Z Series -- Engadget

z series posts

Dell's sensual Latitude Z now on sale, starts at $1,799

by Darren Murph posted Sep 30th 2009 at 6:11PM

Mmm, sexy. To be honest, we're still trying to shake the butterflies we felt when we touched Dell's 16-inch Latitude Z yesterday, and if you'd care to join us, you can place your order right now. The base package gets going at $1,799 after a $200 instant rebate, and that'll net you a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo SU9400 CPU, 64GB SSD, Intel's GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, 2GB of RAM, a 4-cell battery, 8x slot-loading DVD burner, 802.11a/g/n WiFi and a 3-year warranty. So, who's putting a dent in their credit card tonight? Be honest -- we're all friends here.

[Via Laptoping]

Gallery: Dell Latitude Z 600 hands-on

Dell Latitude Z series to include wireless charging?

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Sep 18th 2009 at 10:59AM

An article appeared in Forbes the other day that we found very interesting indeed. The gist? That our current economic hiccup is ending (we'll believe that when we see it) and if Dell plays its card right it can capitalize on the imminent post-recession uptick in sales that's sure to come as companies start clamoring to tend to their long-neglected technology. And the key to such a strategy? Newer, sexier gear, such as Dell's long-rumored, not yet confirmed Latitude Z notebook. The premium machine is said to feature a 16-inch display and "most likely, advanced wireless capabilities, perhaps even wireless charging." Apparently we can expect the machine to launch within the next few weeks, at a price point that is yet to be determined -- although we're guessing it ain't going to be cheap.

[Via SlashGear]

Dell's ULV-powered Inspiron 14z and 15z now on sale

by Ross Miller posted Sep 8th 2009 at 4:43PM

If you're looking for some ultra-light laptop love in your life, Dell today debuted its 14-inch and 15.6-inch Insprion Z series portables. Both models have more or less the same specs, meaning up to a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 with GMA X4500HD graphics, 1366 x 768 resolution, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD, 802.11a/b/g/draft-N, Bluetooth, a 7-in-1 card reader, 1.3 megapixel camera, and a 6-cell battery. Starting prices for the pair go as low as $599, but if you're looking to load up on as much as possible from the get-go, expect to pay somewhere in the vicinity of $1,034.

Read - Inspiron 14z
Read - Inspiron 15z

Dell's slim new Inspiron Z family is totally carb free

by Paul Miller posted Aug 12th 2009 at 7:15PM

Dell's got a new lineup heading your way this fall, this time taking its low-cost Inspiron laptop brand to thin land. The Inspiron Z "family" isn't anything stunningly slim, and the 11.6-inch, disc drive free Z in the low end looks positively netbook-ish, but all the laptops are CULV-powered and should probably be arriving at pretty trim price points to fend off the likes of Acer's Timeline series. Hopefully we'll have more details soon (Dell sure does love to tease when it comes to CULV), but for now there are some ultra-exciting laptop stacking pics below to keep you entertained.

Gallery: Dell's slim new Inspiron Z family is totally carb free

Mysterious Dell laptop hits FCC, is a shoo-in for leaked Latitude Z

by Ross Miller posted Aug 6th 2009 at 4:54PM

While most of Dell's latest FCC filing is hidden behind a confidentiality agreement, we couldn't help but notice on the label location host picture a distinct bump on the laptop's back side, which matches up quite well that pretty Latitude Z series leak we covered back in June. Testing a 802.11 b/g single-chip client is somewhat of a downer since it implies no Draft-N, but hey, we don't mind being proven wrong here. External photos and user manual are being withheld at Dell's request until October 25, but hopefully we won't have to wait that long for the full story.

Dell Latitude Z series laptop leaked, sized up in pictures

by Ross Miller posted Jun 15th 2009 at 7:52PM

With nary another word in terms of specs or details, one lucky forum goer at NotebookReview has posted what looks to be pics of a new, as of yet unannounced Dell Latitude Z Series laptop. Not much to say at the moment, aside from the obvious Adamo influence, but we did spot a biometric fingerprint scanner, an oddly-placed ethernet port in the back, and Windows / Intel Centrino stickers. Earlier in the thread another person, albeit lacking any physical proof of owning one, chimed in to say it'd have a 15-inch matte screen, Core 2 Duo processor, webcam with facial recognition, and DisplayPort, with a scheduled release a week from today. Judging by the ports in the pics, it's definitely a thin one -- could we be seeing Dell finally dip its toes into the CULV market? With any luck, we'll be hearing more about this soon.

Gallery: Dell Latitude Z-Series laptop

[Thanks, Krzysiek]

Video: Sony's XBR9 and Z-series TVs herald the death of the set-top-box

by Thomas Ricker posted May 27th 2009 at 4:06AM

It's been a long time coming, but television manufacturers have finally wised up to the ways of the Internet and the realities of modern content sourcing and distribution. Case in point, Sony, with its XBR9 and Z-series televisions with built-in Ethernet jack for accessing internet media and informational widgets based on the Yahoo platform. The cats over at SonyConvergineer have put together a few introductory videos (embedded after the break) showing-off Sony's connected capabilities on a production set using Sony's Xross Media Bar UI and Bravia remote control. Right, XMB, thus making the user experience on these Bravias consistent with Sony's PS3 and PSP gaming consoles and select VAIO laptops. A unified-UI trend noticed by Samsung and others that helps promote a consistent user experience across devices. About time, eh?

Continue reading Video: Sony's XBR9 and Z-series TVs herald the death of the set-top-box

Sony updates plethora of VAIO laptops in Japan

by Darren Murph posted May 26th 2009 at 3:59PM

Ah, Spring. The season of vacations, beach attire and VAIO updates. We already heard that Sony was giving its VAIO P ~~netbook~~ a dose of Windows XP and an optional 256GB SSD, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Indeed, the Type T, Type Z, Type F and Type A are all getting makeovers, so we'll do our best to break 'em down right. The beastly A series will continue to be menacing, boasting an 18.4-inch 1080p panel, WiFi, a HDD / SSD hybrid system, 4GB of RAM, a Blu-ray drive and a GeForce 9600M GT. The F series rolls in with a 16.4-inch display, 4GB of memory, ATI's 256MB Mobility Radeon HD 3470, WiFi, a battery good for three hours and a Core 2 Duo P8700. The other guys are seeing far lighter touchups, but you can feel free to have a look at all of these Japan-bound units in the links below.

Gallery: Sony updates plethora of VAIO laptops in Japan

Read - VAIO updates I
Read - VAIO updates II

Sony brings Yahoo! widgets to 1080p ZBR9 / Z-Series HDTVs

by Darren Murph posted Jan 7th 2009 at 6:49PM

No surprise here, but Sony's making darn sure it's not left behind in the connected HDTV arena by introducing seven new sets that all look to the Yahoo! Widget Engine to pull down Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Slacker and other web-based content right on one's HDTV. Proudly dubbed Bravia Internet Widgets, the functionality will come bundled in with the firm's ZBR9 lineup (comprised of the 52-inch KDL-52XBR9, 46-inch KDL-46XBR, 40-inch KDL-40XBR90 and 32-inch KDL-32XBR9) as well as the 52-inch KDL-52Z5100, 46-inch KDL-46Z5100, and 40-inch KDL-40Z5100. All seven sets tout 1080p panels, BRAVIA Sync, four HDMI inputs, an Ethernet jack and a cute Energy Star 3.0 sticker to boot. Gear up for TV 2.0 (or are we up to 3.0?) to land this Spring.

Continue reading Sony brings Yahoo! widgets to 1080p ZBR9 / Z-Series HDTVs

Sony's 'Quantum of Solace' VAIO laptop revealed as expensive, deadly

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Oct 2nd 2008 at 8:02AM

Someone over at Gadget Review has finally got their hot hands on the James Bond Quantum of Solace laptop -- and contrary to reports, it hasn't exploded, shot poison darts or been used to defuse a bomb... yet. Believe it or not, this machine isn't actually a piece of high-tech spy gear -- it's a garden variety Sony Z series with the usual kit: Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 128GB SSD or 320GB hard drive, 3G connectivity, 4GB RAM, 13.3-inch LED backlit LCD, fingerprint reader, Motion Eye camera and Blu-ray drive. This piece of cinematic history will be limited to 700 units, and it's expected to set you back a cool $4,000 -- but hey, check out that 007 logo! If that doesn't get you some action, nothing will. This babe / danger magnet ships at the end of October, we suggest employing Odd Job to help you nab one.

Datto's Z Series: world's first on / off-site backup solution to use ZFS

by Darren Murph posted Jul 29th 2008 at 9:48AM

Datto earned a round of golf claps with its Backup NAS by bringing comparatively affordable off-site storage to the small businesses of the world, but it's giving itself a round of applause with the Z Series. Hailed as the "planet's first on and off-site backup solution to use ZFS," these units provide up to 1TB of local and off-site storage, optional RAID 1 local redundancy, twin gigabit Ethernet ports, OS X / Windows / Linux compatibility and the obligatory rock-solid stability that ZFS is known for. You'll also get a rapid recovery promise, which enables you to sleep easy knowing that your data can be restored within 24 hours should disaster strike. The units range in capacity from 250GB ($499) to 1TB ($1,149), while the required service packages demand anywhere between $35 per month to $1,000 a year.

Sony's forthcoming VAIO Z series laptops unofficially detailed

by Darren Murph posted Jul 10th 2008 at 3:27PM

Hooray! More Sony VAIO laptops with naming schemes impossible to decipher! Following up on those tasty new FW and SR lappies that we were informally introduced to earlier this week comes even more foreign images detailing a 13.1-incher. On the surface, it looks like said machines will feature a Core 2 Duo processor, 1,600 x 900 native resolution, 4GB of RAM, 250GB HDD, dual-layer DVD burner, a 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS graphics card, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, WiFi, integrated HSDPA connectivity and a modest array of ports. For more details on which model gets what (off the record, of course), dip on into the read links below.

Read - Images / specs of new machines
Read - More details on rumored VAIOs

Toto's Z-series toilets recalled due to fire hazard

by Darren Murph posted Apr 16th 2007 at 3:44PM

Sure, spontaneous combustion has occurred in a bevy of consumer electronics over the past year or so, but if there was one place even we thought you could count yourself safe, it'd be on the john. Apparently, this assumption is no longer valid for Toto toilet owners, as 180,000 of the company's Z-series units are now being recalled "after wiring problems caused three to catch fire over the past year." The electric bidet accessory is being shown the blame, as the faulty wiring not only torched a trio of units, but also caused smoke to come flowing out of 26 others. As expected, the firm will "repair the potentially fiery units manufactured between May 1996 and December 2001 for free," but we've no idea if Toto will be reimbursing the outhouse rentals for those sans a backup commode.