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LG P430 and P530 Blade laptops bedazzle with slim bezels, aluminum bodies, and Core i7
We heard of a bezel-hating LG Shuriken display sneaking its way onto Acer laptops recently, but the Korean company has wisely opted to debut that cutting-edge technology in its own portable computers first. The 14-inch P430 and 15.6-inch P530 mark the start of LG's new Blade series of laptops, which are the result of some obsessive slimming work at the LG labs -- display thickness is 4.5mm and 4.7mm, respectively, while the bezel on the 14-inch model is so narrow as to fit its screen within the dimensions of a traditional 13.3-inch laptop. Weight, at 1.94kg on the P430 and 2.2kg on P530, is also said to be on par with machines offering significantly smaller screens, but that's not at the sacrifice of construction materials as brushed aluminum is used to strengthen LG's new slimsters. A Core i7 CPU and GeForce GT520M GPU will provide the internal firepower, though the rest of the hardware specs are as yet unannounced. The P430 will launch in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America at the end of May, to be followed by the P530 in June. Full PR after the break. Update: LG has now listed the full specs sheets on its Newsroom website.
Some MacBook Airs sporting faster blade SSDs, probably from Samsung
When Apple released its redesigned MacBook Air in October 2010, much was made of the switch to flash storage using a custom-built Mini PCI Express form factor SSD drive. It took a few weeks but these SSDs would ultimately be released as the commercially available Toshiba Blade X-gale SSD module, model TS128C. Now we're seeing user reports showing MacBook Airs equipped with a second, even faster SSD with a SM128C part number -- the "SM" hinting at its presumed Samsung manufacturing origins. Samsung's SSD manages up to 260MBps read and 210MBps write speeds compared to Toshiba's 210MBps read and 185MBps write performance. Of course, it's hardly unusual for Apple to multi-source components. And a recent decision to source parts from Korea's Samsung would have been a smart move to keep just-in-time supply lines fully stocked following the spate of disasters in Toshiba's home country of Japan. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any way of confirming which SSD you're about to purchase without cracking open the retail box and running the OS X System Profiler. Good luck with that.
IBM touts new Power7 systems, still no mass market Watson
IBM's latest announcement probably won't get us any closer to securing our very own in-house version of Watson, but the firm is boasting a new line of Power7 products that includes an upgraded version of the supercomputer's server. First up are the BladeCenter PS703 and PS704, sporting 16 cores and 32 cores, respectively -- the PS704 touts a 60 percent increase in speed over its predecessors. The Power 750, the same system that gave Watson the stuff to slaughter those humans on Jeopardy!, is getting an upgrade that supports as many as 32 cores and can run up to 128 simultaneous threads, while the Power 755 offers up high-performance computing with 32 cores of its own. The cheapest version of the Power 750 Express rings in at about $30,000. So, no, we won't be battling Watson in a Jeopardy! Home Edition showdown anytime soon, but we're happy to see that our favorite supercomputer could be even smarter -- or at the very least, faster -- the next time it shows up on the boob tube. Full PR after the break.
ZTE Amigo, Blade, and Skate hands-on
ZTE outed several new sets -- and a tablet -- at MWC 2011, so we went to grab some specs and pics of the Blade, Skate, and the Amigo (from left to right). The ZTE Skate is the top of the line product in this group with Android 2.3 -- though, the placard at the stand has been blanked out -- triple-band GSM, HSPA in 1900 / 2100Mhz range, a 4.3-inch WVGA capacitive display, 5 megapixel cam, and likely the smallest keyboard we've ever seen, seriously, have a peek at the gallery. The Blade, which as our favorite in the group, runs Android 2.2, is downgraded to a 3 megapixel camera, a 3.5-inch display, quad-band GSM and 900 / 2100Mhz HSPA. The Amigo -- what may be the lowliest as far as numbers are concerned -- still has decent specs such as a 3.2-inch display, triple band GSM, 1900 / 2100 HSPA, and a side-sliding QWERTY keypad. The Blade and Skate both have great build quality, the screens are really bright and easily seen, the Amigo appears a bit more washed out and the housing build quality feels very cheap. The Skate is definitely the winner in the bells and whistles category, but unless you can swap out the onscreen keyboard it would definitely get a pass -- and again, check out Joanna's finger modeling in the gallery for proof. Enjoy the giant glossy gallery. %Gallery-116756%
DARPA awards BAE $8.4 million for BLADE wireless jamming initiative
DARPA's new BLADE initiative doesn't involve a blood sucking Wesley Snipes in a black leather trench coat, but we still think it's pretty awesome. This BLADE stands for Behavioral Learning for Adaptive Electronic Warfare, and is focused on developing a system of algorithms that will automatically jam threatening wireless communications on the battlefield. DARPA gave $8.4 million to BAE Systems to implement the project, which will detect, analyze, and counter wireless communications, without human involvement. BLADE would also allow troops to overcome enemy counter-jamming measures and prevent the use of remotely controlled IEDs. The system is broken up into three central components: detection and characterization, jam waveform optimization, and battle damage assessment. DARPA expects BLADE software to be easily integrated into existing electronic warfare equipment, and should be ready for use in 2012 -- still no word on a comeback for Mr. Snipes.
Marvel Pinball gets Blade table; you get new screens and a trailer
When not busy saving us from vampires, Blade usually kicks it in his hideout -- only he and Kris Kristofferson know the entry code. Inside, he's got a Gazelle, full garlic juice bar (not bad, actually!) and a custom pinball machine, which, coincidentally, is the latest table revealed for Marvel Pinball.
Toshiba rolls out Blade X-gale SSD modules, makes MacBook Air storage look a little less proprietary
One of the most impressive aspects of Apple's recent MacBook Air redesign was undeniably the shift to ultrathin flash storage modules that could cram your gigabytes of data into picoliters of space. Needless to say, that's the sort of storage we could all do with in our lives and today Toshiba's doing us a solid by introducing its Blade X-gale SSD line to the wider world. It's basically the same stuff as in the Airs, sans Apple's bombastic marketing, and while the new SSD modules are not yet readily available to buy by consumers (who wouldn't have anywhere to put them in their laptops anyhow), system integrators are all free to start building around them as of today. The 64GB and 128GB modules are only 2.2mm tall, while the double-stacked 256GB option is 3.7mm in height, and all three can reach speeds of 220MBps while reading or 180MBps when writing. Full PR after the break.
Joby goes slim with Cree-equipped Gorillatorch Blade LED flexi-light
Joby broke out of its mold last year with its first-ever flexible flashlight, but frankly speaking, the bulb on the end of it was downright bulky. A year later, we're looking at a far slimmer and far sexier model -- one that relies on Cree's XLamp XP-C LED bulbs in order to output 130 lumens of light in a pocket-friendly package. The Gorillatorch Blade is a rugged, tripod-equipped flashlight that boasts a rechargeable internal battery (USB or AC adapter) an aluminum chassis and an adjustable beam. She's also water and drop-resistant, but we aren't certain we'd be eager to push the boundaries there; at any rate, it's on sale now for $59.95, and yes, the DIY mechanic in your life could definitely use a couple. %Gallery-104401%
Orange launches OLED-donning San Francisco, doesn't break the Android piggy bank
Oh snap! This is exactly what Nokia needs right now -- another cheap Android handset to gobble up its wallet-friendly stronghold. What we're looking at here is Orange's oddly named San Francisco, a £99 ($154) pay-as-you-go Eclair handset crafted by ZTE. Much like its humble sibling Racer, Orange's 4.6-ounce offering is loaded with a 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 chipset, 3.2 megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM radio, and MicroSD expansion. Yet for the same price, the San Francisco somehow comes with a larger 3.5-inch 480 x 800 OLED capacitive touchscreen. This sure sounds like a tempting deal, but don't whip out your credit card just yet -- we'll give you a yay or nay once we've seen how the phone fares in real life. For now, check out the official promo video after the break.
Diamaze diamond-tipped razor blades can literally split hairs (video)
At last, a sign that we're advancing from our caveman heritage into a brave new world. Gone are the days of rough-hewn blades, the world of modernity does its cutting with "plasma-sharpened" implements polished off with a layer of synthetic, industrial-grade diamonds. Okay, we're not quite there yet, but we're en route, thanks to a small German outfit named GFD, which has recently debuted a diamond-tipped, tungsten carbide razor blade that promises to retain its sharpness 1,000 times as long as regular steel and to be precise enough to slice a human hair in half. Hell, that latter bit isn't even a promise, it's a fact, which you can verify in the video after the break. GFD is looking for a manufacturing partner to bring this ingenious prototype to market, and given its years of experience applying the technology to industrial uses, we reckon it has enough of a pedigree to stand a decent chance of success.
Viliv S10 Blade gets reviewed, Best Buy now selling Viliv devices
The folks at UMPC Portal have already treated us to an unboxing of Viliv's new S10 Blade convertible netbook, but they're now back with a full review that gives a better picture of the device. On the whole, they seem to be fairly impressed with the device, noting its thin and sleek design, and its "silent, rugged operation." They were also pleasantly surprised by the battery life, which clocked in at an impressive 7.5hrs with WiFi on during general use. On the downside, the resistive multitouch screen wasn't quite as responsive as they would have liked, and there are a few other minor annoyances -- like the lack of a button to rotate the screen in tablet mode, no mic input or Ethernet port, and some fairly lackluster built-in speakers. In other Viliv news, it looks like none other than Best Buy has recently started carrying the company's devices (online, at least), although it doesn't yet have the S10 up for order.
Viliv S10 Blade netvertible, N5 MID get official
We loved the design of Viliv's S10 Blade, and we love they fact that it's finally official. The 10.1-inch resistive multitouch convertible sports integrated 4G mobile WiMAX and 3G HSPA, and is being hailed as "a non-compromise, high-performance" device by those who want you to buy one. Additionally, the N5 is a 4.8-inch clamshell MID with 3G and WiFi. Look for 'em at your favorite e-tailer. PR after the break.
Blizzard posts Quel'delar preview
Blizzard has posted a preview of the upcoming Quel'delar storyline that we'll be observing in Icecrown. Quel'delar, you'll remember, is the twin of the old Quel'serrar blade that we put together way back in the days of vanilla WoW. For those of you who are spoiler-sensitive, details are behind the break. Patch 3.3 is the last major patch of Wrath of the Lich King. With the new Icecrown Citadel 5-man dungeons and 10/25-man raid arriving soon, patch 3.3 will deal the final blow to the Arthas. WoW.com's Guide to Patch 3.3 will keep you updated with all the latest patch news.
Samsung S5600 morphs into Blade for Vodafone
Somewhere along the line, some higher-up at Samsung clearly said "I've got it: geometry-themed d-pads." The rest, of course, is history -- Samsung ran with that theme, giving birth to the Jet and the Omnia II. But wait -- what if you could go back in time, take something like the S5600, and facelift it just a bit to give it a similarly unusual appearance? That's exactly what Vodafone has chosen to do in launching the midrange full-touch featurephone, apparently working with Sammy to add in a diamond-shaped nav pad and rechristen it the fierce-sounding "Blade." With a 3.2 megapixel cam, HSDPA, and GPS, it's nothing to sneeze at; whether it's worthy of a name as awesome as Blade, though, is another story altogether.[Via Unwired View]
KEF's Concept Blade speakers -- no, you can't buy them
KEF has taken the wraps off its engineering-only Concept Blade speakers, and while the company has no intent on making these beauties available for sale (or at least none it's talking about), they are promising to roll the technology down the rest of their lineup. Working from KEF's calling-card Uni-Q tweeter/midrange, the design goal of Concept Blade is to make a full range, point source. The 10th generation of its Uni-Q driver can cover seven octaves without breakup before handing things over to the four 10-inch woofers arranged in "force cancelling" transverse pairs (one above the Uni-Q and one below). Throw in a carbon fiber/balsa wood composite enclosure, and you've got the makings of an exotic that surely has a market beyond one-off engineering showpieces. Trickle-down aside, we'd hate to see these go the way of other project concepts we've seen.
Sidekick "Blade" detailed by anonymous tipster
Those Sidekick-crazed hipsters over at Hiptop3 have posted some impressions from a tipster who's purportedly used the Sidekick 2009 / LX 2009 / Blade. Apparently the handset -- which is actually called the "Montreal" by the guys in magenta -- looks just like those leaked images we've spotted before, and has a "more grown up feel" and flush keyboard.The keyboard-centric device is running DangerOS 5.0 (which may or may not be NetBSD based), and has a specialized app to access T-Mobile account info quickly. USB / headphone jacks reside on the bottom of the device, and there's also some new mood lighting. T-Mo will supposedly be marketing this one as the "Sidekick 2009," but that's unfortunately all the intel on sales so far. If the aforementioned deets have your fingers tingling, hit up the read link for even more, and start thinking of ways to pawn off that LX or Slide.
Sidekick LX 2009 outed in survey, could possibly be real
Whoa, whoa -- calm down hiptoppers. Don't act like you didn't know a new Sidekick was coming in the year two-thousand and nine. Actually, there is a fair reason to celebrate here, 'cause if these specs are true, the Sidekick LX 2009 will be a surefire winner. A reader over at HipTop3 reportedly came across this image above while taking an online survey, which -- as your eyes have no doubt confirmed -- shows off the very first 3G / GPS enabled Sidekick ever. Specs wise, it'll supposedly boast a 3.2-inch WVGA display (854 x 480), a 3.2 megapixel camera, microSD card slot, easy access to YouTube, MySpace and Twitter, turn-by-turn navigation and video recording capabilities. Sadly, there's still a sliver of a chance this could all be a hoax, but we know your brain isn't letting itself accept that fact at the moment, now is it?
Blade seeks Nunchuk: Wesley Snipes wants Wii, work
Wesley Snipes, star of such films as Blade and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, wants a Wii. In fact, the actor -- a self-confessed non-gamer -- told MTV, "I want to de-virginize myself into the Wii," when interviewed during the Sundance film festival. (No, we didn't realize he was out of prison either.)Clearly excited by the idea of finding a Wii (tip: try eBay, we hear they have a lot of listings), Snipes jokingly (we hope) remarked that he'd be up for making a movie about being the "Wii champion of the universe," saying that he "needed the work." We're pretty sure Fred Savage does, too. Hey, maybe the two could pull together for an unlikely team-up, and even more unexpected (nay, unwarranted) sequel to The Wizard.Wesley, if you're reading this and you found a Wii, might we suggest a couple of games for you, based on your films? For Blade and Passenger 57, we'd recommend No More Heroes, since it prominently features a blade and was made buy the numerically monikered Suda51. Demolition Man has us thinking Boom Blox. Play those and you'll be well on your way to total de-virginization. Catch the master thespian's landmark interview in full after the break.
EVE server upgrades open possibilities for 1000+ player combat
There's been much talk of late about EVE Online's servers and the underlying technology that powers over 5000 solar systems in New Eden. CCP Explorer's latest dev blog, "EVE64", focuses on the tech side of EVE, and discusses StacklessIO, the blade cluster, and the migration of the EVE servers to 64-bit. The server enhancements, while not without some issues, are showing some promise according to CCP Explorer. "This Monday, 29 September, we saw a fleet battle with over 1100 pilots reported in local. Field reports indicate that the fight was quite responsive for the first 10 minutes but then the node 'missed its heart beat'... and was removed from the cluster...," he says. Despite such setbacks, it's good to see that CCP is doing something about the server issues resulting from an ever-increasing number of pilots in New Eden. Player response to this dev blog seems positive, with a few reporting their experiences being in combat with 1100+ players on the official forums, and even more players weighing in on the server changes at Scrapheap Challenge.
Liner before the tugboat: Hydrophobia dev. talks sequel
Survival action game Hydrophobia has been running silent and deep since it was unveiled over a year ago for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Recently, Sony's "semi official" Euro blog ThreeSpeech did a three-part piece on the game. Now, PS3 Attitude has an interview with the developers at Blade Interactive, revealing that the game already has a location all set for the sequel. Could we kindly get a release date for the first one?Whereas the first Hydrophobia takes place on a sinking ship, The Queen of the World (loosely based on the Freedom Ship), the sequel will occur in a "drowned Boston." We'll now have to wait and see if the first game is any good before we commit our excitement to a sequel taking place in PAX's 2010 East Coast location. %Gallery-3017%
