Atom

Microsoft shows Windows 7 running on Eee PC

Paul Mah — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 10:46:06 -0500

To emphasize the improvements made under the hood of the recently unveiled Windows 7 operating system, Microsoft has demonstrated a version of its next generation of operating system on an Asus Eee PC. The demonstration model had 1GB of RAM, 16GB of SSD storage and the newest dual-core 1.6 GHz Atom processor from Intel. During a presentation, Microsoft senior lead program manager Leon Braginski noted that "the entire install of Windows 7 will be smaller than Vista," and that 16GB is "enough for a good Windows 7 experience." Interestingly, only 8GB is needed for applications and user data, with the rest utilized for restore files, log points and various temporary and hibernation files. Perhaps the death knell for Windows XP--the operating system of choice for netbooks, will really be Windows 7.

To read more about this story:
- check out this Computerworld.com article

Intel Atom Dual Core processor debuts

Paul Mah — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:27:41 -0400

The first dual-core Atom processor from Intel has made its debut as an engineering sample that the Guru of 3D somehow got from ECS. Clocking in at 1.6GHz, the Atom 330 has two cores with independent caches, yet it draws just 8W in power consumption. The FSB remains the same at 533MHz. Intel earlier confirmed that the first dual-core Atom processor would be shipping in September. The verdict on the performance of the Atom 330 is that while it is not particularly stellar, it "should" do the job better than alternatives by Via. Windows Vista ran perfectly, with Windows XP running "pretty fast." Surfing, listening to music, and even watching a DVD are all in a day's work for this nifty processor.

For more information on the Atom Dual Core:
- check out this article from The Register

Customer data should drive IT decisions

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:59:58 -0400

Michelle McKenna, the CIO at Universal Orlando Resorts, has some advice for her members of her profession--think like your customers and use your data to focus on your company's markets.

"In today's contracting economy, it's more critical than ever for CIOs to study market trends and find ways to maximize business opportunities,'' McKenna said. Although her IT unit always has had valuable market-defining customer data, McKenna said she didn't always know how best to leverage it.

"Fortunately, I've been able to work closely with executive peers to implement business intelligence that triggers a more analytical, customer-centric approach to marketing and sales,'' McKenna said.

And her knowledge of her company's market, she said, has helped her "drill down into our data to understand what is really happening in our business.''

To read more on the CIO's role as marketer:
- see this CIO.com article

For more tech stories from the FierceCIO network:
> Encryptor 2.0 spotted at 1024-bits. Article
> IBM turns to water to cool processors. Article
> Intel shows off atom processors. Article

A fresh look at RISC vs. CISC

Paul Mah — Tue, 20 May 2008 01:41:25 -0400

Jon Stokes of Ars Technica takes another look at the age-old debate between RISC vs. CISC, but in the context of power-conscious mobile processors. He then goes on to examine the microarchitecture of Intel's new Atom processor. Article