Intel, Windows 8 team up

Intel's Clover Trail silicon will be the first major push by the chipmaker for Windows 8 tablets, according to CNET.

Clover Trail is an Atom chip slated for release in the second half of the year, about the same timeframe that Windows 8 is due, a source familiar with Intel's plans told CNET.

Clover Trail is a follow-on to Medfield - due in the second quarter - which is aimed primarily at smartphones. While the Medfield chip will undoubtedly be used in some tablets, it is a single-core design, while Clover Trail will also be offered in dual-core versions, making it more attractive for tablet makers, according to sources.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has released new regulations covering competitive practices in the country's booming Internet industry, saying they will help protect the rights of both companies and users, reveals The Wall Street Journal.

The rules could help prevent poor business practices in what is one of China's more free-wheeling industries, dominated by non-state-owned companies that sometimes accuse competitors of foul play.

Such disputes gained wide attention in late 2010, when MIIT criticised major Chinese Internet companies Tencent and Qihoo 360 Technology, as they publicly feuded over alleged unfair practices.

Google, one of the biggest advertising companies in the world, has finally embraced advertising for itself, reports The New York Times.

The search giant made its first push into advertising with a Super Bowl advertisement in 2010 about a young couple falling in love. Through last year, it began a more focused, national, television campaign, as well as other endeavours such as hosting Google-themed conferences in an effort to represent its online brand in the offline world.

“This past year has really been a remarkable transformation for Google,” said Peter Daboll, CE of Ace Metrix, a firm that evaluates TV and video ads.

Sony is pricing its 16GB and 32GB Tablet S devices as low as $400, which is $100 cheaper than the devices' original pricing, according to PCWorld. The new price tag also brings Sony's Android 3.1 Honeycomb-based tablet $100 below the cost of competing iPad 2 models, which are priced at $500 (16GB) and $600 (32GB).

Sony's latest price drop follows a $50 price cut during the holiday season, but this drop appears to be permanent.

Sony's price cut may be just the latest sign of how tablet makers are finding it difficult to compete with the iPad. Apple's slate currently owns more than 61% of the tablet market worldwide, according to the latest numbers from market research firm IDC (which shares a parent company with PC World).