Hasta La Gadget!

Well, it’s about time! Excuse our impatience / excitement, but we’ve been hearing about MSI’s 3D all-in-one since March, and the company’s finally done putting the finishing touches on it. While MSI’s claiming it’s the “world’s first 3D all-in-one,” the Wind Top AE2420 3D isn’t just another 3D display that comes with active shutter glasses — though it does have those features and in unison they do a mighty good job of displaying high def, three-dee video and images. But beyond all that, the company’s gone and packed the back of the 24-inch, 120Hz LED panel with a Core i7 870s processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5730 graphics, 4GB of RAM, and a terabyte of storage. And that’s not all… amongst other things, the right and left edges are home to a USB 3.0 port and Blu-Ray drive. Oh yes, it’s one monster of a machine, but it’s gonna cost ya: MSI says the system will come in at $1,800 at most e-tailers, though there may be some other configurations. Still, the swirly design, touchscreen and THX speakers make it a rather luring family or living room PC. Either way, we’re just happy this thing’s finally arrived — hit the break for the full press release as well as the gallery below for some pictures of the rig and MSI’s rather hefty glasses.

Continue reading MSI’s Wind Top AE2420 3D hits US shores for $1,800, Blu-ray and glasses included

MSI’s Wind Top AE2420 3D hits US shores for $1,800, Blu-ray and glasses included originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Snappy looking Fujitsu Lifebook AH530 GFX boasts 1GB external graphics

Snappy looking Fujitsu Lifebook AH530 GFX boasts 1GB external graphics originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It may be a cheaper way to join the high-end Core i7 family, but that doesn’t mean it’s “cheap.” Intel’s Core i7-970 ($899), which just started shipping to consumers around a month ago, has just undergone a thorough looking-over at Hot Hardware, where the six-core chip was tested alongside its more potent (and in turn, more costly) siblings. If you’ve no interest in dropping over a grand for a Core i7-980X, and you aren’t about to lower yourself by purchasing a quad-core Core i7-975, this here chip might just do you proud. In testing, critics found the 970 to be quick, but hardly mind-blowing, when handling more mundane tasks; stir in a few heavily threaded applications, though, and it managed to “sail past” the quad-core contemporaries and “keep pace” with the aforementioned 980X. All told, the silicon managed to perform around 5 percent worse than the 980X, yet it rings up for around 12 percent less. If you’ve got the workflow to truly take advantage of all six cores, and you can stomach not having the absolute best, it seems as if the 970 strikes a fine balance — and hey, if you’re down with overclocking, you can probably get that 5 percent back with just a mild uptick in your energy bill.

Intel’s Core i7-970 gets reviewed: great for overclocking, still expensive originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An 11.6-inch laptop with a Core i7 processor. Does the Lenovo IdeaPad U160 really need more of an introduction than that? Believe it or not, the ultrathin laptop you’re peering at above isn’t much larger than a 10-inch netbook, but instead of packing underpowered parts (ahem, Atom) its got one of Intel’s most powerful ultra-low voltage processors. For $1,149, the U160 is meant for highly mobile power users, but also those with a portable fan and a bag that can fit a few extra laptop batteries. We’ll explain it all in our full review after the break.

Continue reading Lenovo IdeaPad U160 review

Lenovo IdeaPad U160 review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Today, in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, eight high school students from the California Academy for Math and Sciences will attempt to put a 29-foot, 500-pound rocket into orbit, using the skills they picked up in an crash course in rocketry and a 17-inch Sony Vaio CW and F-series laptops with Intel Core i5 and i7 processors under the hood.

The operation is called The Rocket Project, a collaboration sponsored by Sony and Intel to give high school students proficient and dedicated to math, science, and technology the opportunity to put a rocket into orbit. The catch is that the students had only 60 days to design, build, and launch it. The students were ready to launch at the 60 day mark, but weather conditions delayed the launch. Today the students will try again, with clear weather and the approval of the FAA. If the launch goes well, amateur astronomers and radio operators will be able to see the satellite and pick up its radio signal in-orbit, and the students that launched the rocket will have eternal bragging rights.