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Continue reading Dell Inspiron R refreshed with removable lids and Intel’s latest processors

Dell Inspiron R refreshed with removable lids and Intel’s latest processors originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okay, so Samsung’s newest business laptops may not be as slim or light as their Series 9 brother, but they actually don’t look half bad. First up is the Series 2, and as you may expect, the 12.5- and 14-inch systems are the most budget ones of the bunch. We don’t have a price on the duo, but the smaller version packs an Intel Celeron processor while the 14-incher kicks it up to a Sandy Bridge Core i3 CPU. Sadly, we don’t have details on the exact configurations either, but they will be available with up to 4GB of RAM and 320GB hard drives. Jumping on up, the Series 4 keeps the same 12.5- and 14-inch chassis options, but provides new Sandy Bridge Core i3, i5, and i7 processor options as well as 7,200RPM hard drives and six-cell batteries.

Last but not least is the Series 6, which tops off the chain with some higher-end specs. Unlike the other two lines, the 6 comes with 14- and 15.6-inch SuperBright 300-nit displays — there’s also a 1600 x 900 resolution option on these, while the others keep it at the standard 1366 x 768. The Series 6 is also available with your choice of Core 2011 processors (i3, i5, and i7 all available) and finally jacks up the graphics power with an NVIDIA NVS 4200M GPU. All three systems are said to be made of “super-hard external casing,” have metal hinges, and pack 1.3 megapixel webcams. We don’t have any pricing details, but the 2 and 4 will be available in April and the Series 6 in May. Check out the pictures below or sneak past the break for more details.

Continue reading Samsung serves up Series 2, Series 4, and Series 6 laptops for serious, professional types

Samsung serves up Series 2, Series 4, and Series 6 laptops for serious, professional types originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The very same gentleman that introduced us to Google’s Cr-48 laptop, Product Management VP Sundar Pichai, has disclosed the unfortunate news that Google has shipped the last of them, at least “for now.” The next opportunity to catch a ticket to ride the Chrome OS bandwagon will come in the middle of this year, as promised, with devices from Acer and Samsung coming to market. Rumor had it that Google received about 60,000 Cr-48s from ODM Inventec back in December, though whatever the number of manufactured units was, the fact is that it’s now been fully depleted. We’d urge Google’s partners not to stray too far away from the Cr-48 template in the summer — we’re huge fans of its minimalist good looks, even if the OS itself could do with a few more layers of spit, polish and features.

Continue reading Google ships last Cr-48 laptop ‘for now,’ partner Chrome OS devices still on track for summer

Google ships last Cr-48 laptop ‘for now,’ partner Chrome OS devices still on track for summer originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on April 20, 2008 by CyberNet.

For Today’s MyFive, we’re taking a look at the computers that we (meaning Ryan and I) have owned over the last several years. We’re also interested in hearing what computers you’ve owned over time and which you have found to be the best. The one thing you’ll notice with our computers is that for our “1st generation,” Ryan and I each had a different model, and that’s because they were bought before we got married.  Ever since we got married and Ryan sucked me in to technology, we’ve always bought two of the same computer at the same time. Prior to meeting him, I never would have thought I could get so excited about getting a new computer, but I have to admit, I do.

Our list below briefly includes the specifications and a picture. The pictures you see are real images of the computers that we had and were taken before selling them on eBay (it’s amazing we still had them). Anyhow, on we go with our five “generations” of computers…

1st Generation

The first generation of computers includes Ryan’s first laptop and my first laptop. They were bought before we got married, so they’re the only computers that aren’t the same.  Ryan received his for Christmas as a gift, and I bought mine during my 2nd year at college.

2002-2005 – Ryan’s Compaq Evo N800c

• 80GB hard drive
• 1GB RAM
• Intel Pentium 4 Mobile at 1.60GHz
• Windows XP Professional

2003-2005 – Ashley’s Compaq 910US

• 30GB hard drive
• 256MB RAM
• AMD Athlon XP 1.33 GHz Processor
• Windows XP Home

2nd Generation

The “2nd Generation” was the first and only Tablet PC we’ve ever purchased, it was also the first time we bought two laptops at the same time. Being college students, we didn’t have a whole lot of money to spend so we were looking for a great deal. These Tablet PC’s definitely were a great deal, but boy did we have problems getting ones that worked! It took about three tries for each of us before we ended up with a working computer. Averatec did eventually discontinue their line of Tablet PC’s shortly after we purchased ours. Over-heating seemed to be the cause of most of the issues we had which resulted in terrible battery life, unexpected shutdowns, and super-slow performance.

Oh, and these were the only computers we’ve had where they sold for more on eBay than what we paid for them in the first place, even after stating the issues!

2005-2006 Averatec C3500 Tablet PC

• 60GB hard drive
• 512MB RAM
• AMD Athlon XP-M 2200+ with PowerNow Technology 1.66GHz
• Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

3rd Generation

After having quite the experience with the Averatec computers, we decided to go with a more well-known company for our “3rd generation” of computers, Dell. Of course Dell isn’t known for using quality parts, but we never had any issues. All in all, these were great computers and it was so nice to not have to worry about the computer over-heating and turning off unexpectedly.

2006-2007 Dell XPS M140

• 60GB hard drive
• 1.5GB RAM
• Intel Pentium M/Centrino 1.73GHz
• Windows XP Professional

4th Generation

Because we never had any issues with our Dell XPS M140 laptops, we decided that we would stick with Dell, but upgrade to a computer with better specs. This is what we ended up with last year:

2007-Present Dell Inspiron 6400

• 160GB hard drive
• 2GB RAM
• Intel Core 2 Duo T5200 1.60GHz
• Windows Vista Ultimate

5th Generation

It’s about that time of year again where we upgrade our machines. We carefully looked at different models and manufacturers to see what would be the best option for us, and over the last two months we’ve been reading all kinds of reviews so that we could make a good decision. We’ll fill ya in within the next week or two on which computer we decided to go with. Stay tuned…

Question: To wrap it up, what computers have you owned and which have you found to be the best in quality and performance?

Update: Some people are wondering how we’re able to upgrade laptops so frequently. This comment helps explain that and how we spend very little to do it.

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:

One Year After “The Switch…”MyFive: Favorite Technology Quotes2 Billion Personal Computers In Use Within 6 YearsCyberNotes: MacBook Pro First ImpressionsMyFive: Most Popular Searches on eBay

The Looksoflat Lamp has an almost two-dimensional appearance

Gadget Lab Notes is an eclectic roundup of gadget news briefs and intriguing products that catch our eye.

Looksoflat Lamp is Like A Flattened Version of Pixar’s Luxo Lamp
The Looksoflat Lamp looks like it’s been flattened by a steamroller. It sheds a thin, rectangular area of light using LEDs (the only light source slim enough to fit inside its frame). Not too much else known about the lamp, except that it’s “coming soon.”

Looksoflat [Looksoflat via Oh Gizmo!]

Lenovo and Tobii Team Up To Create The World’s First Eye-Controlled Laptop
The forward-looking thinkers at Tobii and Lenovo envision a future where hand-swiping based motion controls are just too much work. Solution: Notebooks with built in eye control sensors. Twenty Windows 7 running prototypes were developed, and although the technology won’t be appearing in homes for at least a few more years, the eye control-based experience is already extremely accurate and well developed.

World’s First Eye-Controlled Laptop [Tobii via Engadget]

Panasonic Debuts Blu-Ray 3-D Home Theater Systems and Slim Bar Speakers
Today, Panasonic introduced three new Blu-ray 3-D home theater kits, the SC-BTT770, SC-BTT370 and SC-BTT270, which feature iDevice docks and use Cinema Surround Plus technology for optimal movie theater-style surround sound. And to make sure you’re comfortable with your 3-D viewing experience, a 3-D Effect Controller lets you adjust image depth. The SC-HTB520 home speaker system is encased in reflective, stainless black mesh that’s dust and fingerprint resistant. It supports Stream Out for 3-D image signals, is Audio Return Channel (ARC) compatible, and comes with a wireless Down Firing Subwoofer.

Panasonic 3D Speaker Bar and Blu-ray 3D Home Theater Kit [Slashgear]

Verizon CFO Says It’ll Switch To Tiered Data Plans As Early As This Summer
Fran Shammo, Verizon’s CFO, said that Verizon will be implementing a tiered data plan in the not-too-distant future—as early as this summer. The plans will be based on speed, consumption, or a combination of both. The company waited to initiate this plan because it didn’t want to scare off potential iPhone 4 buyers.

Verizon Will Move to Tiered Data Plans This Summer [BGR]

Teeny Tiny Brando Wireless Router Fits Into Your Pocket
Measuring 6 cm long and 1 cm high, Brando’s EagleTec Nano Size Wireless N-Router makes even your iPhone look fat. It can provide a 150 Mbps data transfer rate for multiple users. It also supports auto IP address assignment for devices and 64/128-bit WEP, WPA and WPA2 wireless data encryption.

EaglTec Nano Size Wirless N-Router [Brando via Crunchgear]

Folding Mobile Phone Concept Awkwardly Combines Smartphone and Tablet
The 360 Compact Folding Mobile Phone Concept reminds me of one of those foam play mats from preschool, except with touchscreens on each face. Theoretically versatile, this dual jointed flip phone could lay flat with all 3 screens displaying information, or be propped up to provide an angled viewing and typing surface.

360 Compact Folding Mobile Phone Concept [Yanko Design]