Hasta La Gadget!

Been thinking about settling down with an XP netbook but can’t get the idea of an Android tablet out of your mind? We understand your pain — and so does Taiwan’s Institute for Information Industry, which is showing off the Mtube II netbook / tablet at Computex. The slick remix of an HP Mini 1000 runs XP when in netbook configuration, but then switches over to Android on an unspecified ARM processor when the screen is pulled off and used as a tablet. Yes, it’s basically the product most of us have daydreamed about for ages — much like the Touch Book — but there are some tradeoffs here: first, the Atom in the netbook base has been swapped for a VIA C7-M, so it’s not exactly a rocket, and second, the screen is connected by VNC, so video performance isn’t going to be all that great. We’re hoping the additional year of development III says it needs will solve some of those problems, but until then you know we’ll be doodling this thing all through math class. Videos after the break.

Continue reading Mtube II mixes an Android tablet with an XP netbook

Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

Mtube II mixes an Android tablet with an XP netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Another day, another new one from iBUYPOWER. But this one’s different, or so they tell us. You see, the M865TU is being hailed as the most powerful 15-inch gaming laptop ever, and considering that Alienware’s M17x can’t be included here, we’d argue these guys actually have an outside shot at being right. Within, you’ll find a 2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9800, up to 4GB DDR3 memory, a 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 graphics card and a 15.6-inch WXGA (1,680 x 1,050) panel. It’ll also ship with an eight-cell battery, 250GB HDD and a dual-layer DVD writer, and it’s available now for as low as $1,499. Don’t expect that “most powerful” label to apply to Mr. Base Configuration, though.

Continue reading iBUYPOWER launches potent M865TU gaming laptop

Filed under: Laptops

iBUYPOWER launches potent M865TU gaming laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We don’t want to point fingers, but at the same time Dell’s Studio XPS 16 red option suddenly returns — now a “Merlot” instead of once-axed “Crimson” — the Mini 9 conspicuously goes missing from the company’s website. Coincidence? We think not. It’s a regular murder mystery, and it looks like we have our prime suspect here, caught… erm, red-lidded. Catching the killer, though, won’t bring it back, but at least its younger brother, the Vostro A90, still seems to alive and kicking.

Update: We just got off the phone with a Dell customer service rep who told us the same thing a handful of our tipsters heard: the Mini 9’s being phased out, with its official “End of Life” possibly as soon as Monday. Shed a tear for our 2008 netbook of the year.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Read – Merlot red Studio XPS 16
Read – Dell.com search for “Mini 9”
Read – Refurbished Laptop stockroom

Filed under: Laptops

Dell’s Mini 9 vanishes from retail site as red Studio XPS 16 returns (update: Mini 9 is on the outs) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 May 2009 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iBUYPOWER may not yet be a household name when it comes to gaming laptops, but its sure doing its darnedest to take on the likes of HP, Dell, Acer and ASUS with its totally respectable Battalion 101 CZ-10. This 15.6-inch lappie arrives with a 2.66GHz T9550 Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, ATI’s 512MB Radeon HD 4650 GPU, a 500GB 5400RPM hard drive, 8x dual-layer DVD burner, a 6-cell battery and a WXGA (1,366 x 768) panel. You’ll also find an HDMI output, three USB 2.0 sockets, a 2 megapixel webcam, inbuilt microphone, 3-in-1 card reader and a fingerprint scanner. Best of all, the outfit throws in its accidental damage protection plan, all for the completely reasonable asking price of $1,235. It’s available to order now for those who can’t resist, and the full release is after the break.

Continue reading iBUYPOWER launches 15.6-inch Battalion 101 CZ-10 gaming laptop

Filed under: Laptops

iBUYPOWER launches 15.6-inch Battalion 101 CZ-10 gaming laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 May 2009 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer’s been largely mum about its new Aspire Timeline laptop since its initial unveiling back in early April, but now it looks like the company’s getting ready to roll out the portable to the customer base at large, if these spy shots from a from a Canadian-based Future Shop store are any indication. The list of specs is a bit hard to read, but from what we gather, the 14-inch Aspire 4810TZ-4129 is packing a 1.3GHz Intel Pentium SU2700, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, a DVD drive, WiFi, WAN, a touted 8 hour battery life, and Windows Vista Home Premium. No indication on the price or official street date, however, but if they’re being sent to retail, we can’t imagine we’ll be waiting too much longer. Feast your own eyes on the specs sheet in the image after the break.

Update: Reader Oleg has written in to let us know it’s also up for pre-order at UK retail site PC World — 14-inch for £550 and 15.6-inch for £600.

[Thanks, waterboy99troop]

Continue reading Acer Aspire Timeline found in the wild, chilling in Canada and up for pre-order in UK

Filed under: Laptops

Acer Aspire Timeline found in the wild, chilling in Canada and up for pre-order in UK originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 May 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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