Google promises 'new computing model'

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has hailed Google's new laptops as a “new model of computing”, reports the BBC.

They will be driven via Google's Chrome browser and optimised for the Web. His comments came on the second day of the company's developer conference, where Google revealed the Chromebook laptops will go on sale in June.

Samsung and Acer will be the first manufacturers to offer the devices, for between $349 and $499, in the US and six European countries initially.

Cisco Systems, the world's largest maker of computer networking gear, is set to eliminate thousands of jobs as part of cost-cutting moves to get profit growing again, reveals the Associated Press.

Cisco's sales rebounded from the recession, but then started stalling in the middle of last year. In the past few months, CEO John Chambers accepted long-standing criticism that Cisco is trying to compete in too many markets and vowed to radically simplify the company.

Chambers now wants to cut annual expenses by $1 billion, or about 6%. He didn't say how many jobs he's aiming to eliminate, mainly through an early retirement programme.

Telecom-equipment maker Huawei Technologies has been awarded an injunction against its Chinese rival, ZTE Technologies, the target of patent and trademark lawsuits Huawei filed in Germany, France, and Hungary, says The Register.

“Huawei has received the injunction as part of our legal claim that ZTE is infringing on our trademark,” said Huawei spokesman Ross Gan in a statement. “We welcome the decision, which will protect our innovation and intellectual property.”

Huawei's lawsuits - which were filed one day before ZTE counter-sued Huawei for patent violation in China in April - claim ZTE is infringing on Huawei patents relating to data cards and 4G wireless LTE technologies, and that ZTE illegally used a Huawei-registered trademark on some of its data card products.

Demand for staff in the IT sector is rising more quickly than in any other part of the economy, according to the latest monthly survey by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, notes V3.co.uk.

The Report on Jobs surveys 400 UK recruitment agencies every month to identify trends in the economy.

The research shows IT candidates have been in greater demand than in other sectors for over a year, and that the demand continues to increase, particularly for IT sales workers and computer-aided design developers.