Are Pocket Video Cameras A Dying Breed?

       

 As one-time owners of a Flip pocket video recorder, it
saddened us a bit when Cisco announced in mid-April
it’s killing its Flip division as part of a “comprehensive
plan to align its operations.” Cisco purchased the Flip
business from Pure Digital Technology in 2009 for
roughly $590 million. Cisco’s alignment, meanwhile,
includes an expected 550 layoffs by Q4. Although some
experts are calling for continued smartphone sales and
usage to eventually kill the pocket video camera sector,
that hasn’t stopped Samsung from releasing its waterproof
W200 Pocket Cam ($159), a 1080p model with
2.3-inch LCD and 5MP CMOS sensor, which also sports
a ruggedized, shock- and dust-proof exterior.

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Samsung & Apple Exchange Lawsuits

         

         We live in a sue-happy world, and Apple and Samsung aren’t immune. After Apple
filed a lawsuit against Samsung in April essentially alleging Samsung’s Galaxy tablets
and handsets copied the iPad, iPhone, and iPod, Samsung countered days later with
its own lawsuit. Apple’s lawsuit, which it filed in a U.S. District Court in California,
specifically cites 10 patent-infringement related charges against Samsung, with complaints
reportedly going so far as to read Samsung’s “copying is so pervasive, that
the Samsung Galaxy products appear to be actual Apple products.” Samsung’s
claim, meanwhile, doesn’t directly answer Apple’s claims but does seek “to protect
our intellectual property and to ensure our continued innovation and growth in the
mobile communications business.” Coincidentally, as the Wall Street Journal quoted
Apple COO Tim Cook as saying, Apple is “Samsung’s largest customer,” buying its
chips, screens, and other components.

Thank to Computer Power User Magazine

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ECS Does The B3 Shuffle

        

For those who caught our reviews of ECS’s
Intel 6 Series-based P67H2-A Black Series
motherboard in April’s issue (page 63) and
the Black Deluxe Series P67H2-A2 board
in March’s issue (page 32), here’s an update.
ECS is now shipping new versions of the
boards based on the B3 stepping revision,
thus rectifying the Cougar Point chipset/
SATA 3Gbps port issue related to the B2
stepping chipset. Beyond displaying a B3
logo on the new boards’ retail boxes, ECS is
also slapping a B3 logo on the PCBs to avoid
confusion. ECS indicates the new boards will
feature the same hardware and specifications
as the previous boards, though various BIOS
issues are addressed via new BIOS versions.
ECS indicates on its global site that it will
“provide an equivalent new motherboard
replacement” for those who purchased
B2 boards beginning in late April.  

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What Do You Do With Your Tablet?

 

So, what are tablet owners doing most with their devices? According to a
survey of 1,400 U.S. tablet owners by Google’s AdMob, 84% are playing
games, followed by searching for information (78%), emailing (74%),
reading news (61%), social networking (56%), consuming music and/or
video (51%), and reading ebooks (46%). Interestingly, 28% now use their
tablets as their primary computers, while 43% spend more time with their
tablets than their PCs or laptops. Those last two percentages seem to jibe with
PC-shipment numbers IDC recently released, citing that Q1 2011 global
shipments sank 3.2% year-to-year to 80.6 million units from about 83.2
million, marking the first contraction in the global market since “the end of
the recent recession.” HP shipments dropped 2.8%, Dell 1.8%, and Acer
15.8%. Though “good-enough computing” is now a “firm reality, exemplified
first by mininotebooks and now media tablets,” IDC’s Jay Chou stated,
falling PC shipments are also tied to “extended PC lifetimes and the lack of
compelling new PC experiences,” stated IDC’s Bob O’Donnell.

Thank to Computer Power User Magazine

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