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Computer giant Dell took a huge hit in profit for the previous quarter, following a slump in sales. Overall, Dell says their profit has been cut by more than half, falling 54% below the previous quarter. The largest losses have primarily come from enterprise and business customers, which represent the bulk of Dell's profitable sales.

Companies simply have lower budgets for new technology, and that has affected Dell's loss more than increased competition from the market leaders, HP and Acer. The bad news also set Dell stocks back a bit, falling about 19 cents a share, though they are still doing better than they were in the first quarter of this year. While they may not be a bulk of the issue, Acer has been putting incredible pressure on both them and HP, so it's understandable that Dell is struggling.

Dell does have a lot on the horizon though, introducing several new products this year, such as the Inspiron Zino HD nettop and the ultra-thin Adamo XPS. Still, they will have to work harder than that to recover ground lost to Acer and HP.

AT&T announced today that it plans to expand its line of 3G-connected netbooks with the HP Mini 110. The carrier expects to begin shipping the Mini 110 on November 22, which will cost $199 after a mail-in rebate and signing a two-year contract. Plans will include a 200MB limit for $35 per month, or a hefty 5GB for $60, which is paired with free access to some 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots in the US.

The HP Mini 110 features a 10.1" LED display, an Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, an HP webcam, an integrated microphone, and Windows 7. The system weighs in at 2.57lbs and will ship with HP QuickSync to automatically sync files with home or work PCs when connected to the same network. Also included is the AT&T Communication Manager (ACM) 7.0 which automatically connects the system to AT&T hotspots.

Of course, if mobile wireless connectivity isn't important to you, HP offers the Mini 110 for $300 through its online store.

Microsoft has made energy efficiency a key design element of Windows 7. By default, the operating system is now smarter than previous releases about what devices to turn on and when. It also includes fairly detailed power management options and offers three power plans out of the box to help end users extend battery life or reduce energy consumption in certain scenarios.


Power Plan Assistant for Windows 7 makes use of these features and adds some extra functionality to make things even easier for you. Among them is the ability to automatically change power plans based on the active power source. For example, a notebook can use High Performance settings when plugged-in, switch to Balanced when it is running on battery, and change to Power Saver mode when battery level falls below 40%.


Users can create custom plans and manually switch between them via an icon in the taskbar notification area that changes in accordance with an active power plan. There are also a few other handy features like the ability to instantly power off the display or customize the notification icon's appearance and behavior.

The software is "donationware" but your free copy expires every week so you are forced to download a new version in order to continue using it. Those who really like Power Plan Assistant and use it often make a voluntary donation in exchange for a serial number to permanently disable the expiration date check.

Google offered a preview of its upcoming Chrome OS during an event today. Stressing its target audience, Google said it is building Chrome OS with web users in mind, and that it probably isn't going to be a replacement for Windows, OS X or Linux desktops. Instead, the search giant is trying to form a new niche.

The unique aspect of Chrome OS is that it will be completely executed inside the Chrome browser. For example, things like applications, configuration, and file management are all contained within tabs on the Chrome interface.

One key characteristic of Chrome is that actual data storage and programs themselves are all stored and run online -- local machine storage is only used to speed up those processes. You can liken Chrome OS to a thin client of sorts, though the application is clearly different.

Chrome OS is also fully open source, and will run on a wider variety of hardware than standard x86-based PCs. However, it is specifically tailored to the hardware Google intends to support, meaning you may have to seek out "Chrome OS approved" hardware. The demo, which you can watch here, was done with an Eee PC. That being the case, I have a feeling Google will push to make Chrome OS available on a very wide variety of mobile devices.

Google hasn't given any timetables or specific release dates, only assuring people that development is underway.

According to leaked information cited by Fudzilla, Intel plans to introduce its first Arrandale-based mobile Celeron processor in the second quarter of next year. It is reported that the new Celeron P4500 will be built on a 32nm process, feature a dual-core design with a clock frequency of 1.86GHz, and 2MB of L2 cache. If the rumors hold true, Turbo Boost and Hyperthreading will be disabled to keep the cost down.

There are few other details, though Fudzilla speculates that one last 45nm Celeron (the T3300) will precede the Celeron P4500. The Penryn-based T3300 will contain two cores that operate at 2.0GHz, 1MB of cache, and an 800MHz FSB. This chip should launch on January 17 for $86, which could be an indication of a general price range for the 32nm P4500.

If you're among the few people who were disappointed by Modern Warfare 2, you may be interested in another, lesser-known first-person shooter that just released a demo. Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a tactical military simulator which debuted on October 6 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The title is a sequel to 2001's Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis, and the expansion pack Operation Flashpoint: Resistance.


The game is set on a Chinese occupied fictional island in the East China Sea called Skira, where you play as a part of the US Marine Corps tasked with retaking the island. The game embraces an open-world sandbox design, and allows you to explore a 130 square mile island, which contains over 50 drivable vehicles (include land, sea, and air), and more than 70 weapons.

The demo allows you to play through the first mission from the full game, and includes both single-player and co-operative multiplayer modes. You can download the demo now via FileShack (1.39GB).

In an effort to boost the numbers of Gold subscribers on Xbox Live and to celebrate a host of new features being added to the service, Microsoft is giving all Xbox 360 owners the chance to get mangled online by complete strangers for free. From the 20th of November until the 23rd, Silver members in the United States will be able to try out all the services available on Xbox Live Gold and see if they're worth the yearly fee.

With the addition of Facebook, Twittter, and Last.fm compatibility, as well as the recent launches of Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, and Borderlands, there's no better time to show off what Xbox Live has to offer. European gamers will get the same treatment the following weekend, from the 25th until the 30th of November.

Keep in mind that not all features are available in all regions. Sky Player, for example, is available to European users whereas Netflix only applies to customers in the U.S.

Lenovo today became the latest in a growing list of laptop vendors slotting an ultrathin product between their low-cost netbook and conventional notebook lines. Pitched as an extension of their popular X-Series, the new ThinkPad X100e is built on AMD's Athlon Neo platform and should retail for under $500.


According to leaked information obtained by NetbookNews, the 3-pound X100e will have an 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768 resolution display along with up to 4GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. The unit will be available with a choice of a 3-cell or a 6-cell battery pack, with the latter rated for over 5 hours of use thanks to the system's ultra low voltage MV40 processor (1.6GHz, 15W TDP) and RS780 chipset. Other specs include 3 USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, a 4 in 1 card reader, built in 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and optional Bluetooth and UMTS.

Unfortunately, an exact release date isn't yet known, but previous rumors suggest it will launch at CES in January.

Game Console Makers at a Crossroads @ BusinessWeek
The Google Phone Is Very Real. And It’s Coming Soon @ TechCrunch
India doubles billionaires; Mukesh Ambani tops list @ Reuters
How to Build Your Own 3D Camera Rig for Under $20 @ MaximumPC
See more articles and reviews.

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Update - Now also available to the public: Microsoft has taken another step forward by releasing the Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta to the general public today. So if you are wanting to take a taste at the new Office suite, you can download that here. In addition you can also download betas for Project 2010, Visio 2010, and SharePoint 2010.

Microsoft has rolled out the latest beta of Office 2010 to MSDN and TechNet members. The release comes shortly after beta builds of the upcoming productivity suite began leaking to torrent sites. Subscribers of MSDN and TechNet can presently download build 14.0.4536.1000 in both 32 and 64-bit flavors, and it is widely expected that Microsoft will introduce a public beta version of Office 2010 at some point this week.

While there is no official date for open beta, through the official Office Twitter account, Microsoft hinted that it would provide more details about Office 2010 at its Professional Developers Conference (PDC). The gathering will run from November 17 to 19 (yesterday to tomorrow), and is currently underway in Los Angeles, California.

The latest Office 2010 beta brings a new installation procedure, Upload Center, modified version of Backstage view, and refreshed icons.

Microsoft announced the availability of Silverlight 4 beta today at its Professional Developers Conference (PDC). The company has designed the latest version of Silverlight to simplify the development and consumption of rich-media content. Silverlight 4 is more tightly knit with PCs at a programmatic level to improve the way applications and media run when outside the browser.

The latest build (4.0.41108.0) is also the first to be compatible with Google Chrome. Naturally, the beta is available for both Mac (15.4MB) and Windows-based (7.63MB) PCs. Redmond took a moment to offer a few statistics, noting that 45% of Internet-connected devices worldwide are now using Silverlight. The company also said that many of Silverlight 4's flagship features were the direct result of feedback from developers.

Microsoft showed its appreciation today, giving away free Acer Aspire 1420P Convertible Tablet PCs to many PDC attendees. The giveaway was reportedly an expression of Microsoft's gratitude toward conference-goers and developers who have supported the company during the Windows 7 release.

The new world of multi-touch mobiles is expanding beyond devices like the iPhone as more manufacturers embrace the technology. Asus is the next vendor to begin offering such devices, launching the first multi-touch netbook.

The Asus Eee PC T91MT is an Atom Z520-based unit, using a tablet construction for the 8.9" LED-backlit display. As you'd expect from a multi-touch device, it's aimed at providing useful manipulation with hands alone -- though Asus includes a stylus with it as well. Multi-touch aside, you'll be missing other features with the default configuration including 1GB of RAM and only 32GB of storage (granted it is an SSD).


The system looks quite nice in the demo shots, and judging from the listed weight (less than 1kg) it will be easy to carry on the move. It ships with Windows 7, which has a wide variety of multi-touch features, such as gesture support. Asus' Eee PC T91MT marks another first for the company, which gave rise to the netbook market a few years back, and other venders can be expected to follow suit soon enough.

Despite a bit of controversy in Russia, Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 has taken the video game world by storm, and now it is breaking sales records across the entire entertainment industry. The title reportedly generated $550 million in sales during the first five days available, beating all other video game launches and raking in more cash than any movie in the same timeframe.

By comparison, the current worldwide box-office record-holder is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which earned $394 million in its first five days. The Dark Knight holds the US box-office record with $203.8 million. The title has even successfully trounced Grand Theft Auto IV, which pulled in $500 million over the first five days of sales.


If the scale of Modern Warfare 2's launch has yet to set in, here are a few more numbers. According to Activision Blizzard (MW2's publisher), the game logged more than 5.2 million multiplayer hours via Xbox Live on the first day alone. In fact, on November 10, 2.2 million unique gamers played on Xbox Live, setting a new one-day record for the platform -- and 995,462 of those people were playing MW2.

Research outfit comScore has released the US search engine rankings for October 2009. During the month, Americans conducted some 14.3 billion core searches, the majority of which (9.4 billion) were through Google, which held 65.4% of the search market, up from 64.9% in September. Yahoo served some 2.6 billion searches, trailed by Microsoft with 1.4 billion, Ask with 552 million, and AOL with 412 million.


It was a rough month for Google's closest competitor, Yahoo, which accounted for some 18% of the search market share, a 0.8% loss from the month prior. Microsoft sites grew 0.5%, making up 9.9% of the search market -- a noteworthy increase, though Redmond is surely bummed about not chipping any figures away from Google's presence. Meanwhile, Ask remained flat at 3.9%, and AOL lost 0.1%, settling with 2.9% of the market.

Nvidia has released its first drivers to support the GPU acceleration brought by Adobe's Flash Player 10.1. Adobe introduced a public beta version of Flash 10.1 just yesterday, which delivers hardware-based H.264 video acceleration to Windows PCs. The new functionality should make it easier to view HD videos on sites like YouTube (which recently announced support for 1080p), Vimeo and Hulu.

In addition to Flash Player 10.1 compatibility, Nvidia's GeForce 195.55 WHQL-candidate drivers bring various bug fixes from the v195.39 beta release. Antialiasing modes in Borderlands can now be configured through the NV Control Panel, performance issues along with shadow flickering in Need for Speed: Shift has been addressed, and the Nvidia driver no longer crashes in 3DMark06. The full release notes are made available separately for Windows XP, Vista, and 7. Grab your download below:

Windows XP | Windows XP 64-bit | Windows Vista and 7 | Windows Vista and 7 64-bit