Cool Laptop

• 22Jul

  HP says Windows 7 slates due this fall, for enterprise customers

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  HP has announced that it will launch a series of Windows 7 tablets this fall. But while the HP Slate had originally been designed as a consumer oriented device, it looks like HP is now targeting the HP Slate 500 as a device for enterprise customers.

  There are still no details on the specs or exactly when this fall the tablet will be available. But it looks like HP is dividing its tablets into two camps: consumer oriented WebOS devices and enterprise focused Windows 7 devices.

  Update: Palm’s Jon Rubinstein also says HP and Palm are working on other WebOS products including smartphones and… netbooks. This is actually the second time we’ve heard HP/Palm use the big N word in relation to WebOS.This seems to contradict earlier statements that HP wouldn’t bring a WebOS netbook to market. I guess everyone’s entitled to change their mind once in a while.

  Update 2: An earlier version of this article stated that HP would be launching its WebOS slate this fall, but it turns out it’s actually the Windows 7 tablet due out in that time frame.

• 21Jul

  Asus Eee PC 1215N reviewed

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  The Asus Eee PC 1215N is about as powerful as any Intel Atom powered notebook can hope to be. It has a dual core Atom D525 processor and NVIDIA ION 2 graphics, which means it should be able to support multitasking duties as well as HD video playback. You can also get in some 3D video gaming while you’re at it.

  The Eee PC 1215N isn’t shipping yet, but the folks at Netbook Live managed to get their hands on a pre-release unit and they’ve posted a detailed review of the laptop.

  For the most part, the new notebook looks like previous 12 inch Eee PC models, but apparently the Eee PC 1215N has a matte case instead of a glossy one. The reviewer also seemed pretty impressed with the notebook’s multitasking capabilities thanks to its dual core processor with support for hyperthreading (which means you’ll actually see 3 CPU meters in the Windows Task Manager. The computer also did a good job of automaticlaly switching between integrated Intel graphics and the higher performance NVIDIA ION graphics card as needed.

  The combination of the Atom D525 processor and the next-generation NVIDIA ION graphics seems to be a winner, as the netbook scored 2671 on the 3DMark06 benchmark — which is more than a thousand points higher than the Asus Eee PC 1201N, which has an older dual core Atom 330 processor and first generation NVIDIA ION graphics.

  You can find more details, as well as some additional benchmark results at Netbook Live.

• 14Jul

  SmartDevices introduces T7 Android Tablet

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  As the parade of Android tablets continues, China’s SmartDevices has introduced a new 7 inch tablet called the T7. The basic model features WiFi only, while a T7-3G version will also be available with… you guessed it, a 3G module.

  Both versions feature 7 inch touchscreen displays and 720MHz ARM11-based processors. They run Google Android 2.1 and feature 4700mAh batteries.

  The high capacity batteries make these little guys stand out from the crowd. The rest of the specs, not so much — although it is worth pointing out that the press photos for the 3G model would seem to suggest that the tablet may come with the full Google suite of apps including Gmail, Google Maps, SMS, and the Android Market for downloading third party apps. But the same photo makes it look like the tablet is running Andorid 2.2 Froyo, so I’d take it with a grain of salt.

  The SmartDevices T7 will run about $217 in China, while the T7-3G will set you back about $276. Unfortunately I don’t expect to see these tablets outside of China anytime soon.

• 13Jul

  Viliv N5 handheld mini-notebook now shipping in the US

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  The Viliv N5 is kind of what you’d get if you crossed an Intel Atom powered netbook with… something smaller. Basically, this little guy has all the specs of a relatively mundane 10 inch netbook, but packed into a device with a 4.8 inch display that’s small enough to fold up and put in your coat pocket. It’s now available for purchase from Dynamism, which is offering same day shipping.

  The only model in stock at the moment is the Viliv N5 with a 3G modem, which runs about $799. But Dynamism expects to have the WiFi-only version in stock on July 19th. It will sell for $649.

  The Viliv N5 runs Windows 7 and has a 1.3GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU, 1GB of memory, and a 32GB solid state disk. It has a QWERTY keyboard and a 1024 x 600 pixel touchscreen display.

• 07Jul

  Standardized notebook power supplies could be on the way

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  Taiwanese notebook manufacturers are taking the first steps toward developing a set of standards for notebook power supply units. DigiTimes reports that Acer and Asus, as well as OEMs such as Quanta, Compal, Wistron, Pegatron, and Inventec all support the idea. Between them, these companies are responsible for the production of the vast majority of notebook computers on the market today.

  I will be a while before we actually start to see any results, but in the long run this could mean that you’ll be able to use a single power supply with multiple devices. Buy a notebook and you can use the same power brick to charge your tablet PC. Or if your notebook power supply gets lost in the luggage, it will likely be a lot easier to purchase a replacement.

  DigiTimes suggests the initiative could also cut down on electronic waste, since you’ll only need a single power supply for multiple devices, but I suspect that people will still end up getting a new one with every computer they buy. And that’s probably OK, since you might actually want to charge your netbook, notebook, and tablet at the same time.

• 03Jul

  Lenovo ThinkPad earphones, plus a USB flash drive

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  Two things occurred to me recently. First, I haven’t run a giveaway contest in a while. And second, I picked up a couple of items at a recent event that I’d prefer not to keep for myself, since I try not to take anything of value from companies that I cover. So without further ado, it’s time for a giveaway.

  Up for grabs this time around is a small package containing a Lenovo ThinkPad In-ear headset (headphones plus a mic) and a 512MB USB flash drive. Yeah, I know the Flash drive isn’t really worth much, but that’s why I’m just throwing it in with the headset, which is worth about $20.

  In order to enter, just leave a comment to this post before 12:01 AM on Monday, July 5th. I’ll randomly select a winner and send an email requesting a shipping address. If you don’t respond within 24 hours, I’ll draw another name out of my magic hat of random-number-generation.

  This contest is open to anyone over the age of 18, no matter where in the world you live. I’m feeling generous since the package only weighs a few ounces and won’t cost that much to ship to Siberia. Just don’t expect overnight shipping.

• 25Jun

  Acer Aspire 521 has a 1.7GHz AMD Athlon 2 Neo K125 processor and ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics

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  Left: Acer Aspire 721 / Right: Acer Aspire 521 

  Let’s be honest. The Acer Aspire 521 doesn’t look all that different from most other 10 inch netbooks Acer has released so far this year. What’s different about this model is that it’s one of the first with an AMD processor and chipset instead of Intel components. But you wouldn’t really know that to look at the laptop.

  That said, it’s always a bit of fun to check out one of the first unboxing videos, so after the break for your viewing pleasure is an unboxing vid courtesy of nDevil.

  For reference, the Acer Aspire 521 has a 1.7GHz AMD Athlon 2 Neo K125 processor and ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics. It supports DDR3 memory, and has two RAM slots, which means you can install up to 4GB of memory on this model.

  I got a brief look at this netbook, as well as its larger cousin the Acer Aspire 721 with an 11.6 inch display the other night, and the build quality really does look excellent. I’ll be curious to see how these machine stack up against similar models with Intel Atom or Intel CULV processors in terms of performance.

• 22Jun

  VLC 1.1 media player supports hardware video acceleration

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  Open source media player VLC is known as a Swiss Army knife of video players. It can handle pretty much any DRM-free video format you can throw at it, from WMV to MKV, with a little H.264, Xvid and DiVX thrown in for good measure. The folks behind VLC just rolled out version 1.1 with support for Google’s new WebM format. But that’s not the only trick up its sleeve. VLC 1.1 also supports hardware video accleration.

  What that means is that if you have supported hardware, VLC will use the GPU to accelerate video playback, thus reducing the CPU load significantly.

  In order to take advantage of the new hardware acceleration you’re going to need a machine with an NVIDIA graphics processor, so if you’ve got an NVIDIA ION-powered device you should be good to go. If you’ve got integrated Intel graphics or an ATI graphics processor, you might have to wait a while. ATI support should come after the company updates its drivers, and Intel support should come after the VLC team gets to spend some time with Intel hardware that supports GPU decoding — although I suspect that won’t include Intel Atom chips with integrated graphics.

  GPU acceleration is also limited to the Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Linux versions of VLC 1.1.

  For a complete list of new features in VLC 1.1, check out the VLC home page. The team has also added support for new audio and video codecs, as well as a new framework that will allow coders to write extensions for VLC.

• 16Jun

  OLPC XO 1.5 now makes the innovative Sugar OS interface optional

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  The original OLPC XO Laptop sparked the netbook revolution by showing that laptops could be tiny, cheap, and still pretty useful. But the laptop also broke the mold in a few other ways, by using a spill and dust resistant membrane keyboard, a durable plastic frame, and an innovative user interface called Sugar OS. While Sugar was designed to make the laptop easy for students in developing nations who have never touched a computer before to use… it’s not exactly what most people see when they turn on a computer. So if you want to teach a kid to use spreadsheet apps or other office or productivity software used in most of the world, then it might not be the best way to go.

  Now it looks like the folks at OLPC have gotten the message, because they’re shipping the XO 1.5 laptop with the option to switch between the Sugar OS and a full GNOME Desktop, which provides a user interface closer to what you’d see on a Linux distribution like Ubuntu, or on Windows or OS X, for that matter. It has taskbars, and a start menu, even if that’s not what they’re called.

  Students already using the original XO laptop will also be able to use the new software.

  OLPC also says that a new XO-HS laptop with a more traditional keyboard will be available later this year.

• 16Jun

  Toshiba introduces updated 10 inch netbooks

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  Toshiba is giving its 10 inch netbooks a slight spec bump today, by introducing models with support for DDR3 memory.

  First up is a new version of the Toshiba NB305, which has a new 1.66GHz Intel Atom N455 processor and 1GB of DDR3 memory. Like its predecessors, this mini-laptop comes with Windows 7 Starter Edition, a 250GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and a 6 cell battery.

  Toshiba has also introduced a lower priced model called the Toshiba Mini NB255. It’s built of less expensive plastic and has a different keyboard design than the NB305. But it features the same basic guts including an Atom N455 CPU and DDR3 memory.

  Both netbooks have 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel displays. The new Toshiba NB305 will sell for $379, while the Toshiba NB255 will run just $299.

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