Hasta La Gadget!

Tune into the chatter around Windows 8 and it won’t be long before you start hearing about keyboard shortcuts. Instead of forcing us to replicate long swipe gestures using a mouse (which would be cruel to all concerned), Microsoft is putting forward these little key combos as the primary means of navigation on traditional desktop PCs that don’t have touchscreens. Right now, I’m in the middle of trying to adapt to this — and like our Windows 8 review concludes, the curve is steep. In my case, matters are complicated by the fact that I use a triple-monitor setup for work, which perhaps makes me more sensitive to UI issues. But regardless of how many displays are hooked up to it, there genuinely are some interface niggles in this OS. Despite having mastered the basic shortcuts, I’m still having to reach for my mouse way too often, and the arm ache is starting to dampen the good vibes left over from my last diary post. So, join me after the break and at the very least you’ll get to observe someone flailing around in search of answers.

Continue reading Windows 8 upgrade diary: multiple monitors make my mouse mad

Filed under: Desktops, Software

Windows 8 upgrade diary: multiple monitors make my mouse mad originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 18:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After losing a whopping $5.7 billion last year and $312 million last quarter, Sony’s recent austerity measures seem to be paying off — the company lost only $198 million in Q2. It’s been madly restructuring since CEO Kazuo Hirai came on board last year and recently shuttered a lens plant in Japan while moving its mobile HQ from Sweden to Tokyo. Altogether, 10,000 jobs cuts are projected this year by Sony to help stanch the red ink, and it looks like it’s started to pay off. Notably, the company saw a drop in restructuring costs over last year, when it incurred charges during the sell-off of its display businesses.

Sony’s mobile operations continue to generate more revenue, gaining $3.9 billion this quarter — more than double last year’s numbers — though it still lost $296 million compared to $356 million in Q1. Its chip plants turned around last year’s $230 million Q2 loss to earn $382 million this time, likely due in part to its sensors appearing in a large number of various company’s DSLRs. Its own imaging division underperformed a bit compared to last quarter but still made a small gain, while its gaming, music and picture businesses each stayed in the black. Finally, while home entertainment products like TVs and home theater systems still lost $203 million, that’s a big improvement over that division’s dismal $526 million loss in Q2 2011.

Sony is projecting a slight drop in revenue for its fiscal year ending in March 2013, from $85 to $83 billion compared to August’s forecast. But the company kept its operating income projection unchanged at $1.6 billion — thanks to new acquisitions like cloud gamer Gaikai and Olympus, along with such products as the new 84-inch 4K LCD TV and revised PS3 gaming console.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Cameras, Home Entertainment, Tablets, Sony

Sony cuts Q2 2012 losses to $198 million, bumps revenue to $20.6 billion thanks to mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Nov 2012 02:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Asustek has just painted a pretty Q3 financial picture, showing a 43 percent jump in net profits — $230 million compared to $160 million last year, according to the WSJ. Gross revenue also climbed 9 percent to around $3.8 billion, which the company attributes to the popularity of its Google-partnered Nexus 7 tablet, along with convertibles like the Transformer Prime TF201 and a healthy notebook lineup. Asus boosted PC shipments nearly 12 percent according to the last round of Gartner surveys, helping it stay the fifth largest player in that market. The company sees good things ahead for Q4 too, expecting double digit gains in PC and tablet shipments due to its burgeoning Windows 8 lineup finally hitting the market. That’ll depend, of course, on how well users gravitate toward the fledgling OS.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, ASUS

Asustek Q3 net profits said to be up 43 percent to $230 million thanks to Nexus 7, convertibles originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD has long stuck to x86 architecture for its server processors, but its gearing up to add 64-bit ARM-based Opteron CPUs to its arsenal in 2014. Sunnyvale also plans to reap the fruits of its SeaMicro acquisition by employing the company’s “fabric” tech to link its ARM-based processors in clusters for maximizing efficiency. Where might these new processors come in handy? AMD thinks they’ll fit nicely into clouds and “mega data centers” thanks to their power efficiency, but it’ll let its x86-based hardware do the heavier lifting such as video encoding and rendering. Other details on the CPUs are scarce, but we suspect that’ll change as 2014 approaches.

Continue reading AMD promises 64-bit ARM-based Opteron server CPUs coming in 2014

Filed under: Desktops, AMD

AMD promises 64-bit ARM-based Opteron server CPUs coming in 2014 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 19:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Huge news out of Apple today, as its senior vice president of iOS software, Scott Forstall, will leave the company next year after putting in some 15 years. Furthermore, John Browett — head of Apple retail — is also on his way out. The memo was delivered late today, on a day that is littered with other news that the company may hope will bury the bulk of it — and, on a day where trading on the New York Stock Exchange is halted due to Hurricane Sandy. It’s practically a given that Forstall is taking the brunt of the impact from its decision to forge ahead with an obviously subpar Maps application, all while trumpeting it as one of the pillars of iOS 6 during his keynote speech at WWDC 2012. The introduction of Siri as a beta product is also on Forstall, and we all know what happens to executives who flub something related to iPhone….

As the shakeup unfolds, Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi will add more responsibilities to their roles. In other words, Tim Cook isn’t about to usher in new help who may thwart the company’s efforts to continue at its breakneck pace. Curiously, Mansfield will be heaping more on his own plate just months after he had originally planned to retire. As for Ive? He’ll be responsible for providing “leadership and direction for Human Interface (HI) across the company in addition to his role as the leader of Industrial Design.” Eddy Cue will be gifted burdened with Siri and Maps, while also keeping an eye on the iTunes Store, the App Store, the iBookstore and iCloud. Needless to say, he probably won’t be seeing too many walls outside of Cupertino for the foreseeable future. Federighi is being tasked to lead both iOS and OS X, while Mansfield chairs a new Technologies group that bundles Apple’s wireless teams across the company. (Of note, Dan Riccio — who was scheduled to take over for Mansfield prior to his retirement retraction — isn’t among those who are gaining duties.)

Just months after Browett was brought in from Dixons in order to lead up Apple’s retail efforts, he’s on the outs as well. Of course, he’s also responsible for the branch having to tell stores that it “messed up” when he fiddled with staffing levels back in August. A search for a new head of Retail is underway and in the interim, the Retail team will report directly to CEO Tim Cook.

Update: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Forstall was asked to resign after refusing to sign his own name to Apple’s Maps apology, leaving Tim Cook to sign his name instead. Yikes.

Continue reading Apple executive shakeup: Scott Forstall and John Browett are leaving the company

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Apple

Apple executive shakeup: Scott Forstall and John Browett are leaving the company originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 17:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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