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Eee PC S101: A premium Netbook

Tech site HardwareZone seems to have popped the cork before the party has even begun, as leaked information on the first premium Eee PC was splashed across its site before being pulled down. According to an Asus representative, the information was actually under embargo and the aforementioned Eee PC S101 was not supposed to see the light of day until later this week.

But what's done is done: various other sites have replicated the information and the cat cannot be put back in the bag. The Eee PC S101 is the cooler and slimmer version of the Eee PC … Read more

Study: Uptick in spam-sending zombie PCs in September

Compromised computers that send spam as part of their regular botnet activity increased dramatically in September, according to a Symantec study (PDF) released Monday.

The Symantec report follows a study from MessageLabs also illustrating the increased use of automated spam relays.

After seeing a 37 percent drop in botnet-related spam for August, Symantec reported a 101 percent increase in September. The growth appears to be focused in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, with South Korea experiencing the largest increase at 4,236 percent. It was followed by Kazakhstan (761 percent), Romania (607 percent), Saudi Arabia (555 percent), and Vietnam (… Read more

TigerDirect.com has the Corsair Dual Channel 4096MB PC10600 DDR3 1333MHz Memory for $134.99, after $46 Instant savings and $30 mail-in rebate.

TigerDirect.com has Corsair Dual Channel 4096MB PC10600 DDR3 1333MHz Memory for $134.99, after $46 Instant savings and $30 mail-in rebate. >> Regular price is $210.99 >> Sale price is $134.99 >> Savings $76 (36.02%) >> Click here for deal

Gates-Seinfeld shtick more viral than 'I'm a PC'

So has everyone been wandering around your office, puffing out their hairless chests and declaring "I'm a PC" with pride?

Thought not.

Visible Measures, a company that measures viral-video activity, announced this weekthat the Gates-Seinfeld ads enjoyed 4.3 million more viral views than the politely conventional "I'm a PC" campaign.

A somewhat improbable explanation was given for this enormous discrepancy. "So much viral video is basically word of mouth. And when you build a question into the creative, it gives people something to talk about," Matt Cutler, vice president of … Read more

Score an Asus Eee PC 900 for $294

Are you looking for a lightweight, ultraportable PC that's easy on the wallet? Mwave.com has the Asus Eee PC 900 20G for $294 (after a $65 mail-in rebate). Ground shipping will run you about $11.

In case you're not familiar with the Eee PC, it's one of the new breed of "Netbooks" that have become incomprehensibly popular in recent months. I say that because I'm not a fan--I prefer a full-size screen and keyboard, and enough processing power to do more than just check e-mail and cruise the Web.

That said, people seem … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 820: Stupid cloud

Richard Stallman says anyone who puts their data in the cloud is stupid. Cooley thinks he's right about some things, but finds other parts of his statement stupid. Find out which is which. We also get into a discussion of why exactly the House of Representatives' Web site went down. Cooley doesn't buy any of it. Actually Brian's pretty cranky today. You'll enjoy it. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 820

Stallman rejects cloud computing http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080930-why-stallman-is-wrong-when-he-calls-cloud-computing-stupid.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/29/cloud.computing.richard.stallman… Read more

Apple shares drop 17.5 percent

Apple's shares fell 17.5 percent in early trading Monday, as two noted brokerage firms scaled back their recommendations to a "hold" from a "buy."

Apple fell as low as $105.77 a share in intraday trading, down substantially from its close of $128.24 on Friday. Apple's shares sold off sharply after Morgan Stanley and RBC Capital Markets downgraded the stock.

Morgan Stanley not only revised its recommendation for the stock, but also lowered its fiscal 2009 earnings estimate to $5.47 a share from $5.91 a share.

In listing its reasons … Read more

A brief tour of small PCs

We're waiting to get our hands on the delayed CherryPal PC, an innovative and inexpensive desktop meant to connect you to the cloud, but it's not the only mini PC vying for your attention.

Earlier this month, we reviewed Acer's Aspire X1200 and HP's latest Pavilion Slimline, two relatively full-featured desktops shrunk down to a small form factor. The Acer is the better deal on paper, though it may require some mucking about with drivers and settings before it's fully operational. A few tweaks and a BIOS update were required before we had video and … Read more