hp

HP ponies up bigger bucks for Linux Foundation

Hewlett-Packard has increased its investment in the Linux Foundation.

The organization, which aims at increasing adoption of Linux across the world, announced today that HP has decided to upgrade its Linux Foundation membership from Gold to Platinum. By doing so, HP will now hold a seat on the Linux Foundation's board of directors. The company will also play a role in the Linux Foundation's initiatives, work groups, labs, and events.

HP has been making open-source supporters happy with WebOS, a formerly closed platform that it turned open source. HP didn't say exactly why it decided to up … Read more

Windows 8 reshapes the laptop: Touch models on the rise

Windows 8 is all about touch. And that means a lot more touch laptops and hybrid devices are popping up at PC stores in the U.S.

Microsoft's brick-and-mortar and online stores are among the most aggressive at stocking up on touch-capable Windows 8 portables. Its online store now shows eight traditional (non-hybrid) clamshell laptops with touch screens. Those include the $499 Asus VivoBook X202E, the $899 Sony Vaio T13, and the high-end $1,349 HP Spectre XT TouchSmart.

Throw hybrids, or so-called "convertibles," into the mix and the number jumps to 16. Convertibles -- which include … Read more

Microsoft is right about touch-screen laptops

Microsoft was touting touch today at its Build conference. And that means for plain old laptops too.

CEO Steve Ballmer addressed this topic during his keynote, which was streamed live.

"You say, do people really want to use touch laptops?" he asked.

Well, if you ask Apple, the answer is no. But for Microsoft it's an important differentiator.

Ballmer continued. "I had a group of leaders of companies over for dinner the other night, and they were saying, 'really, I can just flip [this] through like I would on a tablet?'" he said, as he … Read more

HP prices Envy x2, its alternative to Microsoft Surface, iPad

Hewlett-Packard has priced its Envy x2 laptop-tablet hybrid at $849.99 -- a small tablet-laptop hybrid that runs the full version of Windows 8.

That price may be high for consumers, but HP is pushing it as a high-quality, high-end "hybrid PC" that effectively straddles both the laptop and tablet paradigms.

It comes with many of the ports found on a PC -- USB, HDMI, SD card slot -- a top-notch IPS display, a full-size keyboard with a large trackpad (what HP calls an Imagepad) for Windows 8 gestures, and a touch display that detaches to become a … Read more

HP, finally, has a good answer to the iPad

Could Hewlett-Packard trump the iPad?

With Windows 8 general release due on October 26, it's a good opportunity to take a look at the competition coming down the pike.

In this case, from Apple's Silicon Valley neighbor, HP.

It took way too long -- Apple announced the iPad in 2010 -- but HP now has a real iPad alternative -- the Envy x2.

Or, put another way, should I think about swapping my iPad for the x2?

Personal musings aside, HP has a different design philosophy from Apple -- so it's not simply a question (for me … Read more

IDC analyst slams Windows 8 device pricing

An IDC analyst doesn't like what he's seeing so far from PC makers and their pricing for Windows 8 products.

Lenovo and Acer this week began disclosing pricing for tablets and convertibles that range between $499 (Acer) and $1,099 (Lenovo). Bob O'Donnell, program vice president of clients and displays at IDC, doesn't think this kind of traditional PC pricing bodes well for the sales of newfangled hybrid devices.

"The problem is these things are priced way too high. Look at the history of tablet products priced above the iPad. Not pretty," he said … Read more

PCs showing 'severe slump' as HP slips to No. 2

It's even uglier than thought in the PC market, new data today shows.

IDC says the global computer market "withdrew sharply" in the third quarter, with shipments falling 8.6 percent from the prior year. The tech research firm had expected a decline of just 3.8 percent -- what it called a relatively quiet quarter as companies prepare for the upcoming Windows 8 launch.

Rival Gartner, meanwhile, said shipments slid 8.3 percent to 87.5 million units, worse than its expectation for a 6.5 percent decline.

Both firms noted that back-to-school promotions weren't … Read more

Tech giants to talk patent reform at the U.N.

Apple, Google, Microsoft and other tech giants are meeting in Switzerland today to discuss patent litigation reform, seeking to find ways to protect their intellectual property without hurting innovation.

The roundtable, hosted by the U.N.'s International Telecommunication Union in its Geneva headquarters, will cover topics such as "potential improvements to existing policy frameworks, entitlement to injunctive reliefs, and definitions of what constitutes a royalty base."

The group hopes to find out how standard essential patents can be enforced without hindering competition and how to make sure licenses can be offered at reasonable terms.

"We are … Read more

HP sees no silver bullets for fiscal 2013

Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman made her case for the company in an analyst powwow, but the underlying message is that the IT giant has been rattled by executive turnover and it'll take time to right HP's struggling units and balance sheet.

Meanwhile, HP's outlook for fiscal 2013 will fall short. CFO Cathie Lesjak said the company expects non-GAAP earnings of $3.40 a share to $3.60 a share with revenue declines of 11 percent to 13 percent.

Wall Street was looking for fiscal 2013 earnings of $4.18 a share. HP is seeing weakness across the … Read more