Dell Buys AppAssure, First Acquisition For Software Group

Dell Inc. (DELL) acquired backup and replication software maker AppAssure Software Inc., Dell's first software acquisition since it formed its software group. The computer maker recently hired private-equity executive and former CA Inc. (CA) head John Swainson to shore up its software business as its looks to focus on higher-margin operations like software and data-storage systems. Dell, the world's third-largest PC maker by sales behind Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) and Lenovo Group Ltd. (LNVGY, 0992.HK), said it plans to keep AppAssure's roughly 230 employees and will continue to invest in the company's engineering and sales efforts. Read the original article here

Cisco recalls suicidal UCS blade servers

Cisco Systems warns that its high-end B440 blades for its "California" Unified Computing System have a potentially disastrous defect that could result in one or more board failures, and emit a flash of light that could perhaps give system administrators heart attacks. Last week, Cisco put out a field notice to customers using its UCS B440 server blades, saying that the failure of a MOSFET power transistor on the blade can "cause the component to overheat and emit a short flash which could lead to complete board failure." The company went on to say that "in extreme circumstances it could affect the other blades in the chassis by disrupting power flow." Cisco actually warned customers that something was afoot... Read the original article here

Obama administration wants all students using digital textbooks in five years

For all of their benefits, paper textbooks are heavy, expensive, and often out of date by the time students get hold of them. It turns out the folks at Apple aren't the only ones trying to make the push to digital textbooks — in an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and FCC chairman Julius Genachowski state that the Obama administration has set a goal for getting digital textbooks in the hands of all students, and that goal is a very ambitious five years. The benefits of moving to digital are of course numerous, but Genachowski puts it well when discussing the flexibility of digital: "When they get to something they don’t know, the device can let them explore." Read the original article here

Windows on an iPad: OnLive Desktop rents you PC in the cloud

Can iPads and tablets eventually kill the laptop? OnLive thinks it has the solution. The limitations currently make such a proposition unlikely, but OnLive's announcement of a cloud-based Windows environment for the iPad provides an alternative to the App Store. Color us intrigued, but skeptical. OnLive Desktop for iPad (photos) Read the original article here

Streak 7 Is No Longer Available

Streak 7 Is No Longer Available Link to Dell site here

Dell Thin Client Software Solutions with Echo

Join us for a chat on Dell Thin Client Software Solutions with Echo. Click here to join the conversation and chat with experts on Dell Thin Client Software Solutions with Echo Tuesday Nov. 29th, 2011 Link to the original page here

Dell Streak gets DISA approval, Androids look to Pentagon invasion

Android conspiracy theories? They go all the way to the top -- or will soon, thanks to the US Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). The department has given the green light to use Dell's Mobile Security for Android platform on defense networks. The testing process utilized the Dell Streak, because apparently being giant is an important part of national security. Read the original article here