Tech briefs

Dell Inc. has introduced a semi-rugged notebook computer. To absorb shock, the $2,499 Dell Latitude ATG D620 surrounds its 80GB, 1.8-inch hard drive with rubber and a magnesium alloy. The alloy covering the case offers 30 percent more shock absorbency than plastic. The keyboard is spill-resistant, and a plastic cover protects the external ports. For work in bright daylight, the display has more than twice the illumination of most notebook PCs.

XML Standards

The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards has approved Version 2 of the Universal Business Language as a standard. UBL is a set of Extensible Markup Language-based schemas for encoding common business documents. Version 2 features 23 new document types, including invoices, transportation status, freight invoice reminders, orders and order responses. It also features advances in code list management.

Industry news

Cisco Systems Inc. is acquiring IronPort Systems Inc. of San Bruno, Calif. The networking giant plans to roll into its own network equipment the IronPort anti-spy and antivirus software. Teradata Data Warehousing, now owned by point-of-sale system provider NCR Corp. of Dayton, Ohio, has announced its intention to separate itself from its parent company. According to company officials, the separation will allow each company to focus more effectively on its own market.