notebooks
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Acer Aspire 9510 and 9110 HD-DVD-sporting laptops
Along with the 15.4-inch 5670 and 20.1-inch 9800 notebooks that we'd already known about, Acer formally unveiled at Computex two other HD-DVD- and Centrino Duo-toting models from the Aspire line that we hadn't seen before: the 17-inch 9510 and 15.4-inch 9110 (pictured). All four models are being billed as all-in-one multimedia centers, and with all but the 5670 sporting 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions, S/PDIF and HDCP-capable HDMI outputs, optional analog and DVB-T tuners, and of course those high-def, backwards-compatible optical drives (still waiting on those Blu-ray models, though), it sure sounds like Acer knows what it's talking about. Both of the new-new notebooks also offer up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM and nVidia graphics cards, but the 9510 rocks the GeForce Go 7900 GS with 512MB of RAM and up to 240GB of hard drive space, while the 9110 has to settle for the GeForce Go 7600 with 256MB of RAM and a HDD that maxes out at 120GB. Unfortunately, Acer was so busy selling us on the benefits of all these new machines that they forgot a few important details, so both pricing and release dates for each and every one remain a big fat mystery for now.[Via Notebook Review]
VoodooPC's 17-inch, dual-core Envy u:734 notebook
If VoodooPC's $5,000 Envy u:909 gaming laptop is a bit too rich for your blood, the company has come out with a more reasonably-priced 17-inch model that still manages to pack in a dual-core processor and top-of-the-line graphics card. The new Envy u:734 starts at "just" $3,800 and features a T2400 Core Duo processor (upgradable to the T2500 or T2600), nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX video card, 1,900 x 1,200 pixel widescreen display,1GB of RAM (2GB max), an 80GB HDD (160GB possible), 8x DVD burner, and the usual suite of ports, card readers, and wireless radios (three flavor WiFi and Bluetooth). You can place your order for this 8.1-pound desktop replacement starting today, and as usual, you can choose from about a million different color schemes along with numerous tattoo options for shlocking up personalizing your rig.[Via DailyCE]
Samsung, Seagate show off ReadyDrive HDD prototypes
No surprises here: we've known since last WinHEC that Samsung was working on a so-called ReadyDrive hard drive that sports a 128MB flash buffer for enabling lower laptop power consumption, and just as we suspected, they've unveiled a working prototype of the technology at this year's conference. Also on hand with their own ReadyDrive was Seagate, who, like Samsung, plan to release their model when Vista finally starts shipping, as only the next-gen operating system will have the proper ATA driver command sets to allow for such a large buffer. PCMag was on the scene for one of Samsung's demos, and claim that a laptop running an office apps script only needed to access the hard drive every three to four minutes, which could result in ReadyDrive-equipped laptops sipping up to 40% less juice than models with those outdated, perpetually-spinning HDDs.
"Undercover" software helps recover your stolen MacBook
So you coughed up some dough for that iAlertU program to protect your MacBook, but wouldn't you know it, your laptop got jacked anyway by a clever thief who simply removed the battery before taking off. Luckily for you, all is not lost, at least not if you'd installed another program called Undercover on your machine, which not only sends out an IP-address-containing SOS if it's reported stolen, but actually uses your machine's built-in iSight to snap a photo of the perp before simulating a screen failure that makes the Mac unusable. Every six minutes, Undercover pings a database maintained by developer Orbicule to check if the machine it's installed on has been stolen; a positive reply from the server initiates a sequence of events that hopefully ends with law enforcement officials breaking down the door of the nefarious Macjacker's pad and recovering your beloved notebook. In case the crook was smart enough to never reconnect to the Internet after the heist, however, you'll still need to file an insurance claim and head down to the old Apple store -- looks like they still haven't found a software solution that beats the trusty Kensington Lock.
Toshiba's 12.1-inch Tecra M6 Core Duo-powered laptop
'Tis the season for ultraportables, and now yet another Core Duo-powered model has hit the market, the 12.1-inch Toshiba Tecra M6. Also available with either Celeron or Core Solo processors, the M6 seems like a slimmed-down version of the 14.1-inch M5 we spotted earlier this year, as the $1,059 base configuration only gives you 256MB of RAM, no WiFi, a 40GB hard drive, and that pokey 1.6GHz Celeron M. It costs a little over $1,600 to put together a decent system, which includes a 1.83GHz T2400 Core Duo chip, 1GB of RAM (which also gets you a free Vista-ready logo!), 100GB HDD, 802.11a/b/g, and Bluetooth, but only integrated graphics and no DVD burner. Targeted more towards the light-traveling businessperson than the hardcore gamer, the M6 also sports such security-conscious features as a fingerprint reader, Trusted Platform Module, and a Security Assist Console, as well as hard drive protection, a spill resistant keyboard, and shock absorbing design for turbulent plane rides.[Via Core Duo News]
LG's dual-core, super-slim 14-inch XNOTE T1 laptop
Here's another dual-core ultraportable to add to your drool-list (probably just due to its looks): LG's latest superslim XNOTE laptop, the 14.1-inch T1. Unfortunately you'll probably never see this piano black, 21.5-millimeter thick notebook over here in the States, which is a shame considering how many features they managed to cram into just a 4.2-pound package, most notably a dual-layer DVD burner, 5-in-1 media card reader, plus Bluetooth and 802.11a/b/g. Performance, though, is nothing to write home about, with the low end L2300 1.5GHz Centrino Duo processor, integrated graphics, and pokey 4200RPM 60GB or 80GB PATA drives probably making this model a non-starter for gamers or serious multitaskers. For simple web browsing, emailing, or DVD watching on-the-go, however, the 512MB to 2GB of RAM and optional 1,440 x 900 WXGA+ screen should prove more than adequate.[Via Core Duo News]
Five new Compaq business laptops from HP
Because we know that you can never get tired of reading laptop specs, we have five more HP models to drop on you, including the waif-like 12-inch nc2400 (pictured) which weighs in at a mere 2.8-pounds. All five of these Compaq-branded notebooks are targeted at business users, and all but the 15.4-inch (WXGA or WXSGA+) nx7400 series -- which can also be equipped with a Celeron M -- sport one of several Core Duo or Solo flavors. Graphics here range from integrated (the 12.1-inch nc4400) to ATI Mobility Radeon X1300 (14.1-inch, WXGA or WXGA+ nc6400) to an ATI Mobility FireGL V5200 card available in certain configurations of the15.4-inch nw8440 series. All these machines offer WiFi and a minimum of 512MB RAM and a 40GB HDD out of the box, with some models sporting extras like a fingerprint reader, 7200RPM hard drive, and LightScribe dual-layer DVD burner. No prices are known for the nc2400 or the nc4400, which are coming on May 22nd, but the other models are available immediately with prices starting at $1,549 for the nc6400, $740 for the nx7400, and $1,599 for the nc8400 series.Read- nc2400Read- nc4400Read- nc6400Read- nx7400Read- nc8440
Three from HP: dv2000 and v3000 laptops, tc4400 tablet
You could say that we're a bit "lappy happy" today (ugh, that was terrible), as we have two more notebooks -- and one convertible tablet -- from HP to show you, to join the Toshiba Qosmio, Sony VAIOs, and pair of Alienwares we brought you earlier. Both 14.1-inch laptops are replacements for previous HP models -- the redesigned dv2000 (pictured, left) replaces the dv1000 in the Digital Entertainment Center line and the Compaq Presario v3000 (pictured, right) puts the v2000 out to pasture -- with the main upgrades coming under the hood, where each model now offers you a choice of Centrino Duo or Core Duo processors from Intel or the Mobile Sempron or Turion 64 X2 from AMD. Also rocking Core Duo (in three flavors: 1.83GHz, 2.0GHz, or 2.16GHz) is the Compaq tc4400 tablet, which sports a 12.1-inch XGA display with digitizer, integrated graphics, 512MB to two gigs of RAM, 60GB, 80GB, or 100GB hard drive, WiFi, PC Type I/II and SD card slots, and the usual assortment of inputs and outputs. The tablet, which you can peep after the jump, will be available on May 22nd for an undisclosed sum of money (but it's safe to assume that it'll be more than the $1,550 Pentium M-sporting tc4200), while the Intel-based notebooks will ship this month -- with the AMD models following shortly after -- all starting at around $1,049 after rebates and junk.Read- dv2000 and v3000Read- tc4400
AquaMinds NoteShare 1.0
AquaMinds, makers of the popular NoteTaker, has released NoteShare 1.0, a "powerful desktop application for creating, publishing and sharing media rich, multi-page notebooks." NoteShare allows you to "instantly" share a notebook for presentation or collaborative editing across a room, a network or even the web. Interestingly, their product page states that you don't even need hosting space in order to publish and share a notebook.While NoteShare sounds like an interesting product for its target users, AquaMinds is a little slim on details as to whether NoteShare represents a new level of note taking and rich media abilities above and beyond their NoteTaker product. However, since NoteTaker sells for $70 and NoteShare is priced at $150 for a 3-machine license, I'd bet the premium price is all about that collaborative ability, rather than some fancy new note taking features. If all this notebook sharing business has your interest piqued, AquaMinds offers a 30-day NoteShare trial; just follow the link on the right here.
