MacBook Air has its fully upgraded 11-inch version reviewed

Apple’s new MacBook Airs aren’t exactly performance kings — if anything, they’re performance laggards given the finely aged internals they have — but there is some room for upgrading them should you wish for a little extra oomph. AnandTech cornered the maxed-out 11.6-inch variant, with a 1.6GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and 128GB of flash storage on board, and put it through the usual benchmark routine. In spite of costing a much meatier $1,399 than the $999 default config, the upgraded Air was deemed to be a worthwhile improvement as it delivered an average of 15 percent better performance at the cost of no more than seven percent of battery endurance. To our eyes, the biggest driver for these improved results was the jump from 2GB to 4GB of RAM, something all of us can bear in mind when contemplating our next laptop purchase.

MacBook Air has its fully upgraded 11-inch version reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Nov 2010 14:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI reveals 15.6-inch, Core i5-equipped CX620 3D laptop

Need another use for those 3D glasses you were suckered into buying as an integral part of this year’s Halloween costume? Look no further, bubs. MSI has just outed its latest 3D-friendly laptop, the CX620 3D. Outfitted with a Core i5 (or a Core i3, if you’re looking to save a few bucks), this 15.6-incher also gets up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, a 1GB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 GPU, HDMI / VGA outputs, 320/500/640GB hard drive, a DVD writer, two USB 2.0 sockets, an ExpressCard slot, 4-in-1 card reader and a pair of stereo speakers. You’ll find Windows 7 Home Premium runnin’ the show, while 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, gigabit Ethernet and a 1.3 megapixel webcam all make expected appearances. There’s no telling how long the six-cell Li-ion will last once the deathmatch gets going, nor how much it’ll cost when it lands sometime between now and who knows when. But hey, 3D!

MSI reveals 15.6-inch, Core i5-equipped CX620 3D laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Nov 2010 01:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell XPS 14 review

When Dell told us of its plans to revive its tried and true XPS laptop line we were pretty darn excited. With so much brand dilution in the past few years — there’s been the Adamo XPS and the Studio XPS — the products have noticeably strayed from providing the rock solid gaming and multimedia experience they were once known for. There’s a reason XPS stands for Xtreme Performance System, right?! The new line, which includes 14-, 15-, 17-inch systems, has all the ingredients to set it back on track — including Core i5 / i7 processors, NVIDIA GeForce 400M graphics with Optimus, JBL speakers, a backlit keyboard, an HD webcam and a solid aluminum lid – but has Dell succeeded in creating a well-rounded multimedia machine? And does it rival our oh-so-adored HP Envy line? We’ve spent the last week using the more mobile $899 XPS 14, so read on to find out in our full review!

Continue reading Dell XPS 14 review

Dell XPS 14 review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC 1015T now on sale, complete with AMD V105 CPU

So, the mystery’s solved. If you’ll recall, we spotted ASUS’ Eee PC 1015T sittin’ pretty at Computex, but considering that the OS was wiped by the time we got to it, we were left to take the placard’s word for it when it came to specifications. Now, B&H has begun to offer this bad boy here in the States, with $349.99 nabbing you a 1.2GHz AMD V105 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB (5400RPM) hard drive, ATI’s Mobility Radeon HD 4250, a 10.1-inch LED-backlit panel, inbuilt webcam, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, a 32-bit copy of Windows 7 Starter and a six-cell battery. All told, it rings up at 2.8 pounds and should last anywhere between three and six hours on a full charge, but we’re guessing real-world performance will swing towards the former. It’s available right now in blue, black and white, and if you’re looking for a way to stick it to Intel’s sluggish Atom line, here it is.

ASUS Eee PC 1015T now on sale, complete with AMD V105 CPU originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 20:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AUO trumpets ‘deadzone-free’ laptop and tablet 3D displays, recommends leaving glasses at home

Hello, future! We had an inkling that glasses-free 3D was the next big thing when we had a gaze at Intel’s display back at CES earlier this year, but it seems that AUO is out to overcome the largest hurdle when dealing with lenticular lens 3D technology: viewing angles. Today, the outfit has revealed the world’s first deadzone-free naked eye 3D notebook panel at FPD International 2010, and as the lengthy title indicates, this solution will enable you to view 3D content sans glasses and without positioning yourself carefully in front of the screen. Purportedly, AUO’s tapping into SuperD’s naked eye 3D wizardry to create a 15.6-inch laptop (1080p) and 10.1-inch tablet (WXGA) panel, and there’s even an eye-tracking mechanism that’s baked in to capture viewers’ eyeball movements. Zanier still, both 2D and 3D modes can operate concurrently on the same display, and the viewer can switch back and forth between the two modes without having their brain implode. The company’s pushing a mass production date of Q3 2011, which means that the last CES this planet ever sees should be quite the interesting one.

Continue reading AUO trumpets ‘deadzone-free’ laptop and tablet 3D displays, recommends leaving glasses at home

AUO trumpets ‘deadzone-free’ laptop and tablet 3D displays, recommends leaving glasses at home originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS finally ships Lamborghini Eee PC VX6, but mind that gas guzzler tax

It was introduced way back in June, but it looks as if ASUS has just now gotten its ducks in a row with regard to this speedster. The 12.1-inch Lamborghini Eee PC VX6 is now shipping across the pond, offering an Intel Atom D525 processor, NVIDIA Optimus graphics and Bang & Olufsen audio. It’s available from a host of retailers for £499 ($798), and there’s precisely zero doubt that you’ll be buying one. Because, you know — nothing goes together quite like bargain basement hardware and elitist branding, right? Bonus vid is after the break, if you’re so inclined.

Continue reading ASUS finally ships Lamborghini Eee PC VX6, but mind that gas guzzler tax

ASUS finally ships Lamborghini Eee PC VX6, but mind that gas guzzler tax originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s 14.1-inch QX410 laptop now on sale at Best Buy

Well, in Canada at least. Sammy’s QX410 is listed as “backordered” on America’s Best Buy portal, but it’s bound to make its online debut in short order — in fact, we’re hearing that they’re already popping up on retail shelves. For those in need of a refresher, this 14.1-incher ships with a silver lining (and enclosure, too), 2.53GHz Core i5 processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 640GB hard drive, dual-layer DVD burner, SD / SDHC / SDXC card reader, NVIDIA’s 512MB GeForce 310M GPU (Optimus enabled) and an inbuilt webcam. You’ll also find gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, three USB 2.0 ports and a battery that’s supposedly good for up to seven hours. Oh, and did we mention it includes a WiMAX model for tapping into Sprint’s widening 4G network? Best Buy’s US site is estimating a ship date of “one to two weeks,” and you can pre-order now if you’re sold already for $829.99.

[Thanks, B.S.]

Samsung’s 14.1-inch QX410 laptop now on sale at Best Buy originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI brings graphics switching action to 15.6-inch FX600MX laptop

MSI stops short of calling the graphics switching technology within the FX600MXOptimus,” but it’s pretty obvious what’s behind the curtain. The outfit’s latest 15.6-incher is equipped with a Core i3 or i5 CPU, Windows 7 Home Premium, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory and a 320/500GB hard drive. There’s also a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 310M GPU, and MSI has thrown in a handy control panel to make switching from discrete to integrated a lesson in simplicity. Moving on, you’ll find a DVD SuperMulti drive, two USB 2.0 ports, a 4-in-1 card reader, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, gigabit Ethernet, an HD webcam and a conventional six-cell battery. You’d be wasting your time hoping for a price and release from these guys, but usually a proper announcement means it’ll be on shelves soon.

MSI brings graphics switching action to 15.6-inch FX600MX laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 06:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP Envy 14 Beats Edition no longer available with Dr. Dre endorsed headphones, results in price drop

The differences between the HP Envy 14 Beats Edition and the plain ol’ Envy 14 have been primarily aesthetic — it’s got a black Beats branded lid and red backlit keyboard — but HP’s also included that set of Monster Beats Solo headphones you see up there. Sadly, that last differentiator is no longer. We’d heard from a few readers that their Envy 14 Beats Edition laptops arrived sans headphones, and HP has confirmed for us that due to “supply constraints” the Dr. Dre Solo from Monster headphones are no longer included with the snazzy black and red laptop. Hopefully those customers that paid full price for the laptop and didn’t receive the Solos will get a refund, but we’re told by HP that the price has been lowered by $100 since the cans went out of stock — the starting price was originally $1,249.99 and is now $1,149.99. We’re not entirely sure why you’d pay $150 more for the Beats version now, considering you get the same audio experience with the standard $999.99 Envy, but what do we know? There may be tons of diehard Beats Audio fans living amongst us.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

HP Envy 14 Beats Edition no longer available with Dr. Dre endorsed headphones, results in price drop originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 19:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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11.6-inch MacBook Air cleared to remain packed through security, but we’d remove it anyway

Really, TSA? Are you honestly so stoked to disappoint? If you’ll recall, the American Transportation Security Administration got up close and personal with a first-generation MacBook Air after wrongly assuming it was an Apocalypse-bringer, and even after adjusting rules so that iPads, netbooks and other smaller electronics could fly through carry-on screening equipment without being unpacked, we’ve still heard of (and personally experienced) occasions where agents have demanded that tablet PCs be ran through naked. If there’s a lesson to learn here, it’s that the TSA is consistently inconsistent, and you’re probably better off putting everything you own in a separate grey bucket for the sake of covering your bases. The same applies to Apple’s new 11.6-inch MacBook Air, which is cleared to undergo TSA scanning while packed under the aforesaid amended rules. In theory, you shouldn’t have to remove it from your backpack as you struggle to reach your gate, but if we had to guess, we’d say you’ll be ask to take it out and re-run it if you try. But hey, you’re only being victimized and scrutinized in the name of security, so it’s all good. Trust us.

11.6-inch MacBook Air cleared to remain packed through security, but we’d remove it anyway originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Oct 2010 10:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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