Toughbooks just get tougher

Panasonic has added the CF-28 to its Toughbook range, sporting a 600Mhz mobile PIII Speedstep chip. As the toughest in the Toughbook range, its redesigned chassis adds extra resistance to heat, water and dust with a newly developed damper and stainless steel case for the 20Gb hard drive, sealed ports and seamless silicon rubber round the cabinet edge. The unit can be dropped from a height of three feet without damage, even when dropped on its corner, and complies to the IP45 water and dust-proofing standards. ...more

Chips lead AMD's financial climb

AMD remains in the black according to its latest third quarter financial results, with sales of $1.523bn and a profit of $76 million. In a nutshell: microprocessors good, memory bad. ...more

Microsoft opens 64-bit Windows to all

Microsoft has extended the availability of Windows XP support for AMD's 64-bit processors. The Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for 64-Bit Extended Systems, to give it its full name, works with both the Athlon 64 and the Opteron. You can now register for a free time-limited (360 day), trial version of the beta from the Microsoft website. ...more

Apple starts taking payments for AppleTV

Apple has finally started to charge the credit cards of those who have pre-ordered the Apple TV media networking device. Discussions on its support forums indicate that this is usually the last thing to happen before the company starts to ship a new product. Many users, who ordered Apple TV on the day it was announced during Steve Jobs' keynote address in San Francisco - 9 January - are reporting a projected shipping date 'on or before' 20th March, which would indicate they could arrive with their new owners by the end of the month. ...more

Microsoft to appeal Korean anti-trust demands

Microsoft says it will appeal the Korean Federal Trade Commission's decision to order it to produce versions of Windows without messaging or media player capabilities in order to comply with antitrust laws. The KFTC ruled in December 2005 that Microsoft had abused its dominant position, fining it $32mn in addition to requiring messaging- and media player-free versions of Windows. The sanctions apply for 10 years, with a review after half that time. ...more