Acer

Rumor
July 27, 2011
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Mass production of Intel ultrabooks slated for September

By on July 27, 2011 at 3:00 AM.

Mass production of Intel ultrabooks slated for September

Acer, ASUS, Dell, Lenovo and HP will begin to mass produce Intel-powered ultrabooks in September, on schedule for a second-half launch, DigiTimes reported on Tuesday. ASUS’ UX21 ultrabook will be the first such device to market, despite reports to the contrary that HP would release its device before ASUS. Instead, HP’s ultrabook may not launch until the fourth quarter or early next year, a far cry from the original rumored August launch date. Models from Acer and Dell could be late to the market, too, due to slower than expected panel production. Intel introduced its ultrabook roadmap in May and hopes the devices, which will be powered by the company’s latest Core processors and 22nm Ivy Bridge processor, will dominate 40% of the consumer market by the end of 2012. More →

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mobile
July 26, 2011
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Windows Phone ‘Mango’ released to vendors

By on July 26, 2011 at 5:30 PM.

Windows Phone ‘Mango’ released to vendors

Microsoft confirmed on its Windows Team Blog on Monday that it has released the RTM build of Windows Phone “Mango” to manufacturing partners. “This marks the point in the development process where we hand code to our handset and mobile operator partners to optimize Mango for their specific phone and network configurations,” explained Microsoft’s Windows Phone corporate vice president Terry Myerson. Microsoft has said Mango will deliver more than 500 new features to the Windows Phone platform, including Internet Explorer 9 and deeper social network integration, and we expect to see the release hit current devices in August. In addition, new phones from Microsoft’s partners, which include Nokia, HTC, LG, Samsung, Dell, Acer, Fujitsu and ZTE, are expected to be unveiled as early as September. More →

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General
July 25, 2011
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Samsung taps ex-Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci to boost notebook biz

By on July 25, 2011 at 7:40 PM.

Samsung taps ex-Acer CEO Gianfranco Lanci to boost notebook biz

Acer’s former chief executive Gianfranco Lanci may join Samsung to assist with building the Korean firm’s notebook business, DigiTimes reported on Monday. Gianfranco Lanci resigned from Acer in March of this year after the company hit a rough patch. Rumor has it Lanci’s attractive management expertise in European sales channels attracted both Dell and Samsung as suitors. DigiTimes said Lanci signed a one-year non-compete agreement with Acer when he left his executive role, however Samsung will reportedly work to negotiate that agreement if Lanci joins the company. Neither Acer nor Samsung have confirmed Lanci’s potential move. More →

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mobile
July 22, 2011
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Final Windows Phone Mango build released to manufacturers and carriers [updated]

By on July 22, 2011 at 10:35 PM.

Final Windows Phone Mango build released to manufacturers and carriers [updated]

Microsoft’s final build of Windows Phone Mango has been rubber stamped and released to manufacturers and wireless carriers according to Windows Phone Dev Podcast. The move is among the final steps before Microsoft delivers the Mango release to customers. The most recent reports have suggested that Microsoft will update current Windows Phone devices in September, although winrumors says the update could be pushed out as soon as August. Microsoft’s Windows Phone partners include HTC, LG, Samsung, Dell, Acer, Fujitsu, ZTE Corporation and Nokia, and we should see a number of new devices from those companies in the fall time frame. Mango was officially announced in May and Microsoft has promised that it will deliver more than 500 new features to the platform.

UPDATE: Microsoft’s Senior Director of Communications Bill Cox has stated that Windows Phone 7.5 Mango has not yet reached RTM, as Windows Phone Dev Podcast reported. More →

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Computers
July 14, 2011
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Global PC market shows growth in Q2; Lenovo wins globally, Apple wins in U.S.

By on July 14, 2011 at 7:55 PM.

Global PC market shows growth in Q2; Lenovo wins globally, Apple wins in U.S.

Market research firms Gartner and IDC have both released preliminary data for global PC sales in the second quarter of 2011, and the reports paint a much improved picture compared to the first quarter of the year. Lenovo was the biggest winner globally in terms of growth according to Gartner, having shipped 10.23 million PCs for a 12% share of the market. The China-based vendor’s PC market share grew a whopping 22.5% compared to the same quarter a year prior, and Lenovo now finds itself in the No. 3 spot globally. HP was still the top vendor with shipments totaling 14.89 million units, and Dell remained in the No. 2 spot with 10.62 million units shipped. Acer and ASUS rounded out the top-5 with 9.30 million units and 4.47 million units, respectively. Though Apple’s operating system share continued to climb last month, the firm still doesn’t sell enough units to bump it from the “Others” category on Gartner’s global table. In the U.S., however, Apple showed the biggest market share gains last quarter with 8.5% growth over the same quarter last year. While IDC’s numbers vary compared to Gartner’s, the end results are the same. IDC has Lenovo’s global growth pegged at 22.9% over the second quarter last year, and it shows that Apple grew even faster than Gartner estimates with 14.7% growth in the U.S. compared to the same quarter a year prior. The two firms agree that Acer was the biggest loser globally. Acer’s share of the worldwide PC market was down 20.4% from the second quarter of 2010 according to Gartner, and down a less alarming 10.1% according to IDC. Taiwan-based Acer was the biggest loser in the U.S. as well, as its share was down 22.6% year-over-year according to Gartner and 25.4% according to IDC. Full press releases from both firms follow below. More →

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Breaking
July 13, 2011
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Microsoft slips, possibly confirms Windows Phone ‘Mango’ release by September

By on July 13, 2011 at 6:00 PM.

Microsoft slips, possibly confirms Windows Phone ‘Mango’ release by September

Did a Microsoft employee just inadvertently let the cat out of the bag? Posting to the company’s official Microsoft Imagine Cup Twitter account, a Microsoft rep confirmed that all Imagine Cup challenge finalists will receive Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” handsets early this fall. Of course it wouldn’t be the first time Microsoft slipped this week. The post reads: “ImagineCup finalists ALL receive Windows Phone 7.5 Mango Release!! Each student will get the phone by September!” We doubt the tech giant plans to dole out pre-release devices, so it could be safe to assume the first batch of Mango phones will launch in late August or early September. Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment. More →

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mobile
July 12, 2011
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Unreleased Windows Phones from Samsung, Acer, more shown off by Microsoft [updated]

By on July 12, 2011 at 4:16 PM.

Unreleased Windows Phones from Samsung, Acer, more shown off by Microsoft [updated]

Microsoft showed off a number of new Windows Phone “Mango” devices during a Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference presentation on Tuesday. The unnamed devices were on stage during a Microsoft presentation, and were handled very briefly so the audience could get a quick look at them. Acer’s first Windows Phone was the first device to be displayed, followed by a pink waterproof offering from Fujitsu. ZTE also had a device on stage, but all eyes were locked on a Galaxy S II-like device from Samsung running Windows Phone Mango. Unfortunately, no additional details were shared surrounding any of the aforementioned smartphones. A video of the forthcoming Mango phones follows below.

UPDATE: Images and video removed at Microsoft’s request.

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mobile
June 28, 2011
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Google now activates 500,000 Android devices each day

By on June 28, 2011 at 9:00 AM.

Google now activates 500,000 Android devices each day

Google announced at its annual Google I/O conference last month that as of the beginning of May, the tech giant was activating 400,000 Android new devices each day. That amazing pace seemed almost impossible to keep up, but fast forward to Tuesday and Google’s Android boss shared a new stat. “There are now over 500,000 Android devices activated every day, and it’s growing at 4.4% w/w,” Andy Rubin posted from his Twitter account. Compared to the rest of the market, Android’s explosive global growth slowed recently. In the U.S., Android even lost share last quarter for the first time since 2009 according to IDC. Activations certainly aren’t slowing down though, and we expect Android to be the dominant mobile OS in terms of market share for years to come. More →

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Business
June 24, 2011
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Acer cuts 2011 tablet sales forecast in half to 2.5M units, blames poor sell-through, competition

By on June 24, 2011 at 3:50 PM.

Acer cuts 2011 tablet sales forecast in half to 2.5M units, blames poor sell-through, competition

Acer on Friday drastically lowered its 2011 shipment forecast for tablet PCs, Taiwan Economic News reported. The company now anticipates shipping approximately 2.5 million consumer tablets in 2011, down 50% or more from earlier projections of between 5 and 7 million units. Acer chairman J. T. Wang said at a shareholder meeting that Acer would likely meet its second-quarter shipment goals, which are down 10% sequentially, and that third-quarter shipments could be marginally better. Wang said performance will likely not improve until the company’s planned restructuring is completed in the fourth quarter, however. Company president Jim Wong said the company lowered its tablet shipment forecast due mainly to excessive inventory that has built up at distributor locations. Wong believes end user sales have been lower than expected because of strong competition from competing tablet models. More →

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mobile
May 31, 2011
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NVIDIA CEO says tablet sales will surpass notebook PC sales in five years

By on May 31, 2011 at 6:11 PM.

NVIDIA CEO says tablet sales will surpass notebook PC sales in five years

During the Computex tradeshow in Tapei, NVIDIA’s CEO Huang Jen-hsun said that sales of tablet PCs will surpass notebook sales in five years, Taiwan Economic News reported on Tuesday. It’s certainly no secret that NVIDIA hopes to profit off of that market shift — the firm already has its dual-core Tegra 2 chip in a number of tablets and phones from Motorola, LG, Samsung, Acer, and ASUS — and NVIDIA’s chief said that 14 of the top 20 global wireless carriers currently sell devices powered by its Tegra mobile processor. NVIDIA has already started showing off the power of its next-generation Kal-El quad-core mobile processor, too, but Hung says the company won’t stop there. It’s charging forward and will roll out a total of three new GPU models featuring a 28nm process technology between 2012 and 2014. The next chips are codenamed Wayne, Logan, and Shark. More →

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mobile
May 24, 2011
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Nokia’s first Windows Phone devices will run Mango

By on May 24, 2011 at 10:44 PM.

Nokia’s first Windows Phone devices will run Mango

During Microsoft’s Windows Phone Mango press conference in New York today, the company confirmed that Nokia’s first Windows Phone devices will run the newest Mango operating system when they’re released. That suggests that the phones could land as soon as this fall, when Mango makes its debut. Microsoft also confirmed that it already has Nokia prototype devices running in its labs today. Other new partners include Fujitsu, Acer, and ZTE, and Microsoft said that we can expect new Windows Phones from Samsung, HTC, and LG as well.

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mobile
May 23, 2011
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Microsoft may reveal nine new Windows Phones tomorrow

By on May 23, 2011 at 5:45 PM.

Microsoft may reveal nine new Windows Phones tomorrow

Microsoft will reveal nine new Windows Phone handsets during its Windows Phone “Mango” press conference on Tuesday morning, according to WMPoweruser. Samsung is expected to have the lion’s share of devices with four new models, HTC and Acer are both expected to launch two, and Dell will supposedly reveal one. Reportedly, Samsung’s Windows Phones will bear some resemblance to its Galaxy S II device, and we’re hoping the phones are equipped with Samsung’s stunning Super AMOLED Plus displays, too. The new devices will hit the market in time for the holiday season according to the report, but no launch details are expected during the announcements. We’ll be reporting live from the press conference tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m., so stay tuned for more. More →

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Computers
May 11, 2011
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Samsung and Acer to intro Google ‘Chromebooks’ on June 15th

By on May 11, 2011 at 2:45 PM.

Samsung and Acer to intro Google ‘Chromebooks’ on June 15th

During the Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco today, Google discussed the future of its “Chrome OS” platform, as well as some future products that will soon hit the market. Google has improved the performance of Adobe Flash playback within the browser, and the OS will now recognize I/O devices — such as cameras — when they’re plugged into the computer. Other new features include Google Music integration, a new photo manager that allows you to send directly to Picasa, and an option to upload files directly to Box.net. Google’s bread and butter, Gmail, Calendar, and Docs are all now accessible while offline. Hackers will also appreciate a new built-in jailbreaking feature. Samsung and Acer will both introduce “Chromebooks” on June 15th for $429 and $399, respectively. Samsung will also sell a 3G version of its Chromebook for $499. Those prices sound a bit high to us considering that you can get a full-fledged Windows 7 netbook for that price, but we’ll see if the market agrees.

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