Latest TechFechMeMe Updates - 2/26 [T1]

Reuters:

Sharper Image files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy  —  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Retailer Sharper Image Corp has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing declining sales, three straight years of losses and litigation involving its Ionic Breeze air purifiers.

Thomas Ricker / Engadget:
HP's UMPC 2133 to cost $630 when shipping in April?  —  A report by the Commercial Times says that HP will launch its 8.9-inch UMPC in April for "more than" NT$20,000 or about $630 bucks.  Sure sounds like the UMPC 2133 we showed you yesterday, eh?  That's about right when you compare it to the $300, entry-level 7-inch Eee PC.

Chippy / UMPCPortal:
HP UMPC to feature VIA Inside.  Not Intel.  —  The HP UMPC news is everywhere and I think it's obvious from the response that this UMPC represents something special.  The comparisons range from the Eee PC to the Macbook AIR.  Just think about that for a minute.  Is this a single device that could compete in multiple markets?

Ina Fried / CNET News.com:

Gates on Yahoo: It's the people  —  PALO ALTO, Calif.—Bill Gates is willing to pay a lot for engineering talent.  —  Asked what makes Yahoo worth more than $40 billion, Gates pointed not to the company's products, its huge base of advertisers or its market share, but rather to the company's engineers.

Robert X. Cringely / InfoWorld:
NEW!
Look before you leak  —  I bet you thought people banked in the Cayman Islands because they serve fruity cocktails with tiny parasols in them while you're waiting for your checks to clear.  Well, you're only partly right.  The other reason people keep accounts in the Caymans is to avoid paying taxes …

Brooke Crothers / CNET News.com:
Dell launches Inspiron notebooks with 'Penryn' chip  —  As expected, Dell is now offering Inspiron notebook PCs with the Intel Core 2 Duo "Penryn" chip as an optional configuration.  This is the first time that Dell has included the 45-nanometer processor as an option in the consumer-oriented Inspiron line.

Ryan Block / Engadget:
Microsoft announces games for Zune via XNA Studio  —  Looks like games are coming for the Zune after all!  Microsoft just announed XNA Studio developers will be able to use the Zune as a multiplayer wireless mobile gaming platform.  Details are sparse at this point, but it looks like it's …

Matt Martin / GamesIndustry.biz:
GDC: Molyneux despairs at "tragic" state of PCgaming  —  Warcraft, The Sims "sucking the air out of PC market," says Lionhead boss  —  Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux has said that the PC gaming market is in a tragic state, with two blockbusters hogging sales and stagnation in the casual market.