Cisco

Cisco to unveil affordable home telepresence gear

Cisco, the networking giant, is making yet another big step into the consumer space, with the introduction next week of an inexpensive home telepresence product for personal use.

Consumer or Home TelePresence, sources said, might be launched with Comcast and Verizon. It is not clear if AT&T is involved.

The cost for a small unit could be as low as $200, but that price would be heavily subsidized. Another source said a $500 price point was also possible with fewer hooks.

The big selling point: The high-definition quality is supposed to be very good. Cisco will use this selling point to contrast it to what will be its big competitor: Internet telephony and video-calling giant Skype.

With it, presumably, people can interact in front of a television set with distant relatives and friends. … Read more

How Hitachi's Hu Yoshida got the last word

If you're an Hitachi Data Systems storage customer, you by now know that HDS announced its latest virtualized storage platform codemnamed Victoria, also known as the Virtualized Storage Platform or VSP. And if you were an HDS customer at the announcement event held Monday at the Santa Clara, Calif., Hyatt, then you would also have seen Hitachi's VP and CTO Hu Yoshida bring closure to a debate that once raged over where a storage virtualization engine should live.

As storage-networking technology was maturing in the early 2000s, storage and networking vendors started testing the market for customer receptiveness … Read more

Fake LinkedIn e-mails lead to Zeus Trojan

Criminals are using bogus LinkedIn invite e-mails to trick people into clicking on links that lead to the Zeus data-stealing Trojan, a researcher warned today. The malware targets Windows users.

Researchers saw tens of billions of messages related to the attack yesterday, Henry Stern, a senior security researcher at Cisco Systems, told CNET. "There have been some bursts today, but nothing like yesterday," he said. "The botnet responsible for this is still in operation and it's just doing something else right now."

While this attack appears to be abating, people should be wary of any … Read more

Flip refreshes UltraHD and MinoHD video cams

After the disappointing SlideHD came out in April, we were hoping Cisco Systems' Flip Video would refresh our favorite model, the UltraHD. It did, creating two different versions of it. And while Flip was busy refreshing those, it updated its MinoHD model as well.

First, the UltraHDs. There are now one- and two-hour versions with 4GB and 8GB of storage, respectively. These are separated by more than the storage capacity, though. The one-hour shoots video at a resolution of 720p at 30 frames per second, while the two-hour captures 720p at 60fps, which gets you much smoother results. The two-hour also gets you electronic image stabilization, a rechargeable battery pack, and a slimmer body. Read the full review of the 2010 Flip UltraHD 2 Hour.

With the MinoHD, the advantages are size and style. The newest MinoHDs look like the old ones, but they, too, shoot 720p video at 60fps with always-on electronic image stabilization. Other than recording capacity, the only difference between the two MinoHDs is color: the one hour comes in silver, and the two-hour comes in black. Both can be personalized as well.

For those holding out for a Flip with a mic jack or removable memory, this isn't the year. Instead, Flip developed a proprietary port called a FlipPort. The port will allow you to outfit your Flip with Designed for Flip products such as a wireless microphone, battery extender, or external storage. There's also a mobile pico projector in the works. Of these new models, the UltraHD 2 Hour is the only one with the FlipPort. And since it also has 720p/60fps video with image stabilization, 8GB of storage, has a removable rechargeable battery and takes AAAs, and sells for $199.99, it's the best of the four.

If style matters to you, all of the new models can be personalized through Flip's Web site with "thousands of designs from artists, celebrities, and iconic brands" or you can upload your own image.

Here's how all of the models stack up with pricing:

UltraHD 1 Hour

4GB (1 hour of video) 1,280x720 (30fps) Video format: H.264 (.MP4) 2-inch LCD (320x240 resolution) 2x digital zoom AA-size batteries Mini-HDMI out 2.2x4.3x1.2 (WHD); 5.7 ounces White, magenta, blue, or personalized $149.99… Read more

Amazon.com has the Cisco Linksys E3000 Wireless N Router for $146.82, after $33.17 savings.

Save $33.17 on the Cisco Linksys E3000 Wireless N Router from Amazon.com >> Regular price is $179.99 >> Sale price is $146.82 >> Savings $33.17 (18.43%) >> Click here for deal

Cisco doubles chief executive's pay

Cisco Systems Chief Executive John Chambers saw his compensation go from $9.2 million to $18.9 million in fiscal 2010, as the company showed signs of recovery from a recession-related slump.

The increase was the result of a rise in Chambers' stock and option awards and his cash bonus, the Wall Street Journal said Saturday, citing Cisco's initial proxy statement.

The stock and options were valued at $13.9 million, up from $6.7 million in fiscal 2009, and Chambers' salary rose 1.9 percent from last year, to $382,212. The CEO also bagged a $4.6 … Read more

Cisco buys Arch Rock in smart-grid push

Cisco Systems on Thursday said it intends to acquire wireless sensor maker Arch Rock, a move that beefs up Cisco's smart-grid and data center businesses.

San Francisco-based Arch Rock makes a system for collecting information from mesh networks of IP-based wireless sensors, routers, and servers. Its sensors are placed in data centers and buildings to monitor heat and other environmental conditions to optimize cooling and improve the overall energy efficiency.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Privately held Arch Rock is also developing wireless communications for utilities called Phy-Net Grid. The system is designed to use Arch … Read more

Cisco, Itron team on smart-grid networking

Networking giant Cisco Systems announced Tuesday a deal with meter maker Itron to advance Internet Protocol-based communications for the power grid.

The two companies will create a reference design for using the IPv6 networking protocol to connect everything from people's homes to power distribution equipment on the grid. That reference design will form the basis for gear installed in smart meters, sensors, and computing systems inside utilities, Cisco executives said.

As part of the deal, Itron will license and embed Cisco's IP technology in its meters and distribute Cisco hardware as part Itron's smart-grid deployments.

Right now, … Read more

Why Skype is perfect for Cisco

If I were a technology acquisition matchmaker, I'd definitely set tech giant Cisco Systems up with Skype.

The companies complement each other so well, it seems as though they'd be a match made in heaven. In fact, I'd argue they are much more compatible than Skype and eBay ever were. eBay acquired Skype in 2006 for $2.6 billion.

Apparently, I am not the only one who thinks that Cisco and Skype should get hitched. Cisco has reportedly already made a bid for the company, according to TechCrunch. The two companies are keeping mum on the rumors. … Read more