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On shovelware: A rant

HP is far from the only shovelware offender, but it's certainly among the worst. Buy a PC from any large manufacturer, and you'll likely find the desktop littered with icons for free software trials. Software companies pay hardware manufacturers to get their apps (or links to their apps) preloaded on systems so that their products sit in front of a captive audience as it powers up a new PC for the first time. This arrangement helps the software companies acquire more paying customers, and it helps the hardware manufacturers' bottom line, particularly with low-end systems where margins are … Read more

Windows Home Server: The ideal home backup solution?

I recently had the opportunity to meet with two Microsoft officials to discuss Windows Home Server. According to Microsoft officials, this new solution could solve all of your backup problems and help you immediately restore your entire system to an earlier day if your hard drive dies suddenly. Could this be the saving grace we have all been waiting for? Read on and decide for yourself.

Although the product is still in development, the Windows Home Server (WHS) is very much a new category of home products. Accommodating almost 15 million households in the U.S. alone, WHS is designed … Read more

The new enemies of patent reform? You

BusinessWeek has an interesting, frightening article on patent reform. Frightening because it's the BigCos who are advocating reform and, apparently, it's the VCs and entrepreneurs who are fighting it:

Since the mid-1990s, America's largest computer and software companies have been trying to rewrite U.S. patent law. The goal was to stem the tide of patent litigation, much of it generated by inventors and small companies trying to protect their intellectual property. But each time Big Tech tried to sell Congress on reform, it ran into an even mightier constituency: Big Pharma. Drugmakers had no problem with the current system, and they had the ear of Republican leaders.… Read more

Internet advertising: Going up, up, up

More advertising dollars are flowing to the Internet, in a trend that started years ago. Advertising Age has come out with its annual look at the United States top-100 advertising spenders. There are few surprises, but it's confirmation of what you've probably been seeing and expecting. Internet ads now account for 5.5 percent of total spending by the top 100 advertisers in the U.S. That adds up to nearly $10 billion, and the Internet's about even with radio and ahead of outdoor.

What are the biggest losers? TV's share of ad spending has been … Read more

Massive desktop update from HP

Usually we know about this stuff before it happens (and we're then sworn to secrecy), but we're officially surprised at today's news that HP has revamped its online desktop lineup. We have a few of these desktops en route for the full review treatment, but until then, you can check out the full lineup here.

No real earth-shattering news, as it's mostly just a refresh. The biggest highlight is that HP has officially added that hybrid Blu-ray/HD-DVD drive to its m8010y and m8100e Media Center PCs.

HP offers fun for the frugal photographer

Hewlett-Packard, it seems, is determined to help everyone make photos fixes right in their cameras so there's no trace of the imperfect world transferred to the computer.

On Thursday, the company announced the release of nine cameras (click here to see a full photo gallery) that at first glance are pretty run-of-the-mill. But many of them incorporate the in-camera editing features that were introduced in more expensive models.

Last year, Hewlett-Packard began including software that makes people in your pictures appear slimmer or even tanner. This summer's lineup for the R-series and M-series models, which range in price … Read more

HP unveils three new Photosmart printers

HP announced three new printers today: two high-end single-function units, and a midrange all-in-one. All are part of HP's Photosmart lineup. The Photosmart D7260 and the D7460 are both single-function printers that offer a 3.5-inch touch screen LCD; 34ppm black and 33ppm color printing (in draft mode); six-color photo printing; built-in memory card readers; a front-mounted, PictBridge-enabled USB port; and built-in Ethernet for easy networking. Additionally, the D7460 includes built-in wireless networking, so your printer's not confined to your already-crammed networking closet. The D7260 costs $150, while the D7460 costs $180; both will be available in August. … Read more