Fujitsu

Phoenix Technologies enables remote drive security

Mehan Jayasuriya — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:21:52 -0400

Phoenix Technologies has announced that it will bring its "FailSafe" tech to Fujitsu's new Full Disk Encryption (FDE) 2.5" 7200RPM SATA hard drive. FailSafe allows IT admins to remotely track, disable and even erase drives in the event that a machine containing sensitive data is lost or stolen. No word yet on pricing or launch date, though we're sure that there are plenty of admins out there that can't wait to get their hands on this tech.

For more on FailSafe:
- see this Gizmodo article

Fujitsu develops "zero watt" display

Mehan Jayasuriya — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:08:16 -0400

The larger the organization, the more employees. The more employees, the more PCs. And the more PCs, the higher the energy costs. There's no denying that desktop PCs are power hungry beasts, though it's quite often the display, rather than the PC itself, that wastes the most energy in standby mode. Looking to tackle this problem, Fujitsu has developed an LCD display that uses no energy when in standby mode. How does it work? Simply enough, the display contains a switch that completely shuts it off when a signal from the PC's video card is absent. Then, when a signal is detected, it turns the display back on. Best of all, the display goes on sale this summer, "for the price of a conventional monitor."

For more on the "zero-watt" display:
- see this Treehugger article

AMD unveils enterprise PCs

Mehan Jayasuriya — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:40:09 -0400

So, you're a microprocessor vendor that's struggling to catch up to the competition: What are you to do? I can't say that "release enterprise-class machines" is the first thing that comes to mind, but you've got to give AMD points for originality. The company has just announced a wholly unexpected hardware line of a different sort, starting with the descriptively-named "Business Class desktop." Inside you'll find--what else?--an AMD CPU of your choosing, be it a dual-core Athlon X2, a triple-core Phenom X3 or a quad-core Phenom X4. The company will be selling the machines, which are aimed squarely at small and medium-sized businesses, via a troupe of enterprise vendors, including Acer, HP, Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens and Lenovo. If that's not enough for the AMD fan in you, you'll be pleased to hear that the company plans to launch a similar AMD-branded laptop during the second half of the year.

For more on the new PCs:
- see this Engadget story

Linux survives "PWN 2 OWN"

Mehan Jayasuriya — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:27:01 -0400

As you might recall, the aptly-named "PWN 2 OWN" contest kicked off with a bang last week, when a MacBook Air was "PWNED" in 2 minutes flat by hacker Charlie Miller. While that might have been the beginning of the end, the contest was far from over: both Windows Vista SP1 and Ubuntu 7.10 remained in the last-man-standing contest. On Friday, however, Shane Macaulay finally cracked the Fujitsu laptop running Vista SP1; he claims that the extra security measures in SP1 made the machine harder to hack and forced him to seek out help from VMware researcher Alexander Sotirov. As for the Linux machine? While hackers tried throughout the contest to compromise the Sony Vaio laptop running Ubuntu, none had succeeded by the contest's end. "I was surprised that it didn't go," said Terri Forslof, manager of security response for TippingPoint.

For more on the conclusion of PWN 2 OWN:
- see this PC World article

ALSO NOTED: AMD headed back into the black; Verizon getting the HTC Touch?;

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 06:59:51 -0500

> Fujitsu LifeBook P1620 is a tiny Tablet PC. Article
> AMD headed back into the black. Article
> Apple TV getting native Skype app? Article
> First Intel GPU coming in 2010. Article
> Verizon getting the HTC Touch? Article
> Make haste with the latest Microsoft patches. Article

And Finally... Google.org announces new initiatives. Article

Fujitsu: Building a biodegradable laptop

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:59:59 -0500

When someone mentions green tech, the first thing that comes to mind is probably energy-efficient devices. While solar-powered desktops are certainly cool as all get out, energy use isn't the only environmental problem that the tech industry needs to face. The waste created by discarded electronics in the U.S. alone results in hundreds of thousands of tons of post-consumer waste, much of it toxic and non-biodegradable. What's worse, it's estimated that some 50-80 percent of the eWaste that is supposedly "recycled" is actually shipped overseas, where it contaminates the environment and creates health risks for those who work and live nearby.

Given that the tech industry probably isn't going to stop churning out gadgets anytime soon, one possible solution to the problem is the development of biodegradable devices. Fujitsu showed off one such device at CES this year: a laptop whose casing is built using corn. Apparently "the main component is polylactic acid, also known as PLA, a resin that comes from the fermentation of the raw biomass from plants." While an amount of traditional plastic still needs to be mixed in with the PLA in order to provide an adequate level of durability, the PLA and plastic can be separated at the end of the product's lifetime, at which point the PLA can either degrade naturally or be burned without emitting any harmful by-products. Sure, it's not perfect but it's definitely a start to addressing one of our industry's dirtiest secrets.

For more on Fujitsu's biodegradable laptop:
- see this post from Inhabitat
- and this AP article on green tech at CES

ALSO NOTED: Dell Latitude XT available for pre-order; Dan Hesse named as Sprint's new CEO;

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 06:59:51 -0500

> Dell's Latitude XT is finally available for order, though it ships in January. Article
> More details on the rumored Dell Vostro 1200. Article
> Dan Hesse named as Sprint's new CEO. Article
> OS X inches ever closer to UNIX. Article
> Fujitsu packs a Penryn into an ultraportable? Article
> Free VoIP app coming to the iPod Touch on New Year's Day. Article
> Intel scaling back Viiv brand. Article

And Finally... MIT cyclists set record for pedal-powered supercomputing. Article

ALSO NOTED: Fujitsu gets in the SMB storage game; Hands-on with the Nokia N810 tablet;

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 06:59:51 -0400

> Hands-on with the Nokia N810 tablet. Video
> Fujitsu gets in the SMB storage game. Article
> A bone-conducting handset lands on Japan's KDDI network. Article
> McAfee and Covad team up for SMB security. Article
> AT&T ships first HSUPA cards. Press Release

And Finally... Who says that IT guys don't get enough exercise? Article

Fujitsu LifeBook V1010 does it on the cheap

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 06:59:53 -0400

There's no shortage of good laptops in the $1000 price range but what about the sub-$1000 price range? Generally speaking, unless you like Linux, unknown Chinese OEMs or outdated technology, you're out of luck. Fujitsu, however, is looking to change all that with it's latest Lifebook, the V1010. This machine features a 15.4-inch display with a maximum resolution of 1280x800, a 1.86Ghz Dual Core Intel CPU, a "spill resistant" keyboard, 1GB of RAM and a 120GB hard drive. The price? A mere $799. And if you like, you can even add another gig or RAM and a Core 2 Duo while still keeping the bill under $1000. Not too shabby.

For more on the Lifebook V1010:
- see this Gizmodo article

Microsoft offering XP-to-Vista 'downgrades'

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Well, this certainly comes as a bit of a shock. While it's no secret that enterprises aren't exactly crazy about Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, we never expected the company to do an about-face and start offering up good old XP again. But it looks like that's exactly what the folks in Redmond are doing: according to CNET, Microsoft is rolling out an official--albeit secret--Windows XP "downgrade" program, for businesses that buy machines pre-loaded with either Windows Vista Business or Ultimate. Apparently, the program allows PC vendors to include copies of Windows XP with Vista machines at their discretion and judging by the looks of it, major players like Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo and Dell are all aboard the downgrade train. "We've been offering it and we're still offering it," Dell spokeswoman Anne Camden said. As it stands, Microsoft expects vendors to stop selling PCs pre-loaded with Windows XP before January 31st. If this clandestine program offers any indication, however, we could still be seeing XP machines for some time to come.

For more on the downgrade:
- see this CNET article