hewlett-packard

Investigators charged in connection with HP spying case

A father-and-son team of private investigators was charged in federal court last week on charges of conspiracy to commit Social Security fraud in connection with Hewlett-Packard's 2006 spying scandal, a court representative confirmed today.

The charges filed Thursday against Matthew DePante and his father, Joseph DePante, in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., stem from allegations that HP had indirectly hired their Florida-based private investigation firm, Action Research Group--a subcontractor to another firm--to probe boardroom leaks to journalists, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

In what evolved into an embarrassing boardroom drama, HP came under fire for … Read more

HP mulling deal to unload WebOS, report says

Hewlett-Packard is considering a plan to unload its WebOS business in a deal that could net the company hundreds of millions of dollars, unidentified sources have told Reuters.

While Reuters doesn't identify who the potential buyer might be, it does note that the sales price would be well below the $1.2 billion that HP paid for Palm.

HP representatives did not respond to a request for comment on the report.

The mobile platform's future has been in limbo since then-CEO Leo Apotheker announced during an August earnings call that the company would discontinue operations for WebOS devices, … Read more

PC forecast cut in wake of HDD shortage: analyst

Barclays Capital has slashed its PC growth forecast for the fourth quarter due to the shortage of hard disk drives and continued weakness in the PC market, according to reports.

The investment bank cut its global PC growth forecast for the fourth quarter to 4.3 percent from 7.2 percent "due to continued weak demand and a shortage of hard drive disks (HDD) resulting from the flooding in Thailand," according to a number of Asia-based outlets such as the China Post, citing a Barclay's research note.

And the bank didn't stop there, lowering its full-year … Read more

HP hires new VP to oversee IT

Hewlett-Packard has made its first major executive hire under new CEO Meg Whitman.

The company announced today that it's hired John Hinshaw to fill the new role of executive vice president for global technology and business processes. That long title means he'll oversee the information technology and administrative groups, be responsible for procuring services, and manage all of the company's business processes.

Reporting directly to Whitman, Hinshaw will join HP on November 15 and also take a seat on the executive council.

The 41-year-old Hinshaw hails from Boeing, where he was vice president and general manager for … Read more

So, HP, ready for the PC price wars, crumbling margins?

Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman crunched the numbers and determined that the company had to keep its PC division. The big question now is how far HP will go on pricing to defend its PC market share.

The reasons for keeping the PC unit were fairly clear cut (story, statement, Techmeme).

Without the PC division, HP would have incurred $1 billion in higher supply chain costs. A spin-off would have cost $1.5 billion in separation and startup costs. For HP, $1.5 billion shouldn’t be a lot of money, but the company paid $10 billion in cash for Autonomy. … Read more

For keeps: A brief look at HP's PC lines

Hewlett-Packard's decision to keep its PC business means the world's largest PC maker is here to stay. So, what makes HP so big? To get an idea, here's a quick overview of its marquee PC lines.

HP ships a lot of PCs. More than Apple, more than Dell. It does this by having a broad line of PCs blanketing the business and consumer markets.

EliteBook: This is the high-end of HP's business laptops. Most EliteBooks are designed to meet military standards (MIL-STD-810G) for vibration, dust, humidity, altitude, and high temperature. And are typically clad in aluminum. … Read more

Could HP bring WebOS back?

commentary If Hewlett-Packard is flip-flopping on the PC business, it should go all the way and bring WebOS and the mobile business back as well.

After an evaluation of the business, HP said today that it would keep its personal systems group, aka its consumer PC business, calling it the best move for shareholders, consumers, and the company.

The decision caps off a dizzying few months for HP, which today is putting the kibosh on the complete transformation of the company from a consumer electronics product manufacturer to a business-class software and consulting services provider. In its bid to get … Read more

HP reverses course, decides to keep PCs after all

Hewlett-Packard said today that it will keep its personal systems group and that it will continue to sell PCs.

The company added that its strategic review indicated that the supply chain and procurement hit was too much. Meanwhile, HP's PC unit performs well.

When Meg Whitman took over as CEO, she promised a quick decision on the PC division. She delivered.

Overall, HP's move makes sense--at least in the short term. Keeping the PC unit removes a lot of uncertainty for corporate technology buyers who were likely to go with vendors such as Lenovo and Dell. By eliminating … Read more

HP wins latest inkjet cartridge patent suit

HP has won its latest patent infringement suit against several manufacturers who were producing their own HP-compatible inkjet cartridges and printheads.

In a ruling issued Monday (PDF), the U.S. International Trade Commission found that certain HP patents for inkjet cartridges and printheads had been violated by companies making and supplying their own copycat versions.

Specifically, the ITC agreed with its own earlier determination that Asia Pacific Microsystems (APM), a subsidiary of Taiwan-based United Microelectronics, infringed HP patents by making and selling inkjet printheads. The ITC also ruled that MicroJet Technology and PTC Holdings Limited both violated HP's patents … Read more