As someone who has built many computers over the last 10 years, the ATI video card brand has always been a big part of my computer building experience.  ATI vs Nvidia.  That was one of the huge choices.  In 2006, AMD bought ATI and continued using the ATI brand name and has used it up until this point in the marketing and naming of their products.  Well, AMD has decided that it no longer needs the ATI brand and it will be killing it off and instead using AMD and Radeon names going forward.

For more information, you can checkout this article over at The Tech Report, which details the market research that AMD conducted to determine they no longer needed the ATI brand anymore.

Wow... HardwareCanucks has received word that BFG Technologies, you know them...they make video cards, has started sending out RMA Denials to customers who are attempting to get warranty work done citing supplier issues.  What this means is that no repairs are being done and customers are receiving their video cards returned unrepaired.

BFG Technologies announced that it was departing the video card business back in May but no doubt people still bought this cards after that.  Unfortunately those cards that have "lifetime warranties" suddenly have their lives cut short.

The letter from BFG Tech is short and you can see the full letter at HardwareCanucks, but it states...

BFG Technologies Inc. is in the process of winding down and liquidating its business.  Unfortunately, our major supplier would not support our business.  As a result, we are returning your graphics card without being able to repair it.  We apologize for the inconvenience.

Sorry guys, looks like the consumer is getting the shaft.

TechCrunch, citing sources briefed on the matter, is stating that HP is killing the "Slate" project due to it's unhappiness with Windows 7 as tablet operating system.  This news comes just a day or so after HP bought Palm which has it's own PalmOS and the same day that Microsoft killed the Courier.  There are also rumors that HP may also ditch the Intel hardware as it is too power hungry.

It's currently unknown if HP will resurrect the Slate under a different name with a different OS.

If this is true, I for one will be sad to see the Slate go.  The HP Slate did have the cooler name and I think gave everyone out there searching for a tablet a nice alternative to the iPad.

Chalk it up to rumor for now, but it makes sense... The Slate doesn't hold a candle to the iPad for what it is.  Perhaps the Slate is/was a more powerful machine, had more versatility since it was packed with a camera, USB ports, and the kitchen sink, but it isn't/wasn't simple like the iPad.  We all love and hate Windows, but imagine running Windows and download/installing some type of third party app that suddenly BSODs your Slate.   Not cool when your out and about.  Has anyone seen that on an iPad?  I haven't....

Sent from my iPad   =)

Couple of months ago I was going crazy trying to figure out how I can use one keyboard and mouse between my computer and my wife's.  Only solution I came across was buying a KVM switch which can be quite expensive and didn't quite fit my needs.   Since then we have combined PC's and have gotten a Mac as well.  Same problem, two monitors, two keyboards, two mice, one desk...Quite annoying.  In comes Synergy.  A free solution and easy way to connect many different types of computers and monitors to use one keyboard and mouse.

With Synergy, you configure the client/server software by choosing where the monitors are in relation to each other (Mac is the right of the PC, PC is to the left of the Mac, etc) then once the everything is running move the mouse all the way to the right on the PC and VOILA!, You are now on the other computer (My Mac).   Text copy and paste also work between computers.

Configuration can be a little tricky, but stick with the instructions read each line carefully and stick with it.  In the end it will be well worth it.  You can read up and download Synergy at http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/index.html