Monday, May 6, 2002		Latest in IT world

Google is nibbling at the heels of Yahoo! in the fight to be the leading search engine on the Internet, according to a survey, AFP reports. WebSideStory in a survey, which was released last week, said that Google was rapidly gaining market share and could surpass long-time leader Yahoo! if the trend continued. The survey found that as of April 24, Google accounted for 31.87 per cent of all search referrals worldwide, compared to Yahoo! 36.35 per cent. Google's search referral percentage has risen sharply in the past two years, from about 1 per cent in June 2000, while Yahoo's percentage has slipped from about 46 per cent during the same time period. In third place among top search engines is Microsoft's MSN, which posted a referral percentage of 12.73 per cent.

AMD has announced that it has selected "AMD Opteron" as the brand for its 8th-generation enterprise class processor for servers and workstations, formerly code-named "SledgeHammer." The AMD Opteron processor is based on AMD's 8th-generation processor core, which will represent the landmark introduction of the industry's first x86-64 technology. The AMD Opteron processor is designed to provide investment protection, running existing 32-bit applications with unsurpassed performance, and offering customers a seamless transition to 64-bit technology.

Intel Asia Electronics announced opening of three new Intel Architecture (IA) solution labs, Deccan Herald reports. These labs, set up in association with leading India-based e-business companies, will be located at the premises of PricewaterhouseCoopers Ltd in Kolkata, Satyam Computer Services Ltd and Wipro Infotech in Bangalore. Briefing reporters, on the sidelines of the Spring 2002 Intel Developers Forum here, Intel Vice-President and General Manager (Business Solutions) John Davies, said the new labs would help each company to bring high performance solutions to market faster and at lower cost.

Samsung Electronics announced in Dubai the regional launch of its new colour mobile phone - SGH-TI00 - and said it was targeting a sales growth of 30 per cent this year in the Middle East - from three million handsets to over 4 million, Khaleej Times reports. B. W. Lee, vice president, Samsung Electronics Middle East & Africa Headquarters, said the new mobile phone, featuring a colour LCD display panel and advanced multimedia capabilities, is expected to redefine quality standards within the region's mobile phone industry and would infuse a fresh wave of excitement among consumers in the region.

Sun Microsystems said that the president and chief operating officer Ed Zaner is leaving, the latest in an exodus of senior executives at the maker of computers that manage corporate computer networks, Reuters reports. Effectively July 1, chairman and chief executive Scott Mc Nealy will take over Zander’s duties, resuming the additional title of president. The company said it does not intend to name a replacement for Zander, who will stay on through year end to help in transition.