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Asus shows specs, price for Lamborghini VX1 "supernote"
Sure, Asus might not be neglecting the sexy on their new VX1 Lamborghini laptop that we saw back at CES, but they've seemed to overlook some serious price and specs considerations for the unit. The biggest blow is the lack of a Core Duo processor, with Asus instead opting for a 2GHz T2500 Intel chip. Otherwise the laptop is fairly solid, with 1GB of DDR2 SDRAM, a 120GB HDD, dual-layer DVD±R/RW burning, and a Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 GPU with 256MB of memory. The 15-inch display is even has a decent resolution at 1400 x 1050. Unfortunately, you'll be paying a good price for that Lamborghini logo, since the computer is currently ringing up at €2700 ($3267 USD). The VX1 is set to ship at the end of April and should be available through the usual Asus channels along with Lamborghini's online and retail outlets.
Clio NXT unleashed on Duke University... kind of
It's been almost a year since the Clio NXT was supposed to ship -- so long ago in fact, that we sense the dull fog of disinterest descending upon you. See, the Clio NXT was (is?) the successor to the cult 1998-released WinCE laptop/tablet which is said to feature Windows CE.NET 5.0 (yes, CE), a 10.4-inch, 800 x 600 touchscreen LCD with 180-degree pivot, WiFi, 64MB SDRAM and 64MB Flash memory, a near full-size QWERTY keyboard, and a smattering of connectivity and expansion options including SD card slots, PCMCIA, USB, a headphone jack, mic, and video out. Well, out of the blue this morning we received a press release stating that Duke University's Fuqua School of Business will serve as "beta site" for the NXT and Data Evolution's other CE computing device, the Cathena ultra-light laptop. That's it -- no price (although we last heard $999 for the NXT), no expected start date for this beta program, let alone a revised ship date... nothin'. In a market now flooded with reasonably priced tablets, UMPCs, and dirt cheap laptops, we're feeling, well, a bit jaded ourselves.
Averatec 7100 series laptops: lightest 17-inchers available
If you like it big and light (but not too powerful) then listen up son, 'cause Averatec just announced their 7100 series of laptops said to be the lightest 17-inch widescreen infotainment laptops available (though, as far as we can tell, that title still goes to the 17-inch PowerBook). Ok, considering all those 20-inchers dropping lately, they're not that big, but at 7.2-pounds and just an inch-thick they manage to pack in a 1.8GHz AMD Turion 64 ML-32 processor, dual-layer DVD/CD burner, up to 100GB disk, 2GB DDR RAM, 802.11b/g, and a healthy dose of USB, FireWire, PCMICIA, PC Express, and memory card slots for expansion in addition to that 1440 x 900 pixel display supported by an ATI Radeon Xpress 200M graphics card. These Microsoft Windows Vista Capable machines may not be the most powerful on the market, but at street prices from $849 to $1,199 (depending upon config) they're worth a look for the budget minded.[Via MobileTechReview]
The rest from Sony: updates to F, F-TV, H, V, S lines
Now that we've got Sony's brand spankin' new Vaios out of the way, we can move on to the rest of the 40-odd models the company announced in Japan today, most of which represent spec bumps to existing boxes. Most of the Vaio laptop lines, including the multi-hued F, F-TV and S series get Core Duo processors (or Core Solo for the lower-priced models). Most also get that coveted "Windows Vista Capable" sticker, which you can proudly display until you can actually run Vista. The F-TV model also gets a new display with improved brightness and darker blacks, along with an enhanced sound system. Meanwhile, the desktop V and H (shown above) lines get processor bumps (up to a P4 641 at 3.2GHz on one model) , analog and terrestrial digital tuners, and new LCDs with resolutions up to 1366 x 768. The 20-inch version of the LCD also includes DVI-D for HD input. So, how does this add up to over 40 new and updated models? Well, if you add up all the display and processor permutations (and, of course, the different colored cases on the F series and V displays), you'll hit a number up around there. But unless you're a Japanese retailer or hate your job so much that you'll do almost anything else to avoid it, we suggest skipping that exercise.Read - V/H SeriesRead - F/F-TV/S Series
Sharp's Mebius PC-AE50M for the unwashed
What's this, today Sharp announced a single new computer!? Not the 40-plus from Sony, or 26 from NEC, or even paltry 5-and-change from Toshiba, just one, the Mebius PC-AE50M. Not only are they bucking the shotgun announcement trend engulfing us, the new Mebius also loads-up a non-Core Duo, 1.80GHz AMD Sempron 3000 . Whoa Sharp, you go cowboy. The 2.8-kg Mebius PC-AE50M (that name just rolls, eh?) can bring up to 1.5GB of RAM and 60GB of disk and features a 15-inch, 1024 x 768 LCD, 802.11b/g WiFi, CD-R/RW & DVD-ROM drive, and UV radiation coating to keep palm-gunk from polluting the case. Rejoice o ye defiled brethren, rejoice!
Toshiba's Qosmio F30 and Dynabook SS MX, CX, TX, and AX laptops
Toshiba blasted us with a heap of new additions to their Dynabook and Qosmio line-up of laptops today. Let's start with the Qosmio F30/695LS Core Duo T2300 (1.66GHz) which features a bright 15.4-inch, 1280 x 800 (WXGA) LCD to check the teevee pumped out those integrated analog and digital terrestrial TV tuners. The F30 also features 160GB of storage for TV recording fun, up to 2GB RAM, nVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 graphics, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, fingerprint scanner, shock protection, and harmon/kardon's bass reflex speaker system already spotted on the G35. Next up is the new 1.9-kg Dynabook SS MX/395LS which also packs a Core Duo T2300 but delivers on a 12.1-inch WXGA LCD with 80GB disk, a dual-layer DVD burner, 512MB RAM, and 802.11a/b/g WiFi and goes 5.2-hours on a single charge. The compact, 2.5-kg Dynabook CX/875LS offers a 14.1-inch WXGA display and Core Duo T2300, harmon/kardon's speakers, and dual-layer DVD burner we've seen before. Rounding things out are the "high-grade standard" TX/880LS and budget AX/40LS which both offer 15.4-inch displays with the TX going Core Duo T2300 and 120GB disk while the AX manages to slip-in Celeron M 370 and dual-layer DVD burner on the cheap. Looks like all the models will be shipping no later than the 28th of this month. Big snaps of the SS MX and F30 after the break.[Via Akihabara News]
NEC Japan's twenty-six new laptops and all-in-one desktops
If there were ever any doubts as to our complete and total dedication to you, dear reader, let them be dispelled here and now, as we've just trudged through page upon page of horrible machine translation to bring you the relevant deets and specs on no less than 26 new computers from NEC -- for the Japanese market! This cornucopia of hardware comes in both laptop and all-in-one, media-centric desktop flavors, and can be further divided into their respective series: the LaVie 15.4-inch L, T, and 12.1-inch A laptops, and Valuestar W/X, L, and R desktops. More specifically, the W lineup come in four different configurations (VW970/FG, VW900/FH, VW770/FG, VW700/FG), with displays ranging from to 20 to 32-inches, either a 2.8GHz Pentium D or 3.06GHz Celeron D processor, and RAM and hard drive capacity ranging from 512MB to 1GB, and 400GB to 800GB, respectively, while the only X model, the 20-inch, 2.80GHz VX780/FD, seems to differ from the W's in that it utilizes a tower configuration and sports a nVidia GeForce video card (all the rest of the desktops feature integrated graphics). For pics and details on the rest of the desktops and all of the notebooks, keep on reading after the jump...
Fujitsu's Loox P70S, T70S, and T70S/V ultra-portable PCs
So what do you do to followup the launch of both HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc machines? Drop a couple of ultra-portables into the mix, naturally. No, not ultra-mobile PCs, Fujitsu's talkin' ultra-portable with their latest P70S (pictured), T70S and T70S/V line-up. First up, the P70S which pumps an Intel Pentium M753 (1.20GHz) processor to drive XP Tablet PC Edition on that 8.9-inch display. Rounding out the specs is a 30GB disk, 512MB of RAM in lightweight 990g (2.18-pound) package. The T70S, meanwhile, foregoes the touchscreen but brings a bit more power to the show with a Pentium M773 (1.30GHz) CPU, 512MB RAM, 10.6-inch 1280 x 768 screen, DVD-burner, 60GB disk, and Intel 915GMS video card. The T70S/V then gives the same specs but throws in an external digital (DMB we think) TV tuner for Japan. All-in-all, just a modest bump in specs from what they delivered last year in the T70K/T models. Picture of the T70S/V after the break.
Qosmio G30 coming to Japan in May, with HDMI output
Yes, it's another Japan-only shipping announcement from Toshiba (thanks a lot guys; what are we, chopped liver?). This time, the company is boasting that the Qosmio G30, the first HD DVD-equipped laptop, will hit the domestic market next month, for a retail price of about ¥400,000 (about $3,400). Specs are still the same as we've seen before, with the biggest addition being word that the laptop will support HDMI output. That fills in at least one missing piece of the G30 puzzle, namely, if you're going to hand over more than $3K for a laptop just because it has an HD DVD drive, you had darn well better be able to use that drive to pump out some HD onto a bigger screen than the laptop's 17-inch display. (Not that it matters to us, since we have absolutely no idea when we'll see one of these in the US.)
MacBooks said to get Core Duo, iSight
Information (or totally baseless and unfounded rumors, depending on how you look at it) is starting to flow about Apple's upcoming consumer laptops, which we previously learned would sport 13.3-inch displays and would be manufactured for Apple by Taiwan's Asustek. According to AppleInsider, the new MacBooks (and, yes, it looks like that will almost certainly be the name, as Apple continues to consolidate all of its computers under the "Mac" brand) will indeed have that 13.3-inch widescreen display, along with Core Duo processors running at 1.67 GHz or higher. That should be good news to those who speculated that, like the entry-level Mac mini, the MacBooks would be limited to Core Solo chips. Other specs are expected to include a built-in iSight camera, magnetic latch and MagSafe power adapter. AppleInsider also says that the computers are due to be announced sooner than the June timeframe claimed in earlier rumors. One thing we can confirm is that the new laptops won't include Lenovo's patented armor and hoverjets, so be sure to keep them away from Hummers. ("MacBook" design by William W from our WWJD 3 contest.)
That's what you get for installing Windows!
In the tradition of "The Crash" feature on Japan's Impress Watch site, we present this very sad case: a PowerBook that has seen much better days. However, as shown here, it still runs when hooked up to an external keyboard and monitor. So, don't feel sorry for this Mac's owner. Just think of him as the ultimate case modder, who managed to turn an old laptop into a desktop using nothing but a Hummer H2.[Via TUAW]
Acer Aspire 9800 to be next HD DVD-equipped laptop
Toshiba's Qosmio G30 may be the first laptop to launch with a built-in HD DVD drive, but it certainly won't be the last. And as of now, it looks like Acer will be next to market with the Aspire 9800, a media-centric semi-portable due to hit Europe next month. The Acer laptop, in addition to its HD drive, will feature a mammoth 20-inch 1680x1050 display, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600, digital/analog hybrid tuner, 1.3 megapixel webcam, DVI-D out and up to 240GB of storage. No official pricing yet, but word on the street puts this baby at over $2,600. Oh, one more thing. Acer has three asterisks next to its claim that the box will include HD DVD, leading to a footnote indicating the drive will be an option "when available." So, depending on whether or not the drivemaker (which may well be Acer itself) gets the units in on time, this may arrive next month sans HD DVD.[Via Stuff]
Strange app of the day: UnPlugged
I'm still scratching my head on this app, but I figured I'd post it and maybe you guys could help make sense of how an app like this would be useful. UnPlugged is a one-trick pony with the sole purpose of (drum roll please) notifying you when your Mac's power cable is unplugged. It can use Growl to notify you, or a simple alert window in case Growl isn't your cup of tea.Now, how is this useful? To double-check: If a desktop Mac's power cable comes unplugged either from the wall or the Mac itself, it just shuts off, right? As far as I know, Apple hasn't built any whiz-bang UPS technology into their recent desktops. So that leaves iBooks and PowerBooks. Is there some kind of an environment or fairly typical situations people are getting themselves into where they wouldn't know if a power cable became unplugged, given that it attaches right on the side of the machine they're working on? Sound off, if you could, and help make sense of this peculiar little app.UnPlugged is donationware, requires 10.3.9 or higher and is available from brik software.
Apple has 13.3-inch MacBooks on the way?
It's always hard to judge these leaks from Apple suppliers, but according to AFX news, Taiwan's Asustek Computer has supposedly just won a bid for an initial run of around 1.2 million "iBook" computers with Intel processors and 13.3-inch LCDs. We've been operating under the assumption that Apple will call their new consumer line of laptops MacBook, as opposed to the pro line of MacBook Pro. Maybe we just spend too much time thinking about Apple's naming schemes, and this probably doesn't change anything. We should hopefully know for sure before long, though, since it is claimed that Apple will start selling these new laptops in June. (Image by William W from our WWJD 3 contest.)
Skyn laptop covers
In my relentless pursuit for all that is stylish or feminine in the world of tech, I come across some interesting accessories. One such product that I'm not in the market for are Skyns' girly laptop covers. These glorified stickers (described as "durable plastic/adhesive laptop covers") are not exactly my cup of tea. It's not the lack of color or size choices for iBooks, PowerBooks or MacBook Pros that turn me off to the Skyn product line but rather the fact that it's nothing more than a large sticker. Yes, the adhesive may be specially formulated to remove cleanly without leaving residue, but the fact of the matter is I'd rather buy a Colorware laptop or have my laptop custom laser engraved. If I put a big sticker on my machine, it will be one that I've personally customized or designed.[via Gizmodo]
Chic laptop bags for that new MacBook Pro
When it comes to toting around that new MacBook Pro, you want nothing but the best to hug and snuggle your new baby computer. For MacBook Pros (and 15" PowerBooks) I am going to have to point the ladies to alex grant bags. My favorite bag is the understated Skye in gunmetal gray (pictured here). The larger alex grant bags come with coordinating laptop sleeves (kind of like mini briefcases with handles) that fit inside. I love the styling on these bags and the carrying handles look long-commute-friendly, I just wish they came in a few more color choices. All of the agb collection is on sale until March 1st. In a past post I've rounded up some of my favorite iBook sleeves, some of which may also be appropriate for 12" PowerBooks. With this combination, you can put a smaller laptop in a larger bag. Incidentally, I rock a 10" Fujitsu subcompact (running FreeBSD 6), so I ended up modding an existing subcompact sleeve to my liking. Ladies, and guys with ladies in their lives, feel free to comment on your favorite sleeve/bag combo for your mac laptop in the comments.
Rig of the Day: The desk of a switcher
What could be more satisfying than seeing a retired Windows laptop looking sadly on as an iMac proudly occupies its former space on the desk? Flickr user markjreeves77 depicts this scene with his snapshot. Are those Mardi Gras beads? After reading Database in Depth, I can see how a guy could want to cut loose a little bit."My rig (per TUAW) at home" posted by markjreeves77. If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. We'll select an image every day to highlight.
160GB hard drive in the next MacBook Pro?
According to Macworld, Seagate is shipping a 160GB laptop drive. Does this mean the 120GB hard drive I asked to be squeezed into the MacBook Pro I ordered will soon be replaced by another drive with an extra 40GBs of space? I have no idea. This is total speculation, but it would be cool.If you grab one and hack it into your MacBook Pro, PowerBook, or iBook, let us know.Sometimes I dream of the day when we'll have 300GB hard drives in our portable computers, but the dream quickly turns to nightmare when I realize that by the time that happens the System folder will most likely take up a good 100GBs of that 300...
So no Apple plasma HDTV after all :(
Blah blah blah, laptop, blah blah, iPod, blah blah blah, dual core Intel processor. No 50" plasma screens, no UDI. The best news we got was DVI out on the new laptops, no word if that will include HDCP, but unless they'll upgrade your laptop to Blu-ray or HD-DVD, who cares?I'm so disappointed, check out the rest of the coverage of the Jobsy one's keynote on Engadget and TUAW.
Apple files patent for laptop with integrated camera
Yesterday, the Patent & Trademark Office revealed the contents of patent application 20050201047, which was filed by Apple, and contains a design for a laptop with a digital camera integrated into its lid. The patent itself reads: "The portable computer further includes a latch including a data capture device such as a camera that is configured to secure the lid to the base."Could it be a future iSight, built right into the computer itself? Or a low-res camera, similar to those built into many phones for snapping quick shots? Let the rumor-mongering begin![Via Macsimum]
