The recent Thailand floods appear to be taking a bigger toll than expected, with the effects of the shortages to be felt all the way into 2013, according to market research firm IDC. This isn't helped by the fact that the largest manufacturer of HDDs, Western Digital, was hit the hardest. As the situation is so volatile, companies such as HP, Dell & Lenovo are keeping watch on the market daily and are even sometimes having to accept drives of a lower spec if they are to ship some systems at all. As expected, the retail purchaser of hard disk drives comes bottom of the allocation list. IDCs John Rydning said in a statement: "I think the most painful period will occur now through February of next year. We expect the situation will improve, but it won't feel as if things are back to normal until 2013". There's more detail and analysis over at Network World.

Top PC vendor HP has now begun selling its first-generation ultrabook, the business-oriented Folio 13. This new mobile machine is just 0.7-inch (18mm) thick but has a battery life of up to 9.5 hours and can boot up its pre-installed OS (Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional, 64-bit only) in a matter of seconds.

The Folio 13 starts at $899.99 and features a full-size backlit keyboard, a 13.3-inch (1366 x 768) BrightView LED display, a 1.6 GHz Core i5-2467M processor, Intel HD Graphics 3000, 4 GB of RAM and a 128 GB solid state drive.

PC major HP made a slight slip, disclosing AMD's upcoming Radeon HD 7000M series GPUs as options available for some of its notebooks. These are the first public disclosures of a 28 nm GPU. The new options that had been made available were Radeon HD 7670M, and Radeon HD 7690M, both based on the "Thames-XT" GPU. The Thames-XT GPU is built on the 28 nm process, and features current-generation VLIW4 stream processors, a 128-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface, and is DirectX 11 compliant. AMD unveiled this GPU at a press event in London on the 5th.

PNY Technologies is considered a leading designer, manufacturer, and supplier of memory upgrade modules launched the HP v112b tiny USB Flash Drive, adding a new USB Flash drive to its HP line-up the v112b, which is a tiny but elegantly designed drive. The drive comes in a shiny translucent sapphire blue casing with wavy design to help get a better grip. It comes with a cap, which also features the same wavy design, continuing the body design when closed. The design makes it water resistant, and it is also resistant to mechanical shocks. The COB packaging helps achieve such a small size.

A lanyard hold at the far end lets you tie it to a keychain, purse, belt, etc. Plug and play functionality lets you use the drive in Windows 2000, XP, Vista and 7, and even on Mac OS 10.3 and above. Being a very tiny drive has its advantages, giving the drive ultra-portability. The small size and weight also makes it convenient to take it wherever you go to share your digital documents, pictures, video clips and music files.

Memristors are a fourth class of electric circuit, first hypothesized way back in the 1970's, which are a new addition to the transistors, capacitors, resistors etc that go into making a silicon chip. HP has put a great deal of resources into developing this technology and is expected to release memory-like memristor products in 2013, so it's not far off from commercial deployment. Now however, the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have found a way to use memristors to make what they describe as a "fully functional" flexible resistive random access memory (RRAM). This memory is built on a plastic substrate and can be randomly accessed, written to and erased. However, as this substrate is flexible, it can be bent and rolled up easily, opening up possibilities for use that haven't even been thought of yet.

The recent dreadful flooding in Thailand has forced the closure of several hard drive factories. The immediate concerns of course, are for the health and wellbeing of the people living and working in the area. The wider concern is the severe restriction in hard drive manufacturing capacity. Already, prices have doubled or tripled, depending on the exact model affected. The biggest HD manufacturer, Western Digital, has been hit the hardest, as IDC predicts that up to 75% of its production will be shut down. This means, that the big corporate HDD customers, those like HP and Dell, who build computer systems in large volumes, will get whatever inventory is available to fully satisfy their needs. Whatever is left is then sold on to the retail channel, for ordinary consumers to buy. IDC believes that hard disk production will reach pre-flood levels by around March, but that HDD levels by then will be very low. The prices should go through the roof then, in the meantime. As expected, this will also increase the prices of complete systems, as such a price hike is too much to absorb fully.

HP today announced a new industry program comprising a new server development platform, customer discovery lab and partner ecosystem to help customers significantly reduce complexity, energy use and costs.

HP's new program, dubbed Project Moonshot, combines with HP Converged Infrastructure technology to allow the sharing of resources - including storage, networking, management, power and cooling - across thousands of servers. It paves the way to the future of low-energy computing for emerging web, cloud and massive scale environments.

AMD's third 8-core desktop processor model is available through OEMs such as HP. Called the AMD FX-8100, this chip is the most affordable among the available FX-8000 series chips (that's FX-8120 and FX-8150), and according to HP's component pricing, about $80 cheaper than the FX-8150. The AMD FX-8100 is a base model processor option for HP Pavilion HPE h8z desktop. It can be configured to have FX-8150 instead, for $80 over the base price of the desktop, of $830.

The FX-8100, like every other FX Series processor, features an unlocked base clock multiplier to help with overclocking. The chip is clocked at 2.80 GHz, with TurboCore technology, all eight cores can overclock themselves to 3.10 GHz. To handle tasks that aren't multi-threaded, the chip can overclock some of its cores (up to four of them), all the way up to 3.70 GHz. Like every other FX-8000 series chip, the FX-8100 packs 16 MB of total cache (8 MB total L2 + 8 MB L3), features an advanced instruction set of AVX, AES, XOP, SSE 4.2/4.1/4a, and a system interface of 5.2 GT/s with HyperTransport 3.1.

PC major HP announced its decision to scrap TouchPad, the company's flagship tablet device. But in a move that could rattle the OEM industry, there are feelers that HP might spin off its PC business. This is similar to what IBM did with its PC division, resulting in the subsequent creation of Lenovo. This move could take effect as early as by the end of this year. This is one of the most extreme makeovers in the company's 72-year history. It is sought to increase the company's long-term competitiveness against rival IBM.

It is not known if the decision to spin off the PC division will affect any of the 300,000 jobs HP maintains worldwide. HP's PC division (that sells desktop PCs, notebooks, and netbooks and related support services), is its biggest revenue generator, but also it's least profitable division. Whatever the reasoning behind this, the decision is a 180 degree turn from last decade, when HP spent no less than US $24 billion to acquire Compaq Computer, on its road to become the biggest PC vendor.

HP today expanded its consumer and business notebook portfolios with 11 new models utilizing AMD's latest VISION Technology for exceptional performance at an affordable price. Powered by AMD's A-series Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) that combine leading-edge CPU cores and powerful discrete-graphics onto a single die of silicon, HP's new notebooks offer solutions for consumers, small and midsize businesses (SMBs) and large corporations.

The HP Pavilion dv-series (Pavilion dv4, dv6 and dv7) provides the ultimate entertainment notebook experience and is equipped with innovative features such as HP CoolSense, HP True Vision HD webcam and HP Beats Audio (Pavilion metal dv6 and dv7). The dv-series also offers more than two times the graphics performance compared with previous-generation integrated graphics.

HP today announced a new lineup of wireless accessories equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity and HP Link-5 technology to promote mobility and ease of use. Products such as the company's exclusive HP Wi-Fi Mobile Mouse allow users to do more without the hassle of wires and with the assurance of extended battery life.

"HP offers its customers a wide variety of accessories that are simple to use with connectivity options to meet their unique needs," said Scott Pappan, director, Accessories, Personal Systems Group, HP. "For consumers who desire PCs that are light and small but offer fewer USB ports, or for those who use their PCs in multiple settings, options like Wi-Fi and Link-5 allow users to keep USB ports free for other devices."

HP today expanded its notebook PC line with products and services that provide an optimal combination of sleek style, ultra-portability and high performance to deliver an outstanding mobile experience.The company also launched HP DataPass, a pre-paid 3G mobile broadband service available in the U.S. across HP's business notebook lineup and expanded HP Beats Audio technology to a business notebook and consumer Mini PC. HP furthered its FORGE business notebook design framework with the HP ProBook m-series and EliteBook p-series models and built upon its MUSE consumer notebook design philosophy with the HP Mini 210, Pavilion dv4 and ENVY 14.

Jon Peddie Research (JPR), the industry's research and consulting firm for graphics and multimedia, announced estimated graphics chip shipments and suppliers' market share for Q1'11. We found that shipments during the first quarter of 2011 behaved according to past years with regard to seasonality, and was nominal on a year-to-year comparison for the quarter. The situation changed over the course of the year and Q4'10 did not conform to the normal seasonal cycle, but was down a bit compared to previous years, so the growth in Q1 was a welcomed change. Our forecast for the coming years has been modified since the last report, and is less aggressive on both desktops and notebooks.

HP today announced a new lineup of powerful mobile workstations, ideal for engineering, power-computing and content-creation customers who need the performance of a workstation with the portability and convenience of a notebook. HP also unveiled the HP Z210 Workstation, demonstrating its continued investment in the desktop and mobile workstations market, where it holds leading market share.

Building on HP's "FORGE"#8221; design framework, the HP EliteBook w-series embodies a timeless construction, with precision-engineered durability features that are designed for maximum reliability and with the environment in mind. The new products showcase HP's first-ever industrial design specific to mobile workstations, with distinctive features including a radial-brushed gunmetal finish, backlit jewel logo and orange-colored accents.

AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced it has appointed Mike Wolfe, age 52, as the company's chief information officer. He brings more than 30 years of engineering and information technology experience, most recently as vice president of IT for product development and engineering at HP for the last five years. Wolfe will be responsible for managing AMD's global technology infrastructure and will report to Thomas Seifert, senior vice president and chief financial officer and interim CEO.

"Mike has effectively led IT transformations, constantly focusing on reducing operating costs and significantly improving business innovation," said Seifert. "His considerable talent and experience will help AMD to continue strengthening our IT infrastructure and streamline our business based on our own products and platforms."

Rovi Corporation today unveiled Roxio Game Capture and Roxio PC Game Capture, two affordably priced products that offer a straightforward way for gamers to quickly and easily capture and share PC and console game play videos.

In-product tutorials help everyone get set up quickly and immediately begin to capture and showcase their latest campaigns, adventures, ball skills, and race sequences. Gamers may use the products to post their high scores, tips & tricks, game reviews, or even a feature-length movie, or Machinima, based on game play footage. See the products in action here.

HP today revamped its corporate and enterprise (C&E) and small and medium business (SMB) notebook PC lineup with new technology aimed at boosting performance and productivity, while offering an enriched and sophisticated industrial design that improves notebook quality and reliability.

The company's new FORGE design framework ensures HP business notebooks embody a timeless construction, with precision-engineered durability features that are designed for maximum reliability and with the environment in mind. Precision aluminum-alloy hinges, cast titanium-alloy display latches and the HP DisplaySafe frame are a few of the design highlights behind the FORGE approach.

HP today revealed a redesigned consumer notebook PC portfolio that enhances the user experience with sleek looks and the latest technologies. With updates across the HP Pavilion line, the new notebooks draw inspiration from culture, art and fashion, and build on HP's MUSE (materials, usability, sensory appeal and experience) design philosophy. Introduced last May, MUSE includes a mix of materials such as metals, alloys and plastics; easy-to-use features for improved usability; a blend of artisan elements for sensory appeal; and intuitive features for simple experiences.

The new notebooks also can be personalized with a choice of 17 exclusive wallpapers designed by six artists from around the world. These wallpapers and more are now available to download from HP's Facebook page. "HP's new Pavilion notebooks provide world-class audio, stylish metal and gloss finishes, and advanced cooling technology", said Stacy Wolff, director, Notebook Design, Personal Systems Group, HP. -The result is a line of notebooks that provide the best combination of power, entertainment and style available.

HP today unveiled its first touchscreen desktop PCs to feature a 60-degree reclining display, enabling users to adjust the display's position for a comfortable user experience. With a sleek, clean appearance, the new HP TouchSmart610 Consumer PC and HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite Business PC recline from upright to almost flat, providing consumers and business users increased comfort for longer-term use and making it easier for businesses to engage customers.

"As a leader in touch computing, HP has made each iteration of the TouchSmart PC more intuitive, resourceful and fun for users," said James Mouton, senior vice president, Desktop Organization, Personal Systems Group, HP. "The latest generation is no exception with a new design that makes it easier and more comfortable to use, and it allows businesses to integrate the TouchSmart where convenience, space constraints and appearance matter."

HP unveiled the new Mini 1103 netbook that promises to bring a higher level computing experience at just US $299. The Mini 1103 is targeted at small businesses, rather than at casual internet users - the original target users of netbooks in general. The 10.1-inch netbook features an LED-backlit display with 1024 x 600 native resolution, and 93% full-size keyboard.

Based on Intel's Pine View platform, the Mini 1103 is driven by an Intel Atom N455 processor clocked at 1.66 GHz, though a more powerful Atom N475 1.83 GHz processor can be opted for. Other specs include up to 2 GB of DDR3 memory, and 320 GB of storage. Connectivity includes 10/100 Ethernet, WiFi b/g/n, optional Bluetooth 3.0, and optional GPS. A fixed VGA webcam and multi-format card reader make for the rest of the package. The Mini 1103 is powered by a 3-cell battery, a longer-lasting 6-cell one can be opted for. OS options include FreeDOS, SuSE Enterprise Desktop 11, or Windows 7 Starter 32-bit. The range starts at US $299.

AMD today announced additional infrastructure and channel support for its AMD Opteron 6000 Series platform, the world's first 8- and 12-core x86 processor, addressing the needs of server customers worldwide with its unprecedented price/performance/watt. Since introducing the AMD Opteron 6000 Series platform earlier this year, the continued expansion of channel support and product lineups has helped drive a broad portfolio of highly customized solutions, available for small and medium businesses, enterprises and HPC environments.

Adding to the growing list of AMD Opteron 6100 Series-based channel products deployed in high-performance computing (HPC) environments, a major institution of higher education in Europe recently selected 2U, GPU-optimized Twin servers from AMD channel partner Supermicro for its flagship supercomputer. Furthermore, a nationally ranked research university in the United States recently deployed a 324-node/100 Teraflops system from AMD channel partner Appro to help solve critical research science using AMD Opteron 6100 Series processors.

HP today revealed new consumer notebook PCs that fuse advanced technologies with stylish designs to deliver a superior computing experience. For maximum sensory appeal, HP delivers the thrill of 3-D entertainment to the HP ENVY 17 3D - the first 17-inch notebook PC to support 1080p 3-D and Blu-ray - and superb audio to the HP ENVY 14 Beats Edition. The HP Pavilion dm3 notebook PC features an HP-developed intelligent cooling system to minimize heat and provide consumers with advanced comfort. HP Wireless TV Connect allows customers to wirelessly experience 1080p high-definition (HD) Blu-ray multimedia content.

With these new technology and design enhancements, we offer customers visually stunning entertainment and an overall better computing experience, said Kevin Frost, vice president and general manager, Consumer Notebooks, Personal Systems Group, HP. These new HP notebooks and accessories deliver breakthrough technology, power and advanced styling to satisfy the most discerning user.

HP today announced that it has entered into a joint development agreement with Hynix Semiconductor Inc., a world-leading memory supplier, to bring memristor, a new circuit element first intentionally demonstrated in HP Labs, to market in future memory products. Memristors require less energy to operate, are faster than present solid-state storage technologies and can retain information even when power is off. The memristor, short for "memory resistor," was postulated to be the fourth basic circuit element by Prof. Leon Chua of the University of California at Berkeley in 1971 and first intentionally reduced to practice by researchers in HP Labs, the company's central research arm, in 2006.

Earlier this year, HP announced the discovery that the memristor also can perform logic, showing that memristor-based devices could change the standard paradigm of computing by enabling computation to one day be performed in chips where data is stored, rather than on a specialized central processing unit.

HP released three new value widescreen monitors for home/office users, the 20-inch S2031, 21.5-inch S2231 and 23-inch S2331. While the S2031 has a resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels, the S2231 and S2331 are full-HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) compliant. All three models feature the same dynamic contrast ratio of 15,000:1, and response time of 5 ms, and display connectivity that includes DVI and D-Sub. The S2031 has a maximum brightness of 250 cd/m², while for the S2231 and S2331 it is 300 cd/m². The three are priced at US $150, $175, and $220, respectively.

HP today unveiled workstation offerings that include the first small form factor workstation to be available in every region of the world, multicore processor updates to its Z Workstation series and a mobile workstation with DreamColor display technology.

Adding to the award-winning HP Z Workstation series, the HP Z200 SFF Workstation delivers workstation performance and reliability in a sleek, ultracompact and affordable package, and is a great choice for space-constrained environments including the health care, engineering, education, financial and original equipment manufacturer markets.