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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

Touching photos with HP

Whenever people complain to manufacturers about skimping on screen size, the stock answer is usually, "Well, we wanted to make the camera small and light, but we needed to leave room for the buttons."

That's not an excuse that needs to be used with the HP R937.

HP has made room for a bigger screen on the back by eliminating most of the buttons. The R937's large 3.6-inch display, as on some of the Sony Cyber-shot compact cameras, doubles as a touch screen from which you can navigate menus and manipulate photos after they have … Read more

What's behind the security acquisition spree?

It must be buying season in the security industry, because there seems to be a new acquisition announced each day. Two recent purchases grabbed my attention. Last week, IBM bought application firewall vendor Watchfire, adding the company to its Rational Software division. Not to be outdone, Hewlett-Packard on Tuesday grabbed application vulnerability tools vendor SPI Dynamics, adding value to another recent addition, Mercury. Why all the activity in the application security space?

1. Web applications are the binary equivalent of Swiss cheese. Many are written rapidly by developers who are paid to add new business logic and meet deadlines. Security … Read more

HP acquires SPI Dynamics

HP today announced its acquisition of SPI Dynamics. The company specializes in Web application security; and SPI Dynamics' technology is already integrated with HP Quality Center software.

According to HP, the acquisition adds quality management services to its software portfolio and builds on its Business Technology Optimization (BTO) strategy.

Privately held SPI Dynamics is headquartered in Atlanta, has 140 employees, and serves more than 1,000 customers in the federal government, financial services, and health care industries. Expected to close in the third quarter of 2007, the acquisition is subject to certain closing conditions. Upon completion, SPI Dynamics will become … Read more

HP's hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD drive shows promise in an early look

HP sent us a prototype system to play with, decked out with LG's new hybrid Blu-ray/HD DVD drive. We still don't know what it will cost to add the drive to an HP system (although the standalone drive will cost $1,199, according to PC World), but we can talk about how it works.

First, let's be clear that this is a prototype system. We first reported that HP would offer this drive on May 9 on its online configurator, but right now, none of its desktops has the option available.

The drive itself, LG's … Read more

Dell selling laptop as world's greenest

It may not come in a sustainably-harvested bamboo case, but if you're shopping for an eco-friendly computer, the Dell Latitude D630 is in a league of its own. This model is the first laptop on the market worldwide to win the highest, gold rating from EPEAT, which measures energy-efficiency and green design elements in electronics.

EPEAT ratings, run by the nonprofit Green Electronics Council, take into consideration low-toxic materials as well as the energy conservation and ease of recycling of computers, printers and monitors. The acronym stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool. When that program launched last year, … Read more

HP looks to the future of shopping

PALO ALTO, Calif.--Despite the digitization of nearly everything else in our daily lives, the Sunday circular ad for beef and bags of baby carrots has remained. Hewlett-Packard is developing a technology to bring even the banal task of grocery shopping into the Digital Age.

At HP Labs here, researchers are developing an in-store kiosk solution called Retail Shopping Assistant (RSA) that will make shopping for food, clothes and electronics easier for buyers and make selling things easier for retailers.

The idea is this: imagine walking into a grocery store, and instead of bringing your shopping list along, simply swiping … Read more