FXI Technologies wants to bring Android on nearly any device carrying a display and USB-based storage support with Cotton Candy-- an Android-powered computer inside a tiny USB/HDMI stick.

The little device packs a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 and a quad-core ARM Mali 400MP GPU and handles HD video, wifi and Bluetooth connections and up to 64GB of microSD storage.

It connects to either PCs (via USB) or HDTVs (via HDMI and Bluetooth-using peripherals), providing an Android 2.3 environment complete internet Continue reading...

W. European PC shipments total 14.8M units in Q3 2011-- an -11.4% Y-o-Y decline according to Gartner. The analyst rightfully describes the results as "unpleasant reading for the PC industry."

After all Q3 is traditional "strong" consumer quarter, being the back-to-school sale season. Thankfully, the inventory build-up slowing down the last 4 quarters appears to be clearing up.

The mobile PC market declines by -12.6% Y-o-Y-- mostly due to the sharp decrease of over -40% in mini notebook shipments-- Continue reading...

Thunderbolt technology is a new Intel high-speed PC connection technology that brings together high-speed data transfer and HD display on to a single cable.

Running at 10Gbps, Thunderbolt technology can transfer a full-length HD movie in less than 30 seconds. This Intel-developed technology comes to market via collaboration with Apple, so it’s first available on Apple's newest line of MacBook Pro. But in Q4, you’ll start seeing Thunderbolt in other brands.

Intel is working with the industry on Continue reading...

With Windows 8 aiming at more touch-friendly devices, it makes sense for Lenovo to launch the C325-- an all-in-one desktop PC with a multitouch display.

It carries a 20" 1600x 900 LED backlit display (also available as non-touchscreen), dual-core AMD E450 processor, integrated Radeon HD 6320 graphics, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, webcam and built-in DVD writer.

Lenovo also includes the IdeaTouch touch-optimised application package, and the Eye-Distance and Dynamic Brightness System automatically adjust monitor Continue reading...

Jon Peddie Research reports WW Q3 2011 GPU shipments are behaving according to "growth quarter" seasonality with shipments reaching 138.5M units with 16.7% Q-o-Q and 18.4% Y-o-Y growth-- a change of pace in an unusual 2011.

The average number of GPUs per PCs is also on the rise-- from an average of 115% in 2011 to almost 160% GPUs, according to JPR.

Intel remains the GPU market leader through Core i5 EPG CPU, Sandy Bridge and Pineview Atom sales for netbooks, taking over 60.4% of global Q4 201 Continue reading...

EMEA PC shipments total 26.6M units in Q3 2011 according to Gartner-- a -2.9% Y-o-Y decline, the 3rd consecutive decline for the market.

Consumer demand remains weak in, with lower sell-in to the channel.

Gartner says Q-o-Q growth provides a better picture of the market due to the current uncertain environment-- in which case the market shows 17.1% Q-o-Q growth, higher than seasonally expected and a sign of potential stability after 4 weak quarters.

The Gartner totals include desk-based and mobile Continue reading...

Zotac launches its latest mini-PC-- the Zbox nano VD01, with a palm-sized package packing a VIA dual-core CPU.

Inside are a VIA Nano X2 U4025 1.2GHz dual-core CPU and a VX900H media system processor (with VIA Chrome9 graphics processor and ChromotionHD technology) able to handle HD media playback.

It also has room for a 2.5" SATA HDD and x1 DDR3 SO-DIMM module-- and Zodac offers a Plus model with a 320GB HDD and 3GB of DDR3 RAM preinstalled.

Ports include x2 USB 3.0, HDMI, DisplayPort and gigabit Continue reading...

While the Windows 8 developer preview (available following the BUILD 2011 conference) is meant for developers, it confirms one fact-- Microsoft designed the latest Windows update for tablet use.

That's before mentioning the 5000 BUILD attendees who got free Windows 8 Samsung tablets, in an obvious gesture against Apple.

Confirmation comes as soon as one loads the OS-- a Windows Phone-style "lock screen" greets the user, who has to drag an image upwards to reveal a login prompt. A clumsy gesture for mouse users, but natural for touch-based use.

Then there's the Metro UI, the tile-based system looking like Windows Phone for tablets (users can still switch to a "desktop" option providing the more familiar Start Menu).