On Wednesday Dell introduced two notebooks and desktops for rising markets. These emerging markets have been the most significant contributor in giving boost to Dell’s sales.

Economical basic computers proved themselves strong sellers in various countries. Keeping it in mind most recent Vostro brand computers are customized for small businesses, governments, and educational institutions in countries where inexpensive, basic computers are strong sellers. In Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America’s 20 countries Dell is offering the new PCs.

Steve Felice, president of Dell Asia-Pacific/Japan operations stated that large number of new businesses demanding simply the technology they require at minimum rice that they can afford in global upcoming and rising markets.

Two notebooks comprise a 15.6-inch and a 14.1-inch model. Wide-screen, anti-glare LCD screen and the option of a range of Intel processors from the Celeron to the Core 2 Duo are included in the system along with integrated network, modem, and wireless connectivity with discretionary Bluetooth capabilities. Buyers can choose between Ubuntu Linux and Microsoft Windows Vista for operating systems. Price range starts from $475 for the Vostro A860 notebook and the smaller A840.

Outside United States revenue exceeded U.S. revenue for the first time at Dell in the first financial quarter.

Microsoft has walked away $20.7 million richer after Immersion settled a seven-year old lawsuit with the computer giant.

Immersion is a maker of digital touch technology used in video games and a wide range of consumer electronics. Seven years back, Immersion had sued Microsoft and Sony for violation of patent laws alleging that the companies were unfairly using its patented technology in Sony Play Stations and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming consoles. The “rumble technology” at the center of dispute is supposed to provide a tactile sensation of shaking in online gaming.

The lawsuit was filed in 2002 in a US District Court for the Western District of Washington. Eventually in 2003 and 2004, Immersion entered into a series of agreements with both the companies. According to the settlements Immersion agreed to offer both Microsoft and Sony license rights in exchange of million dollar fees. The case was officially closed in March 2007. However later it was alleged that Immersion had failed to offer compensation to Microsoft from its settlement with Sony.

Immersion officials claimed that the final settlement of $20.7 million compensation to Microsoft will enable the company to put the lengthy lawsuit behind it and will help it focus on future plans of expansion and growth.

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Even after the Olympic flame was extinguished, the gold rush showed no signs of slowing down with several medal winners being courted by major corporate houses for lucrative endorsement deals.

Michael Phelps who took back the highest number of gold medals in the history of Olympic Games is the new face of celebrity endorsements. Even before the Games started, he had been signed on by corporate heavyweights as Visa, AT&T, Speedo, PowerBar and Omega and was reportedly collecting $5 million annually for sponsorships. Post his record-breaking feat of eight individual gold medals, he is expected to touch new heights in endorsement contracts and is already being coveted by companies like Kellogg.

Other famous medal winners who continue to mine gold after the Olympics are American gymnast Nastia Liukin and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. Visa has already roped in Liukin for a new limited edition credit card which shows the young athlete leaping gracefully across it. Bolt made every advertiser’s dream come true when he took off his gold Puma sneakers after the record-breaking race and held it high for the cameras to zoom in on the brand. Bolt can be sure that an avalanche of corporate sponsors are waiting to sign him on and carry on the fairytale ending.

The US Census Bureau came up with an upbeat report on Tuesday according to which wages of working Americans have risen and the percentage of people without health insurance has declined in 2007.

Figures released in the census report brought some cheer to an economy still struggling with the effects of a slow down. In 2007, the income in median households rose by 1.3 percent from $49568 in 2006 to $50233 last year. The number of American without health insurance dropped from 47 million in 2006 to 45.7 million in 2007. the poverty rate remained essentially unchanged with the proportion of the population living in poverty rising only marginally from 12.3 percent in 2006 to 12.5 percent in 2007.

However experts have warned that this census report does not include the effects of the economic slump which began in late 2007 and which continues to negatively impact the growth rate. The slow down in economy has led to large scale job cuts, rising inflation and falling wages. in the report too, some figures reveal worrying trends. For instance in 2007, the inflation-adjusted median income in working age households was $1100 less than it was in 2001 when the country was in recession.

Crude oil prices rose in the US for the third straight day on fears of tropical storm Gustav hitting the Gulf of Mexico which accounts for more than a fifth of the country’s domestic oil production.

On Tuesday, prices of crude oil for October delivery inched higher by 85 cents or 0.7 percent to settle at $117.12 a barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange. The day before, prices had risen by 1 percent or $1.16 to rest at $116.27 a barrel.

The rise in crude prices come in the wake of fears that the tropical storm Gustav will veer towards the Gulf of Mexico after having battered Haiti and already caused five deaths in the small nation. Oil rigs and drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico remained on stand by for necessary evacuations. Transocean Inc, the largest offshore oil drilling company in the world has already began suspending operations and other companies like Royal Dutch Shell are expected to start evacuations of non-essential staff.

By Tuesday night, Gustav had weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm with wind speed of 70 miles an hour. Latest reports from the Hurricane Center at Miami revealed that it was moving at 8 miles per hour in a north westerly direction and was expected to hit Cuba on Wednesday before moving towards the Gulf of Mexico by August 31.

Federal authorities in the US released a “problem list” of banks on Tuesday which showed a 30 percent rise in the number of troubled banks over the second quarter.

Data released by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp put the total number of troubled banks in the second quarter to 117 which is a jump of 30 percent from 90 such banks recorded at the end of March. In the past five years, this is the highest total of banks which stand on the verge of closure. The troubled banks had assets of $78.3 billion, which revealed a rise from the $26.3 billion in the first quarter. Most of the banks on the problem list owed their predicament to massive commercial real estate loans that were long overdue.

The failure of some high-profile banks as well as the list released by the FDIC has bank customers across the country on edge as they question the safety of the deposits. However the good news is that the vast majority of banks are in a financially secure position. Moreover even if a bank fails, a customer rarely loses his money as deposits are generally insured.

The list of “problem banks” announced by the FDIC did not include the names of the troubled institutions but included those whose continuing viability was threatened by substantial deficiencies in finances, operations or management.

Flights all over the US suffered delays on Tuesday as a Federal Aviation Administration Facility which processes flight plans for the eastern half of the country experienced an electronic communication failure.

According to Kathleen Bergen, FAA spokesperson in Atlanta, the problem occurred at the FAA facility in Hampton, Georgia where there was a failure in the communication link that transmits data to a similar facility in Salt Lake City. As a result, all flight plans for the eastern part of the country were being handled at the Salt Lake City facility alone, leading to delays in departure flights. The northeast was worst hit even though planes taking off from other parts of the country were also affected.

The communications failure occurred in FAA facility at Georgia on Tuesday afternoon leading to delays till early evening. However after that most of the flights returned to their normal schedules with only flights from Atlanta and Chicago continuing to suffer delays. Bergen also clarified that the delays in take off were caused by the technical glitch in the FAA facility and there were no safety issues. The pilots of all planes on ground and air could be reached and were in constant touch with officials.

UTStarcom, Inc. (Nasdaq: UTSI) has been recognized as the leading broadband infrastructure company in India by Voice&Data for the second year in a row. The V&D100 Top Broadband Infrastructure Company award, which was presented to UTStarcom during the V&D100 Awards by S. C. Khanna, Secretary General, Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India (AUSPI), recognizes UTStarcom’s sustained leadership in broadband infrastructure and its direct impact on India’s telecom market growth. The Voice&Data 100 is an exhaustive annual survey conducted by Voice&Data Magazine, the leading magazine in the Indian telecom services and equipment industries. The ranking of companies in several segments, including broadband, is derived from Voice&Data’s vendor revenue estimates based on surveys and market analysis. Read more