Four HP directors step down in wake of Hurd fiasco

SAN FRANCISCO: The Hewlett-Packard Co is overhauling its board of directors as the world's biggest technology company by revenue takes heat for the ouster of former CEO Mark Hurd six months ago.

The shakeup is the first sweeping change under HP's new leadership, which was put in place after Hurd's abrupt resignation this summer tanked HP's shares and triggered lawsuits over the size of his severance payout.

The departure of four directors also marks the first major alteration to the makeup of a board that has been at the centre of several scandals in recent years, including an episode in which HP paid investigators to spy on journalists and board members to ferret out the source of boardroom leaks to the press.

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HP Officejet 4500 G510 : Reviewed

The HP Officejet 4500 G510 is a relatively compact AIO printer that gets the job done.

The HP Officejet 4500 G510h is an all-in-one printer that comes with all the standard features - print, copy, scan and fax.

It has a relatively boxy design with a mix of glossy and matte finish. The glossy finish, although nice, will attract fingerprints and is easily scratched.

The compact printer weighs 6kg and doesn't take up a lot space so it is ideal for home and small offices.

Setting up the printer was straight forward and quick. We just needed to install the software driver, fit the ink cartridge, and hook up the printer to a computer via a USB cable.

The 4500 has a fairly simple control panel that doesn't cram too many buttons in a small space. There is a number pad for faxing and a dual-direction navigation pad for making selections.

SIMPLE INTERFACE:G510h's small screen makes navigation and changes to settings cumbersome.

The monochrome LCD is used primarily for switching modes and tweaking the printer's settings. As it's a single-line display, it's quite cumbersome and time consuming to make changes to the printer settings.

But it's not so bad as the printer comes with HP applications that allow you to fully control the printer to scan, print and fax from a desktop PC.

Performance

We tested the printer's scanning feature by having it scan documents and images.

Surprisingly, the printer took a rather lengthy 40 seconds to complete a scan of a document or an image.

You can also run an OCR on scanned documents to easily edit the content but the results are usually far from perfect.

If the document has handwritings on it, this would cause the fomatting to go out of whack and strange symbols to appear.

Plus, scanned documents or images can also be automatically be attached to an e-mail message.

SCAN THIS: The G510h opens up to reveal a scanner underneath the hood.

In terms of print speed, the printer has a Fast Draft mode for churning out pages really quick.

In our test, the 4500 was able to print plain text document at a rate of 15ppm (pages per minute). While this is really quick but it's done at the cost of quality.

However, the difference in quality is only marginal and the text is still sharp and legible.

The result is not so great when printing images in colour. In Fast Draft mode an image is printed out in just 15 seconds but the loss in quality is very evident.

In normal mode, the printer takes 35 seconds to print a colour image. Though slightly longer but the quality is much better.

It takes twice as long to print a picture using the best setting and the image quality is marginally sharper than the normal mode. We found the normal mode to be the best for getting a decent print out in a shorter time.

The 4500's copying speed varies depending on the methods used. When the sheet-feeder is used, it takes about a minute to copy a document but it only takes about half that time if the flatbed scanner is used.

We were not impressed with the quality as there was a noticeable difference between the original and the copy. This is particularly more evident with pictures than plain text.

Conclusion

The HP Officejet 4500 G510h is a compact AIO printer with a decent set of features.

UNDER THE HOOD: Refilling ink cartridges is easy. Just open the tray and slot new cartridges in.

Print quality was good especially for monochrome text documents. For colour images, the results were dependant on the mode chosen.

And when you want to get your pages really fast, there is the Fast Draft mode which works really good with plain text.

However, the photocopying function and scanning speed is a tad below par.

Overall, the Officejet 4500 G510 is a decent AIO printer for the price you pay.

Pros: Compact size; handy Fast Draft mode; decent print quality.

Cons: Photocopying quality below par; slow scanning speed.

Officejet 4500 G510h
(Hewlett-Packard)
All-in-one printer
Print resolution: 4,800 x 1,200dpi
Print speed: 4ppm (colour)/15ppm (monochrome)
Scan resolution: 1,200dpi
Copy resolution: 1,200 x 1,200dpi (colour)/ 600 x 1,200dpi (monochrome)
Copy speed: Up to 22cpm (colour)/28cpm (monochrome)
Interface: USB 2.0
Paper handling: 100-sheet input tray, 20-sheet top loading tray
Paper sizes: Up to A4
Dimensions (W x D x H): 43.36 x 40.16 x 21.31cm
Weight: 5.91kg
Website: www.hp.com.my
Price: RM469

HP unveiled its Superdome 2 server and Blade Server

The Hewlett-Packard has unveiled its latest high-end server, the Superdome 2, which is built to run mission-critical applications efficiently in the public and private sectors.

With it, users are assured of a reduced risk of downtime. This is because users can perform their routine maintenance activities without switching off or rebooting the system.

“This ensures maximum availability for mission critical applications,” said Kelvin Khaw, country manager for business-critical systems of enterprise servers, storage and networking at Hewlett-Packard (M) Sdn Bhd.

He said this power-on-once technology also comes with a set of resilient features that help keep mission-critical applications running.

The server also has improved reliability thanks to its Superdome analysis engine, according to HP. The engine proactively checks for errors and automatically corrects and recommends resolutions when needed.

An end-to-end transaction retry feature, meanwhile, optimises and reroutes data traffic to ensure transaction integrity.

Users will also find the Crossbar Fabric feature useful because it has the capability to intelligently route transactions to the fastest, most optimal pathways between blades and input/output devices, said HP. A blade is a self-contained server which collectively fits into an enclosure with other blades.

And to ensure fast processing speeds, the Superdome 2 is equipped with Intel Corp’s quadcore processor — the Itanium 9300.

HP’s new server is expected to be ship in the third quarter of this year. No pricing was announced.

The company also unveiled three Integrity blade servers and the HP-UX 11i v3 Unix operating system.

These blades are BL860c i2, BL870c i2 and BL890c i2. They promise improved flexibility thanks to a Blade Link feature which combines multiple blades to create two-, four- or eight-socket systems that easily scale up and out to meet changing computing needs.

HP said this enables users to consolidate critical applications onto a common platform. The blades are already available in the local market.

The HP-UX 11i v3 operating system has several new features, including an improved energy management system that graphically monitors power consumption. This means users can improve power and thermal planning using policy-based controls.

Windows 7 64-bit : Frequent hangs, lock-ups and freezes

Last time I decided to install Windows 7 64-bit enterprise edition on my machine ( HP DC 7800 c, dual core, 8Gb RAM, NVIDIA 285). I managed to copy and install all setting from my previous Vista 64 bit using easy migration tool in windows. Windows 7 detected all the hardware correctly even my bluetooth device that was not detected in windows vista. I install all my office and work related apps without a hitch.

However, after a while my windows 7 machine would occasionally freeze or lock-up and the only way to restore is to do a hard reset; pushing the on/off button on my machine. Looking around for assistance I turned to the internet for possible solution.

Among the key suspects were the NVidia driver and the power saving plan. I also suspected the setting in bios which enabled the hardware assisted virtualisation. so what I did was to install latest nvidia driver… well it didn’t help. So was changing the power saving options….. I even reset the setting I did in bios… all to no avail. It was frustrating to me.


Then, I got a new workstation from a project. It’s Dell workstation T5500, Intel Xeon Quad Core, 12 GB RAM, 2 TB HD and dual NVidia FX580 with 512Mb memory. I thought all is fine. It came with windows vista 64 bit. I let it run for a 2-3 days with out problem. Then I upgraded it to Windows 7, and it was fine for a couple of days. Then I install all the software that I need. It sure seems to em that everything was OK.

Unfortunately it wasn’t so. My new PC show the same strange behavior. It would randomly lock up and I had to do a hard reset. There wasn’t any particular reason. Sometimes it just stop when I was doing Word, at other times when I was browsing. Yet it also stop dead in the water even when I was not running any apps ( except those that run in the background). I was at lost.

So I tried all find the root cause. The event viewer does not offer much help. Nor does logging. and doing performance logging. I downloaded the new Nvidia driver.. still it hangs. I reset the power saving plan.. same result. I undo any settings in the bios by resetting to default factory setting… and still same problem occurs. Thinking that the CPU was heating up, I downloaded Core Temp to monitor its temperature. All the cores are functioning within normal parameter (.. refering to Lt. Cmdr Data in ST:TNG ). So what was the problem…..

Finally I read somewhere that some anti-virus program were causing strange behaviour in 64-bit OS. SO I uninstall AVG Free version (v. 9.0)… and my PC is working fine.. it has been 30 hours of operation without any hiccup….. Go Figure.

It seems to me that somehow AVG 32 bit causes my OS to stop responding. However, I also installed a 64bit windows 7 on my old HP pc, but without the Nvidia graphics board.. just using the onboard Intel Chip, and the PC does not display any symptom of freezes or lock-up.

So I guess that 9.0 free edition + NVIDIA Graphics + 64Bit WIndows 7 = frequent lock-up expected. Hopefully this is true. I shall see for the next week if my machine would still function normally. Any input from readers will be appreciated.

added: I have to conclude that my Av program is the cause for this misery since I have had no problem with my machine now, even when the system is running continuosly for 5 days. Right now I am testing my machine with Avast! pro (trial version).

HP take over 3Com to compete Cisco

Hewlett Packard has announced today that the company has entered into an agreement to purchase networking infrastructure company 3Com for an estimated $2.7 billion dollars.

If the deal is approved, the acquisition of 3Com, which is well known across the globe for their networking and security products, stands to expand HP’s reach into the worldwide networking products market. Not only will this mean more product offerings in addition to HP’s ProCurve line of networking equipment, the deal will also give HP a large research team in China to help further expand networking solutions.

According to HP CIO and executive vice president Randy Mott, Hewlett Packard plans on hitting the ground running with new networking products after the merger deal is finished. ”Based on our experience and extensive testing of 3Com’s products, we are planning to undertake a global rollout within HP as soon as possible after the completion of the acquisition,” said Mott.

The details of the deal according to the press release have HP purchasing shares of 3Com stock at $7.90 a piece at the close of the merger. At 12:04 PM EST the current price of 3Com stock was at $7.49.

The HP/3Com merger deal now goes to company shareholders for their approval.

Touch capable Windows 7

I read this blog about Windows 7 multi touch ( not Multi-Touch, as it is patented byApple ) support. It is the extension of borrowed feature from Microsoft Surface Computing include in Microsoft Surface. Microsoft Surace is a table like computer with its screen acts as tabletop; where user is able to use their fingers to navigate. Users are able to use multi fingers, hence multi touch, to make gestures which the computer interprets into action. For example moving one’s finger across the surface to move a window from one side of the screen to another, or spreading one’s fingers to  zoom in on a picture. Surface computing is also made popular in CSI:Miami tv series as well as in lates James Bond’s ‘Quantum of Solace’.

Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 will support multi touch. Good feature to be included as the concept is being adopted by some manufacturers such as HP and Dell. Although there are still not many  computers supporting it, I believe that with the release of Win7, many companies would start to produce one. Perhaps as early as 1st quarter next year we might even have a netbook with multi touch screen produced. I wonder if with the next generation e-Book program in Malaysia especially would sport this feature also?

Notebook using its 2.15Ah lithium-ion cells facing global recall

After 40 global incidents of overheating involving notebook which using 2.15Ah lithium-ion battery .. several notebook vendor such as Dell, Toshiba and Hewlett-Packard notebooks with Sony-made batteries are being recalled. These incidents involved smoke and/or flames but there were four cases involving small burns and 21 resulting in minor property damage.

According to the official statement posted on Sony’s website (www.sony-asia.com), the recall involves only notebook computers using its 2.15Ah lithium-ion cells. Sony said its Vaio notebook computers use different battery types so they are not part of the recall.

Hewlett-Packard has confirmed a free replacement programme for the specified battery pack at its centres. Malaysian customers should go to its website 

(www.hp.com/support/batteryreplacement) for more details. Or, they can call HP Service and Support at 1-800-88-4848. The affected models include HP’s Compaq and Pavillion notebooks. A detailed list is available at the site.

Dell customers can check if they are having the affected models by surfing to www.dellbatteryprogram.com 

  
Potentially affected batteries were sold with the following models of Dell notebook computers or separately as secondary batteries:

Latitude: D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810, D530, D620ATG
Inspiron: 500M, 510M, 600M, 700M, 710M, 6000, 6400, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, 9400, E1505, E1705
Precision: M20, M60, M70, M90
XPS: XPS, XPS Gen2, XPS M170, XPS M1710

I'm using Latitude D830. So my battery is OK. But if your battery is really hot... you can also call your vendor to check the condition of your battery.

Tool-free-number for DELL customer

Australia 1300-662-087

New Zealand 0800-203-355

Singapore 1800-395-7932

Malaysia 1800-88-0432

Hong Kong 852-2969-3187

Thailand 1800-060-143

Taiwan 00801-86-1015

China 800-858-0614

India 1800-425-2069

HP: Wireless and mobility - security and manageability

When you are on the go your business critical hardware is more at risk for theft and loss, and once your notebook or iPAQ is out of your control, sensitive company and personal data is vulnerable to thieves or even the curious. HP has developed an end-to-end capability beginning with HP ProtectTools, a family of security products and features built-in, not bolted-on, to give you safer ways to stay in control and secure your data while you're on the go so you can reduce the technical and financial risks to your business. Beyond protecting the data on the device, HP's partnership with CREDANT Technologies brings centralized policy definition and creation for security manageability.

HP ProtectTools for notebook PCs

The foundation for HP ProtectTools for notebook PCs begins with the HP ProtectTools Security Manager, an extensible console you can download free from the HP site for older HP notebooks and that will be factory-installed on next generation HP notebooks. The ProtectTools Security Manager gives you a single point of control over all elements of security for your notebook.

HP has developed four modules to work with HP ProtectTools Security Manager to allow you to customize your security.

• BIOS configuration for HP ProtectTools gives you control over your computer's BIOS settings and can prevent anyone who doesn't know your BIOS password from booting your system. This feature is only available on notebook PCs.

• Credential Manager for HP ProtectTools supports multifactor Windows Authentication and single sign-on so you can have strong authentication that is simple to use.

• Smart Card security for HP ProtectTools allows you to easily add Smart Card security to your notebook by managing the card initialization, security settings, and integration with the BIOS.

• Embedded Security for HP ProtectTools allows you to configure and manage your notebook's built-in Trusted Computing Module security chip.

Select HP notebooks come with the BIOS configuration and Credential Manager modules already installed, and you may download others free from HP if your notebook hardware supports them. Review your product information or work with your local HP product expert for more details on which HP ProtectTools modules your notebook supports.