Both Dell and Fujitsu introduced new models of netbooks today based on Intel’s latest Atom model processor. The netbooks are smaller the previous models and offer battery lives of 7-10 hours.

Both the Lifebook MH380 and the Dell Mini 10 sport the Atom N450 processor. The single-core Atom N450 chip is 60 percent smaller than its predecessors are and consumes close to 20 percent less power, Intel officials said.

The Dell Mini 10 also supports high-definition video on a 10.1 inch display. It starts at $299 and offers nine and half hours of battery life.

Dell will also offer consumers an optional HD display and Broadcom Crystal HD media accelerator for users to see full high-definition 1080p video and plans to bundle an optional HD tuner for over-the-air TV broadcasts.

Fujitsu’s MH380 offers superior processor and graphics performance than previous models, the company said in a statement. The Lifebook MH380, which is priced at $449, weighs 2.97 pounds and includes a 10.1-inch display. It comes standard with a six-cell battery that offers seven hours of battery life. Other technologies bundled include a webcam, b/g/n Wi-Fi wireless networking, Bluetooth support and hard-drive storage. The MH380 will be available worldwide in January, the company said.
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IBM Corp. said Wednesday it has agreed to buy Lombardi Software Inc., a company that makes software for automating back-office functions such as supply chain management and human resources. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“This is very exciting for us,” Lombardi CEO Rod Favaron said. “We’ve been building this business for a number of years, and this is a tremendous next step. This marketplace is really exploding, and, frankly, the demand is outpacing our ability to scale.

“Getting to plug into a global leader like IBM is a great next step for us,” he said.

Lombardi, based in Austin, Texas, “fills out our company’s portfolio in this key area,” IBM said in a statement.

IBM shares were up 21 cents to $128.70 in premarket trading.
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Toshiba Corp. has been granted the contract to develop a solar power generation project for Tokyo Electric Power Co. Inc. The contract calls for Toshiba’s systems to be installed in a Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture plant that will generate about 7MW capacity. This is the second win that Toshiba has secured for a multi-MW photovoltaic (PV) project. The first was for a 7.5MW capacity multi-MW PV project at Taketoyo Thermal Power Station in Taketoyo, Aichi prefecture as announced in August 2009.

Provisionally called the Ukishima Solar Power Plant, the facility is located in the Waterfront District in Kawasaki, Kanagawa prefecture. The annual capacity of plant will be about 74.00 lakh kilowatt hours, enough electricity to supply approximately 2,000 households. The plant will be the first solar power generator operated by TEPCO and is scheduled to start operation in fiscal year 2011.

Toshiba was selected as prime contractor for development of the plant, and will be responsible for all engineering work prior to the start of construction, procurement of major equipment and components, and plant construction. The variable output of the PV cells will be converted to clean AC by integrated power conditioners developed by Toshiba Group. Their conversion efficiency of 97.5 per cent places them in the world’s highest class of power conditioners. The plant will also be equipped with solar panels from Sharp Corp. that feature polycrystalline PV modules.

Driven by a growing awareness of the need to counteract global warming, the global solar PV systems market for utilities and industrial plants is expected to reach $24.67 million (Rs.115.31 crore) in fiscal year 2015. In this market environment, Toshiba made its full-scale entry into the solar PV systems business on January 1, when its Transmission Distribution & Industrial Systems Company established the PV Systems Division as one its measures to accelerate expansion of the PV system business. This in-house company is charged with drawing on its extensive experience in system integration, particularly in system technology for high efficiency PV inverters and microgrids and in deploying large plant system engineering capabilities, to promote the growth of the PV systems business.

Toshiba Group will aim to secure further contracts for multi-MW PV projects and to achieve a rapid expansion of the business, both in Japan and overseas, by focusing on renewable energy and energy-saving products and technologies.
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Ceravision Ltd and Toshiba Electronics have teamed up to accelerate development of advanced magnetrons for lighting applications.

“This programme will allow us to further develop the efficiency of our technology,” said Tim Reynolds, Ceravision’s CEO. “This partnership will allow us to extend our system advantages, while further increasing the amount of energy our products save.”

In November, Ceravision planned to release its first product family incorporating all the benefits of high efficiency plasma. These include power savings of up to 67 per cent, reduction in the number of fittings of up to 50 per cent, extended lifetimes and increased intelligent lighting controls. Named the Alvara range, the first product will be the Alvara 400, which has been designed to replace existing 400W products. Other products for sectors such as street lighting are due to follow shortly afterwards.
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In the beleaguered music industry’s latest bid to generate more money from its content, two top music labels on Tuesday will introduce Vevo, a Web site for music videos.

Vevo is co-owned by the Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and the Abu Dhabi Media Company. Vevo said Monday that it had signed up a third major music label, EMI Music, as a video provider, leaving only one holdout among the big four labels, Warner Music. Vevo said conversations with Warner were continuing.

Videos on Vevo will be hosted and streamed by YouTube, the video site owned by Google.

The site will come online in the United States and Canada on Tuesday evening.

“It will be a higher-quality experience around music and videos than anything else that’s currently out there,” Rio Caraeff, Vevo’s chief executive, said in an interview. Mr. Caraeff said the site would host 30,000 music videos by the end of the year. To underscore the exclusive nature of the Web site, Vevo will also carry original programs by artists for their fans.

The company, which was announced last spring, is similar in some ways to Hulu, the Web site for viewing television owned by a group of TV networks. Vevo will syndicate videos to an array of sites — including YouTube — and promote Vevo.com as a destination of its own.

“Vevo will work to restore the premium luster around music video inventory,” Mr. Caraeff said.

Music companies have licensed their videos to sites like YouTube for years, but have sought higher advertising rates and a greater share of the revenue.

Vevo intends to announce 15 advertising partners on Tuesday.
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