Buy 2 playbooks, get one free

Maybe one PlayBook wasn't enough to get you interested in Research In Motion's tablet. But three? That's a whole different story.
At least, that's what RIM is banking on in its latest promotion. Business customers who purchase two PlayBooks through a designated reseller get a bonus one for free. In addition, they get their choice of accessories for each tablet.
It's the latest in a line of promotions offered by RIM and its retailer partners as it attempts to spruce up sales of its PlayBook tablet. After a bungled launch and a tepid response to the product, RIM is working aggressively to move the devices off the shelves.

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Say hello to hardware based passwords.

Passwords can be phished, and carrying an extra key fob security device for accessing sensitive sites can be inconvenient. So Intel is putting authentication technology into its chips that will allow Web sites to verify that it's your PC logging into your online account and not an imposter or thief.

Here's how it works. When you visit a Web site that offers this two-factor authentication service you will be asked if you want to use the Identity Protection Technology. If you opt in, you log in with username and password a unique number is assigned to that PC so the site will know it is associated with your account. Thereafter, when you visit that site and type in your username and password an algorithm running on the chipset generates a six-digit code that changes every 30 seconds from the embedded processor that is then validated by the site. 

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Sony wants to go alone

The Japanese consumer electronics giant is ending its 10-year marriage with network-equipment provider Ericsson, spending $1.47 billion to buy out Ericsson's stake in Sony Ericsson, their mobile devices joint venture.
Sony's hope: that it can move faster alone to revive what was once a healthy business through a tighter integration with its other products and media content.

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HP decides to remain in PC business

Hewlett-Packard announced Thursday that it has decided to keep its PC business, which is the world's largest, after considering a spinoff of its "personal services group."
Such as separation was first proposed in August by HP's then-Chief Executive Leo Apotheker, who was ousted in September in favor of former EBay CEO Meg Whitman. Whitman and HP have decided to stick with PCs.
But what about tablets? And what about HP's WebOS operating system, which also went under a strategic review in August?
Whitman addressed those questions in a call with analysts Thursday after breaking the news that HP PCs were here to stay, saying that HP would build tablets running Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 operating system.

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