Dell Goes Private Thanks to $2 Billion from Microsoft
Computer giant Dell has announced a new deal that will see the company go private, thanks in part to a little backing from Microsoft. Founder and CEO Michael Dell and investment firm Silver Lake are set to acquire Dell for $24.4 billion, with a $2b loan from Microsoft. Michael Dell will continue serving as chairman and CEO of the company he started, although how much influence Microsoft will have is unknown. Silver Lake, on the other hand, has "significant experience in the technology sector," so the future could be very bright for Dell. Shareholders receive $13.65 per share of Dell stock from the deal, which is a 35% increase over where stocks where on January 11 before the deal was leaked. As for the deal itself, Mr. Dell first proposed it back in August 2012 to the Board of Directors, and then recused himself from the "Special Committee" overseeing negotiations.
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of Dell's 2014 fiscal year, but there shouldn't be any complications along the way.
Source: Engadget and Ars Technica
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'Unfriending' has Consequences Everyone has lost friends in their life. The reasons can vary greatly from a tragedy to simply growing apart, but recently you can lose a friend with the click of a button. This is an entirely different dynamic for relationships, which is why researchers at the University of Colorado Denver have studied how 'unfriending' on Facebook can affect people. To collect the needed information, the researchers got 582 survey responses through Twitter and noticed some interesting trends, when it comes to whether 'unfriending' on Facebook translated to 'unfriending' in real life. Half of the respondents said they would not avoid someone in real life if that person unfriended them, but 40% said they would. (The other 10% were unsure.) Women were more likely to avoid whoever unfriended them, which the researchers do not have an explanation for. They did however find numerous predictors for if someone will avoid the 'unfriender,' including if the person believes the unfriending is due to an offline behavior. While it may seem silly to study online activity such as this, there are definite consequences of unfriending someone, including making them feel excluded. Such a feeling can reduce self-esteem and one's sense of belonging, amongst other negative effects. Source: University of Colorado Denver Read More ...
Arctic Announces New Barebone HTPC Arctic is a company that I have primarily known as providing cooling products, but the announcement of a new barebone HTPC system certainly changes my outlook. The MC001-XBMC is a system that was created in conjunction with OpenELEC using the latest XBMC 12 software. The system has a small form factor and is powered by a dual core Intel Atom D525, ATI Mobility Radeon 5430 GPU, and 2GB of DDR3 memory. The XBMC software allows for playback of all major audio and video formats which can be stored on an included 1TB hard drive, and a number of applications are available to use a smartphone as a remote control. The MC001-XBMC will have a special introductory price of $229, while supplies last. Read More ...
Zotac Updates ZBOX nano XS Series Zotac is introducing a new model of mini-PC to the ZBOX nano XS series, the XS AD13. The new system features the AMD Brazios 2.0 platform with an E2-1800 APU using a RADEON HD 7340 GPU. The base model is a barebone system while a PLUS option includes 2GB of DDR3 RAM and a 64GB mSATA SSD. The ZBOX nano XS AD13 is compatible with Windows 7 and 8 as well as OpenELEC operating systems. Read More ...
Working Towards a Quantum Internet Multiple communities have supported the development of the Internet since its inception, and not least among them is the scientific community. The ability to quickly share information with colleagues and institutions across the world is almost a necessity for some fields of science to advance, but in the future, as technology changes, the Internet will have to be reinvented. Luckily researchers are already working on that as those at the University of Innsbruck have successfully demonstrated directly transferring quantum data from one point to another, as a quantum Internet would require. In classical mechanics, it is possible to copy the state of one thing to another, such as the data on one hard drive to another. Quantum mechanics however does not allow this, so on a quantum Internet data must be transmitted differently, which is what the researchers have accomplished. Using an ion trap, the researchers held a single calcium ion between two mirrors, and with a laser they encoded information onto the ion. With a second laser, the ion was excited to emit a single photon, which then contains the quantum information. After bouncing off the mirrors, the photon entered an optical cable to direct it to another ion trap, to encode the information to another ion. This is the first time quantum information has been transferred like this, but very likely will not be the last. Once quantum computers are developed and institutions around the world start using them, a means to transmit data from one to another will be needed, and it may operate similarly. Source: University of Innsbruck Read More ...
Ouya Android Games Console to be Released in June The eagerly anticipated Ouya games console is set for release in June, according to a Wall Street Journal interview with CEO Julie Uhrman. The console, originally conceived in early 2012, smashed through its target during its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstater in July last year. The device will cost $99, and will be available for purchase on a number of online stores including Amazon.com, BestBuy, GameStop, and Target. The device will have a 'large suite' of launch titles, however it is not currently known how many will be ports of older titles. The device will launch in June in the US, however there is currently no word on an EU or worldwide release. Gamers outside the US who want to order the console should be able to order it through Kickstater as international pre-orders were permitted under the original Kickstarter. Source: KitGuru.net Read More ...
Firefox OS May be Launched at MWC 2013 Mozilla has sent out invites for a press conference at this year's Mobile World Congress later this month where it is expected to reveal the eagerly awaited Firefox OS. The OS was previously showcased at CES last month, and Mozilla is working hard to keep the tech world up-to-date with its developments. Mozilla is also planning to create two 'developer phones' for the development and testing of apps on its upcoming OS. Firefox OS is set to be another open-source alternative to the likes of iOS and Android. Mobile operating systems have grown rapidly recently, and with the continued growth of the smartphone market, new OSes are springing up regularly. Although very little is known about Firefox OS at the moment, we expect a lot more information to become available after the press conference on February 24. Source: CNET.com Read More ...
Online Communication Examined from Bullying to Relationships In simplest terms, the Internet represents a new way for people to communicate, but it accomplishes this so differently than other communication media that scientific examination is required. Behaviors already present in society, such as bullying, friendship, and romances can take new forms online, which is why the Society for Personality and Social Psychology met recently to share the latest research results. Potentially the most interesting of the topics discussed was online bullying, which does seem to be a different beast than what some of us may have experienced years ago. Researchers have found that instead of the outcasts of a school being targeted for bullying, it is often the popular students being harassed, and typically by friends or former friends. This former relationship allows the bully to target their attacks for maximum harm. Another interesting correlation the researchers found concerned how what we reveal online affects our relationships. Researchers found that by disclosing more personal information online, we lessen intimacy and satisfaction with our romantic partners. This correlation was dependent on whether the information shared concerned the partner. Also the correlation was not present for friendships. There is a fair bit more at the source link, so if you find this interesting, be sure to check it out. Source: Society for Personality and Social Psychology Read More ...
Hardware Roundup: Tuesday Edition Small form factor components have been getting a bit more attention in the review world lately and today we have a couple of items for you to check out. First up is the NM70-I2 Mini-ITX motherboard from ECS that uses the NM70 Express chipset from Intel and supports the Celeron 847 processors. You can house your ATX, Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX motherboard in the Cooler Master HAF XB chassis. We also have reviews on the Seasonic Platinum-660 660W power supply, the Gigabyte Force M7 Thor and more. Cases Cooler Master HAF XB @ TechSpot Input Devices Gigabyte Force M7 Thor @ LanOC Reviews Memory Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3-2133 64GB Memory Kit @ ThinkComputers Mobile Samsung Galaxy S3 Smartphone @ Benchmark Reviews Motherboards ECS NM70-I2 (V1.0) Mini-ITX Motherboard @ Madshrimps Power Supplies Seasonic Platinum-660 660W Power Supply @ [H]ardOCP Video The New 3DMark Benchmark - Testing Smartphones to Multi-GPU Gaming PCs @ PC Perspective Read More ...
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Revealed, Arrives in 2014 for PC and 'High-End Platforms' In what has been perhaps one of the worst kept secrets around, CD Projekt RED has officially taken the wraps off of the next entry in The Witcher series. Dubbed The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Geralt of Rivia is off on a whole new adventure across an open world 30 times larger than previous games (half an hour by horseback!). The game world is even larger than that of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and there's not a loading screen in sight thanks to REDengine 3. Game Informer has the inside scoop on the new game and all the early details CD Projekt is willing to spill, though it isn't much. What we do know is that Geralt is sporting a wicked new beard as he journeys through a deeply personal story filled with political intrigue and hellacious monsters. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is due for release in 2014 for PCs and "all high-end platforms available," which more than likely means the next PlayStation and Xbox once those get revealed. If you're wondering about who Geralt is journeying with on the cover of Game Informer, well, get in line as CD Projekt isn't saying a word. The style of dress resembles Triss Merigold, though your guess is as good as mine. Keep it tuned for more details as CD Projekt unveils them, and try not to start ticking down the days till The Witcher 3 releases.
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