Cebit2009
Latest
Linpus demos uber klein mystery netbook
Like a little intrigue with your morning Joe? Check out the video below of this sleek little unidentified netbook on display at CeBIT last week at the Linpus booth, found by the same excitable bloke who brought us a glimpse of the company's Linux Lite OS. The hardware sounds to fit the standard Atom-based mold as the rest, adding 3G wireless for true portability, and is said to be built by Quanta, the company rumored to be on tap to build Apple's supposed netbook. Does that mean it could look something like this? We doubt it -- but wouldn't be surprised if it, too had a glossy screen.
ASUS showcases HD-minded Eee Top ET2203 and ET2003
Amongst many, many other things at CeBIT, ASUS also found time to showcase two new Eee Top all-in-one PCs, though it completely failed to make any deal of it at all. In fact, it didn't even bother hosting up specifications placards, leaving us curious as to what these offer over the existing (and smaller) Eee Top machines. Aside from boasting 22- and 20-inch panels (respectively), NotebookItalia noticed that the ET2203 and ET2003 both included an HDMI socket and a Blu-ray optical drive, not to mention a natural affinity towards kitchens. We'll keep an ear to the ground for more on these in the coming weeks, but for now, you'll have to let ye old imagination handle the hard work.
ASUS shows off Wireless LCD prototype, "Green" monitors
ASUS news from CeBIT? Say it ain't so! Just hours after the company introduced two new "Green" LCDs, we stopped by to see what all the fuss was about. What we found were two rather vanilla looking LCDs (they're in the gallery below, we promise) sitting beside something entirely more interesting: a Wireless LCD prototype. An ASUS rep informed us that the model shown was utilizing the currently-in-limbo ultra-wideband (UWB) standard, and he affirmed that the monitor didn't have a model name nor an estimated ship date or price; it was simply on hand to prove that wireless LCDs were possible and that they're on the way. He noted that ASUS was looking into other wireless protocols -- namely wireless HD and WHDI -- and that it was "waiting things out" before making a final decision on what variation to use. Our take? We suspect it's both testing for best compatibility / range and waiting to see if UWB will remain viable in the coming months, which likely means no shipping product for quite some time. For what it's worth, the on-hand demo was stellar, with no visible lag, glitches or dropped frames to speak of.
IOGEAR Wireless USB Audio / Video Kit, more wireless USB eyes-on at CeBIT
While wireless USB hasn't exactly, um, taken off, there's definitely still some promise here. We swung by the USB-IF's booth today at CeBIT in order to have a look at a new single-chip Fujitsu Siemens' solution along with IOGEAR's recently released Wireless USB Audio / Video Kit. The former is mostly a European version of the Wisair Wireless USB Display Adapter Set, and while the latter seemed to work perfectly fine in the demo, the resolution was decidedly not 1080p. Nowhere close, actually. We reckon this stuff will get some real traction if and when two things happen: 1) the industry embraces it and begins embedding it into products (no one likes dongles, sorry!), and 2) when prices fall to reasonable levels. Can we get somebody on that, or what?
BMW designs PC case for Thermaltake
This new case for the fashion-forward PC gamer was dreamt up by the design wizards at BMW's Designworks USA. Instead of throwing all the components in what essentially amounts to one big box (like practically every other case), Thermaltake's Level 10 sees all the machine's components -- mobo, hard drives, optical drives, and so forth -- seated in their own compartments. Constructed mainly from aluminum, this guy will make its official debut at Computex in early June. In the meantime, hit the read link for some more spy photos taken on the floor at CeBIT.[Via Car Scoop]
CE 3100-powered Gigabyte / Yahoo! widgets box eyes-on
A lot has changed in the TV widget world since we first caught wind of Intel's CE 3100 processor and Gigabyte's connected box that took advantage of it. Mainly, a metric ton of new players have emerged, and many companies are simply shoving the widget functionality within the HDTV and bypassing the extra set-top-box altogether. Nevertheless, Gigabyte had its Yahoo! Widgets box (the MD300) on hand this year at CeBIT, so we sashayed over to snap a few shots. At this point, it's tough to say just how viable this thing is. On one hand, it'll be nice to give existing HDTV owners the option of adding access to widgets; on the other, Gigabyte has to know that the appeal is limited now that almost every HDTV hitting the market has this functionality baked right in. Have a peek below, won't you?
Clevo's beastly 18.4-inch M980NU gaming laptop eyes-on
Ready for the duel of the 18.4-inchers at CeBIT? Just yesterday we took a look at Acer's ginormous Aspire 8930, and today we popped in at Clevo's booth to snap a few shots of its mammoth M980NU. While the girth was impossible to not notice, the palm rest, keyboard and top control panel were downright ritzy. Yeah, the all-gloss finish was a fingerprint magnet, but we can't say it wasn't drop-dead sexy when wiped clean. Regrettably, we couldn't figure out how to get that incredibly annoying plastic lock thing off of the keys, so we can't personally verify whether this thing can handle the stresses of Quake I. Sorry, we tried.
Pretec 32GB SDXC, 666x CF card and 64GB ExpressCard SSD eyes-on
We first caught wind of SDXC back at CES, and just today Pretec announced the world's first SDXC card. Much to our pleasure, said card was on hand at the outfit's booth at CeBIT. Sadly, we were forced to photograph the one behind the glass bubble, as some incredibly evil individual managed to swipe the product sample from the outfit's booth last night (seriously, the Polizei are out for you!). Also on hand was a devilishly fast 666x CompactFlash card along with a mighty capacious 100GB CF card that hums along at 233x. Last, but certainly not least, was the 64GB ExpressCard SSD, which looked suspiciously like most every other ExpressCard we've ever seen. Unfortunately, these newcomers were so new that pricing information wasn't yet available, though all of the devices mentioned will be shipping this year. We'll keep you posted on further deets, but till then, feel free to meander around in the gallery below.
BeBook e-reader getting WiFi, new firmware update: eyes-on
Clearly, the big news from Endless Ideas today at CeBIT was its next-generation BeBook 2. But what about all those existing / to-be BeBook 1 owners? We've got a bit of excitement to share with you folks as well. While prying for information today in Hannover, we were informed that one of the biggest issues with the BeBook is being resolved very soon. Yes, friends, WiFi is coming. In just a few months, BeBook users will be able to buy a WiFi-enabling SD card (and download a new firmware update) which will provide wireless access to eBook stores, RSS feeds and lots of other goodies that can only be touched with a live internet connection. We're told that the WiFi SD card will be sold directly on the BeBook website for around $40, and it should be listed for sale within the next few months. We took the chance to grab some hands-on footage of the original BeBook in video form for you Yanks who've yet to see one, and if you hang in there 'til the end, you'll hear us get tipped off on the forthcoming card.
ASRock debuts Atom 330-powered NetTop S330: eyes-on
We caught up with ASRock's new entrant into the netbook world yesterday, but today it was all about the nettop. On display at the company's CeBIT booth was this gem, the NetTop S330. Showcased in white and some strange, unusual other hue, the box was powered by an Intel Atom 330 processor and supports up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM. Other specs include a Super Multi DVD burner, gigabit Ethernet, 160GB 2.5-inch hard drive, audio in / out, VGA output and GMA950 graphics. We have to say, the design here is about as unimaginative as a nettop can get, but ASRock representatives informed us that it'll be aiming at a lower-end market as the box should list for $399 or less depending on options. Anywho, feel free to poke around in the gallery below, and if you dig what you're seeing, you can pick one up in America this April (or May if you're in Europe).
Gigabyte shows off GA-IBP Core i5 motherboard at CeBIT
What, what? Core i5? What's that? In short, that's the response we got when prodding for details on this here motherboard at CeBIT, but sure enough, the object you see above just might be the first mainboard shown off designed to play nice with Intel's forthcoming Core i7 lite™. The Gigabyte GA-IBP will reportedly be available to purchase around July, which -- coincidentally enough -- is right when we're expecting the Core i5 chips to make their debut on the market. The on-hand Gigabyte rep wouldn't talk about specifics, noting that most everything about this board was still under NDA; when we strolled into Intel's hall, we were flat told that no Core i5 prototypes were available here in Hannover. At any rate, you can count on at least one motherboard to use on your next mid-range gaming rig, and you can peek that very board in the gallery below.
Video: ASUS Eee Station PC NAS interface walkthrough
We've spotted ASUS' D200 (or Eee Station PC NAS, as it's apparently now known) once before, but we took the opportunity here at CeBIT to shove our camera all up in the touchscreen in order to give you, the prospective buyer, a look at what this here Atom-based NAS has to offer. The specs on this thing read like a bona fide PC: 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, room for two 3.5-inch SATA II drives, a 3.5-inch touch panel, 802.11n WiFi, DVD-RW slot-loading optical drive, four gigabit Ethernet ports, USB / DVI sockets and a built-in three-cell Li-ion battery to give you 15 minutes of emergency time should your power fail. Our experience with the touchscreen was less than amazing, with the edges seeming to be noticeably less responsive than the middle. Sure, we don't expect you'll be touching your NAS all that often, but hey, there it is. Visually, it was as sharp as it needed to be, and the whole unit just screamed sexy. Mash play above to check out the menus, or dive in below if still photography is what floats your boat.%Gallery-47100%
BeBook 2 e-reader revealed and in the wild at CeBIT 2009!
There it is, folks -- the BeBook 2. We knew Endless Ideas was bringing its next-generation BeBook to CeBIT, but we had no idea it'd be this well under wraps. We chatted with the company's CEO and managing director a bit about the direction of the BeBook as a whole, and they're very much believers in keeping format support wide open and giving readers the choice of where to pull content from. We were blessed with a few minutes of hands-on time with the new and improved e-reader, and while the software was still not finalized (thus our inability to photograph it more), we were impressed with what we saw. The next iteration of the BeBook should be a serious contender in the e-reader market, particularly in Europe where Amazon's Kindle has yet to invade. The inclusion of WiFi and 3G is a good move (great move, actually), as those two additions open up all sorts of possibilities that non-connected readers simply can't access. As for the device itself? We're digging it. The build quality felt remarkably sturdy, the aesthetics were beautiful and the thinness was certainly notable. The e-ink display has also stepped up the greyscale level from the original BeBook, and battery life should remain the same despite not being as bulky. As you can tell, the screen also supports doodling, and it tracked inputs as well as we could've hoped. We still couldn't pry out a price, but you can be on the lookout for this to drop worldwide somewhere in the Q3 to Q4 2009 time frame.
QNAP's family of NAS drives arrives at CeBIT: eyes-on
QNAP's CeBIT showstopper was unquestionably the all new NMP1000, but given that we already took a few shots of Acer's mass storage devices, we couldn't pass up the chance to capture these as well. QNAP's styling is decidedly "business-like," though not in the bad way... if you get what we're on about. Anywho, have a glance below if you're teetering on adding one of these to your home / business network.%Gallery-46981%
Acer Aspire 8930 gaming laptop eyes-on
Acer's mammoth Aspire 8930 was on hand at CeBIT, and all 18.4-inches of it demanded an entire end of a pedestal. This one's been rolling out to homes for a month or two now, but given just how ginormous this thing was, we couldn't resist snapping a few shots and sharing 'em with the masses. So, is this thing actually too big? Depends on the square footage of your domicile.%Gallery-46979%
Corsair launches Voyager Port at CeBIT: eyes-on
In an effort to better market its flash drives as more than just this generation's floppy drive, Corsair has stepped up at CeBIT this year to introduce the Voyager Port. Put simply, this flash drive dock connects to one's PC and provides one-touch backup straight to whatever USB stick is plugged in. By including the NovaBackup 10 software, the docking station transfers a copy of a user's hard drive to any USB drive (provided that it's large enough), and while you may argue that an external HDD could do just the same, this could be a cheaper option for someone who already threw down for a capacious USB stick. Pop down below for a look at the admittedly simple device.
MSI debuts three new Classic Series laptops
MSI has certainly already made a respectable enough showing for itself at CeBIT this year, but it looks like company isn't done just yet, with it now getting official with three new "Classic Series" laptops. Those include CX700, CX600, and CR400, which each pack 16:9 screens of 17.3, 16, and 14-inches, respectively, along with ATI Mobility Radeon HD4330 graphics on the CX700 and CX600, and an NVIDIA Geforce 8200MG GPU on the more energy-efficient CR400. Specs are otherwise still a bit light, but each will apparently come equipped with a combo optical drive that boasts a "high-speed CD burning" feature, along with a 4-in-1 memory card reader, and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. No word on pricing just yet, but all three will apparently be on the more affordable side of things.
HDMI-equipped ASUS Eee Box 206 eyes-on
A number of you bemoaned the fact that MSI's WindBOX lacked an oh-so-necessary HDMI port, so maybe the better option for you is an LCD mounted Eee Box 206. Yep, the HD-minded mini PC was set up here in Hannover, with one of the units hosted up nicely on the rear of a flat-panel monitor. The fit was flush and the connections were easily accessible, so those looking for a nice, if not underpowered media center should definitely give this one a glance. Speaking of glances, you do cast some right now in the gallery below.%Gallery-46966%
Acer easyStore H340 Windows Home Server eyes-on
Yesterday we took a peek at Acer's hotly designed Altos storage box, and today we're getting up close and personal with its easyStore H340 Windows Home Server. Generally speaking, the box looks almost identical to the aforementioned Altos, except it replaces the totally boss front cover with an entirely more drab and entirely more glossy replacement. Take a look within just there in the gallery.%Gallery-46963%
ASRock launches MultiBook G12 at CeBIT, we go eyes-on
ASRock had a surprisingly large presence at CeBIT this year, so it follows logic that it would bring along some new kit to show off. The MultiBook G12 is its 12-inch offering to the bursting-at-the-seams netbook arena, and while it didn't look all that different from the units it's going up against, we suppose a little more competition can't hurt matters. Details on specs were rather scant, with ASRock only telling us that it will ship with a dual-core Intel CPU, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, integrated graphics, a 12.1-inch panel (1,280 x 800), room for a single 2.5-inch SATA drive, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, audio in / out, a built-in optical drive, four USB 2.0 ports, a 56k modem, VGA output and a fancy-ish design on the lid. The on-hand rep wouldn't give out a hard price to quote, but he did say that it would be priced "very competitively" when it ships worldwide in the April / May time frame.%Gallery-46953%
