HP buys Aruba Networks for $2.7 billion

Hewlett-Packard is buying wireless networking company Aruba Networks for about $2.7 billion, in what amounts to HP's first major acquisition since its disastrous purchase of a British software company in 2011.
Aruba, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., makes Wi-Fi networking systems for shopping malls, corporate campuses, hotels and universities. Its business has grown as more people are using mobile devices at work, school and elsewhere. Aruba may help HP capitalize on that trend, which has cut into sales of traditional HP products such as desktop computers.
The deal also could help HP compete with tech rivals such as Cisco Systems and gain new access to Asian markets, particularly in China. Cisco currently sells about half of all commercial wireless networking gear worldwide, according to UBS analyst Amitabh Passi. He estimates HP and Aruba combined will account for 20 percent of global sales for such systems.
HP is seeking to expand its tech portfolio for business customers at a time when it is preparing to split into two companies — one focused on selling computer systems and software to businesses, and the other selling personal computers and printers. That's part of HP CEO Meg Whitman's plan for confronting a recent decline in sales.
Buying Aruba gives HP “a faster growing, higher margin business that fills a portfolio need without `betting the ranch',” Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi wrote in a note Monday.

Samsung Galaxy S6

BARCELONA -- The Galaxy S5 is finished. Gone. Done in by peer pressure to adopt prevailing design trends.

Its twin, slim replacements, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and curved-screen Galaxy S6 Edge, finally ditch the utilitarian plastic build and removable battery of previous Samsung flagship phones. They arrive at the smartphone party dressed in sharp metal lines and plenty of glass.
The two new phones are nearly identical -- both run Android 5.0 Lollipop with 5.1-inch high-resolution displays. But the Galaxy S6 Edge competes for the spotlight with two curved-glass edges, each wrapping the long side of the phone with a smooth, readable display.

But is Galaxy S6 a clone of iPhone 6? Check this page and you are the judge.

When will Apple refresh the new macbook air/ pro？

Now lots of people are talking about MacBook Pro on line and rumors are around that MacBook will be refreshed on WWDC 2015. Well, I think the date will be a little earlier than WWDC. We all know that Apple's products have a refresh rate, such as iPhone, iPad or MacBook.

1. About Refreshing Rate.
On June 12th, 2012, MacBook Pro with retina was first released; with CPU of Ivy bridge structure. But only the 15-inch models are equped with Retina Display.
On February 13th 2013, retina MacBook Pro was refreshed again, hardware upgraded and price cut. For example MD212, 2.5GHz dual-core i5 CPU, 8G DDR3L memory, 128G SSD.
On October 23th, when iPad Air was released, Macbook Pro was refreshed as well. CPU was upgraded to Haswell, and display upgraded to Iris.
The latest refresh of MacBook pro was on July 2014, CPU and memory upgraded. X72's memory was increased from 4G to 8G, while XA2 from 8G to 16G.
So, according to the information above, macbook Pro's refresh cycle was about 8 to 9 months.

2. The Date
Why between February and April?
Apple watch will be released in the first qurter of 2015 and on market in April. There are rumors that the conference will be 2.24. March or April is also possible. Maybe Apple Watch, MacBook Pro & Air will all get released or refreshed together. It seems to match the upgrade circle of MacBook pro.

Because of the delay of Intel's fifth core Broadwell, Apple just upgraded MacBook Pro slightly in 2014. Now that Broadwell has been released on CES 2015, so it won't be long before Apple equip it on the new MacBook Pro.

About Macbook Air Retina.
Apple is reportedly planning to release a new MacBook Air on Feb. 24, according to the Czech Apple news blog Letemsvetemapplem.eu
Just like year, this is expected to be a minor refresh for the MacBook Air family, with the 12-inch model not expected to be launched at the same time. Specific details on the kind of minor updates expected for this new MacBook Air refresh aren't available, though Apple should make use of newer, faster Intel chips for the 2015 models.
Rumors have suggested that Apple will launch an all-new 12-inch MacBook Air with a thinner chassis this quarter, which concludes at the end of March. A late February event could set Apple up to debut the new MacBook Air within that timeframe.
It's expected that the redesigned MacBook Air will sport a high-resolution 12-inch Retina display. There have also been claims that the device will feature the new, smaller, reversible USB 3.0 port.

PS4 Outsells Xbox One in January

Sales of gaming consoles might have been down in January as a result of the post-holiday sales slump, but that's totally fine. At least, we presume that's totally fine, since sales of Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One consoles are 60 percent higher, in total, at this point in their lifecycle compared to the exact same time period for the two company's predecessor consoles: the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

In other words, a lot more people have been buying PS4 $399.99 at Dell or Xbox One $367.99 at Amazon consoles than the companies' previous offerings, leading to a generally larger base of video game players in total.

That said, hardware sales in January were down 23 percent. Sales of current consoles, or the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, were down 22 percent, and sales of previous-generation consoles were down 35 percent.

Software and accessory sales in January were up 5 percent and 3 percent, respectively, or $12.4 million and $5.4 million. However, the big hit from hardware sales managed to bring total retail sales for hardware, software, and accessories to a 6 percent decrease compared to the same time period last year.

Xiaomi Will Enter U.S., Sort Of

Fast-growing Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi plans a baby step into the U.S. market.

At a San Francisco event Thursday, Xiaomi said it will bring its mi.com e-commerce website to the U.S. to sell accessories like earphones, power banks and fitness bands.

But Xiaomi co-founder Bin Lin said the company has no plans to offer its popular handsets in the U.S., citing the difficulty of having such devices certified.

The event was Xiaomi’s first in the United States and was intended as a broad overview of the company’s products, its software and the culture it has sought to build around its brand in China. Hugo Barra, the company’s vice president of international, showed off dozens of features Xiaomi has created for its phones, like a “face beautification” option that edits facial features to make people appear prettier in their selfies.

Xiaomi was valued in a recent fundraising at $46 billion, but Lin said there are no plans for an initial public offering in the next “three to five years.”

Founded just five years ago, Xiaomi was the world’s fifth-largest smartphone maker in the fourth quarter, with 4.4% global market share according to IDC estimates. It undercuts rivals like Samsung by selling its phones at cost.

The company said in January it had sold 61 million smartphones in 2014, up 227% from 2013, generating sales of 74.3 billion yuan ($11.9 billion), up 135% from 2013.

The company now has over 100 million people using its MiUi operating system, a customized version of Google's Android, said Barra at the event.

As competition intensifies among makers of Android smartphones, Xiaomi is trying to distinguish itself.

“We are not a handset company,” said Lin. “We are an Internet company.”

Drones Serving in Restaurant now

Singapore businesses are embracing robotics as they deal with a manpower crunch

As shown in the photo above, a drone is serving people with a glass of beverage on it. 

Singapore's food and beverage industry is experimenting with unmanned aerial vehicles, aka drones, as it deals with a severe labor crunch that is raising costs for businesses and forcing some to shut down or curtail services.

Advanced robots can boost productivity by up to 30 percent in some industries and lower total labor costs by a third in South Korea and 25 percent in Japan by 2025, according to a Boston Consulting Group report this week. Robotics are already widely used in Japanese factories, as well as in therapeutic functions and in banks.

Singapore has imposed higher levies for overseas laborers and set tighter limits on employing non-Singaporeans in some industries after discontent over the growing numbers of foreign workers. Its jobless rate was 1.9 percent at the end of the fourth quarter, the lowest among developed nations in Asia Pacific, compared with 6.1 percent in Australia and 3.4 percent in Japan.

Singapore businesses may embrace robotics more enthusiastically as the government favors boosting productivity and innovation, said Junyang Woon, CEO at Infinium Robotics, which designed and developed the drones for Timbre. The challenge isn't in finding more takers for its technology, it's in the drones' aesthetics. "They not only have to be safe, they have to look safe," said Woon. "And they have to look less menacing."

New release of 11-inch & 13-inch MacBook Air on Feb. 24?

Apple is reportedly planning to release a new MacBook Air on Feb. 24, according to the Czech Apple news blog Letemsvetemapplem.eu (via 9to5Mac).

Just like year, this is expected to be a minor refresh for the MacBook Air family, with the 12-inch model not expected to be launched at the same time. Specific details on the kind of minor updates expected for this new MacBook Air refresh aren’t available, though Apple should make use of newer, faster Intel chips for the 2015 models.

Pricing details for the 2015 MacBook Air family aren’t available at this time either. Apple’s 2014 MacBook Air update came with a price cut, with the company making its ultra-portable line of tablets cheaper than ever. A recent report revealed that Apple might further cut the prices of regular 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models once the 12-inch retina version arrives