WebPad processing boost - UPDATED

National Semiconductor has introduced a new line of processors aimed at Internet appliances. The Geode SC3200 is intended for WebPad-type gadgets and integrates four different chips - the system processor (the same as the older GX1); a video processor; a memory controller; and an I/O controller. The company has also launched the Geode SC1200 and SC2200. ...more

Apple debuts at three in list of top tech innovators

Apple has made its debut in Wired's list of the top 40 'masters of innovation, technology, and strategic vision'. The company is a new-entry at number three in the chart, recognised for the iPod and the iTunes Music Store and for 'empowering a new generation of content creators' with GarageBand and iMovie. 'They laughed in 2001 when Steve Jobs introduced the iPod,' Wired comments. ...more

Spammer gets nine-year jail term

In the first conviction of its kind, a notorious spammer has been sentenced by a Virginia Court to nine years in prison. Jeremy Jaynes, 30, was convicted by a jury last November with a recommendation that he be sentenced to nine years in jail. Judge Thomas Horne has agreed. ...more

Dell signals new direction with rethink of direct sales

Michael Dell has revealed that he is considering moving away from the direct sales model, which made the company that bears his name the world's biggest supplier of computer systems. It is the first time anyone at Dell has publicly admitted to doubts about the company's business model, which relies on building and shipping each PC to order. 'The direct model has been a revolution, but is not a religion,' Dell, who founded the company in 1984 and recently returned to the position of chief executive, wrote in an email to the company's 80,000 employees. ...more

AMD launches new desktop chips in move to AM2 socket

AMD describes it as the 'ultimate processor for PC enthusiasts': the new Athlon 64 FX-62 dual-core processor. More importantly for the long term, it has also released the Athlon 64 X2 5000+ - again, a 64-bit, dual-core processor - which is compatible with AMD's new socket, the AM2 platform. This new socket architecture is designed to accommodate rising system bandwidth requirements and support the likes of AMD virtualisation technology and unbuffered DDR2 memory for the AMD64 architecture. ...more