Windows 8 Total Fail

from Greg
Microsoft announced at CES they they are releasing Windows 9 in 2015 due to significantly poor reviews of Windows 8 and slow acceptance from commercial customers. HP has highlighted the problem by offering a line of Windows 7 computers. The Windows 8 operating system is actually hurting HP's computer sales. The computers run $480 to $999 which includes a $150 price reduction.

from Business Insider
Read the full story HERE
This weekend HP brought in a blast from the past in an attempt to boost its PC sales.

Windows 7.

In promotional material on its website and email blasts, HP says it'll start shipping PCs with Windows 7 again due to "popular demand." And that's not a good sign for Microsoft, which still bets that its touch-based Windows 8 operating system will reinvigorate the PC market.

Many agree that one of the contributing factors to the PC market's implosion is Windows 8, which can be hard to operate on the traditional desktops and laptops that many people still use. Despite manufacturer's best attempts, PC sales continue to decline year over year. In fact, 2013 was the worst year for PC sales, according to research firm Gartner.

Meanwhile, there are a slew of other options for people to choose from, including Chromebooks, the cheap laptops that run Google's Chrome operating system. Chromebooks are gaining momentum with customers, causing Microsoft to launch some very negative ads. HP has started making a bigger push in Chromebooks too.


Finally, Microsoft is reportedly working on a new version of Windows called Windows 9 that will fix many of the gripes people have with Windows 8. We'll likely get a tiny preview of Windows 9 at Microsoft's Build developers conference in April.


from HP
Read about the deal HERE.
Back by Popular Demand


Featuring genuine Windows 7 Home Premium for a familiar and intuitive environment.


All-around perfect fit
With convenient expandability options, the HP Pavilion 500 is the versatile PC that grows as your needs do. With a sharp, modern design, it fits seamlessly anywhere you put it. Top that off with powerful performance, strong graphics, and generous storage, and you’ve found your ideal PC.

Proven and powerful
Choose the latest Intel processors and multitask across more programs—including your favorite immersive games, HD3 videos, and photo editing software. Enjoy smooth and seamless life-like gaming with NVIDIA discrete graphics, or choose AMD ultra-high performance graphics for a thrilling experience. The options are yours.


Internal specs
Operating system
Windows 7 Home Premium 64

Processor
4th Generation Intel® Core™ i3-4130 processor dual-core [3.4GHz, 3MB Shared Cache]
4th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-4570 processor quad-core [3.2GHz, 6MB Shared Cache]

Memory
8GB DDR3-1600MHz [1 DIMM ]
10GB DDR3-1600 MHz [2 DIMM ]
2 DIMM

Hard drive
1TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
2TB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
3TB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive

Graphics
Intel HD Graphics [DVI-D]
1GB Nvidia GeForce GT625[HDMI,DVI,VGA via adapter]
1GB AMD Radeon R5 235 [DVI, HDMI, DVI to AVG Dongle]

Optical drive
SuperMulti DVD Burner
Blu-ray player & SuperMulti DVD burner

Wireless technologies
802.11a/g/n; Bluetooth

Networking
Wireless-N LAN and Bluetooth (1x1)
Premium Wireless-N LAN card and Bluetooth(R )(2x2)

Ports
4 USB 3.0; 4 USB 2.0; 1 headphone; 1 microphone
3 PCIe x1; 1 PCIe x16; 1 mini PCIe x1
7-in-1 memory card reader

Related articles

• AMD Develops Behemoth Chip with Sixteen Cores on Single Die
• Microsoft Is Going To Try And Save The Imploding PC Market With Another New Version Of Windows
• Windows 9 could see a complete 180, return to glory days
• Microsoft employees reportedly call Windows 8 'the new Vista'

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HP and Android

From Greg

Here is an interesting piece of news I found while trolling through the HP press release archive. They have created an Android based All-in-One computer. This is a HUGE change from their long time partnership with Microsoft. 

When the largest PC manufacturer starts making machine that run on someone else's operating system, you start worrying if you are Microsoft, no matter the outcome. Oh yeah and the Android system is free. YIKES!

From HP

HP Drives Evolution of Business Desktop with Android-based All-in-one PC

HP Z1 G2 features Windows Touch, Intel Thunderbolt for increased performance

HP unveiled the second generation of the world’s first and only all-in-one workstation with a 27-inch diagonal display, the HP Z1, now available with Windows 8 Touch and Intel Thunderbolt capabilities—making it HP’s  most powerful, innovative and fully featured all-in-one workstation.

Ideal for knowledge workers and specialists in CAD, graphic arts and university education, the HP Z1G2 offers fast data transfer speeds for compute-intensive workloads and new technologies like Thunderbolt offer the flexibility for high-performance external expandability. Whether it’s being used by an engineer creating 3-D components, an architect designing buildings or a videographer editing event footage, the HP Z1G2 gives creative professionals the power they need to bring ideas to life faster.

The HP Z1 G2 is joined by three new all-in-one PCs ideal for use in small and midsize business and enterprise environments, including the HP Slate21 Pro All in One, HP’s first commercial Android all-in-one PC. The HP Slate21 Pro offers seamless integration with Android-based phones and tablets, along with access to efficient manageability tools, security enhancements and apps available through the Google Play app store.

“Since its launch in 2012, the highly acclaimed HP Z1 has opened the eyes and ears of customers hoping to solve business problems no longer being met by current vendors,” said Jim Zafarana, vice president and general manager, Commercial Solutions Business Unit, HP. “Today’s professionals demand high-performance products that are serviceable and easy-to-use, all wrapped in a sleek and elegant design.”

HP is the only workstation vendor to offer Thunderbolt as an option across both desktop and mobile workstations. Thunderbolt enables cutting-edge creative work, and the addition of this technology to the HP Z1 G2 expands HP’s leadership in innovation and demonstrates its commitment to the professional market.

The HP Z1 features Intel integrated HD Graphics, 4th Generation Intel Xeon and Core™ processors, ECC memory, and RAID storage options, providing users with more reliability and performance. Additionally, the HP Z1 features the latest NVIDIA Mobile Quadro GPUs for professional use and the best graphics performance for demanding applications. All HP Z Workstations are tested and certified for professional applications.

Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture Planning and Preservation is regarded as one of the most important, innovative and prestigious architecture schools in the world. As one of the first architecture schools to provide individual workstations for every student, it always has been a leading program in uses of design technology, including the use of more than 100 HP Z1 Workstations.

“Our architectural students, from approximately 50 countries, have an endless thirst for experimentation,” said John Ramahlo Jr., executive director, Technology, School of Architecture, Columbia University. “To quench that thirst, we must provide our students expertise in the state of the art in architecture and computer technology so that they can decisively assert themselves around the world by producing remarkable buildings, plans and policies—the HP Z1 gives our students that edge.”

The HP Z1 enables designers to streamline the workflow with key features such as:

- The power of Thunderbolt. Connect in a flash with up to four times USB 3.0 bandwidth using optional high-performance Thunderbolt  2.0 ports located on the side of the HP Z1G2.

- Professional display. Let ideas shine on the HP Z1 G2’s brilliant next-generation, 27-inch diagonal IPS display. Choose from 10-point touch with stunning edge-to-edge glass or non-touch with antiglare capability.

Tool-less chassis. Change most parts or make upgrades without tools or a service technician. Simply snap open the chassis and customize as needed.

- Bold and bright. A wide range of 3-D professional graphics options, including NVIDIA Mobile Quadro GPUs, gives users the power they need to bring their creations to life.

The new HP Z1G2 Workstation is expected to be available in late January. U.S. pricing starts at $1,999.

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My First-hand Experience with China's Most Successful Technology Transfer Campaign (better than hacking)

There's no doubt that China is on an aggressive technology acquisition track and has been for 20+ years. Way too much emphasis has been placed on the vacuuming of data from U.S. companies through targeted attacks (otherwise known by the marketing buzzword "APT"). That's actually a terribly inefficient way to conduct the scale of tech transfer that China needs and a lot of the data that gets scooped up has low value, which is partly why I believe that hacker groups from many different countries (including China) are the main instigators behind those attacks rather than the PLA or a Foreign Intelligence Service. Small scale hacker groups are like burglars breaking into peoples' houses. They take as much as they can carry and then try to fence the goods for whatever they can get.

The Chinese government has crafted a much more elegant, legal, and precise way to obtain the exact type of technology that they need. They offer tax incentives and access to the biggest market in the world to U.S. companies who open their Research and Development centers in China. To date, over 1200 companies have taken China up on that offer including Boeing, Microsoft, Dell, Cisco, Intel, GE and many, many more. Part of the deal is that these U.S. companies must hire a percentage of Chinese engineers, who stay for a year or two; learn everything they can about the technology of interest, and then leave to work for a Chinese national champion firm or state-owned enterprise.

Here's a recap of my own first-hand experience with this process. As I've mentioned before, Taia Global has a product in development called Chimera. We are building the world's first and largest commercial database of adversary states' research and development priorities, focusing on technologies that are U.S. export-controlled. These represent the creme de la creme of targets for acts of industrial and cyber espionage. I've been searching for a data scientist with a background in document-matching. Being an ex-Microsoft employee, I started with the Microsoft Research website and learned that almost all of the researchers working on NLP and Search topics are at Microsoft Asia (in Beijing). I identified a couple of researchers in the precise field that I was looking for and sent email introductions to both. It turned out that both had left Microsoft Research and went to work for Huawei's internal R&D lab.

The U.S. government fueled by testimony from InfoSec industry experts can complain about Spear Phishing, APT, and Chinese hackers day-in and day-out but that won't begin to address the much more serious problem of how so many top U.S. firms willingly give their intellectual property away for the promise of cheap research costs and lucrative access to a massive Chinese market. What complaining about the Chinese government hacking U.S. corporations will do is keep the conversation in a politically advantageous zone and away from the political minefield that represents US companies exporting their R&D overseas. If you're looking to blame someone for the estimated $300 billion in IP loss that the U.S. suffered last year, start by taking a hard, honest look at what U.S. companies are willing to risk in order to do business in China.

Related

"China Operates the World's Most Successful Honey Pot"

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