The news of Intel's $7.68 billion acquisition of McAfee was a bit of a surprise to many of us, and the vague justifications both sides offered for the deal largely focused on the proliferation of mobile devices. However, I couldn't help but think of another implication of this acquisition for the traditional PC market. Buying McAfee instantly makes Intel one of the leading perpetrators of the pay-for-play bloatware model that infects brand-new PCs from nearly all of the major vendors with heaping amounts of unnecessary software.

With McAfee purchase, Intel could become #1 bloatware vendor

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

• Purchase of all of McAfee’s common stock for $48 per share in cash, valuing the deal at approximately $7.68 billion. McAfee will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary, reporting into Intel’s Software and Services Group.
• Acquisition enables a combination of security software and hardware from one company to ultimately better protect consumers, corporations and governments as billions of devices - and the server and cloud networks that manage them - go online.
• Intel elevates focus on security on par with energy-efficient performance and connectivity. The acquisition augments Intel’s mobile wireless strategy, helping to better assure customer and consumer security concerns as these billions of devices connect.
• Intel has made a number of software-related acquisitions of leaders in their respective industries that also rely on great silicon, including Wind River, Havok and now McAfee.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 19, 2010 – Intel Corporation has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire McAfee, Inc., through the purchase of all of the company’s common stock at $48 per share in cash, for approximately $7.68 billion. Both boards of directors have unanimously approved the deal, which is expected to close after McAfee shareholder approval, regulatory clearances and other customary conditions specified in the agreement.

The acquisition reflects that security is now a fundamental component of online computing. Today’s security approach does not fully address the billions of new Internet-ready devices connecting, including mobile and wireless devices, TVs, cars, medical devices and ATM machines as well as the accompanying surge in cyber threats. Providing protection to a diverse online world requires a fundamentally new approach involving software, hardware and services.

Inside Intel, the company has elevated the priority of security to be on par with its strategic focus areas in energy-efficient performance and Internet connectivity.

McAfee, which has enjoyed double-digit, year-over-year growth and nearly 80 percent gross margins last year, will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Intel, reporting into Intel’s Software and Services Group. The group is managed by Renée James, Intel senior vice president, and general manager of the group.

“With the rapid expansion of growth across a vast array of Internet-connected devices, more and more of the elements of our lives have moved online,” said Paul Otellini, Intel president and CEO. “In the past, energy-efficient performance and connectivity have defined computing requirements. Looking forward, security will join those as a third pillar of what people demand from all computing experiences.

“The addition of McAfee products and technologies into the Intel computing portfolio brings us incredibly talented people with a track record of delivering security innovations, products and services that the industry and consumers trust to make connecting to the Internet safer and more secure,” Otellini added.

“Hardware-enhanced security will lead to breakthroughs in effectively countering the increasingly sophisticated threats of today and tomorrow,” said James. “This acquisition is consistent with our software and services strategy to deliver an outstanding computing experience in fast-growing business areas, especially around the move to wireless mobility.”

“McAfee is the next step in this strategy, and the right security partner for us,” she added. “Our current work together has impressive prospects, and we look forward to introducing a product from our strategic partnership next year.”

“The cyber threat landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years, with millions of new threats appearing every month,” said Dave DeWalt, president and CEO of McAfee. “We believe this acquisition will result in our ability to deliver a safer, more secure and trusted Internet-enabled device experience.”

McAfee, based in Santa Clara and founded in 1987, is the world’s largest dedicated security technology company with approximately $2 billion in revenue in 2009. With approximately 6,100 employees, McAfee’s products and technologies deliver secure solutions and services to consumers, enterprises and governments around the world and include a strong sales force that works with a variety of customers.

The company has a suite of software-related security solutions, including end-point and networking products and services that are focused on helping to ensure Internet-connected devices and networks are protected from malicious content, phony requests and unsecured transactions and communications. Among others, products include McAfee Total Protection™, McAfee Antivirus, McAfee Internet Security, McAfee Firewall, McAfee IPS as well as an expanding line of products targeting mobile devices such as smartphones.

Intel has made a series of recent and successful software acquisitions to pursue a deliberate strategy focused on leading companies in their industry delivering software that takes advantage of silicon. These include gaming, visual computing, embedded device and machine software and now security.

Home to two of the most innovative labs and research in the high-tech industry, Intel and McAfee will also jointly explore future product concepts to further strengthen security in the cloud network and myriad of computers and devices people use in their everyday lives.

On a GAAP basis, Intel expects the combination to be slightly dilutive to earnings in the first year of operations and approximately flat in the second year. On a non-GAAP basis, excluding a one-time write down of deferred revenue when the transaction closes and amortization of acquired intangibles, Intel expects the combination to be slightly accretive in the first year and improve beyond that.

Intel was advised by Goldman Sachs & Co. and Morrison & Foerster LLP. McAfee was advised by Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc. and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C.

In the world of computers there are always trade-offs between power, money, and space. ITX boards have stood at the lower end of the spectrum conserving space and money at the price of performance. Jetway introduces a new ITX board that boasts about the "Next-Generation ION" chipset. But is the improvement really there, or is it all just smoke and mirrors? Read on and find out.
Jetway JNC98-525E-LF Atom Motherboard @ TechwareLabs

"Thermalright are no strangers to dual radiator tower heatsinks. In fact
they were one of the first to introduce the concept with their famous IFX-14
cooler. Although it never received as much attention as the much revered
Ultra 120 Extreme, the IFX-14 was a revolutionary design that allowed users
to attach up to three fans of varying thicknesses (25mm/38mm) so it proved
highly efficient for brute air cooling performance. However, the Ultra 120
Extreme has now been succeeded by the superior Venomous X, which proved to
be one of the best coolers we have tested here at Vortez, so it's now the
IFX-14's turn to undergo the same treatment. The result is the Thermalright
Silver Arrow.

Some of you may notice that the Silver Arrow is reminiscent of the Cogage
Arrow and that's because the latter was designed by the same engineer team.
Cogage is a budget oriented company that falls under the umbrella of its
parent company, Thermalright. That's not to say that the Silver Arrow is a
direct copy of the Cogage solution because it has undergone several
refinements to deliver a highly polished product that is deserving of its
Thermalright heritage. The most significant difference is the inclusion of
Thermalright's latest TR TY-140 fans but more on that later."
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Thermalright Silver Arrow CPU Cooler Review @ Vortez.co.uk

City of Industry, CA -- Aug 18, 2010 -- Shuttle, an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance small form factor (SFF) PC solutions and creator of the XPC, is now shipping its new XS35 slim PC in three ready-to-ship (RTS) configurations -- everyday, media, and high-definition -- at leading retailers in the U.S. and Canada, including online at Newegg.com and SuperBiiz.com (formerly eWiz.com).

Earlier this year, Apple was slapped with a class action lawsuit in California over their iPhone's liquid sensors reporting liquid contact when there was none.

Now it appears Asians are beginning to report the issue as well, with customers in Asia insisting their indicators are being tripped just from the humidity in the air.

Who would've suspected that moisture would trip liquid contact indicators? 

Source: South China Morning Post

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Highlights for PC-Q11A / PC-Q11B / PC-Q11R / PC-Q11W

• Supports Mini-ITX/Mini-DTX motherboards
• Two 3.5" HDD & two 2.5" HDD
• One 140mm system fan at the front
• Two PCI expansion slots
• One standard 5.25" optical drive
• Standard ATX PS/2 power supply units
• Support two USB3.0 / HD audio multimedia I/O ports
• Available in four colors: black, silver, red and (New!) piano white
• Availability: Arriving at local distributors end of August
• MSRP (VAT not included): US$94.99 for PC-Q11A/B (silver/black), US$114.9 for PC-Q11R (red), and US$174.99 for PC-Q11W (white) 

"As good as the chassis is, there are several things that pulled it back from being top dog. First for the size and weight of the case, let alone the price, a set of rails should be included. The case is too heavy to keep removing from a rack when needing to perform maintenance or upgrades. Getting it into the rack in the first place takes at least two people and the rack ears seem to hold it, but for how long?"

Norco RPC-4020 4U Review @ OCC