Aug 17

Dixons launches slim little Advent Altro CULV PCs

Posted in: laptop, Laptops, Today's Chili, uk, united kingdom, UnitedKingdom

UK electronics retailer Dixons just got the memo that slim is in, and its taken it to heart. The store is on the verge of launching two new PCs as part of its Advent brand — and the 13.3-inch CULV Altro line is pretty sexy looking. Already drawing the obvious comparisons to the MacBook Air in the looks department, the Altro boasts an Intel Celeron CPU, 3GB of RAM, and a 120GB hard drive, WiFi, Bluetooth, plus USB and HDMI ports, and one multifunction connector for hooking up an external port replicator. If the specs of the Altro aren’t beefy enough for you, there will be a second version — the Elite — which will have an Intel Core 2 Solo processor, and a “premium” flush glass finish. Both of the Advent Altros will be available at Dixons (that’s UK-only) starting August 24th, with prices at £600 (around $987) for the standard model and £800 (about $1,316) for the Elite. Both come with Windows Vista pre-installed, but a free upgrade to Windows 7 is also included. One more shot after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

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Dixons launches slim little Advent Altro CULV PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 14

Starline NB1000 netbook’s giant, invisible touchpad is the only thing it’s got going for it

Posted in: laptop, Laptops, netbook, PC, Today's Chili

Starline — a Hong Kong-based PC manufacturer — has unleashed the netbook you see above, the NB1000. This 10-incher’s got all the standard, yawn-inducing specs — an Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, three USB ports, plus ethernet and VGA ports. The thing that makes this little guy stand out? Well, it’s got a massive touchpad running all along the palm rest beneath the keyboard, and that’s enough for us to want one — or at least to touch one, repeatedly. Sadly, this baby is a Hong Kong-only affair, and runs HK$2,498 (about $322), but there’s a video of it after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading Starline NB1000 netbook’s giant, invisible touchpad is the only thing it’s got going for it

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Starline NB1000 netbook’s giant, invisible touchpad is the only thing it’s got going for it originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 14

Lenovo issues battery “service and warranty extension” for six ThinkPad models

Posted in: laptop, Laptops, lenovo, thinkpad, Today's Chili

Lenovo’s issued a recall for the batteries on six of its ThinkPad models. The batteries are apparently causing a range of problems, including bringing up the error messages “irreparable damage” and “battery cannot be charged,” and causing overall short capacity batteries, or those than cannot be charged or experience massive drops on the fuel gauge quickly. The recalled models are the R60, R61, T60, T61, X60, and the X61, and Lenovo’s got a free diagnostic tool on its website that you can use to check and see if your model is one of those affected. While there’s no word on how many users have been affected, If you are one of the unlucky, the company is offering free replacements.

Update: A representative for Lenovo has contacted us and let us know that the company has not, in fact, issued a recall for the batteries associated with the models listed. “This is a service extension program to provide (bonus 12-month) coverage above and beyond the normal warranty to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Recalls tend to imply a safety issue, which is not the case here, as you noted in your article.”

[Via SlashGear]

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Lenovo issues battery “service and warranty extension” for six ThinkPad models originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 07

Dell Mini 12 quietly discontinued

Posted in: laptop, Laptops, Mini, netbook, netbooks, Today's Chili

There was no official announcement of this one, but a look over Dell’s website will reveal the truth — it looks like the Mini 12 has been shuttered. It’s not hugely surprising news considering its companion, the Mini 9, was recently given the axe as well. We’ll miss them both. Sniffle.

[Thanks, Drew]

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Dell Mini 12 quietly discontinued originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 06

Laptop Mag’s tech support showdown strikes once again

Posted in: Laptops, Today's Chili

Laptop Magazine‘s once again done us all a really good turn by running a pretty exhaustive — yet totally reasonable — test of the tech support for ten popular companies that produce laptops. Essentially, they placed two call to each outfit’s support — one during peak, one during off-peak hours, and asked them some really basic questions such as “How can I make changes to my notebook’s power settings?” Then, they tried to find answers to the same questions via the company’s various web-based resources. So, what’s the skinny? Well, only Apple got an “A,” while Acer, Dell and HP hold the bottom spots with a “C-” score, while everybody else falls somewhere in the middle. The report, is, however, a really fascinating read with far more information than mere letter grades, so please — click the read link to read the entire, epic tome.

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Laptop Mag’s tech support showdown strikes once again originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 05

New Sony VAIO P hits the FCC, arriving this fall?

Posted in: laptop, Laptops, netbook, netbooks, sony, Today's Chili

A new model of Sony’s ultraportable VAIO P has just passed through the FCC, leading us to surmise that we can probably expect a new model in the very near future. Details are still exceedingly slim on this one, but we know that this one — model number PCG-1RSL — will be about the same size as the current VAIO P, and that it packs 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth. The documentation’s confidentiality expires in October, so we’ll know all the juicy details by then — if we haven’t already found out via other channels. Fingers crossed that it’s the ‘mark 2’ we heard about recently that could right some of those painful, painful wrongs.

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New Sony VAIO P hits the FCC, arriving this fall? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 04

HP shocks business computing world with Compaq 515, 610 laptops

Posted in: business, HP, laptop, Laptops, Today's Chili

Now, let’s be clear about one thing: these are laptops for business — so the casual need not apply. That said, HP’s just announced the Compaq 515 and 610, and, like most office parties, they’re pretty boring. The 515 is 14.1-incher with an AMD Athlon X2 or Turion X2 CPU, ATI Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics, up to 3GB of DDR2 RAM, and an up to 250GB of hard drive. The 15.6-inch Compaq 610 boasts a choice of Intel Core 2 Duo or Celeron Dual-Core CPUs, Intel GMA X3100 integrated graphics, up to 3GB of DDR2 RAM, and an up to 250GB hard drive. Both of these suit-loving laptops boast DVD burners, LED backlight, WiFi and Ethernet LAN, three USB ports, ExpressCard and secure digital card slots, plus a VGA output. Starting price for the 515 is $429, while the 610 runs $449 for the base configuration.

[Via Laptoping]

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HP shocks business computing world with Compaq 515, 610 laptops originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 03

Intel denies rumors that Z-series Atoms are headed for the grave

Posted in: intel, Laptops, MID, Today's Chili

Intel wants you to know that the rumor that its Z-series Atom chips are headed for the “discontinued” pile is not true. A few days back, we heard that the chips — which were initially designated for MIDs but made their way into some netbooks — could no longer be ordered from Intel. A spokesperson for the company, however, speaking with Register Hardware, said that the rumors were “100 percent inaccurate.” We’ll just have to wait and see how this all pans out, but we’re still not feeling terribly positive about poor little MIDs’ odds.

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Intel denies rumors that Z-series Atoms are headed for the grave originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 02

Always Innovating’s Touch Book now shipping

Posted in: Laptops, netbook, tablet, Today's Chili
If you’re anything like us, you’re always waiting anxiously for the next netbook to drop. The Always Innovating Touch Book — a hybrid netbook / tablet — which we knew was very nearly on its way, is now, apparently, on its way! That’s correct — if you were smart enough to pre-order, you’ve probably already received an email confirming that your Touch Book has shipped. We’ll be anxious to see one of these dudes in a photoshoot, that’s for sure. If you’ve forgotten, these dudes pack an 8.9-inch, 1,024 x 600 touchscreen, a USB 802.11 b/g/n adapter, Bluetooth, a TI OMAP3530 CPU, and 512MB of memory (split 50 / 50 between RAM and NAND), plus a further 8GB of storage on an SD card. The company’s website says it may take “several weeks” to fulfill all the pre-orders, so we’ll let you know if we get any updates. What about you? Did you order a Touch Book — or know anyone who did?

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Always Innovating’s Touch Book now shipping originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 28

Switched On: Compelling computing can keep netbooks niche

Posted in: column, feature, Features, Laptops, Microsoft, netbooks, switched on, SwitchedOn, Today's Chili, Windows

Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

If the PC marketplace were an ocean, you’d see a strange sight — small fish (netbooks) eating medium-sized fish (notebooks) eating large fish (desktops). But PC vendors are only partially pleased with this inversion of the natural order. While they embrace the replacement of desktops with higher-margin notebooks, they fear the cannibalization of notebooks with low-margin netbooks. Fast-growing and inexpensive netbooks have become such a threat to the notebook business that Intel and Microsoft have been wrestling with how they can adjust pricing in order to persuade PC makers not to market budget Atom-based laptops that have screens larger than 10″ such as the sleek 11.6″ Acer Aspire One A075 or 12.1″ Lenovo IdeaPad S12.

Slower, less expensive processors running an older, lower-priced version of Windows have put pressure on Microsoft’s Windows revenue. But rather than bemoaning consumer demand for less powerful PCs, Microsoft would do well to create more incentive to purchasing more powerful ones. Apple has partially addressed this issue by including, enhancing and promoting iMovie and GarageBand in its bundled iLife suite. These are two applications that can become quite processor-intensive when used for sophisticated tasks, like stabilizing a jumpy video.

But even more significantly, Apple has made the issue moot by creating an effective floor in the Mac product line of an Intel Core 2 Duo. Clearly that’s not an option for Microsoft, nor for many of its PC vendor partners catering to more value-minded shoppers. Indeed, Microsoft has optimized the Windows 7 kernel to run more efficiently on the lower-end netbooks that are the source for growth in the PC market. And that’s the right move.

Continue reading Switched On: Compelling computing can keep netbooks niche

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Switched On: Compelling computing can keep netbooks niche originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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