Intel

Intel has rolled out the first iterations of its highly anticipated Core i7 processor. Available at prices starting at $284, the new chips for desktop PCs sport new technologies to boost performance on demand while maximizing data throughput.

As it turns out, Dell's new Studio Hybrid PC has little in common with Toyota's thrifty Prius sedan. No high-end batteries. No carpool lane privileges. And I'm pretty sure it won't do much to improve fuel economy on your daily commute.

Instead, this "hybrid" PC is a small computer that puts a dual emphasis on energy efficiency and design. Dell is trying desperately to break from its past reputation as a maker of mind-numbingly beige PCs. The Studio Hybrid is one of its first products to have been styled by former Nike design whiz Ed Boyd.

Parallels has unleashed the latest version of its desktop virtualization technology for the Mac, which already enables more than 1.5 million users to run Windows, Linux and other operating systems inside Mac OS X. Called Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac, the new platform is designed to perform computing tasks at speeds up to 50 percent faster than earlier versions.

Cisco Systems warned that a sharp drop in sales could push quarterly revenue down by as much as 10 percent.

The computer networking giant, the first major technology company to report earnings that include October, when the credit crisis spread beyond financial companies, said Wednesday that its sales had fallen 9 percent from the same month a year earlier.

Cisco expects sales for its current quarter to drop 5 percent to 10 percent from the $9.8 billion reported in the same period a year ago.

Intel has big plans for its little chips. The chipmaker is looking to the future with its Intel Core i7 microarchitecture, code-named Nehalem, which is being described as "mind-blowing" by some observers after it was offered for review earlier this month.

Nehalem, the successor to Intel's Core microarchitecture, spans a range of products, but the first group of products will include the Intel Core i7 processor.

Fujitsu has rolled out three new notebook PCs, including a mini-notebook that is squarely aimed at field workers and mobile sales teams.

Powered by Garmin's Mobile PC navigation software, the LifeBook U820 arrives preloaded with maps of the U.S. and Canada, together with data covering millions of destinations and points of interest. Weighing just 1.32 lbs, the mini-notebook delivers turn-by-turn, voice-prompted navigation that eliminates the need for workers to carry a separate navigation device, according to Paul Moore, senior director of mobile product management at Fujitsu.

For all the talk of a down economy, worldwide PC microprocessor shipments aren't feeling the pinch just yet. In fact, shipments in the third quarter of 2008 reached record levels once again, according to new data from market-research firm International Data Corporation (IDC).

Consider the statistics: Worldwide PC processor unit shipments grew 14 percent quarter over quarter and 15.8 percent year over year. Market revenue grew 7.6 percent quarter over quarter and 4.1 percent year over year to $8.3 billion.

HP has just unveiled three mini-notebook PCs in a push to dramatically build upon the inaugural Mini 100 model it rolled out for education applications in April. The PC maker's overriding goal is to match speeds with rivals in what is fast becoming a high-growth segment globally.

Dell has launched a major refresh of the venerable OptiPlex desktop PC line for business professionals that the company first launched in 1995.

Among other things, Dell's OptiPlex rollout includes desktops that embrace advanced Intel technologies for remotely managing and servicing enterprise-class machines -- even when they are located beyond the corporate firewall, noted Darrel Ward, director of the Dell Product Group. Even better, the new OptiPlex machines deliver cutting-edge processors and graphics cards to enable end users to do more.