New IBM notebook with 48 GB HDD
IBM said it has increased the hard-disk drive for notebooks from 32 to 48
gigabytes, the equivalent of 48,000 paperback novels, 74 music compact discs, or
12 DVD movies. The drive will be sold to notebook makers and can also be used in
game systems, video recorders and set-top boxes, which add computer-like
functions to televisions. It will be available in the second quarter and will be
priced at $479, costing just 9 per cent more than IBM's 32-gigabyte drives. The
high-capacity drive will also appear in IBM's own notebooks. IBM is the market
leader in hard-disk drives for notebook computers and the No. 1 seller of
notebooks. -SVNS
TI invests in wireless fingerprint sensor firm
TEXAS: Texas Instruments said it would invest between $5 million and $20 million
in AuthenTec to help the start-up develop and sell fingerprint-based sensors for
wireless Web access. TI said biometric security measures such as the
fingerprint-based measure will become an increasingly important feature for
wireless Internet devices. "The next generation of mobile Internet
appliances will provide consumers with a wide range of highly personalized
applications and services, requiring rigorous security capabilities," said,
Texas Instruments' worldwide general manager for its open multimedia application
platform (OMAP), Alain Mutricy.
AuthenTec was founded in 1998 and has raised more than $35 million in venture
capital to develop semiconductors that allow fingerprints to be used as security
signatures for PCs, wireless devices and other appliances. - SVNS
Satyam in top-10 list of FEER
HYDERABAD: Satyam Computer Services has been rated as one of the 10 most
well-off companies in India, as per a survey conducted by the Hong-Kong-based
Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER) for 2000-01. The survey which ranked Asian
companies in accordance to the quality of corporate leadership, also asked
executives to evaluate each firm using the same criteria as in the past years
for service and product quality, long term management vision, customer response
and financial soundness. Satyam offers a range of expertise including Software
Development Services, Embedded Systems, Engineering Services (CAD/CAM/CAE),
Systems Integration, ERP Solutions, Enterprise Application Integration and
Customer Relationship Management. — CNS
Fujitsu to launch software firm
SUNNYVALE: Japanese computer and electronics maker Fujitsu Ltd. on Tuesday
announced the launch of a storage management software company that will compete
with industry leaders EMC Corp, International Business Machines Corp and Veritas
Software. Fujitsu Software Technology Corp, also known as Fujitsu Softek, is
based in Sunnyvale, Calif, and is built on technology from Fujitsu subsidiary
Amdahl Corp. The company will begin formal operations from April 1, a company
spokesman said. The new company's products will target areas of storage data
management, including data backup and recovery; storage infrastructure products
that manage data migration and replication; storage resource management;
quality-of-service monitoring and professional consulting. - Reuters
Handspring’s security technology for wireless devices
TORONTO: Certicom Corp said on Tuesday that the popular Handspring palmtop
computers will use its security technology for wireless communications in yet
another step toward becoming the security standard for wireless devices.
Handspring will initially integrate Certicom's SSL plus security product, based
on patented Elliptic Curve Cryptography, into its Blazer Web browsing software
used by Handspring users equipped with a VisorPhone, said Certicom in a
statement. Certicom's security software will enable safe transmission of
sensitive information to financial institutions and allow for secure purchases
using the Handspring device.