Original Apple 1 to be auctioned off at $127,000

Christie’s has a technological treasure in its wings that will be auctioned off soon, and technology buffs would definitely be interested in the original Apple 1 on offer. Right now, it seems that around 50 or so Apple 1 computers exist in the world (personally built by Steve Wozniak himself), and it will most probably fetch a maximum of $127,000, which can be considered to be a bargain when you compare it to the last unit sold. The Apple 1 computer will be put up for sale in October, this particular unit with serial number 22 hails from Joe Copson, a former Apple employee.

Why did we say that $127,000 was a bargain? Well, a couple of years ago, an Apple 1 computer was put up for sale sans casing albeit with its original original box, instruction manuals, and a signed letter from Jobs, where it retailed for $210,700 at an auction. Steve Wozniak himself attended the auction, enhancing the winning bid by including an autographed letter. Sometime in the middle of this year, we saw another Apple 1 exchanging hands for £240,000.

 

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display already in production?, ITC rules that Apple did not violate Motorola’s patent, remands case back to judge,

Skype turns 9 today

Skype logoHow far have we come since the invention of the telephone (which was obviously preceded by other kinds of long distance communication tools such as smoke signals and messenger pigeons), and fast forward to today, we are able to keep in touch with folks from halfway across the world in different time zones, at the touch of a button. Skype, the VoIP software of choice for millions of people around the world, has just turned 9 today, and where they are now (after being purchased by Microsoft in October last year) is certainly heads and shoulders above what was originally conceived way back in 2003.

How has the use of Skype impacted you in the past 9 years when it came to communication with your family and friends, near and far alike? Have you since moved on to other VoIP programs or IMs, only to return to Skype, and why? Or are you a true blue Skype loyalist who has never taken a look elsewhere?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Skype for iPhone and iPad update brings photo sharing and improved performance, Skype for Metro leaked ,

Samsung Series 5 Ultra laptop, hands-on

Samsung’s Series 5 Ultra is the first generation of Samsung laptop to get an integrated 13.3″ touch screen optimized for Windows 8. The design language and overall build quality of this Series 5 Ultra reminds us of the 15″ Series 9. The body is made of aluminum, and the design is slick and very rigid. It’s not as thin as the Series 9, but it is in a different price range as well: $799 to $849. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Samsung Series 5 and Series 7 Slate PCs, hands-on!, Samsung Unpacked, packed,

Sony VAIO Duo 11 slider PC hands-on (video)

Sony VAIO Duo 11 slider PC handson

While Sony’s keeping quiet on a lot of the precise technical specs, there’s plenty to talk about in the form-factor Sony has chosen for one of its debut Windows 8 VAIO devices. The Duo 11 slider pairs an 11.6-inch screen with a sliding — and very satisfying — hinge. This gives the slate two different ways to deal with Microsoft’s forthcoming OS. Handily, Sony has also developed a precise digitizer to work in tandem with the device. We’re liking the style of the slider, and that petite footprint is also rather appealing — aside from the paucity for keys. There are more impressions and a hands-on video after the break.

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Sony VAIO Duo 11 slider PC hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony VAIO Tap 20 Family Touch PC debuted at IFA 2012

Earlier today at IFA, Sony unveiled not only the VAIO Duo 11, but the VAIO Tap 20 which they are calling a Family Touch PC. Like the VAIO Duo 11, the Tap 20 will run on Windows 8 which means that it’s not entirely surprising to learn that it too will sport a touchscreen display, a 20” one at that.  (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sony VAIO Duo 11 Windows 8 tablet/laptop hybrid revealed, Sony Xperia T makes its official debut at IFA 2012,

Wireless charging via your laptop is now one step closer to becoming a reality

Wireless charging is not a new piece of technology, although the ability to charge our phones simply by placing it next to our computers and without cables? Well that certainly sounds pretty handy and could potentially free up a port or two! Not to mention the convenience and ability to charge our phones even when we did not bring a charger. Such technology was demonstrated by Intel back in June and according to a recent blog post by Intel, it looks like the concept of wireless charging via our computers is a step closer to becoming a reality.

Integrated Device Technology has announced that they will be developing and delivering chipsets for Wireless Charging Technology by Intel. IDT’s full chipset solution for reference design is expected to be ready in early 2013, which means that we still have quite some way to go before we start seeing this technology make its way into consumer products. Intel has stated that a timeline will be given at a later date, but in the meantime we guess we can take comfort in knowing that such (convenient) technology isn’t too far.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Fastest Android phone from Motorola and Intel coming next month?, Intel rumored to bring wireless charging to their smartphones in 2013,

Sony VAIO Duo 11 Windows 8 tablet/laptop hybrid revealed

As expected with upcoming Windows 8 devices, Sony did not disappoint as they officially took the wraps off the VAIO Duo 11, a hybrid sort of device which is part tablet and part laptop. As you can see in the photo above, the Duo 11 can slide forwards, covering the keyboard entirely and double as a tablet. Alternatively the screen can be pushed back which allows it to function as a regular laptop, albeit one that has a capacitive touchscreen for a display. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sony VAIO Tap 20 Family Touch PC debuted at IFA 2012, Sony Xperia T makes its official debut at IFA 2012,

Sony unveils VAIO Duo 11 slide-out tablet, Tap 20 portable touchscreen all-in-one

Sony unveils VAIO Duo 11 slideout tablet, Tap 20 portable touchscreen allinone

Sony just threw itself fully into the touchscreen Windows 8 arena — it’s introducing the VAIO Duo 11 slider tablet and the Tap 20 combination desktop and tablet design at its IFA 2012 press conference. The Duo 11 is a noticeably amped-up realization of the Hybrid concept we saw at CES. Its 11.6-inch, 1080p touchscreen is joined by a proper digitizer stylus for low-lag handwriting as well as some seriously powerful innards for a convertible PC its size: we’re talking an Ultrabook-level Core i3, i5 or i7 as well as a 128GB or 256GB SSD, NFC wireless, GPS, and HD-capable cameras at the front and back. Sony is hoping for a late October release for this beast of a slate, although we haven’t been given that all-important price.

The VAIO Tap 20, meanwhile, is more than just a tilting all-in-one desktop in the vein of Lenovo’s IdeaCentre A720. Despite carrying a 20-inch, 1,600 x 900 touchscreen, it’s still very much battery-powered — you can lug the 11.4-pound PC into the living room and treat it like a tiny multi-touch table, if that’s your inclination. It’s sharing the same processor picks as the Duo 11, but it turns to more conventional 750GB or 1TB hard drives and puts the emphasis on shareable apps like Family Paint and the Fingertapps Organizer calendar. Not surprisingly, there’s only one, front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera here, although NFC does make the cut. The Tap 20 is due to arrive at about the same time as its smaller Duo 11 sibling, although we’re once again without details of how much it will cost.

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Sony unveils VAIO Duo 11 slide-out tablet, Tap 20 portable touchscreen all-in-one originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Giada i35V nettop has 1-inch thin case

So we took a gander at the AllWinner A10 ARM-powered Mini PC earlier today, and if you thought that this was small, how about laying your eyes on the Gaida i35V Mini PC as well? It has a chassis that measures just 1″ thin, and more importantly, we are interested to know just what kind of mechanical goodness lie underneath the hood of this puppy. For starters, there is a rather basic 1.86GHz Intel Atom D2500 dual core processor which is accompanied by an Intel GMA 3600 graphics chipset, 2GB RAM, and an mSATA solid state disk for storage purposes instead of the usual hard drive.

The lack of moving parts through the mSATA inclusion would mean a lower level of power consumption, not to mention making it easier to keep cool since less heat is generated. No idea on the read/write speeds of this particular mSATA solid state disk, but generally speaking, it should be able to outperform the average hard drive. Other features include a 2.5″ hard drive bay, five USB 2.0 ports, HDMI, VGA, and SPDIF ports, an Ethernet jack, 802.11n WiFi connectivity, mic and headphone jacks, and a memory card reader. The asking price for this puppy is $160, although different online vendors do charge varying prices.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Wireless charging via your laptop is now one step closer to becoming a reality, Sony VAIO Duo 11 Windows 8 tablet/laptop hybrid revealed,

Gigabyte Z77X-UP7 E-ATX Motherboard

Gigabyte Z77X-UP7 E-ATX Motherboard

Check out this newly Introduced E-ATX motherboard from Gigabyte, the Z77X-UP7. Based on Intel Z77 chipset, the board supports for Intel LGA1155 processors and features a 32+3+2 power phase design, four DDR3 DIMM memory slots and four PCI-Express 3.0 x8 slots. Connectivity-wise, it offers six SATA 6.0 Gbps, four SATA 3.0 Gbps, ten USB 3.0, four USB 2.0 and two Gigabit Ethernet. Pricing info is still unknown at the moment. [Gigabyte]