Windows Vista goes Home

Five years in the making, the much-delayed Windows Vista and Office 2007 for consumers has arrived. A series of global events has been lead by Bill Gates speaking in London, at the British Library, and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, in a New York City Best Buy store. Business versions of the operating system and productivity software were released in November. ...more

Linux to push on into mission-critical computing

Having acquitted itself well at the network perimeter, enterprises are now ready to let Linux in on its crown jewels: mission-critical computing, claims report. Almost half of the world's large businesses will favour Linux for their mission-critical applications by the end of 2011, according to research. But most companies won't realise their appetite for open source until at least next year, with just 18 per cent of businesses relying on Linux for such workloads by the end of 2007. ...more

HP gets relative with MySQL database systems

HP is hooking up with MySQL AB, provider of the popular open source database management systems. The news emerged from the annual MySQL Users Conference, which is being held in in Santa Clara, California. As part of the agreement, HP says it will provide consulting, integration and support services for its customers implementing MySQL Network database systems (certified software that comes with premium support services, rather than the free vanilla offering). ...more

Acer eyes American expansion

Acer is hoping to translate its European success across the Atlantic into the US market. The notebook specialist boasts the number four position in the worldwide computer market, but its dominance in Europe means it is having to look farther afield to keep up the phenomenal growth rates it has enjoyed over the past few years. Announcing its first half financials, Acer's President Gianfranco Lanci highlighted more than $4bn in revenues and profits just shy of $140m - a year on year growth of 83. ...more

Sony to launch 'world's first 4K resolution' projector

Sony describes its SRX-R110 high-end projector as 'the world's first 4K resolution projector' (4096 x 2160). Based on its own SXRD (Silicon Crystal Reflective Display) panel technology, the projector is designed for scenarios requiring 'ultra-high resolution' and wide colour gamut projectors, for example digital cinema, post-production and stage events. Meeting the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) System Specification standards, it provides a contrast ratio of 2000:1 and a brightness of 10,000 ANSI lumens. ...more