AMD To Make Netbook Chip

Topic: Notebooks and PCs

Either AMD has finally made their peace with the concept of netbooks, or they've finally admitted to themselves that it's useless to fight a trend. The company is about to launch a new “Fusion” line of chips, designed to work specifically in netbooks. These new chips are expected to launch at some point in 2011.

Netbooked reports (via Hardware Central) that these new netbook-based chips will consume about 10-15 watts of power (about 1/3rd of what they draw now) and will be designed for 10”-12” netbooks. There will be “good integrated graphics performance” that will supposedly make Ion “unnecessary”.

Posted on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:59:42 CST | by Robert Evans

Dell's Precision M4500 Mobile Workstation

Topic: Notebooks and PCs

Dell has just sent out a press release announcing the launch of the Precision M4500, which they claim to be the world's most powerful 15.6” mobile workstation. It contains an optional Intel Core i7-920XM Quad Core processor Extreme Edition, as well as Core i7 and i5 processors linked together with 1066 MHz and 1333 MHz memory.

Posted on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:08:52 CST | by Robert Evans

Software Update for HP MediaSmart Servers Adds TiVo Management

Topic: Notebooks and PCs

The line of MediaSmart servers from HP were already pretty cool sounding allowing you to archive all your digital media in one place and access it from any PC in the home. HP has announced a new software update that makes the servers even more interesting.

The new update now allows MediaServer users to transfer shows form a TiVo HD DVR to the MediaSmart server and back to the TiVo DVR. That is one seriously cool feature and will keep shows you really like form being overwritten or erased as the DVR fills up. Read more

Posted on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:07:58 CST | by Shane McGlaun

MSI's New Sub-$450 Netbooks Offer 12

Topic: Notebooks and PCs

MSI Computer today announced the availability of the newest additions to its Wind12 line of netbooks. The U230-033 and U230-040 offer high-definition resolution on one of the biggest netbook displays currently on the market. Read more

Posted on Tue, 9 Mar 2010 16:35:28 CST | by Mark Raby

MSI X-Slim X360 Notebook Debuts

Topic: Notebooks and PCs

MSI has been showing off its thin and sexy line of X-Slim notebooks for a while. The company has announced a new notebook called the X360 that promises up to nine hours of battery life. The machine runs an Intel Arrandale ULV processor for performance and battery life. Specifically the machine uses the Intel Core i5-520UM processor with Turbo Boost and Hyper-threading.

The machine also uses the Intel HM55 chipset. It weighs 1.4kg and is under an inch thick. Graphics for the machine are via Intel HD integrated GPU. The X360 can use up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM and it has a 13-inch HD LCD with 1366 x 768 resolution. Storage is to a 2.5-inch HDD with up to 500GB capacity. Read more

Posted on Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

MainGear mX-L 15: Ultimate Notebook?

Topic: Notebooks and PCs

How much power do you really need in a 15.6” laptop? The MainGear mX-L 15 (via iTechNews) packs either a Core i5 or i7 processor and can support up to 8 GB of DDR3 RAM. It carriers ATI's 512 MB Mobility Radeon HD4570 graphics card and has either a 320 GB HDD or a 512 GB SSD for storage.

I think this marks the first time we've seen a 512 GB SSD in a commercial laptop. This monster machine supports Bluetooth and has WiFi capabilities. It sports a DVD SuperMulti burner with optional 2X Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. There's an all-in-one card reader, 2 MP webcam, HDMI-out, and an ExpressCard 34 slot. The battery is a 6 cell, and I wouldn't expect impressive life out of it.

Posted on Tue, 9 Mar 2010 10:36:19 CST | by Robert Evans

Lenovo IdeaPad U150 With WiMax?

Topic: Notebooks and PCs

4G can't become ubiquitous fast enough. One of the things that will help achieve our dream 4G world is a plethora of good products that support WiMax. Lenovo appears to be on that boat already. Wireless Goodness reports that the Lenovo U150 has just been sighted sporting a WiMax card in the FCC.

Posted on Tue, 9 Mar 2010 10:23:12 CST | by Robert Evans

MSI Wind U160 Netbook Finally Available

Topic: Notebooks and PCs

Remember that MSI Wind U160 we first heard about awhile back? Well the little netbook is finally shipping. The little rigs biggest feature that will grab your attention is the claim of 15 hours of battery life. I have yet to see a machine actually offer what the manufacturer claims in battery life in the real world.

The U160 uses the power sipping Intel Atom N450 CPU and features the MSI Eco mode setting to extend battery life. The machine can be had in sparkling gold or black, presumably this is the gold here though it looks brown. Read more

Posted on Tue, 9 Mar 2010 05:41:39 CST | by Shane McGlaun

LG X300 Ultra-Thin Notebook Launches

Topic: Notebooks and PCs

LG sent out a press release today announcing the launch of their latest ultra-thin notebook. If anything qualifies as 'ultra-thin', it is the X300. This notebook is just .69 inches thick, and weighs just 970 grams. It has an 11.6” screen with no bezel. You can buy the X300 in either shiny white or light brown.

The X300 is powered by a 2.0 GHz Intel Menlow platform chip with up to 2 GB of RAM and a 128 GB SSD. It runs Windows 7 home premium and has 2 2-cell batteries, for a total of 7 hours of battery life. There is no fan, and this baby packs an embedded 3G modem plus SRS TruSurround HD sound.

Posted on Mon, 8 Mar 2010 12:05:23 CST | by Robert Evans

iTable Spied at CeBIT is Perfect for Geek Living Rooms

Topic: Notebooks and PCs

If you think the iPad is cool, you will really like the iTable that was shown off at CeBIT. The iTable is a coffee table for the Living Room that has a gigantic 42-inch full HD LED backlit screen inside the top. The screen is a multi-touch computer display that offers access to digital content and applications.

The iTable is from PQ Labs and can recognize up to 32 fingers on the screen at once. The screen can also accept input from other objects like a gloved hand, stylus, bottle, or a cup. The table is 1.5-inches thick and has a full computer inside. Read more

Posted on Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:00:00 CST | by Shane McGlaun

Office 2010 Ships May 12

Topic: Notebooks and PCs

Are you just getting used to "The Ribbon"? Still having fun playing around with the preset formatting choices? Well, get ready to learn a whole new bunch of Office functionality, as the 2010 version of Microsoft's software suite is coming out soon. Read more

Posted on Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:00:00 CST | by Mark Raby