Sun Microsystems, Inc. has announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire MySQL AB, an open source icon and developer of one of the world's fastest growing open source databases for approximately $1 billion in total consideration.

MySQL's open source database is widely deployed across all major operating systems, hardware vendors, geographies, industries and application types. The complementary product line-ups will extend MySQL's database reach and are expected to bring new markets for Sun's systems, virtualization, middleware and storage platforms.

MySQL's open source database is the "M" in LAMP - the software platform comprised of Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP/Perl often viewed as the foundation of the Internet. More than 100 million copies of MySQL's high-performance open source database software have been downloaded and distributed and an additional 50,000 copies are downloaded daily. This broad penetration coupled with MySQL's strength in Web 2.0, Software as a Service (SaaS), enterprise, telecom and the OEM embedded market make it an important fit for Sun.

Following completion of the proposed transaction, MySQL will be integrated into Sun's Software, Sales and Service organizations and the company's CEO, Marten Mickos, will be joining Sun's senior executive leadership team. In the interim, a joint team with representatives from both companies will develop integration plans that build upon the technical, product and cultural synergies and the best business and product development practices of both companies. MySQL is headquartered in Cupertino, CA and Uppsala, Sweden and has 400 employees in 25 countries.

As part of the transaction, Sun will pay approximately $800 million in cash in exchange for all MySQL stock and assume approximately $200 million in options. The transaction is expected to close in late Q3 or early Q4 of Sun's fiscal 2008. Completion of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. The deal is expected to be accretive to FY10 operating income on a GAAP basis.

Read more at Sun

Just in time for CES, Dell has launched both its long-anticipated Dell Crystal monitor and a revamped 15.4-inch Inspiron Notebook.

The Round Rock, Tex.-based computer company announced on Thursday, ahead of the Jan. 7 kickoff of CES in Las Vegas, that the Dell Crystal, a 22-inch LCD display is now available and will be on display at the event.

With a sticker price of $1,199, the high-end display is a sleek, stylish display with a "floating" screen on a polished metal tripod base with four-millimeter ultra-clear tempered glass and audio speakers wired into the frame along with a 2.0 megapixel Webcam with microphone.

The display features 1680 x 1059 native resolution, Dell's TrueColor technology with 98 percent color gamut, 2ms typical response time (gray to gray) and a 2000:1 dynamic contrast ratio.

Read More-Via[CRN]

For all those people who like to hook up their PC to the TV set for watching movies or just browsing the Web, Logitech will unveil at CES 2008 a “must-have” product.

Called Logitech diNovo Mini, the new device is in a fact a wireless, plam-sized keyboard, that connects to your PC via Bluetooth technology.

Thanks to an innovative ClickPad, diNovo Mini can be used also as a touch pad to point, scroll and click - or as a directional pad to navigate menus and make selections.

Logitech has come up with the idea, after their research revealed that more than 60 percent of people who have connected their PCs to the television use this setup to browse the Web, view photos and videos from their personal libraries, and watch downloaded shows on their TV.

diNovo Mini features a complete keypad, dedicated hotkeys for media players and the Page Up and Page Down buttons, perfectly fit for easing the Web navigation or zooming through the TV channels.

Read More-Via[eFM]

Microsoft Corp. changed course on an update to Office 2003 that blocked certain older file types from opening, after receiving a flurry of criticism from users and online publications.

Office 2003 Service Pack 3, a free package of updates and fixes released in September, blocked users from opening files created by older versions of Word, Excel and Power Point — mostly programs launched in 1995 and earlier. The change also kept users from opening some files made in Corel Corp.'s CorelDraw.

Microsoft said opening the legacy file formats poses a security risk, and shut down easy access to the same older file types when it launched Office 2007.

For people who wanted to read the old files, the software maker built a workaround into Office 2007 that lets them open files they have stashed in a specific folder.

But the software maker devised a more complicated workaround for Office 2003 SP3 that involved modifying a user's PC's registry — a crucial directory of settings the average computer user rarely deals with.

On Slashdot, a technology news and discussion site, more than 500 people logged comments about the issue this week. Some railed against what they saw as a way for the software maker to force people to spend money on new software, while others complained that Microsoft's security explanation wasn't accurate.

Read More-Via[AP]

The decision by Warner Bros. to drop HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray Disc for high-definition movies has set the electronics industry abuzz. Announced on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show, the move put a single question in the minds of thousands of industry-insiders heading to the show in Las Vegas: Could the high-definition format wars be over?

Since both formats launched they have been locked in a battle that pitted some of the industry's biggest consumer electronics companies against each other. Backing Blu-ray Disc has been Sony, Panasonic and Samsung, while HD DVD's main supporters have been Toshiba, Microsoft and Intel.

The battle also divided Hollywood and left consumers with a difficult choice: their favorite movies were likely split between the two formats and there was a risk the player they bought would become irrelevant. As a result consumers kept away from the formats and sales have been sluggish.

Warner's decision will give Blu-ray Disc an advantage in terms of content. With the move, five of the big seven Hollywood studios now back Blu-ray Disc with only two, Paramount and Universal, backing HD DVD.

The Warner announcement certainly put the HD DVD Promotion Group's CES plans in disarray. Within hours of the announcement, the group cancelled its scheduled Sunday-evening news conference and subsequent media interviews at CES.

"They're definitely regrouping and considering their options at the moment, this could be extremely important," said Tom Coughlin, a storage analyst at Coughlin Associates. "This could be the beginning of a major pivotal turning point in the high-def format war, which if we could define the format which is going to win would be extremely important for the industry because this would free up consumers to start making decisions on the purchase of their systems."

Read More-Via[CW]

Sears Holdings has taken part of its Managemyhome.com Web site offline following revelations that the site was making customers' purchasing histories publicly available.

Sears disabled the site's "Find your products" section on Friday following criticism from privacy advocates, who said that fraudsters could use information provided by the site to scam Sears customers.

"We take our customers' privacy concerns very seriously. As a result, we have turned off the ability to view a customer's purchase history on Manage My Home until we can implement a validation process that will restrict access by unauthorized third parties," said Sears spokeswoman Kimberly Freely in an e-mail.

"We appreciate the efforts of those who brought the issue to our attention," she added. Customers with concerns can contact Sears directly at 1-800-803-6775.

The feature was supposed to be used by customers who wanted "easy access to useful information about products they have purchased," she added.

ReadMore-Via[PCW]

A frail partnership between Intel and the One Laptop Per Child educational computing group was undone last month in part by an Intel saleswoman: She tried to persuade a Peruvian official to drop the country’s commitment to buy a quarter-million of the organization’s laptops in favor of Intel PCs. Intel and the group had a rocky relationship from the start in their short-lived effort to get inexpensive laptops into the hands of the world’s poorest children.But the saleswoman’s tactic was the final straw for Nicholas Negroponte, the former Massachusetts Institute of Technology computer researcher and founder of the nonprofit effort.

He demanded that Intel stop what he saw as efforts to undermine the group’s sales, which meant ceasing to sell the rival computer. Intel chose instead to withdraw its support from One Laptop this week. The project has been a lightning rod for controversy largely because the world’s most powerful software and chip making companies — Microsoft and Intel — had long resisted the project, for fear, according to many industry executives, that it would compete in markets they hoped to develop.As a result, One Laptop’s XO computer comes with a processor built by Intel’s rival Advanced Micro Devices and open-source software, rather than Microsoft’s Windows and Office software.

After several years of publicly attacking the XO, Intel reversed itself over the summer and joined the organization’s board, agreeing to make an $18 million contribution and begin developing an Intel-based version of the computer.Although Intel made an initial $6 million payment to One Laptop, the partnership was troubled from the outset as Intel sales representatives in the field competed actively against the $200 One Laptop machine by trying to sell a rival computer, a more costly Classmate PC.

The Classmate sells for about $350 with an installed version of Microsoft Office, and Intel is selling the machine through an array of sales organizations outside the United States.Even after Intel joined the One Laptop board, in country after country, the two organizations competed to make government sales, Mr. Negroponte said yesterday in a telephone interview. The relationship first frayed seriously in October, he said, when an Intel salesman gave a Mongolian government official a side-by-side comparison of the Classmate PC and the XO.

Read More-Via[Nytimes]

Motorists who talk on cell phones drive slower on the freeway, pass sluggish vehicles less often and take longer to complete their trips, according to a University of Utah study that suggests drivers on cell phones congest traffic.

The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association claims 240 million U.S. subscribers in a nation of 303 million people. An insurance company survey estimated 73 percent of wireless users talk while driving. Another survey found that during any given daytime moment, 10 percent of U.S. drivers are using cellular phones.

The researchers note that 50 countries have adopted laws banning handheld phones while driving. But they say hands-free phone conversations are distracting, "thus, the majority of current regulation appears to be misguided."

The Findings: Talking While Driving Means Plodding Along

"Results indicated that, when drivers conversed on a cell phone, they made fewer lane changes, had a lower overall mean speed and a significant increase in travel time in the medium and high density driving conditions," the researchers wrote.

In medium and high density traffic, drivers talking on cell phones were 21 percent and 19 percent, respectively, less likely to change lanes (roughly six lane changes per 9.2-mile drive versus seven or eight lane changes by drivers not on cell phones).

In low, medium and high traffic density, cell phone users spent 31 percent, 16 percent and 12 percent, respectively, more time following within 200 feet of a slow lead vehicle than undistracted drivers. That meant they spent 25 to 50 more seconds following another vehicle during the 9.2-mile drive.

Compared with undistracted motorists, drivers on cell phones drove an average of 2 mph slower and took 15 to 19 seconds longer to complete the 9.2 miles.

Read more at University of Utah

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies today announced that ASUS has integrated Hitachi’s Travelstar 5K500 hard drive into its new M50 and M70 notebook PCs, the latter of which delivers up to 1TB of storage capacity in a two-drive configuration. The companies are breaking new ground in personal computing by combining industry-leading storage capacity – exceeding that of a typical desktop system – with the portability of a notebook PC. One TB of storage capacity translates to 1,000 hours of video, or more than 350 feature length movies or 250,000 four-minute songs.

Read more at Hitachi

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) has introduced the world’s highest capacity 2.5-inch mobile hard drive. Setting a new industry benchmark for capacity, the half-terabyte (500GB) Travelstar 5K500 is poised to usher in a new era of “slim” desktops, full-featured notebooks, gaming consoles and other advanced applications for consumers on-the-go.

With the Travelstar 5K500, Hitachi GST has effectively eliminated the “capacity compromise” by offering consumers all the storage capacity of a desktop with the portability and convenience of a notebook. Moreover, the new drives are well-suited for use in “slim” desktops, where users are seeking high-capacities in a space-saving, small form factor enclosure. These new sleek PC designs are highly desirable among today’s consumers who are often placing computers in multiple rooms throughout the home.

The Travelstar 5K500, available in either a 400GB or 500GB model, is the fourth-generation Hitachi mobile drive to use perpendicular magnetic recording technology to deliver breakthrough capacity and reliability. The half-terabyte drives can store up to 500 hours of digital video, 178 feature length movies, 250 games or 125,000 four-minute songs. Travelstar 5K500 drives are available with a 3.0Gb/s Serial ATA (SATA) interface for enhanced system performance.

Hitachi will also offer an enhanced-availability (EA) version, called the Travelstar E5K500 -- also available in both 400GB and 500GB capacities -- which is designed for applications requiring 24x7 operation in lower transaction environments, such as blade servers, network routers, point-of-sale terminals and video surveillance systems.

The Travelstar 5K500 is among Hitachi’s most technically advanced and robust family of drives and includes an array of innovative features, such Hitachi-patented Rotational Vibration Safeguard (RVS) technology. RVS is designed for today’s full-featured notebooks that commonly include premium speakers for enhancing the movie, music and gaming experience. These speakers however, can inadvertently cause vibrations within the system enclosure. To mitigate any adverse impact on system performance, the Travelstar 5K500 uses RVS as an “early warning” system for the drive, enabling it to sense a possible disturbance in advance and take the necessary steps to stabilize the drive head and avoid any disruptions. Additionally, the Travelstar 5K500 drives feature 400Gs of shock protection to further safeguard user data from falls, bumps and rough handling.

The Travelstar 5K500 drives also feature optional Bulk Data Encryption (BDE) for hard drive level data security. Previously, data on a hard drive could be protected either through software-based encryption or a system-level password. However, hard-drive level encryption provides improved performance and a higher level of security than any of the previously available options. BDE models ship exclusively with a 1.5Gb/s SATA interface.

Consumers have begun to demand environmentally responsible products in all aspects of their lives. Hitachi has designed the Travelstar 5K500 to address these requirements without compromising performance for power efficiency, or vice versa. While the Travelstar 5K500 uses a three-disk design to deliver up to 500GB of capacity, the new drives are extremely energy-efficient, with a power profile nearly identical to its two-disk predecessor, the Travelstar 5K250. The new drives feature a 1.9 watt read/write power draw and their 0.7 watt low power idle means longer battery life for more “unplugged” notebook time.

Availability

The Travelstar 5K500 will be available worldwide in February. The Travelstar E5K500 will be available by the end of the second quarter, 2008.

Technical Specifications:

Travelstar 5K00

400/500 GB *
12.5 mm in height
5400 RPM
260 billion bits per square inch maximum areal density
3 glass disk platter (s)
6 TMR recording head(s)
1000 G/1ms non-operating shock
400 G/2ms operating shock
5.5 ms average latency
12 ms average read time
0.95 W active idle
0.7 W low-power idle
1.8 W idle power (EA version only)
Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s, 1.5Gb/s encrypted
148 grams in weight
2.2 Bels typical idle acoustics
2.4 Bels typical operational acoustics

Read more at Hitachi

Lenovo today announced its entry into the global consumer PC market with the launch of a new line of notebook and desktop PCs. Lenovo's new consumer-oriented IdeaPad notebooks and IdeaCentre desktops complement Lenovo's business-oriented ThinkPad notebooks and ThinkCentre desktops. The new PCs will be initially offered in multiple countries including the U.S., France, Russia, South Africa, India, Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, China, the Philippines and Singapore.

A trio of IdeaPad notebook PCs – the IdeaPad Y510, Y710 and U110 – will be sold in the U.S. The notebooks, powered by Intel® Centrino® processor technology, combine cutting-edge and easy-to-use technologies such as facial recognition, Dolby Home Theatre surround sound and dedicated gaming controls. They also make a bold design statement with frameless screens, touch-sensitive control surfaces and unique textures. The new IdeaPad Y510 notebook will be available initially at BestBuy.com, Micro Center, Newegg.com, Office Depot and Tiger Direct, and the IdeaPad Y710 will be available initially at Tiger Direct.

IdeaPad Notebooks

The IdeaPad line delivers notebooks designed for a variety of lifestyles with features integrated across the line such as:

Convenient log-in and authentication: Users can make their face their password with VeriFace™ Face Recognition, a new, convenient way to log into the PC and a host of applications. The combination of the VeriFace software and an embedded camera can recognize a user's face for log-in and help eliminate the need to remember passwords.

Fully-loaded entertainment & multimedia: The notebooks are equipped with Dolby® Home Theater, which delivers exceptional surround sound for movies, videos, music and games and offers a cinema-style experience for listeners through the PCs' multiple speakers (most models have five speakers). Lenovo's Multimedia Control Center provides an excellent multimedia experience with easy-to-use software to play movies, listen to music and view photos. With touch sensitive controls, users can quickly select among multimedia choices, volume and equalizer.

Distinctive look and design: Lenovo notebooks set the trend for stylish design with blue, red or black and with smooth, weave or raised textured top covers. Frameless screens provide a unique viewing experience.

In addition to these shared innovations, each notebook offers a number of extra features intended to maximize the experience the notebooks were designed for, such as:

IdeaPad Y710

Lenovo designed the 17-inch widescreen IdeaPad Y710 notebook PC for users who desire a high level of performance for entertainment. Distinctively designed with a smooth, blue, metallic finish, the notebook also comes equipped with halo lighting, accenting the top cover and backlit Lenovo logo. Select models include a second, hot-swap hard drive to easily store and transfer data as well as Game Zone functionality. Game Zone includes enlarged directional buttons for enhanced game play, four user-customizable buttons and a secondary display showing system information such as CPU speed. It also includes a performance control switch with Turbo mode for maximum power, including CPU overclocking, and Quiet mode for energy savings. Equipped with Intel® Centrino® processor technology, ATI graphics, WLAN connectivity, five speakers including a subwoofer as well as an optional Blu-ray DVD reader, the IdeaPad Y710 notebook caters to the entertainment enthusiast.

IdeaPad Y510

Designed for customers looking for a versatile, all-in-one notebook, the 15.4-inch widescreen IdeaPad Y510 notebook PC has a black, textured, linen-like top cover. In addition to the features shared by the IdeaPad line, it comes with technologies to enable a variety of computing tasks – from word processing to photo and video editing. It comes equipped with Intel® Centrino® processor technology, integrated graphics, WLAN connectivity, five speakers including a subwoofer, an integrated camera, battery life indicator and a DVD-RW optical drive.

IdeaPad U110

The IdeaPad U110, an ultraportable 11-inch widescreen notebook PC, weighs only 2.3 pounds and is 0.7 inches deep. The textured design embedded in its red aluminum alloy top cover blends style and durability. Ideal for highly mobile users, the powerful notebook provides extensive computing time with an additional battery and the performance of optional solid state flash drives. Lenovo also equipped select configurations with its Active Protection System, an air bag-like device that parks the hard drive to help protect data during a fall.

Pricing and Availability

Select configurations will be offered at various retailers. Recommended pricing for the IdeaPad Y510 and Y710 starts at $799 and $1,199, respectively. The IdeaPad U110 notebook will be available in April. More information on the notebooks can be found at www.lenovo.com/ideas.

Read more at Lenovo

Netflix Inc. and LG Electronics today announced they are joining forces to develop a set-top box for consumers to stream movies and other programming from the Internet to HDTVs -- bypassing the need to use a personal computer.

The collaboration is expected to deliver a compelling new online home entertainment service via technology embedded in an LG networked player planned for the second half of 2008. Today's announcement sets the stage for next week's 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES®), which will emphasize digital content as well as hardware solutions.

With the availability of the networked LG product planned for later this year, Netflix subscribers can watch movies streamed from the Netflix Web site on their large-screen home theater HDTVs, in addition to the current capability to watch movies instantly on their PCs.

Read more at Netfix