Dell Dubs iPad Too Expensive for Enterprise Using Fuzzy Math

It doesn't appear Apple is having any trouble moving iPad tablets. The recently released iPad 2 sold out almost as soon as it went on sale, and there's now a waiting period if you place an order with Apple. Be that as it may, a senior Dell executive says the iPad has no place in the enterprise because of its high price, at least when you toss in the necessary peripherals, and that Android will lead eventually lead the way.

"Apple is great if you've got a lot of money and live on an island. It's not so great if you have to exist in a diverse, open, connected enterprise, simple things become quite complex," Andy Lark, Dell's global head of marketing for large enterprises and public organizations, said to CIO Australia.

Of course, Dell has a vested interest in seeing alternative tablets succeed, as the OEM is currently building slates based on Android and Windows Phone 7. But does Lark have a point?

"An iPad with a keyboard, mouse, and a case [means] you'll be at $1,500 or $1,600; that's double of what you're paying. That's not feasible," Lark says.

And we would agree, $1,600 for a tablet isn't feasible, the problem is his numbers don't exactly add up. The most expensive iPad 2 device runs $829. Even after adding the cost of a keyboard and case, you're still under $1,000, and that's for the most expensive iPad out there. For the least expensive model, you can shave $330 off.

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AT&T Admits to Intentionally Slowing Down Atrix and HTC Inspire

If you're a T-Mobile subscriber locked into a multi-year contract, you have to hope that AT&T's latest shenanigans aren't a sign of things to come. Following a bunch of complaints made to the Better Business Bureau, AT&T admitted to intentionally crippling the Atrix and HTC Inspire, which explains why owners of these two smartphone models have been unable to see anything near 4G upload speeds, according to DSLReports.com. Left unexplained, however, is exactly why AT&T did this.

While AT&T is reluctant to explain themselves, the wireless carrier did promise to remedy the situation with an upcoming software update.

"We're excited to announce that both the Atrix 4G and Inspire 4G are expected to receive software updates in April," AT&T stated on its Facebook page. "In addition, one of AT&T's next leading Android devices, the Samsung Infuse 4G, will ship with HSUPA already enabled. With these software updates, and our continued rollout of expanded backhaul, our 4G devices will continue to get faster. Please keep in mind that software is only one of many factors that can affect speeds experienced. Factors such as location, time of day, network capacity, and facilities can have an impact as well."

So there you have it. If you own an Atrix or Inspire smartphone, hang tight and you should experience faster network performance come April.

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Microsoft to Windows Phone owners: ‘We can’t guarantee anything’

Prior to the release of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft made a lot of noises about things like updates that sounded to many like guarantees. Noises such as Microsoft would be handling the updates and not carriers, and that users would be getting a regular drip feed of updates and improvements. How times change when a product is released.

In an attempt to offer up some degree of transparency over the update fiasco that the Redmond giant has created for itself with Windows Phone, the company posted up charts outlining when WP owners in the US and internationally would be seeing their updates. The charts are somewhat vague and while not offering a timeline measured in geological terms, it does use the phrase ’several weeks’ at one point. But still, it’s something that should give WP handset owners hope. Right?

Maybe not.

Ars Technica’s Peter Bright asked Microsoft Windows Phone support a simple question via Twitter:

“Is there any guarantee that the carriers will authorize the update before the next one is released?”

Simple question, to which Bright got a simple answer:

“We can’t guarantee anything.”

There you have it folks. Microsoft didn’t sell you the handset (someone else did), and it’s not making you any promises beyond what you’ve already got. Microsoft’s not calling the shots with either the handset partners or carriers. Microsoft made the OS, sold an OEM license to manufacturers.

In other words, you get the updates if/when you get it.

End of story.

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

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Where’s your Windows Phone 7 update?

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology — whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include “Build the Ultimate Custom PC”, “Beginning Programming” and “The PC Doctor’s Fix It Yourself Guide”. He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics — from security to repairing and upgrading.

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Has Apple fixed the MacBook Pro ‘Hard Freezegate’?

Over on Apple’s support forum some owners of the new 2011 MacBook Pro have been complaining that their notebooks are locking up or ‘hard freezing’ under heavy load. Yesterday Apple released a Mac OS X update 10.6.7 which, amongst other things, improves graphics stability. But does the update fix the problem?

Well, if it does, Apple isn’t letting on. All we get from Apple is a bullet point in a knowledgebase article:

• Improve graphics stability and external display compatibility

That doesn’t help much.

Note: For people suffering from problems, Apple’s secrecy relating to what updates actually fix is annoying and creates a lot of uncertainty. There are times when things don’t ‘just work’ and Apple is not good at addressing these issues.

What I’m hearing from readers is split. Around 85% of those who have dropped me a note since the release of 10.6.7 say that it solves the problem, while some 15% say it doesn’t. What you seem to be saying with absolute confidence is that the update doesn’t fix the noisy fan issue that people are also complaining about. I don’t have a big dataset to work with, so it’s hard to be confident that the update fixes the problem or not.

What’s also unclear is what the update actually does. Is it a new set of thermal profiles for the system, or does it just throttle down the system when it’s under heavy load? We’ll have to wait for someone to do pre and post 10.6.7 benchmark of a MacBook Pro system to find out the answer to that question.

Calling MacBook Pro 2011 owners – Were you suffering from ‘hard freeze’? If so, has the 10.6.7 update fixed this for you?

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

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Did Microsoft use the “Firefox’ keyword on Twitter to promote IE9?

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology — whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include “Build the Ultimate Custom PC”, “Beginning Programming” and “The PC Doctor’s Fix It Yourself Guide”. He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics — from security to repairing and upgrading.

continue reading…

Apple releases update for early 2011 MacBook Pro – Possible fix for ‘hard freeze’ lockups

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology — whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include “Build the Ultimate Custom PC”, “Beginning Programming” and “The PC Doctor’s Fix It Yourself Guide”. He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics — from security to repairing and upgrading.

continue reading…