Microsoft to extend Windows XP for nettops as well

Paul Mah — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:48:10 -0400

Microsoft will extend the availability of its die-hard Windows XP operating system to manufacturers of ultra low-cost PCs, aka nettops. Not surprisingly, Microsoft's corporate vice president of the Original Equipment Manufacturer Division, Steven Guggenheimer noted that "Customers and partners have made it clear to us that they want Windows on their netbooks and nettops." With Intel projecting sales of more than 100 million netbooks and nettops annually by the year 2011, it is easy to see how Microsoft could ill-afford to miss the bandwagon. Still, this move to protect their market share is ironic in that it is likely to be at the expense of Windows Vista.

For more on Windows XP for nettops:
- check out this Guardian article

SanDisk launches new SSDs for ultra low-cost PCs

Paul Mah — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 02:47:25 -0400

The No. 1 supplier of flash memory storage products is targeting ultra low-cost personal computers as well as business laptops in order to drive demand for its solid state drives (SSD). The limiting factor to wide-scale deployments of SSD at the moment is cost, which is still very high when matched against traditional hard drives of comparable capacities. As a result, manufacturers are cautiously positioning SSD toward limited, high-end enterprise markets for now.

It is clear SanDisk believes that the rise of ultra low-cost PCs--such as nettops, with their lower requirements for flash memory--will be able to drive sales. To make good on its strategy, SanDisk has announced a new line of SSD in capacities ranging from 4GB and 16GB. Called "pSSD", these memory modules measure only 3mm tall with sustained read speeds of up to 39MB/s and 17MB/s write. They are expected to be available in August.

For more on SanDisk's offerings:
- check out the Coolest Gadgets blog