Computer Buyer readers say after-sales service sucks

A poll on the Computer Buyer Web site asked whether people would be prepared to pay extra for a PC with guaranteed high-quality after-sales service. It revealed some interesting results. Of the 186 participants, just over 50 per cent begrudgingly agreed they would, although many felt that they were already paying for after-sales service - they simply weren't getting any. ...more

Toshiba gets first shot at NVIDIA's new mobile GPU

Toshiba has announced at Comdex that it will be using NVIDIA's GeForce2 Go mobile GPU in its Satellite range of notebooks. The chip, regarded as the first mobile graphics processor, is already in volume production, and units sporting it will hit the high street some time next spring. Steve Andler, vice president of marketing, Toshiba CSG, said: "Now, with the GeForce2 Go, NVIDIA has redefined the market and set a new standard for stunning graphics capabilities and breakneck 3D graphics performance on the notebook. ...more

CD sales slump 20 per cent in US

CD sales in the US slumped by 20 per cent in the first three months of the year, with digital sales rising nowhere near enough to compensate. Despite a 54 per cent surge in downloads, according to the figures from Nielsen SoundScan, overall unit sales were down 10 per cent. Even adding ringtones and subscription services makes no difference to the overall picture. ...more

'Big Mac' supercomputer is world's third most powerful

A supercomputer comprising 1,100 dual processor Power Mac G5s is the third most powerful in the world, according to the organisation that measures such things. Top500 measured the computing power of Virginia Tech's cluster - nicknamed Big Mac- at 9.6 teraflops, that's 9. ...more

BlueCore backing for Bluetooth

One of the most influential Bluetooth companies, Cambridge Silicon Radio, gave the under-fire wireless standard a boost today, by announcing a new product that promises to attract even more phone manufacturers to the market. The product itself is called the BlueCore2-ROM. It's a single-chip Bluetooth solution that will add the wireless standard to phones. ...more