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Bryan Wagner, a former private investigator, has been sentenced to serve three months for his role in the Hewlett-Packard pretexting scandal.

Wagner yesterday stood before U.S. District Court Judge D. Lowell Jensen, who sentenced him for his role in the pretexting scheme. After that period is up, Wagner will be monitored for two years under supervisory release.

Wagner, who pleaded guilty to identity theft and conspiracy in 2007, could have faced up to two years in prison, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Kane asked the judge to reduce the sentence. Wagner is believed to have cooperated with prosecutors … Read more

Microsoft's Surface RT tablet remains the single most popular Windows 8/RT device, though its lead isn't as pronounced as a month ago, according to an update of usage statistics.

The Microsoft tablet is still the single most popular device, but its share of usage among Window 8/RT devices has fallen by almost half compared to last month, according to AdDuplex, a Windows ad-serving business.

The ranking is based on data collected from 71 active Windows 8/RT apps on the AdDuplex network on December 7. The numbers don't appear to say anything about trends in … Read more

In the brave new world of connected personal computing devices, Hewlett-Packard is a distant No. 4, with Samsung and Apple leading the way.

Think of IDC's "Worldwide Smart Connected Device Market" report as the 21st century equivalent of PC maker rankings.

Personal computing today includes tablets and smartphones, not just the laptop in your father's home office.

That global smart-connected device market grew 27.1 percent year-over-year in the third quarter to a record 303.6 million shipments valued at $140.4 billion, IDC said today in a research note.

"HP, which is virtually non-existent … Read more

This week Hewlett-Packard offered a few good reasons to consider a Windows 8 laptop over a MacBook.

Those arguments are embodied in an upcoming 3-pound HP EliteBook Revolve business ultrabook "convertible" that was announced this week.

The MacBook Air is a fine design (I use one every day) and the new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is an even better design. But the Apple way isn't the only way. Here are three features that the MacBook ain't got.

Built-in 4G: The EliteBook Revolve offers built-in 4G LTE or HSPA+. Wi-Fi-only MacBooks are getting a bit stodgy. It'… Read more

If Made In USA is a feature, Hewlett-Packard's got Apple beat.

In effect, that's what HP said today. "Lots of noise...about Apple moving Mac production back to the U.S.... [We] wanted to offer HP's story," said an HP representative via e-mail Friday.

Part of that story was provided by way of a blog post.

"HP PCs have been assembled in the U.S. since the beginning," the post begins. "HP workstations and commercial desktop PCs are manufactured in Indianapolis, and HP servers are manufactured in Houston. These manufacturing facilities employ … Read more

Demand for Windows 8 touch-screen PCs is strong, according to two analysts who spoke with CNET.

"Touch machines are actually selling above expectations," said Bob O'Donnell, a program vice president at IDC.

And that means supply shortages. "Some vendors are actually facing shortages because touch panels are in limited supply. Vendors are saying they can't get as many touch-based machines as they would like to meet the demand that they're seeing."

Rhoda Alexander, an analyst at IHS iSuppli, echoed O'Donnell's comments. "We've talked to a number of PC makers … Read more

Hewlett-Packard has launched a new printer that can serve as a hot spot, though it's available only in India and China for now.

The HP Hotspot LaserJet Pro M1218nfs MFP lets up to eight people hop on to wirelessly connect their mobile devices to the Internet.

As a multifunction printer, the device comes with the usual print, copy, and scan features. It also offers several options for printing wirelessly, including Apple AirPrint, HP ePrint, and HP wireless direct. HP's Smart Install tries to ease the burden of installation by letting you set up the printer without the need … Read more

Moody's cut Hewlett-Packard's rating today, topping a day marked by a rash of critical articles about the Silicon Valley giant.

Moody's Investor Services cut HP's long-term credit rating to Baa1, three levels above junk, from A3, according to Bloomberg. The rating agency said that HP's "credit profile will remain weaker than previously expected over the intermediate term," among other reasons.

This comes in the wake of an $8.8 billion writedown related to alleged fraudulent accounting at Autonomy, the software company HP acquired last year.

And HP's core businesses aren't faring … Read more

Hewlett Packard says it has discovered "extensive evidence" that an unspecified number of former employees of Autonomy had cooked the books prior to HP's $11.1 billion acquisition of the software company.

In its fourth quarter earnings report last week, HP announced it was taking an $8.8 billion charge related to its purchase of Autonomy. At the time, HP said that it bought the company based on pumped-up and fraudulent accounting. Since then, HP and Autonomy founder and former CEO Mike Lynch have engaged in a public war of words about who was really to blame … Read more