Joel Hruska
Opinions and content posted by HotHardware contributors are their own.
Recent posts
The Ninth Circuit of the US Court of Appeals has filed its decision in the case of Olmstead v. Dell and reversed a decision by the lower court to dismiss the original case. The issue in question was whether or not Dell's Terms and Conditions of Sale (available here) could legally force the company's customers to...
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A number of iPad-related stories broke over the last couple days; we've rounded up some of the larger topics into a single news post. First up, graphic designer Paul Threatt took exception to some of Apple's iPad advertisements, several of which purported to show the device running Flash without a hitch. In the screenshot below, the iPad is...
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With the International Solid-State Circuits Conference less than a week away, Intel has released additional details on its hexa-core desktop, next generation mobile and dual-core Westmere processors. Much of the dual-core data was revealed last month when the CPU manufacturer launched Clarkdale (our review is here if you want additional information
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The iPad has been a red-hot topic since Apple unveiled it last week; the tablet's price structure, included hardware, and iPhone-derived UI are all topics that have been debated extensively by tech pundits and enthusiasts across all forms of media. These are salient points of conversation, to be sure, but the question of whether or not...
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We don't normally cover TSMC directly, but the firm's 40nm troubles had a material impact on both AMD and NVIDIA in the past few quarters, so we thought we'd take a peek at the company's financials. The company's quarterly results were excellent; net income rose 162.5 percent compared to a year ago, while revenue was up 42.6 percent. Broken...
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Microsoft has always taken a certain amount of flak over the fact that its XBox Live Marketplace (as well as the Zune and Games for Windows - Live stores) all use Microsoft Points as currency, but the recent actions of one unhappy customer have given the situation a new twist. Last week, Pennsylvania attorney...
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AMD has launched a number of GPU's based on its Radeon 5000 series in recent months, but a last-minute problem with the ATI Radeon 5830 may force the company to delay the introduction of its latest chip. According to DigiTimes, a handful of 5830 cards have been throwing unspecified software errors due to an issue "related to circuits on the...
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Data from Jon Peddie Research confirms the positive GPU sales information we've heard from AMD of late, with the GPU market as a whole growing by 14.7 percent in Q4 as compared to Q3, and 10.3 percent for the entire year. Intel led the quarter in both market share and increased unit shipments, thanks partially to the joint impact of Atom chipset...
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The business analysis firm IDC has released data on the shape of the PC industry through the fourth quarter of 2009 and the results point towards a general recovery in all segments. Sales rose moderately in Q4 as compared to Q3, partly thanks to seasonal trends, but were up a full 31.3 percent over Q4 2009. The first half of 2009 was a downright...
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The last few months have been a whirlwind of activity for AMD. Since the beginning of the fourth quarter, the manufacturer has launched new ATI HD 5000 series parts in the high-end, enthusiast, and mainstream market segments, settled its antitrust lawsuit with Intel, renegotiated its x86 licensing agreement and...
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Last week, we brought you a preview of newcomer Origin PC's Genesis desktop and announced a system giveaway (details available here). At that time we noted that "there's a new company joining the ranks of boutique system builders with customization options that could turn the head of even the most die-hard DIY-er. The paint is scarcely...
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At its earnings call last week, Intel detailed its strong 2009 finish after the decidedly uncertain start of the year. The company also gave general forecast information for what it expects in the first quarter of the year and for 2010 in general, and discussed the continuing growth of Atom and its 32nm product ramp. When Intel announced its...
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It's only been two weeks since Intel debuted its 32nm, Nehalem-based Clarkdale processor, but the CPU manufacturer is already planning to introduce Westmere-derived Xeon processors in the first quarter of 2010. Intel revealed its plans during its quarterly conference call last week and hinted that Nehalem-EX processors will soon see the light...
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If you wanted proof that Intel and ARM architecture licensees will soon be in direct competition with each other, there's plenty of ammo handy at this year's CES. A number of prominent companies have announced multimedia-centric products based around ARM CPUs, including NVIDIA, Marvell, ZiiLabs (a branch of Creative), and NXP Semiconductor....
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With CES scheduled to begin in just two days, NVIDIA has begun publicly hinting about the technology it plans to display at the trade show this year. According to a recent blog post, the company will showcase a new mobile technology under the "Optimus" brand name. Details are scarce; the blog only states the following: "NVIDIA Optimus technology...
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There's a new company joining the ranks of boutique system builders with customization options that could turn the head of even the most die-hard DIY-er. The paint is scarcely dry on the Origin logo—the business opened on November 17th—but the corporation's three founders each spent a decade at Alienware prior to founding Origin. Their collective...
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When the FTC sued Intel last week over the company's alleged anti-competitive behaviors, we noted that NVIDIA could be one of the main proponents (and beneficiaries) of such a lawsuit, particularly given the price structure of Intel's Atom products. It's now been alleged that NVIDIA's interest in the FTC's...
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AMD and Intel may have settled their court case and bills—Intel paid the smaller company $1.25 billion last week—but the manufacturer has been hit with an additional charge of unlawful behavior, this time from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). According to the FTC's complaint, Intel has systemically waged a campaign to "shut out rivals’...
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When Intel introduced its LGA1166 Lynnfield processors earlier this fall, one of its goals was to introduce Nehalem's advanced technology at lower price points. To that end, Digital Storm has designed a high-end system around the P55 chipset and Core i5 processor. At a price of ~$1900, the customized system isn't what you'd call cheap, but...
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Last month, SquareTrade—a company in the business of selling extended warranties directly to consumers online, with what it claims are better prices and coverage plans than store-bought options—released a report on netbook and notebook failure rates. Much of the discussion the report generated focused on the company's...
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Ah, Christmas. The word itself conjures images of hearth and home, inspires (occasionally debaucherous) celebration, and is a time of spiritual contemplation for millions. In this crazy modern age, it's also a time when the bewildered parents of tech-savvy children all over the civilized world, regardless of race...
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For the past 18 months, Intel has been the company talking about mobile internet devices (MIDs), Atom, ultra-mobile PC's (UMPCs), and how it sees these burgeoning form factories as a new frontier for the company. AMD, in contrast, has talked down the importance of the netbook and sub-netbook market, choosing instead...
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