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$150 laptop brews trouble for big names in edu-PCs
It seems like for every new OLPC announcement, we get a pair of fresh competitors. The latest to put a bid in for the cheap-o laptop market is the Atlanta-based Lite Appliances, which is prepping the "LiteComputer" for a $150 target price by shunning brand names like Microsoft, Intel and AMD. Instead, Lite Appliances is basing the computer on the Blackfin processor from Analog Devices, and a full-on custom OS, complete with web browser, media player, IM and VoIP. The PC is designed to function with web apps such as Google Docs, Google Spreadsheets and ThinkFree Office, and skips a HDD for flash memory -- though you can add storage via USB. The $150 figure is a tad bit misleading, since you'll have to add $100 to that cost if you want a laptop with an LCD (silly you), but even at $250 this thing sounds pretty competitive with other similar offerings. Lite Appliances will be showing off its OLPC killer at CES in January, and has hopes to have the laptop ready to ship in mid-2007.[Via Wired]
Panasonic stuffs EV-DO Rev. A into W5 and T5 Toughbooks
While not the sexiest of laptops, Panasonic's ultraportables make up for that with a lot of heart and now even beefier wireless broadband options. Yeah, 3G options were already available on the W5 and T5 lappies, but now you can outfit these teensy things with that new EV-DO Rev. A stuff all the cool kids are talking about. Sprint is on tap for the service, and boasts average download speeds up to 800kbps. Both laptops will be available next month for $2,249, with the usual 12.1-inch LCDs and extensive battery life trimmings on the combo drive equipped W5 and Tablet PC T5.[Via Crave]
Switched On: The $100 laptop challenge, eBay-style
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment: This was a big year for the $100 notebook computer, a concept popularized by the One Laptop Per Child organization for developing economies. However, not all $100 PCs are targeted toward the needy. During Black Friday, one retailer offered a $100 Compaq laptop after rebates and a Vonage VoIP phone subscription. But what can Benny get you in a portable computer if you're not buying educational aids in the millions or lining up at storefronts mere hours after polishing off the pumpkin pie? Finding the answer would require acute knowledge of the technology market, keen insight into seller psychology, and about seven solid minutes of online research at the internet's garage sale, eBay. Here were the demanding ground rules. To keep the experience as close as possible to a retail purchase, the notebook had to have a "Buy It Now" price of $100 or less. It had to be functional upon delivery (no "parts" PCs), including a hard drive and AC adapter, and had to be able to run a "modern" consumer operating system (Winodws XP or Mac OS X) with, at most, a RAM upgrade. For PCs, I used a Pentium III or Celeron as a rough proxy for this capability. Let's see how I did.
MacBook Pros used in business setting causes surprise
Arik Hesseldahl of BusinessWeek writes today about his shock at seeing MacBook Pros used at a business meeting. Macs, he says, are a rarity in his world, which is a festival of Dells, Thinkpads and other PCs. Hesseldahl relates his experience where a person's MacBook Pro caught the eye of some HP execs. "That notebook you've got there is a challenge to us," CEO Mark Hurd reportedly said. He promised to send someone down to see the MacBook owner to talk about HP notebooks and had some business cards dropped off. MacBooks might not be de rigeur in Wall Street financial circles, but I'm surprised at how surprised Hesseldahl and the HP folk were to see people actually using them in work-related situations. Maybe these PC-folk just need to get out more.
Foxconn to build more Apple Notebooks
MacNN reports that Hon Hai Precision Industry (aka "Foxconn Electronics") has won a new contract with Apple to produce a line of Mac notebooks. The actual notebook line in question is still unclear. MacNN notes that the company will ship about 3.2 million notebooks in 2007, of which the Apple order only makes up a part. If the name of this manufacturing company sounds familiar, it's probably because of our recent story about Foxconn reportedly winning the iPhone handset contact. Foxconn has also built has had contracts to build has had TUAW stories about having possibly having had contracts to possibly build in a theoretical way only Mac Minis, Powerbooks and iBook G4s for Apple in the past.
Screen flickering problem plagues MacBooks
MacBook owners just can't seem to get a break, it seems. The loveable laptops have had a handful of problems since their debut, ranging from the random shutdown syndrome (which was later fixed), to the whirring moo problem (also fixed), to the discoloration issue (yep, fixed), to the plastic cracking crisis (no idea what's going on there). The latest problème du jour apparently has to do with flickering screens, which seem to crop up on an unpredictable basis, but might possibly be triggered by high CPU load. Apparently this issue has been discussed on Apple's own web forums for months, but the particular thread was recently locked for no reason, reports AppleDefects. Further, other Mac sites, including MacinTouch and O'Grady's PowerPage, are reporting similar problems with older PowerBook and MacBook Pros. Hopefully this will all be swiftly resolved with a firmware update in short order. A sample video of the problem can be found on the next page.Read - AppleDefectsRead - O'Grady's PowerPageRead - Apple forums[Via The Inquirer]
Dell E1501 reviewed, first AMD-based laptop
Well folks, it's a new month, and we've got the first of new laptop reviews comin' down the pike. Dell's latest low-budget laptop ($500), which debuted about a month ago, has finally been put through its paces for a complete test by Laptop magazine. The reviewer found that the younger sibling of the E1505 doesn't quite live up to the family name -- "what you gain in savings you lose in functionality." This lappie packs a 1.79GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core TL-56 (what a mouthful) chip in there, along with an 80GB hard drive, and a half gig of RAM. Laptop found that while the E1501 has comparable benchmarks to the E1505, and slightly better wireless connectivity, it's missing a lot of features, such as Bluetooth, S-Video, FireWire and a 5-in-1 card reader, which we could see as being major downers. Still, we can't help but being a little frightened by the piece's ominous closing phrase: "you get exactly what you pay for."
MSI announces new S430 lappie, adds DTV
Another day, another laptop -- this time, it's MSI who's treating us with its new S430, a 14-inch AMD Turion 64 X2-based machine. Like its predecessor the S425 (pictured), the S430 packs WiFi, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and supports up to 2GB of RAM, but this time adds a dual-layer DVD burner, NVIDIA GeForce Go 6100 graphics card, a built-in DTV tuner and an infrared remote control. However, MSI was so excited to tell the world of its latest creation that it somehow forgot to include pictures, prices and locations where we could purchase this example of prime laptop power.[Via Laptoping]
Toshiba serves up a Merom-powered Satellite P100 configuration
What a time to be alive for the discriminating gamer: not only has next-gen console madness begun sweeping the country prior to the PS3 and Wii launches, even PC manufacturers are dropping some impressive hardware, with Toshiba offering up a Merom-powered version of its Satellite P100 hot on the heels of Dell's quad-core XPS 710 desktop. Besides a dual-core 2.0GHz T7200 CPU, the 17-inch P100-ST9742 also brings a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, top-of-the-line NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GTX graphics, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 100GB, 7,200RPM hard drive, 5-in-1 card reader, DVD SuperDuperMulti drive, and three-flavor WiFi plus Bluetooth. On the connection tip, this 7.1-pound machine delivers four USB 2.0 ports along with RGB, S-video, DVI, FireWire, S/PDIF, and both PCMCIA and ExpressCard slots. Getting your frag on Toshiba-style will set you back $2,900, and for now, this system is available exclusively through the company's website.[Via The Inquirer]
Medion SIM 2060 laptop iced out with 300 crystals
We're not really sure why anyone needs a crystal-encrusted LED belt buckle, nor an iced-out Xbox, but Medion clearly thinks that a sparkly (with 300 Swarovski crystals) laptop is the best way to attract female users, despite our skepticism. Looking beyond the exterior, the SIM 2060 laptop packs a 1.73GHz Core Duo chip, a 12.1-inch screen, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 100GB hard drive, WiFi, Bluetooth, gigabit Ethernet, a SD/MMC/Memory Stick card reader, an ExpressCard 54 slot, and a dual-layer DVD burner -- all of that will set you back £1,000 ($1,900). Not a bad deal considering that a fridge with 7,000 such crystals went for 10 times that price.[Via Reg Hardware]
Dell to release AMD-powered sub-$500 lappies next month
We know that it's just been one big lovefest between Dell and AMD over the last few months. Most recently, we saw Dell's new AMD-powered desktops, which pack some of that Athlon 64 X2 dual-core power; however, we've just learned that Dell is going to be shipping AMD-based laptops during the end of this month, according to DigiTimes. There will be two models to cross the Pacific: first a 15.4-inch model, expected to sell for under $500, along with a forthcoming 17-inch model in early 2007. Lenovo, you guys got any sub-$500 laptops in the pipeline that you're ready to bust out?[Via Laptoping]
Sony apologizes for the "inconvenience" of battery recall
Oh Sony, perhaps your Sony Entertainment execs have convinced you that any press is good press, but it's not always that way in this business anymore -- when will your bad news ever get out of our news readers? After your various episodes regarding the near-10m worldwide battery recall, you issue an obviously forced apology for causing serious property damage and putting millions of customers at risk of harm or death? Because according to The Associated Press, top company executives have apologized for the "inconvenience caused by a massive global recall in laptop batteries," but seemed confident that the problem was fixed and that the company could move on. However, AP's coverage continues: "The executives were seated while they bowed and did not bow deeply standing as most Japanese executives generally do in public apologies for troubles at their companies, underlining how Sony has been reluctant to admit fault in the troubles with its laptop batteries." Sorry Sony, you don't get to invoke papal infallibility on this one. We know you basically invented the consumer electronics industry, but that doesn't mean you get to act like like a curmudgeonly old man, cursorily acknowledging the interruption that is actually a major mistake. What's more, the AP posits that you've "maintained that the short-circuiting happens only very rarely and only in certain ways that the battery is connected in a system with laptop models, or if the laptop is used improperly and gets bumped around." Not you seem to be listening, but let's face facts here: it's not as infrequent an issue as you probably wish, Sony, and time and time again it's been proved that ordinary users doing nothing unusual are experiencing these fires. C'mon Sony, it's us, Engadget. We won't even mention how incredibly angry we are about Lik Sang. You, us, let's dish.
Third time's a charm: OLPC notebook now called XO
Now we love hugs and kisses as much as the next guy -- wait, that didn't come out right -- but when it comes to naming computing devices that will be used by millions of children worldwide, we think that the esteemed Nicholas Negroponte could have come up with a better one for his beloved machine than "XO." Like CM1, for instance. Or 2B1. Oh wait, those names for the string-powered OLPC notebook have already been tried and discarded -- NickNeg may be a whiz at marketing "The Children's Machine" to developing countries, but it seems that he could still use a lesson or two in branding. For the third time in only two months, the product-formerly-known-as-the-hundred-dollar-laptop has undergone yet another name change, with Fortune's senior editor now referring to it as the XO -- a title so new, it hasn't even made it to the OLPC wiki page yet. No explanation is given as to why this device has undergone such an unusual number of rebrandings -- especially for a non-commercial product -- and we imagine that more than a few people are getting confused by the habitual changes in its specs and titles. Still, the major issue here is not what it's called but what it could be able to achieve -- well that, and avoiding anymore price hikes, because if these little wonders get much more expensive, Qadaffi and friends might be better off buying a Dell, dude.[Via OLPC News]
Steampunk laptop comes complete with Morse key
We're not exactly sure how this actually works, but a creative Japanese fellow seems to have created a laptop that looks like something out of the movie "Pi." It's apparently a functioning laptop, with mechanical keys, a wooden space bar, and a stylish Morse key over the trackball. It's even got USB, Ethernet, and all the modern trimmings. Click, or tap, rather, on over to the next page to check out a closeup of that Morse key...[Via Boing Boing]
Dell's XPS M1710 notebook gets overclockable Core 2 Duo
One of the fastest portable gaming rigs on the planet is about to get even faster. Along with the two LCD TVs and 20-inch LCD monitor we already brought you, Dell will also be introducing a new version of the 17.1-inch XPS M1710 laptop at DigitalLife later today, its first tweak to this lineup since swallowing up VoodooPC. Whereas the first generation M1710 featured a Core Duo processor and GeForce Go 7900 graphics, the new model will sport your choice of Core 2 Duo T7600G or T7200 CPUs and 512MB GeForce Go 7950 GTX or 256MB GeForce Go 7900 GS cards from nVIDIA. If you go with the higher-end, $3,498 configuration, Dell is also throwing in the ability to overclock the dual-core processor on your own -- just as it did with the XPS 700 desktop. Both the pricier and $2,299 "budget" configs will also rock a brand new feature that will be sure to delight modding and disco enthusiasts alike: XPS LightFX technology that lets you sync up the systems' 16-color lights to whatever game you're playing or music you're listening to. With a blazing processor, powerful graphics chipset, WUXGA resolution, and a bunch of blinking LEDs, the new M1710 sounds like it could very well consume every last minute of your free time -- say goodbye to sunlight and fresh air for good.
Toshiba updates U205, M115 and P105 lines
Well, well, well, if it isn't Toshiba Tuesday. Yes, we've got a ton of new laptops to tell you about, so let's get started. First up are updates to the U205 "ultra-portable" line (pictured) -- the U205-S5034 (estimated at $1,300) sports a swanky 1.6 GHz Core 2 Duo T5200 proc, 1GB of RAM, a 100GB hard drive, whereas its older bro, the -S5044 (estimated at $1,600) comes with a 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo T7200 chip, 2GB of RAM, and a 100GB hard drive. Both come with a double-layer DVD burner, WiFi, and the ever-popular biometric fingerprint reader. Next up is the latest model in Toshi's M115 line: the M115-S3144, which includes 2GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, a double layer DVD burner, WiFi, four USB ports, FireWire, a 5-in-1 card reader, VGA and S-Video out and should hit the streets for an estimated $1,250. Finally, Toshiba has new upgrades to the P105 line, which include the -S6134, -S6124, -S6114 and -S6104 models. The whole line packs the Merom love, a hefty 17-inch screen, dual-layer DVD burner, 4 USB ports, VGA and S-Video out, and FireWire. Individually the models differ in RAM configurations, hard drive capacities, and some even have USB TV tuners so you can watch the local news from your neighborhood-friendly WiFi café. As you might expect, prices similarly range from $1250 to $1550. Now all of this begs the question: Toshiba, can we expect the same from you on a future Tuesday?Read - U205Read - M115Read - P105
CPSC: Sony recall will include laptop batteries only
And you thought you could go the whole day without reading a single battery recall-related post; sorry, we'll try harder tomorrow. So you probably remember yesterday's scary report which quoted a Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesperson predicting that Sony's upcoming US battery recall will expand beyond just laptops, and might include portable DVD players and videogame consoles too. Well the same woman who made that statement, Julie Vallese, has now backtracked somewhat by telling CNET that "Any recall that the agency will make will be limited to batteries that power notebook computers. We have no anticipation at this time beyond that." So, does this mean that those other types of batteries are safe -- or that the CPSC knows about problems with them, but since they apparently won't be part of the recall, there's no need to worry the public? It's hard to say at this point, although Vallese's previous comment was pretty clear -- unlike the following response from Sony spokesperson Rick Clancy: "Sony has provided a wealth of technical data to the CPSC involving this tech, and it is omnipresent in a host of portable electronic devices, but as far as we know, from Sony's perspective, there is no initiative planned at this time that goes beyond what has already been communicated with respect to notebook computers." Doesn't sound very reassuring to us. Only time will tell if other kinds of devices are at risk from those little metal particles that tainted many a laptop cell, but if we had to proffer a guess, we'd say it's pretty unlikely that the QA breakdown which allowed so many batteries to become fire hazards was limited only to the manufacturing processes for notebook power packs. Let's hope we're wrong about this one.
Acer's TravelMate 6460 and 6410, continuing the Merom love
We thought that Acer was all done for the time being with announcing its latest Core 2 Duo lappies, and boy are we pleasantly surprised to be wrong -- the company has just paraded out two swanky new models for us to enjoy: the TravelMate 6460 and 6410. Sadly, deets on the TravelMates are few for the time being, but we do know that they'll come with the latest Merom action (no word on what speed), "omnipotent communication" (WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 1.3 megapixel integrated webcam), DVI-D out with HDCP support (on the 6460 only), fingerprint-based login, and a 15.4-inch display. Yo Acer, how about some pricing and availability info to go along with your spec sheets, hrm?
More Acer Ferrari laptops: the 1005WTMi and 5005WLHi
We never really expected Acer's Ferrari lineup of notebooks to sell all that well, but once again we've been proven wrong, as the company has apparently sold enough of these overpriced machines to warrant spec bumps for both the 1000 and 5000 series. First up is the revamped 12.1-inch 1005WTMi, which packs a pretty decent feature set for a 3.6-pound ultraportable, including a 2.0GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 processor, ATI Mobility Radeon X1150 graphics with 512MB of VRAM, a full 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 160GB worth of HDD capacity, and of course, Bluetooth 2.0 and three-flavor WiFi standard. As for the 15.4-inch, WSXGA+ 5005WLHi (pictured), you're getting the same CPU, RAM, and HDD configurations as the 1005, but video is handled by a 256MB ATI X1600 chipset; the real draw, though, is the new HD DVD drive, which is backed by an HDMI port for outputting those high-def vids to a bigger screen. No word yet on pricing or availability, though if past Ferrari-themed laptops have taught us anything, you'll be paying a pretty penny for that carbon fiber case and snazzy galloping horse logo. Keep reading to check out the 1005, but really, once you've seen one of these notebooks you've basically seen them all...
Ben Heckendorn's Xbox 360 laptop: best mod ever?
Every so often a mod comes along that's so intricate, so amazing, so over the top, that words simply don't do it justice (but we'll try anyway). Ben Heckendorn's Xbox 360 laptop is one such mod. Having garnered no small amount of fame from previous portable projects like the nPod, PPS2, and N64p, Ben was commissioned by a generous benefactor to somehow make a 360 "good to go" a la the Crunchwrap Supreme -- and since this is the great Mr. Heckendorn we're talking about, slapping a hinged LCD onto an out-of-the-box console simply wouldn't do. Instead, Ben spent three months designing and building the so-called Xbox 360p, machining a custom aluminum laptop enclosure by hand into which he stuffed a keyboard, 1,280 x 720 Westinghouse LCD, and get this -- even a custom-built water cooling system to replace the 360's stock, bulky heat sinks. The end result is a polished, professional looking (albeit heavy -- this machine weighs in at about 14 pounds) laptop complete with WiFi, USB ports, obligatory glowing green ring, and converged power supply so that the monitor and gaming system only require a single cable snaking out the back. Well done, Ben, well done; but as you yourself note, there's no such thing as resting on one's laurels, so we can't wait to see what you have in store for the PS3 and, most especially, the swing-your-arms-like-a-maniac Nintendo Wii. Hit the jump to check out the 360p's guts, and then head over the Ben's site for a ton of photos and one of the more thorough build walkthroughs that we've come across...[Thanks, Jeffler and kade]
