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LG's 15-inch OLED screen is still drop dead gorgeous, likely priced to kill
Whooo. (Not Wooo.) Amazing how a few well framed PR shots can reignite gadget lust, just when it seems extinguished. Sure, LG's 15-inch OLED HDTV will probably follow the path of Sony's $2,500 11-inch XEL-1 to the land of ridiculously overpriced trinkets that few can or will purchase and eventually falls by the wayside when larger, cheaper options become available. Still, checking out that ultra bright screen in these photos has us checking our bank account for an extra few grand, refreshing the feeling last experienced when we checked it out in person at CES. The appearance of these on LG's Flickr stream would appear to support the summer mass production-December launch we've been promised, who else is wishing the 30-inch version wasn't delayed until 2012?
MSI X-Slim X610 leaked, reviewed by Russians
If the gang at 3D News are to be believed (and why not?), this familiar looking notebook isn't MSI's X-Slim X600 at all, but the not-yet-announced X-Slim X610. And if a leaked ultraportable isn't enough excitement for you, wait'll we tell you that they actually got their hands on one of these beauts and gave it the full-on review treatment. As you'd expect from a machine that shares chassis, specs, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics, a 250GB hard drive, 4GB RAM, and all but one digit of its name with the original, there is not too much to report. The major difference is that the X610 foregoes Intel's 1.4GHz SU3500 CPU in place of an AMD Athlon MV-40 (1.6GHz), which results in some slower benchmarks, but not enough that you'd readily notice in everyday use. And then there is battery life -- the new guy clocks in at slightly less than two hours, or around 20 percent less than the X600. Same machine, same specs, poorer performance -- not really a step in the right direction, MSI. Perhaps you can at least give consumers a break on the price? [Via SlashGear]
Apple reinstates matte display option on 15-inch MacBook Pro, charges $50 for it
We'd heard just under a month ago that Apple was mulling the possibility of adding matte display options to more than just its flagship 17-inch MacBook Pro, and lo and behold, it seems the anti-glare revolution has begun. Starting now (like, right now), those in the market for a new unibody 15-inch MacBook Pro can order one directly from Apple with an anti-glare widescreen display, packing 1,440 x 900 pixels and a LED backlight. Sadly, the privilege will run you an extra $50 over the traditional mirrored glossy panel, and it will replace that svelte borderless look present on glossy MBPs with a silver frame bezel (check here to see just what we mean). A brief look around Apple's international sites also shows it available elsewhere in the world for similar amounts, though we're still curious as to what machine will be next in line for the upgrade, er, "option." [Thanks, Pascal and Khattab]
MSI X-Slim X600 reviewed: an 'attractive choice'
MSI's X-Slim X600 may not be the quickest, most nimble or most powerful 15.6-inch laptop on the market today, bit with a thickness of just 0.75-inches, it's definitely got the ultrathin motif down pat. The kind lads and ladies over at Laptop Mag recently secured one of the machines for review, and they seemed adequately impressed with the combination of a low-power CPU (1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500) and a multimedia-friendly discrete GPU (ATI's 512MB Radeon HD 4330) -- a tandem that's hard to find anywhere, let alone for $799. All told, the machine performed satisfactorily across the board, notching decent scores in a wide array of benchmarks and looking good all the while. Still, critics noted that Sony's VAIO NW would be more suitable for those with a Blu-ray craving and that Gateway's $599 NV is probably better for those looking for raw horsepower. If style is atop your list, though, it'll be tough to dodge the "buy" button on this one.
LG 15-inch OLED TV on sale in December
We knew that LG's 15-inch OLED TV was entering into production this summer, now we've got a ship date: December. This according to an interview with Won Kim, LG's VP of OLED sales and marketing. While 15-inches is small, it easily trumps the world's first production OLED TV, Sony's $2,500 11-inch XEL-1, and is a reasonable size for the bedroom (if you must) or kitchen counter. No word on specs but we expect the production set to offer the same million:1 contrast, 1,366 x 768 pixel resolution, and 30,000-hour shelf life as the prototype unveiled in January. The TV will launch first in Korea for an undisclosed price that is bound to be punishingly expensive.
Rumor of a 15-inch MacBook Air: Take it lightly
On Friday, AppleInsider noted that Apple.pro, a hit-and-miss Chinese rumor blog, claims a 15-inch MacBook Air is on the way. The post in Chinese (and a copy run through Google Translate) is available. The site claims the new Air will use low-voltage Intel Core 2 processors, and will be geared for "the older [with] poor eyesight." AppleInsider includes a history of Apple.pro's predictions, and so far, they're batting .500. I'm not saying I'm any better (fact is, I haven't been to the batting cages in months), so take all this with a proverbial grain of salt. If the rumors are true, it's unclear how utile a larger MacBook Air will be, especially if the key differentiating factor of the current Air is its size and weight. While it will have to be less hefty than, say, the 15-inch MacBook Pro, a larger MacBook Air seems like it's trying to fill a gap that doesn't exist: at the highest end of Apple's notebook pricing spectrum. As for pricing (for the US, at least), perhaps we can speculate with an analogy: If a 2.4GHz MacBook is to a 2.4GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro, then a 1.86GHz MacBook Air is to a theoretical 1.86GHz 15-inch MacBook Air. Thus, $1,600 : $2,000 :: $2,500 : $3,125. Yikes: Even more expensive than the new 17-inch model ($2,800). Maybe the analogy isn't perfect, but that's still a pricey proposition to help those with "poor eyesight." What do you think? Is there a market for a big, ultra-premium MacBook Air? Would you buy one? Sound off in comments. [Via Engadget.]
Asus M70S and M50S notebooks boast 1TB of storage
As you may have read in our coverage of Hitachi's new 5K500 2.5-inch 500GB drive, Asus will be the first manufacturer to pack a pair of these capacious components into a set of upcoming widescreen models, giving the 17-inch M70S and 15-inch M50S the distinguished honor of being the world's first one terabyte laptops. Besides those oddly-sized drives (which can configured in either RAID 0 or RAID 1), these machines will also offer up to WUXGA or WSXGA+ resolutions (for the M70 and M50, respectively), 2.4GHz T7700 Core 2 Duo processors, AMD ATI Radeon HD 3650 graphics, and a fingerprint reader, along with an optional hybrid TV tuner and remote. As usual, the good stuff (pictures, pricing) will be coming in a few days at the Show of Shows.
MediaStreet unveils 15-inches of eMotion Digital Picture Frame
Sure, not everybody needs 15 whole inches of picture frame, but we know your kids are particularly good looking, and could easily fill that much real estate with their shining grins. MediaStreet is offering the new 15-inch eMotion Digital Picture Frame for $298 on June 25th. There's 1024 x 768 pixels to play with, and if you get tired of showing off JPEG and BMP files, there's also support for MPEG, AVI, MP3 and WMA.
HP's nx6310 and nx6320 go Core 2 Duo
Next up to board the Merom train is Hewlett Packard, with Core 2 Duo versions of its 14.1-inch nx6310 (pictured) and 15.0-inch nx6320 laptops. At their cheapest configurations, both machines sport a 1.66GHz T5500 processor, integrated graphics, CD-ROM drive (blah), and a 40GB hard drive, with the 6310 rocking 256MB of RAM and the 6320 sporting 512MB. The nx6320 also has double the USB 2.0 ports (four versus two), ups the Ethernet to Gigabit status, and throws in an ExpressCard slot in place of the 6310's PCMCIA. Of course with these fairly weak specs come pretty low prices as well: when they go on sale next week, the nx6310 will start at just 96,600 yen ($825) while the base nx6320 will also be priced under a grand at 111,300 yen ($950).[Via Impress]
BenQ's Joybook R55 boasts 16ms response time
We're still digging out from under the avalanche of technology that was the 2006 Computex show, and in our efforts we stumbled across AVING's encounter with the latest BenQ Joybook we've been hearing about. The R55 sports a Core Duo processor, Bluetooth 2.0 and NVIDIA's 256MB GeForce Go 7400. What makes it noteworthy, though, is the 16ms response time (many laptops range in the '20s), which they claim is the "world's fastest" when it comes to 15.4-inch WXGA laptops. This R55 uses the UltraVivid technology, which includes a brightness-boosting Display Brilliance Enhancement Film to improve visibility and greatly reduce the dreaded LCD ghosting effect. We know it's still nowhere near the quickness of a faithful CRT, but that's no reason to frown little girl. It is, after all, called the Joybook.
Lenovo ThinkPad Z61m reviewed
Ok suits, listen up. It's time to pilfer the IT budget 'cause the business-class, Lenovo ThinkPad Z61m just pulled a stellar review over at NotebookReview. This Core Duo beast boasts a titanium lid which makes it, dare we say, attractive in that sisterly kind of way, but she's all ThinkPad underneath. The 15.4-inch widescreen model under review featured the 2.0GHz Core Duo T2500, 1GB DDR2 RAM, 5400RPM 100GB SATA disk, and a 128MB ATI x1400 graphics card which allowed the reviewer to blast through the performance tests and should keep Vista's GUI puttering along for at least the terms of your lease. Meanwhile, that 6-cell battery eked out a respectable 3 hours 20 minutes while under a typical workday load -- you know, bidding on eBay auctions, checking stocks, and hunting down ex-lovers all google style. Sure, it's built "like a rock" coming in a bit too heavy and thick for the reviewers liking, but your wage monkeys won't complain will they mister boss-man?
