Acer unveils new US-designed notebooks, Grantsdale desktop

Acer is to launch restyled notebooks and business desktops with centralised asset management software. The new notebooks are the result of a year and a half's work by a US design outfit hired by Acer and use a 'folio' design to slim down the appearance, while also offering a carry grip and latchless closing and locking using magnets. They also incorporate Acer's 'e' key that brings up a console for quick access to management functions in the control panel as well as preset environments that can switch to optimised settings for power conservation, maximum performance, presentations and so on. ...more

UK Government refuses to legislate against spam.

The Government is abandoning the battle against unsolicited email despite its desire to take Britain to the forefront of e-commerce. The job of policing and punishing spammers will be left to ISPs. A spokesperson for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said, "the Government has decided that the most effective way to control unsolicited commercial e-mail is through self regulation by the industry. ...more

Gates to step down from Microsoft

Bill Gates is quitting his post as Chief Software Architect at Microsoft to concentrate on his charitable work. He has announced that he plans to 'transition out' of his role by July 2008 although he will remain as the non-executive Chairman of the company he founded in 1975. Gates, the world's richest man with an estimated fortune of around $50 billion, is to turn his attention to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which is estimated to give around $1 billion a year to charity projects that include educational scholarships and computer donations to schools in the United States. ...more

Vista and Office launch dates announced - by Amazon

Microsoft Office 2007 is slated for release on 30 January next year and is set at a price of $499 in the US. On the same day, Microsoft is also planning to launch the long delayed and much anticipated Vista operating system as the replacement for Windows XP. The US price for the 'Ultimate' version of Vista will be $399. ...more

Hitachi to double one inch hard disk production

Hitachi has announced plans to double production of the 1in hard disk drives used by Apple in its iPod minis. The Japanese manufacturer will also treble output of its new 1.8in Travelstar drives, which it says have generated 'tremendous interest'. ...more