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IBM recalls 553,000 laptops power units
IBM said last week it will recall about 553,000 AC power adaptors worldwide for several models of its laptop computers because of potential fire and electrical shock hazards.
The 56-watt adapters can overheat, cause damage to the circuit board and melt through the case, the company and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
The agency said it received six reports of incidents and some property damage but no injuries. About 225,000 of the adapters are being recalled in the US.
The power adapters were shipped mostly with IBM ThinkPad i Series, ThinkPad 390 and 240 Series and a limited number of ThinkPad s Series laptop computers and have the part number 02K6549, the agency said.
Life imprisonment for porn
China has intensified its battle against internet and mobile phone pornography by threatening distributors with life in prison, Xinhua news agency said.
“Depending on the seriousness of the cases, the sentences range from living under compulsory surveillance, detainment, taking into custody by the police, to various terms of imprisonment and life imprisonment,” Xinhua said.
Beijing has stepped up its battle against smut in recent weeks, saying it is worried that the easy access to such material on the internet and elsewhere will have a bad effect on youth and society. Under the latest crackdown, which started in July, authorities have shut down hundreds of web sites and arrested more than 300 people.
New iMac G5
Crafted by the same team of designers as the iPod, the new iMac G5 has a simpler design and a smaller footprint. Available in three different base configurations, Apple’s new all-in-one PCs start with a 1.6GHz PowerPC G5 processor and a 17-inch LCD, and scales upward to a 20-inch display and a 1.8GHz processor.
The big half-dome base is no more there. The parts are hidden right behind the wide-screen LCD. The two higher-end models feature a DVD-R drive; and the base model has a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, although both drives feature the ever-cool slot-loading mechanism rather than the typical disk tray.
Optional upgrades to an AirPort Extreme wireless networking card and a Bluetooth module can turn the iMac G5 into a nearly cable-free desktop. An optional mount lets you hang the iMac G5 on a wall.
Tiny drives with big brains
Miniature megabytes from RedCannon, M-Systems and Iomega are fast replacing floppy disks as the portable media of choice for small amounts of PC data. USB flash drives are pursuing more widespread adoption, sporting faster data transfer speeds, advanced features for desktop mobility and security, and lower prices.
However, that very popularity and versatility make them security risks for businesses, according to a recent report from Gartner Research, which recommends that companies consider forbidding the use of uncontrolled, privately owned devices on their equipment.
The US Department of Energy already has banned USB flash drives and other portable storage, such as Apple IPods, from the workplace, saying copying and stealing sensitive data with them is just too easy.
‘Blade’ servers
IBM said it is making the design of its “blade” computer servers widely available, in a move designed to gain wider acceptability in data centres and the telecommunications industry.
IBM blade servers are designed in partnership with Intel. IBM and Intel will not charge any royalty fees and no patent licensing will be required.
“We both agreed that we would drive significantly more innovation, a larger number of partners in the ecosystem if we open things up,” Jeff Benck, vice president of blade servers at IBM, told Reuters in an interview.
Blade servers compete with the widely-sold rack servers, which are built with pizza-box sized components. The blade servers are seen as space-saving and easier to use than bulkier systems. — Sci-tech World Report
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