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ASUS has formally launched its Windows XP Home Edition pre-installed Eee PC in Japan. The Linux-less Eee PC is named 4G-X and has quite the same specs as the original Eee PC 701 (4G). The standard 4GB SSD, 512MB of DDR 2 memory, 800×480 display, three USB 2.0 ports, SDHC memory card reader, 10/100Mb/s Ethernet, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and a 0.3-megapixel webcam are all presented. ASUS is also bundling the 4G-X model with a 4GB SDHC card, doubling the total storage to 8GB. Japanese buyers get a choice of white or black colours. Buyers also get an optical mouse and free access to NTT’s WiFine hotspot network. The 4G-X will cost ¥50,000 ($468/£239/€320).

Microsoft Corp.’s Macintosh Business Unit today announced the official availability of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac at the Macworld Conference & Expo 2008. Office 2008 for Mac is significantly enhanced to provide a simplified user experience that helps beginners and longtime experts alike deliver professional documents that are compatible for co-workers and friends on Macs and PCs. The suite provides the Office tools Mac users rely on, with a Mac-like approach and style. In addition to Office 2008, the Mac BU Web site, Mactopia (http://www.microsoft.com/mac), features a dramatic transformation to provide an even more resourceful hub for all things Mac BU.

All ASUS Eee PC owners can now take advantage of the new eeeXubuntu custom version of the Xubuntu 7.10 Live CD written specially for Eee PC. This distribution comes with fully-integrated ASUS Eeee PC hardware support, including native wireless drivers, functioning Ethernet support, tweaks for low-resolution desktop environments, and other miscellaneous fixes. You can download the eeeXubuntu 7.10r2 distribution from here.

Source: EeeUser

The lackluster launch of Barcelona earlier this year left us with ambivalent feeling before the launch of Phenom. Up before the launch, numerous rumors of various problems were circulating, and when the launch finally happened and we only had two models to play with, we couldn’t help feeling a bit let down. The performance was good and lived up to what AMD had promised, more or less, but since the frequencies were so low and IPC was more or less the same as Core 2, it was still being outperformed by Intel’s processors. With the recent unveiling of the TLB bug, the crippling BIOS fix and the seized shipments of quad-core processors, the plans for the future has had to be revised. The earlier announced tri-core series is set for arrival in February 2008, and should be available in decent numbers the following month. Two models are currently planned for launch, Phenom 8700 and Phenom 8600 running at 2.4 and 2.3 Ghz respectively. These are disabled quad-core with 512KB L2 cache per core and a shared 2MB L3 cache, not suffering from the TLB errata (B3 stepping).

The new B3 stepping Phenoms are expected to arrive in large numbers in March as well. With the “new” Phenom 9700 model, there will also be a respin of the Phenom 9600 and 9500 models, called 9650 and 9550. Frequencies will remains the same, just less errata. There will also be a Phenom 9900 model in Q2, which together with the 9700 model will use the full HyperTransport 3.0 bandwidth of 4 GHz. Later in 2008, AMD will announce more Phenoms.

Phenom 9600 Black Edition is expected before the end of the year. It runs at the same 2.3 GHz as the regular Phenom 9600, but comes with an unlocked multiplier. The Phenom FX processors have been put on hold, but are not canceled per se, we just won’t see them until AMD get their regular stuff working right.

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Windows Vista hasn’t changed the world after all, and compatibility issues have been a major concern. But it’s often quite simple to get around the conflicts.

1. Vista’s graphics engine is one element guilty of causing compatibility conflicts. Sometimes it will stop programs from installing but, usually, you won’t find out there’s a problem until after the installation is complete. If you’re prompted to check for updates online, this will often rectify the problem.

2. The Aero interface can also cause problems, preventing some older programs from displaying correctly. However, if you can install the application and launch it then Vista will deal with the problem automatically, switching to the Vista Basic (non-Aero) interface while the program runs.

3. If the problems are more complex, Vista’s Program Compatibility wizard will usually provide a fix — with the exception of low-level utilities, such as antivirus software. Open the Control Panel and select the Programs icon to access Compatibility mode. This deals with all aspects of running software on your PC.

4. When you click the Programs icon, you should see a link that reads ‘Use an older program with this version of Windows’. This starts the Program Compatibility Wizard, which will guide you through various features that may prevent your software loading. This doesn’t work with all apps, but it’ll fix the vast majority.

5. Browse to the problem application or choose it from a list of the programs on your hard drive. Alternatively, select CD-ROM for software that has not yet been installed. Click Next and select the operating system you wish to emulate for this application. You can choose anything from Windows 95 to XP.

6. The final stage of the wizard offers a series of troubleshooting options to help get a program working. Options include not using themes, running in basic screen mode and, tackling the most likely culprit, the option to disable desktop composition. A program may also require administrator privileges to run correctly.

Samsung Electronics and Toshiba announced today that they have signed a cross-license deal to produce, market and sell memory with the specifications and trademarks of Samsung’s OneNAND and Toshiba’s LBA-NAND memory chips. The arrangement is expected to result in increased availability of premium-performance OneNAND and LBA-NAND flash devices worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement, Samsung will license product specifications of its integrated OneNAND and Flex-OneNAND “fusion” memory chips to Toshiba, while Toshiba will license product specifications of its single-package LBA-NAND and mobileLBA-NAND flash chips to Samsung. Both companies will develop and market products that are compatible with the respective original-source technology. Samsung and Toshiba each plan to release products next year based on the respectively licensed product specifications, according to the companies.

Samsung Electronics has announced that it has developed the world’s fastest memory, a GDDR5 (series five, graphics double-data-rate memory) chip that can transfer data at six gigabits per second (Gbps). Samsung’s GDDR5, which will be introduced at a density of 512 Mb (16Mb x 32) chips, is capable of transmitting moving images and associated data at 24 gigabytes per second (GBps). The new Samsung graphics memory operates at 1.5 volts, representing an approximate 20% improvement in power consumption over today’s most popular graphics chip, the GDDR3. Samples of Samsung’s new GDDR5 chip have been delivered to major graphic processor companies last month and mass production is expected in the first half of 2008. Samsung expects that GDDR5 memory chips will become standard in the top performing segment of the market by capturing more than 50% of the high-end PC graphics market by 2010.

Microsoft on Friday launched Service Pack 1 for Windows Exchange Server 2007. Features include additions to the Exchange management console, Outlook web access and disaster recovery.

Disaster recovery features already in Windows Exchange Server 2007 include Local Continuous Replication and Cluster Continuous Replication. SP1 introduces Standby Continuous Replication, which allows replication between geographically dispersed areas. Data created in one place can be copied to other areas so that, in the event of failure or disaster, data from the other areas can be recovered automatically.

However, replication will not happen automatically. “Restore after failure will be a manual process,” said Microsoft’s Mark Deakin, product manager for unified communications. “It has to be manual because it is two separate pieces of data.”

Another new feature in the Exchange Server 2007 SP1 is a closer tie with Office Communications Server, with the ability to move voice mail between the two and control a greater variety of mobile devices. “There are lots more mobile devices you can connect as well,” said Deakin.

Forefront Security for Exchange Server is now included, as is support for multiple scanning engines from more security firms. These can be implemented in a single module, Microsoft said.

Microsoft claims it has more than 3,000 companies as customers, representing more than a million seats now working with Exchange Server 2007. More than 270,000 people tested out the beta of SP1, the company said.

It looks like a Dynamism product listing has revealed about when the 8GB Asus Eee PC will be hitting store shelves and for just how much damage to your bank account. Listed for $499 as expected, the tiny laptop featuring 8GB of flash storage and 1GB of RAM will be shipping in mid to late December. So yes, it’s still in Christmas gift territory for those interested. It’s also confirmed here that, as Asus debunked already, the 8GB model will not feature a larger screen than its predecessors. So is the 8GB model still enticing? If you don’t want to void your warranty by adding extra RAM, then yes. But with its abundance of USB ports, the possibilities of extra storage aren’t quite as tempting as some extra horsepower under the hood. Is it worth saving $100 on the 4GB model?