Hasta La Gadget!

As if it wasn’t clear already, smartbooks are one of the big trends (if not the biggest) to emerge out of this year’s Computex, be they Snapdragon or Tegra-powered. Just as interesting as the devices themselves, however, is the fact that a number of manufacturers are looking at using Android as an OS for ’em, including big players like ASUS, and now Compal. While’s ASUS’ Snapdragon-based offering was impressive enough, Compal looks to have slightly outdone it by adding a customized interface at start-up, which is apparently just a taste of further “optimizations” to come. Details are otherwise a bit hard to come by, but you can head on past the break for a hands-on video courtesy of techvideoblog.com.

Continue reading Compal shows off Android-running, Snapdragon-powered smartbook

Filed under: Laptops

Compal shows off Android-running, Snapdragon-powered smartbook originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pardon us while we take this opportunity to snag a nap, but seriously, we just cannot muster any excitement whatsoever about Mobile Internet Devices. Stuck somewhere between capable smartphones and these newfangled smartbooks, MIDs seem to be carving out a niche that precisely no one cares about. Though, we can say we’re stoked about the forthcoming introduction of Moorestown — the Atom needs a successor in the worst way. At any rate, those still hanging on in hopes of a turnaround have introduced new MIDs today at Computex, with EB, Quanta, Inventec, Aava Mobile and Compal (despite its recent skepticism) showcasing their wares. If you honestly think you could see yourself purchasing one of these unwanted devices in the next year or so, we’ve got plenty of images down there in the read link.

[Via MIDMoves]

Filed under: Handhelds

Five new Moorestown-based MIDs announced at Computex originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you didn’t believe the Tegra hype — 25 days audio, 10 hours of 1080p video on single charge — already then pull up a stool, son, NVIDIA wants to tell your a story. TechVideoBlog sat down with Gordon Grigor, NVIDIA’s Director of Mobile Software to see Tegra’s little Atom smasher in action. So sit back while Gordon smoothly streams a 720p MSN HD trailer off the web (over WiFi) then switches over to Firefox to take Flash for a spin at full-screen. Gordon also clarifies earlier confusion over Tegra’s ability to handle HD video; see, the Tegra 600 can do H.264 video at 720p while the Tegra 650 can decode 1080p. Gordon also gives some more insight into memory configurations. It seems that the OS (either Android or Windows CE in single or dual-boot configurations) will be embedded with minimal on-board storage like those early Eee PCs. RAM will also be limited to about 512MB on base units going as low as 256MB and as high as 1GB in future (unannounced) devices. A 512MB model limits Firefox to about 3-4 opened tabs at a time. All of this is meant to keep prices down below $200 (or less when subsidized by carriers). Also of note is how the Tegra’s GPU assists in rendering pixels anytime they appear on the display. In other words fonts, Firefox pages, scrolling, and of course video playback all benefit from an extra boost by the GPU. Check the video after the break to hear Gordon make some not so subtle jabs at Intel’s relatively power-hungry Atom processor.

Continue reading Video: NVIDIA Tegra’s GPU gets busy with HD video and full-screen Flash — Intel 945GSE shrugs, kicks dirt

Filed under: Laptops

Video: NVIDIA Tegra’s GPU gets busy with HD video and full-screen Flash — Intel 945GSE shrugs, kicks dirt originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Good show, Kingston. Rather than just getting into the SSD game to follow everyone else around, you’ve decided to spin things a little differently — and yeah, we dig it. Here at Computex, the company has just introduced its SSDNow V series bundles, which aim directly at mainstream consumers who need a helping hand in making the leap from HDD to SSD. Said kits arrive in 128GB and 64GB capacities, but we get the impression that these two are just the beginning. Essentially, Kingston provides cloning software, step-by-step instructions for HDD removal / SSD install instructions, mounting brackets and even a 2.5-inch USB SATA external enclosure for those picking up the laptop bundle. Prices range from $149 to $263, and so far as we can tell, these should be sliding out to retailers shortly.

Filed under: Storage

Kingston makes the SSD upgrade easier with SSDNow V bundles originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After confirmation of basement experimentations, and then a surprising announcement of product, Acer’s now actually showing off an Android-powered netbook at Computex. Acer is careful to say that this isn’t their actual Android netbook in the flesh, they’re just the Aspire One D250 as a test platform. Naturally, startup and shutdown times are fairly rapid (eighteen seconds up, one second down), and for the most part Android seems unmodified other than its support for the D250’s 10-inch display, though there is one major head scratcher — in PC Watch‘s coverage of this computer they show off a full-ish version of Firefox apparently running on Android, menu bar included, which is a new one on us. Of course, Firefox runs on Linux, and Android is built on Linux, but there are still a few gaps in logic there that we’ll be happy to explore when we get our own look at this thing.

Filed under: Laptops

Acer shows off Android on a netbook, sneaks Firefox into the proceedings originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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