will hold a live video webcast of its upcoming Sept. 15 Securities Analyst Meeting, at which Mark Hurd and other executive members will discuss HP's opportunities in the enterprise market, including EDS. The webcast will be available at http://www.hp.com/investor/focusSAM2008।Reference : http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2008/080826xa.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news
SAN FRANCISCO - Hewlett-Packard Co।'s fiscal third-quarter profit jumped 14 percent, beating Wall Street's expectations, as strong laptop sales and a robust international presence lifted the technology bellwether. The Palo Alto-based company's results, reported after the market closed Tuesday, signaled that HP is still holding its ground as the world's No. 1 seller of personal computers even with stronger competition from Dell Inc. and Apple Inc. and aggressive price cuts. HP said it earned $2.03 billion, or 80 cents per share, in the latest period, up from $1.78 billion, or 66 cents per share, a year earlier. Excluding one-time charges, HP's profit was 86 cents per share, three cents higher than the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Investors have become accustomed to HP offering conservative guidance and topping those forecasts by a few pennies per share, so HP's strong results for the May-July period and a fourth-quarter outlook that was slightly better than analysts expected weren't much of a surprise. Still, HP's optimism about its prospects despite a tough economic environment in the U.S. and parts of Europe helped lift the stock. HP shares rose $1.25, or 2.9 percent, to $44.94 in after-hours trading after the results were reported. The stock had fallen 91 cents, or 2 percent, to $43.69 during the regular trading session. HP's profits were hurt by higher prices for some of its parts and a shift toward cheaper PCs, but stronger sales of technology services and software helped offset those pressures. The company's gross profit margin — its profit on each dollar of revenue once manufacturing costs are stripped out — was 24.2 percent of revenues, down slightly from the year-ago period. HP also is still benefiting from weakness in the dollar. Deals HP does in other currencies translate into more dollars as the U.S. currency falls. Sales were $28.0 billion, a 10 percent increase over last year and higher than the $27.4 billion analysts were expecting. That revenue rise would have been just 5 percent, however, when adjusted for currency fluctuations. Sales of laptop computers rose 26 percent to $5.35 billion. Some investors have expressed fears that HP's growth might taper off as it digests its $13.9 billion acquisition of Electronic Data Systems Corp. The deal deepens HP's battle with IBM Corp. for the dollars that corporate customers spend to get guidance on setting up their computer networks. Also a point of concern for some analysts was sales growth of just 3 percent in HP's printer and ink division, which provides more than a third of HP's total profits. Printer sales fell, but HP boosted the sale of supplies — which includes the expensive and profitable ink — by 11 percent. In the current fiscal fourth quarter, HP said it expects a profit between $1।01 and $1.03 per share, ahead of the $1 that analysts had been forecasting. HP also forecast revenue between $30.2 billion and $30.3 billion in the fourth quarter. Analysts had been expecting $30.2 billion. Reference : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080819/ap_on_hi_te/earns_hewlett_packard
For $130, you might not be surprised to find print, scan, and copy capabilities in HP's OfficeJet J4680 multifunction ink-jet printer. But the J460 also has a built-in fax machine, wireless connectivity, and a 20-sheet auto document feeder. HP boasts about the J4680's 20-page-per-minute black-and-white print speeds and 17-page-per-minute color print speeds, but in our real-world tests, the printer proved to be something of a slowpoke. Setting up the printer was easy enough: just attach the included USB and power cables, install the software and print cartridges, and you're ready to go. There were also a couple of cool setup features I hadn't seen before in an HP multifunction device. First, when running the software installer, you're asked if you want to install HP's Inkjet Utility Widget, which runs in OS X's Dashboard. The widget gives you a quick glimpse of your ink supply and allows you to launch the standard HP printer maintenance utility software. Second, after you install the print cartridges, the printer asks to insert a sheet of paper so that it can print out an alignment page. In itself, this isn't unusual, but many printers require you to analyze this test output yourself, choosing which bars line up best and then using the printer's on-board menus to input that info. With the J4680, you simply lay the printed sheet on the scanner bed and press OK. The scanner reads the sheet and makes any necessary adjustments. The J4680 uses two ink cartridges, one black and one tri-color (cyan, magenta, and yellow), that claim to yield 200 and 360 prints, respectively. Replacement cartridges cost $15 for the black and $25 for the tri-color. HP also sells a high-yield black print cartridge; at $28, it costs a little less than two standard-yield black cartridges, and promises to print 700 pages before running out of ink. Unlike some HP printers, the J4680 doesn't offer support for a photo color ink cartridge. It was easy to set up the J4680 to connect to the office wireless network. The printer showed up as a Bonjour printer automatically, and you can join individual wireless networks via HP's Control Center software on your Mac. That sure beats configuring the device using the printer's on-board menus and controls, like I've had to do with other multifunction printers. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that push scanning from the J4680 to my MacBook over an Airport network worked seamlessly as well, as many printers we've tested in the past either skip support for network scanning or offer it via some tedious workaround. We printed a wide variety of test pages on the J4680 and found the prints to be of good quality. Prints of our standard Photoshop test files were a little over-saturated, and a bit too red all around. The J4680 doesn't provide an ICC color profile, so you're better off letting the printer handle the color management. The four-color printer also lacked the smooth, continuous tone you might find from a six-ink photo printer, but the results were acceptable. Text, when printed in Normal or Best modes on plain paper, earned a Good rating. Text was clean, with sharp letters legible at even very small point sizes; but when text was printed with a colored background, there was a tendency for bleeding that looked messy. Print times were slow. It took 19 seconds to print a 1-page black-and-white Microsoft Word document; 1 minute and 47 seconds for a 10-page text document; over 4 minutes for our Photoshop test file; and a whopping 22 minutes to print our 4-page PDF document at Best quality (not the higher Maximum DPI mode also available) on plain paper. The J4680 also features a 1,200-dpi, letter-sized flatbed scanner. It can produce 48-bit scans, but only after you find and enable that feature deep in the HP scanning software's preferences. That's my biggest complaint about the scanning software: most settings are hidden up in the menu bar pull-downs, requiring a search for the proper controls to customize your scan. Once I figured out the software, I was able to get good quality scans that were color accurate with lots of detail. I was able to scan into Photoshop CS3, as well as directly from HP's scanning software. You can choose to scan a document to OCR in TextEdit, scan to PDF, scan to e-mail, or scan to file. I tested the copier with a variety of documents, from photos to magazine covers to text documents. The copies of photos had a slight yellow tint, but the magazine cover looked very good. A copy of a grayscale test page was a little light but maintained a good amount of detail. You can place the original either on the scanner's flatbed or in the automatic document feeder, which can hold up to 20 sheets of paper. It took about 4 minutes to copy a 10-page black-and-white Word document. The J4680 doesn't offer two-sided printing or scanning. The J4680 also features a built-in fax machine that worked as advertised, and the included automatic document feeder takes the hassle out of sending multi-page faxes. Macworld's buying advice The OfficeJet J4680 is a good all-around multifunction printer। Despite its slow print speeds and a couple of paper jams when using the plain paper we stock in the office, we found it to be a capable printer, scanner, copier, and fax machine. Add in some of the software niceties, and you have a recommended product. Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/149595/2008/08/.html?tk=rss_news
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