Archive for April, 2008


MacBook Air users still faced with overheating problems?

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April 30, 2008

My 2 Cents:  If you are are experiencing any similar issues you might want to go and have your machine checked out (who know, you might be one of the lucky ones that gets yours swapped out for a new one)….but in my mind it’s expected that a machine that thin with a desktop CPU inside would run a little hot…but it is nice ;O)

We’re still hearing reports of MacBook Air overheating woe, well after an EFI update in April that was meant to address some of those problems. While hot computers are nothing new, the MacBook Air starts shutting down cores and offloading processes when things get bad, which means users are faced with aggravating stop-start freezing until they can manage to cool the computer off — or just put it to sleep and let it “rest.” Apparently some people have traced this back to the age-old misapplied thermal grease problem, but that’s hardly a solace for the average consumer trying to convince Apple to fix this thing for them. We took a MacBook Air that was acting up into the Genius Bar and Apple claimed it couldn’t reproduce the problem, though we have heard cases of Apple replacing the computer for users. We’d be curious to know just how many Air users are having trouble, and if the X300 is experiencing anything similar, so let us know in the comments.

MacBook Air users still faced with overheating problems? – Engadget

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Psystar Open Computer notes, benchmarks and video (MAC CLONE)

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April 30, 2008

My 2 Cents:  For those of you that are interested in getting yourself a MAC but were a little worried about price (Starting at $550) this might be an option.  This is pretty new so it might not be for faint of heart ;) so you might want to wait for the kinks to be worked out but at that price might be fun to play with

Site: Psystar

Okay, so we’ve been playing with the Psystar Open Computer for a few hours now, and we’ve formed some early impressions and put together a short video of it in action. We haven’t really tried to stress the system yet, but based on our other experiences with OSx86 machines, we’re expecting things to generally go smoothly. That said, there are some definite rough patches and issues, all mostly having to do with the fact that OS X isn’t really built for this hardware. Here’s what we know so far:

  • It’s running 10.5.2, build 9C31, which is behind the latest Apple build of 9C7010.
  • The mobo is a Gigabyte GA-G31M-S2L with an Intel G31 Express chipset. We’re not sure which model of Core 2 Duo is in there as of yet.
  • The graphics card appears to be an NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT, but it doesn’t show up in ASP, so we have to confirm. Psystar’s store says it’s supposed to be a 256MB card, but we have 512MB — strange.
  • It’s LOUD. Crazy loud. OS X doesn’t seem to interface with the fan controller, so it runs at full tilt all the time. It doesn’t really come across on the video, but it’s loud enough so that it’s hard to talk on the phone when the machine is running. There’s no way we could deal with this thing on a daily basis.
  • The DHCP lease drops every fifteen minutes or so and you have to manually renew it in prefs.
  • Apple System Profiler doesn’t know how to read the configurations of several systems, notably memory and audio. The Audio screen just says there’s no built-in audio, while the Memory page returns an error.
  • That said, audio works just fine, showing up in prefs as HD Audio Output, and obviously the memory works fine.
  • We plugged in a couple cameras, an iPod, and an iPhone, everything worked as expected.
  • There’s no iMovie or iPhoto out of the box, since iLife doesn’t come with Leopard — you’ll have to buy it separately.
  • Time Machine seemed to recognize an external HD, but we didn’t have time to fully test it out.
  • The included copy of Leopard was out of the shrinkwrap, but there’s no way to install it — it shows up in Startup Disk but it won’t restart, and it’s not recognized at boot.
  • Front Row works fine.
  • You can grab the entire System Profiler file here, if you’re so inclined — just make sure and share with the group if you notice anything crazy, okay?

As far as benchmarks, it doesn’t exactly blow Apple’s gear away, but it definitely holds its own — and the GeForce card just destroys the integrated graphics in the MacBook / Mac mini. Check it out:

  • All machines tested with Xbench 1.3.
  • All machines tested were using Leopard.
  • You can check the bold Xbench scores to compare the cumulative results for each test.

Psystar Open Computer notes, benchmarks and video – Engadget

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Microsoft again delays Win XP SP3

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April 30, 2008

My 2 Cents:  Damn ;O(

Microsoft on Tuesday said it is delaying the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 because of a newly uncovered glitch. The software maker said there is a “compatibility issue” between the XP service pack and Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System, a retail chain management program for small and midsize businesses. Microsoft finalized the code for Windows XP SP3 last week and had planned to make it broadly available starting Tuesday. “In order to make sure customers have the best possible experience, we have decided to delay releasing Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center,” the company said in a statement.

The glitch also exists between Microsoft Dynamics RMS and Windows Vista Service Pack 1, though that product has already been broadly released. Microsoft started pushing out Vista SP1 last week via Automatic Updates. “To help protect our customers, we plan to put filtering in place shortly to prevent Windows Update from offering both service packs to systems running Microsoft Dynamics RMS,” Microsoft said. “Once filtering is in place, we expect to release Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and Download Center.” Microsoft advised those running Microsoft Dynamics RMS to not install either service pack. The company said a “fix is currently in testing and will be available as soon as that process is complete.”

Source: Cnet

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Video: iSwish puts the iPhone UI on any Windows Mobile phone

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April 30, 2008

My 2 Cents:  For all you windows users this new cloned iPhone interface defiantly looks interesting.  It seems that it will not be available till mid-May but without a true multi-touch interface don’t see the change to be more than a new skin / template. 

But if you want gesturing right now on your windows mobile phone you can always try this app, FTouchFlo.  It works pretty well on any windows mobile device.  Just copy the single file to your device and select it…that it ;O)

File: FTouchFlo_v1.4.1

Site: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=338143

While you can argue that Windows Mobile is feature-for-feature and spec-for-spec superior to OS X on the iPhone, Apple’s mobile UI is certainly more fun to use. So if you’re running WinMo with a hankerin’ for rubber band-like scrolling, jiggly icons, screen flicking, SummerBoard themes, and even simulated multi-touch pinching of photos then you’re in luck. Flick Software Research is set to release its iSwish interface and iZoom pinch software in beta come “early May.” Hey Flick, here’s a hint: Dell Axim != sexy demo hardware… or maybe that’s the point. See the action after the break.

Video: iSwish puts the iPhone UI on any Windows Mobile phone – Engadget

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Festo AirJelly flies through the air with the greatest of ease

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April 29, 2008

My 2 Cents:   This thing is too nice… such tranquil movement…I totally want one and the water one is just as nice

We’d explain this thing, but we’re really having trouble taking our eyes off of it long enough to string some full sentences together. Suffice it to say Festo‘s AirJelly is powered by some magical jelly fish properties, a lithium-ion battery, an electric motor and a bit of helium. If that’s not floaty enough for you, there’s also a water version, AquaJelly. Videos of both are after the break.

Air

Water

Festo AirJelly flies through the air with the greatest of ease – Engadget

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Microsoft says XP is definitely dead in June, Dell says it’ll keep installing it

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April 28, 2008

My 2 Cents:  Here is a little more clarification (if you can call it that) regarding the life-span of XP.  I really hope that it stays around just because with the improvements in SP3 i could not imagine why? 

by Nilay Patel, posted Apr 28th 2008 at 12:45PM

Steve Ballmer kicked up a little dirt last week when he said that Microsoft could “wake up smarter” and keep selling XP after the June 30 cutoff date if customer feedback demanded it, but as you’d expect, the company is busily trying to “clarify” that statement by saying that while it always listens to customers, XP is definitely going to die on the 30th. Well, apart from the ultraportable exception that’ll last until 2012 or so. And the backlog of licenses still in reseller’s hands. Oh, and a little company called Dell, which, as rumored, is going to take advantage of a Vista licensing loophole that allows it to sell a copy of Vista but preload XP instead. Yep, that’s the plan — Dell’s going to report a Vista sale to Microsoft, but deliver an XP box with Vista upgrade DVD to customers. (That sound you just heard was a million accountants sighing in appreciation.) The program will be available for Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision, Vostro, and XPS systems (some with a minor fee), and Dell says it’ll keep going as long as Microsoft supports the “downgrade” license option, which could be forever. Looks like June 30 just got a lot less scary for XP fans, no?
Read – Microsoft clarification of Ballmer’s comments
Read – Dell to keep selling XP

Microsoft says XP is definitely dead in June, Dell says it’ll keep installing it – Engadget

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RIM developing "Apple Killer" touchscreen BlackBerry?

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April 28, 2008

My 2 Cents:  Now this is the phone that i wam keeping my eyes on and i dont even like phones ;O) 

by Ryan Block, posted Apr 27th 2008 at 12:35PM

The times has a verbose 2,000 word piece about the high stakes world of high-end cellphone manufacturers (no way!), specifically centered around RIM’s post-iPhone trials and tribulations. Besides a bit of vague lip service paid to the 9000 series, they’re claiming that two 3rd party developers — no sources cited — leaked that RIM has a skunkworks product dubbed “AK” (which stands for “Apple Killer”), and that apparently it’ll be touchscreen. And then comes the tub-thumping money shot from co-CEO Mike Lazaridis: “I couldn’t type on [the iPhone] and I still can’t type on it, and a lot of my friends can’t type on it. It’s hard to type on a piece of glass.” Right, until you guys decide to do one of your own — these executive types are so transparent they might as well just be up front.

RIM developing “Apple Killer” touchscreen BlackBerry? – Engadget

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New 3G iPhone will hit stores on June 9

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April 28, 2008
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My 2 Cents: Unless this mew version includes some serious changes (i.e. OLED) I am not sure that the big deal of having 3G 

The 3G iPhone will be announced June 9, the likely date of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ keynote at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference, analysts said in research notes on Thursday. The 3G iPhone will be the “first of an impressive wave of new products” from Apple, wrote Citi analysts Richard Gardner and Yeechang Lee. They also expect an updated Mac laptop and iPod lines. The Apple conference is scheduled for June 9-13 in San Francisco. In addition to a 3G iPhone release in early June, the 2.5G model could have a “minor casing change” and a price drop to between US$299 and $349, compared to the current $399, wrote Shaw Wu, an analyst with American Technology Research, in a research report.

Those predictions are consistent with a February prediction Gardner made that 3G iPhones will be announced by midyear. The 3G iPhone release will help Apple meet its target of shipping 10 million iPhones in 2008, Gardner wrote at the time. Apple is confident it will sell 10 million iPhones this year, officials said during a conference call on Wednesday to discuss the company’s second-quarter earnings. Apple sold more iPhones than expected during the quarter and iPhone inventories were not enough to meet the strong demand.

Source: Yahoo

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Liliputing: Comprehensive list of low-cost ultraportables

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April 25, 2008

My 2 Cents:  Don’t know about you guys but I can not wait till some of these hit stores.  In my mind the factors that will mean the most will be as follows:

Batter Life Factors (>3hr)

Over the past six months or so, Asus, Everex, and HP have managed to bring low-cost ultraportable notebooks to market. But dozens of other computer makers have promised to bring out their own mini-notebooks. Some will run Linux, while others will be preloaded with Windows XP or Vista. Some will have flash memory, while others will have hard drives. But every one will be smaller, lighter, and cheaper than most existing laptop computers. Here’s a roundup of some of the computers that have been announced or are already available.


Already available

Asus Eee PC 701 The Asus Eee PC builds on the concepts originated by the OLPC XO Laptop and Intel’s Classmate PC. But unlike those low cost ultraportables, Asus has marketed the Eee PC to consumers since day one. And the success of the original Eee PC 701 has sparked a whole new trend in mobile computing.

  • Processor: Intel Celeron 800 or 900MHz, underclocked to 571MHz or 630MHz
  • RAM: 512MB to 1GB
  • Storage: 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB solid state flash memory
  • Display: 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel screen
  • Expansion: 3 USB ports, 1 VGA output, 1 SDHC card slot
  • Operating System: Xandros Linux or Windows XP
  • Connectivity: Ethernet, 802.11b/g
  • Webcam: 0.3 megapixels
  • Weight: .92kilograms / 2 pounds
  • Battery: 4 cell 4400mAh or 5200mAh battery for between 2 and 3 hours of battery life (with a claimed battery life of up to 3.5 hours)
  • Price: $299 to $499
  • Official Product Page
  • Cheap, refurbished units now available on Amazon

Dreambook Light IL1 Australia’s Pioneer Computers announced the Dreambook Light IL1 back in February. And while it doesn’t sport a 9 inch screen or next generation processor, it’s sure pretty to look at.

  • Processor: 1GHz VIA C7-M ULV CPU
  • RAM: 512MB to 1GB
  • Storage: 40GB to 80GB 1.8 inch PATA hard drive
  • Display:7 inch 800 x 480 pixel screen
  • Operating System: Ubuntu, Windows XP, or Windows Vista
  • Expansion: multimedia card reader
  • Connectivity:
  • Webcam:
  • Weight:
  • Battery: 1.1 kilogram / 2.4 pounds
  • Price: $499 Australian, or about $450 US
  • Official Product Page

Everex Cloudbook Everex was the second company to release a consumer oriented subnotebook. But many feel that this product was poorly thought out and quickly rushed to market. Early models shipped with software that was not optimized for the computer’s small screen

  • Processor: 1.2 GHz VIA C7 Mobile processor
  • RAM: 512MB
  • Storage: 30GB hard drive
  • Display: 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel screen
  • Expansion: DVI-I output, 2 USB ports, 4-in-1 media card reader
  • Operating System: gOS Linux (based on Ubuntu)
  • Connectivity: Ethernet, 802.11b/g
  • Webcam: 0.3 megapixels
  • Weight: 2 pounds
  • Battery:4 cells
  • Price: $399
  • Official Product Page

HP 2133 Mini-Note In April, HP launched its Eee PC competitor, the HP 2133 Mini-Note. The computer has a sleeker, more professional look than the Eee PC or Cloudbook, but it also weighs close to three pounds, while the competition weighs just 2. The Mini-Note is also more expensive than the competition, but you get a larger screen and more storage for your money.

  • Processor: 1GHz – 1.6GHz VIA C7 Mobile Processor
  • RAM: 512MB to 2GB
  • Storage: 4GB solid state flash memory or 120GB/160GB hard drive
  • Display: 8.9 inch 1280 x 768 pixel screen
  • Expansion: VGA output, 2 USB ports, Express Card slot, SD card slot
  • Operating System: Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Business, or OpenSUSE Linux
  • Connectivity: Ethernet, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth on some models
  • Webcam: VGA
  • Weight: 2.8 pounds
  • Battery: 3 cells or 6 cells
  • Price: $499 through $849
  • Official Product Page

Coming Soon

Asus Eee PC 900 The Asus Eee PC 900 is already available in Hong Kong, and is set to hit Europe and the US in the coming weeks. This is the second generation Eee PC and features some nice improvements like additional storage space, a larger display, and more RAM.

  • Processor:900MHz Celeron processor
  • RAM: 1GB
  • Storage: 12GB or 20GB flash memory
  • Display: 8.9 inch 1024 x 600 pixel screen
  • Expansion:VGA output, 3 USB ports, SDHC card slot
  • Operating System: Windows XP or Xandros Linux
  • Connectivity: Ethernet, 802.11b/g
  • Webcam: 1.3 megapixels
  • Weight: .99 kilograms / 2.2 pounds
  • Battery: 4400 or 5800 mAh 4-cell batteries
  • Price: $549
  • Availability: May 12th in the US, May 28th in France
  • Official Product Page
  • More Information

ECS G10IL This little computer has all the best features of the Eee PC 701, plus one extra treat: HSDPA support.

  • Processor: Intel Atom CPU
  • RAM: Up to 2GB
  • Storage: 80GB hard drive or flash storage
  • Display: 8.2 or 10.2 inch screen
  • Expansion: VGA output, 3 USB ports, 4-in-1 multi card reader
  • Operating System: Linux or Windows XP
  • Connectivity: Ethernet, 802.11b/g, HSDPA or HSUPA, Bluetooth, and a 56k modem
  • Webcam: 1.3 megapixels
  • Weight: .92kilograms / 2 pounds
  • Battery: 4 or 6 cell batteries
  • Price: $500
  • Official Product Page

Everex Cloudbook Max Asus isn’t the only company looking preparing to launch a second generation low-cost ultraportable. While Asus is building on the success of the Eee PC 701, you could argue that Everex is building on the failure of the Everex Cloudbook which hasn’t gained the traction the Eee PC has. But the Cloudbook Max does look like quite an improvement over the original Cloudbook, and might actually be worth considering.

  • Processor: 1.6GHz VIA processor
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Storage: 80GB hard drive
  • Display:8.9 inch 1024 x 600 pixel screen
  • Expansion: VGA, S-Video output, 3 USB ports, 4-in-1 card reader
  • Operating System:Windows Vista
  • Connectivity: Ethernet, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth, GPS and WiMAX support
  • Webcam: 2 megapixels
  • Weight: 2.2 pounds
  • Battery: 4 hour battery
  • Price: N/A
  • Availability: N/A
  • Official Product Page

MSI Wind While MSI isn’t a household name, the upcoming MSI Wind laptop could change that. The computer has an attractive look, should be available as early as June, and skips over that whole "let’s put a 7 inch screen in a little computer" thing and matches the second generation Asus and Everex computers right from the get go.

  • Processor: Intel processors between 1GHz and 1.6GHz
  • RAM: 1GB
  • Storage: 80GB hard drive
  • Display: 8.9 inch 1024 x 600 pixel screen
  • Expansion: 3 USB ports, VGA output, SD card reader
  • Operating System: Windows XP Home
  • Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth
  • Webcam: 1.3 megapixels
  • Battery:3 cells
  • Weight: 1.2 kilograms / 2.6 pounds
  • Price: Reportedly between €299 and €699
  • Availability: Should be available in Europe in June. No word on a US release.
  • More Information

Recently Announced

2Go PC The 2Go PC will likely be the first computer to market sporting Intel’s Netbook reference design for the Classmate PC 2. While this computer is intended primarily for educational use, CTL, the company behind the 2Go does plan to sell the laptop to consumers.

  • Processor: Intel Celeron M 900MHz
  • RAM:512MB or 1GB
  • Storage:40GB 1.8 inch 4200 PATA hard drive
  • Display: 9 inch 800 x 480 pixel screen
  • Expansion: SD/MMC card reader, 2 USB ports
  • Operating System: Windows XP or Linux
  • Connectivity: 802.11 b/g with support for open mesh
  • Webcam: VGA
  • Battery: 4 cells, 3 hours battery life
  • Weight: Less than 3 pounds
  • Price: $400 to $500
  • Availability: N/A
  • Official Product Page
  • More Information

3k Longitude This could be one of the least impressive ultraportables announced in recent times. When it was first announced, the machine reportedly has just 1GB of flash memory, although now the product page says 4GB. But the price has also risen from $399 to $499.

  • Processor: 400MHz CPU
  • RAM: 512MB
  • Storage: 4GB flash memory
  • Display: 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel display
  • Expansion:3 USB ports, SD card reader
  • Operating System: "Genuine Linux"
  • Connectivity: Ethernet, WiFi
  • Weight: Under 2 pounds
  • Price: $499
  • Availability: Late May
  • Official Product Page
  • More Information

ACi Ultra-mini It’s not clear whether the ACi Ultra-mini will be available outside of India, but I certainly hope so. This little computer features a solar panel that is suppose to help extend the machine’s battery life to as much as 12 hours.

  • Processor: VIA 1GHz ULV
  • RAM: 512MB to 2GB
  • Storage: 40GB HDD
  • Display:7 inch screen, with a touch screen in the higher end models
  • Operating System: The pictures seem to show it running Windows Vista
  • Connectivity: WiFi and Bluetooth
  • Webcam: Yes
  • Weight: N/A
  • Price: Rs 15,000 which is less than $400 US to Rs 22,000 or $549 US
  • Availability: N/A
  • More Information

Airis Kira This computer seems to be built from the same reference design as the Nohrtec Gecko (see below), but comes in a variety of pretty colors.

  • Processor: 1GHz VIA C7
  • RAM: 512MB
  • Storage: 2GB flash memory
  • Display: 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel screen
  • Operating System: Linpus Linux Lite
  • Expansion: SD/MMC/MS/CF card reader
  • Connectivity: Ethernet, 802.11b/g, 56kbps modem
  • Webcam: Yes
  • Weight: 1 kilogram, or about 2.2 pounds
  • Battery: 4 hour battery
  • Price: €299 or about $470
  • Availability:N/A
  • Official Product Page
  • More Information

Blue Digital Systems Deep Blue Blue Digital Systems is a Philippine company that you’ve probably never heard of. It’s not clear if their Eee PC clone will be available outside of the Philippines.

  • Processor: 1GHz VIA Esther CPU
  • RAM: 1GB
  • Storage:40GB hard drive
  • Display: 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel screen
  • Operating System: Linux or Windows XP Home
  • Expansion: 2 USB, card reader
  • Connectivity:Ethernet, 802.11b/g
  • Webcam: Yes
  • Weight:1.2 kilograms / 2.6 pounds
  • Battery: 4.5 hours battery life
  • Price: 16,995 Philippine Pesos, or about $405
  • Availability: N/A
  • Official Product Page

Elonex One The Elonex One is a low-cost notebook aimed at the UK market. What makes this computer unique are its low price and unique design: the keyboard snaps off and you can use the Elonex One in tablet mode

  • Processor: Aday5F-300MHz x86
  • RAM: 128MB or 256MB
  • Storage: 1GB or 2GB flash memory
  • Display: 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel display
  • Operating System: Linux
  • Expansion: 2 USB ports
  • Connectivity: Ethernet, 802.11b/g (optional), Bluetooth (optional)
  • Webcam: Optional 2 megapixel camera
  • Weight: 950 grams (with keyboard) / 2.1 pounds
  • Battery: 3 cell, 2200mAh battery
  • Price: Starts at £100 or about $200 US
  • More Information 

Fukato Datacask Germany’s Fukato announced the Datacask in mid-April. This computer features a slowish processor, which might be great for battery life. But it also has a mediocre screen and storage capacity.

  • Processor: 500MHz AMD Geode LX CPU
  • RAM: 512MB
  • Storage: 20GB 1.8 inch hard drive
  • Display:8 inch 800 x 480 pixel screen
  • Operating System: Linux
  • Battery: 3 hours
  • Price, availabilitym, and other info N/A
  • More Information

HCL MiLeap X India’s HCL Infosystems is bringing two different computers to market under the MiLeap name. The MiLeap X is a low cost computer that looks like it uses Intel’s Netbook/Classmate reference design. The Y Series is a bit fancier, pricier, and looks more like a UMPC than a laptop. So we’ll just look at the MiLeap X here, but you can read more about both on Eee Site.

  • Procesor: 900MHz Intel Celeron Processor
  • RAM: 512MB
  • Storage: 2GB flash memory
  • Display: 7 inch 800 x 600 pixel screen
  • Expansion: SD card reader, 2 USB ports
  • Connectivity: 802.11b/g
  • Battery: 6 cell battery good for 4 hours
  • Weight: 1.44 kilograms / 3.2 pounds
  • Price: $350

Jisus This little notebook with a funny name comes in a variety of colors, and that’s pretty much its selling point. But it looks like a respectable alternative to the Eee PC, and matches the original Eee PC almost spec for spec, with the exceptions of the screen size (but not resolution), processor and stated battery life.

  • Processor: 1GHz 64-bit Loongson 2F
  • RAM: 512MB
  • Storage:4GB flash memory
  • Display: 8.9 inch 800 x 480 pixel screen
  • Operating System: Ubuntu Linux
  • Expansion: 2 USB ports
  • Connectivity:Ethernet, 802.11b/g
  • Battery: "4.5 hours of wireless productivity"
  • Price: £299
  • Availability: May 25th
  • Official Product Page
  • More Information

Kohjinsha SCC This ultraportable will cost a few bucks more than some of the entry level low-cost notebooks. But its screen flips back so you can use it in tablet mode. And how can you put a price on that?

  • Processor: 500MHz AMD Geode LX800
  • RAM: 512MB
  • Storage: 80GB hard drive
  • Display: 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel screen
  • Operating System: Windows XP Home (not tablet)
  • Expansion: 2 USB ports, 3-in-1 card reader, VGA output
  • Connectivity:Ethernet, 802.11b/g
  • Weight: 945 grams / 2.1 pounds
  • Price: ¥59,800 to ¥59,800 or about $592 to $780 US
  • More Information

Medion Akoya Mini This is one of the newest entires, and one of the most intriguing. The Medion Akoya Mini has the polished look of the HP Mini-Note, but it will run the Intel Atom CPU and sport a 10 inch screen, which is about as large as you can go and still be considered an ultraportable

  • Processor: 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz Intel Atom CPU
  • RAM: 1GB or more
  • Storage: 1.8 inch hard drive
  • Display: 10 inch screen (unknown resolution)
  • Operating System: Windows XP or Linux (unknown distribution)
  • Expansion: 2 USB ports, memory card reader, VGA output
  • Webcam: 1.3 megapixels
  • Connectivity:Ethernet, 802.11b/g
  • Price: €399 or about $640 US
  • More Information

Noahpad The Noahpad is one of the wackiest ultrportables around. At first, it looks like a typical Eee PC clone. But upon closer inspection, you’ll realize that it has a unique keyboard that does double duty as a two-handed trackpad. While the computer has a native 800 x 480 display, you can use the trackpad to drag and drop the screen around and view a wider screen area. Honestly, this kind of thing just makes me dizzy.

  • Processor: 1GHz VIA Eden C7
  • RAM: 512MB
  • Storage: 30GB
  • Display: 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel screen
  • Operating System: Ubuntu
  • Expansion: SD card reader
  • Connectivity: Ethernet, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth
  • Webcam: 300k pixels
  • Weight: .8 kilograms / 1.8 pounds
  • Price: TBD
  • Official Product Page
  • More Information

Nohrtec Gecko This notebook is the fist I’ve seen which appears to run Linpus Linux Lite out of the box. Linpus is a light weight Linux distribution designed for computers with small screens. To be perfectly honest, it looks a lot like the easy mode interface Asus designed for the Eee PC.

  • Processor: 1GHz VIA CPU
  • RAM: 256MB
  • Storage: 4GB flash memory or 40GB hard drive
  • Display: 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel screen
  • Operating System: Linpus Linux Lite
  • Expansion: 3-in-1 card reader
  • Connectivity:Ethernet, WiFi
  • Price: Reportedly around $300
  • Official Product Page

Proview Handbook PC-81001
This low cost PC from Brazil is a bit larger than some of the others on the list, with a 10 inch display. But it’s still cheaper than most full sized laptops, and easier to fit in your bag.

  • Processor: AMD LX 800, 500 MHz
  • RAM: 512MB
  • Storage: 60GB hard drive
  • Display: 10.2 inch 1024 x 600 pixel screen
  • Operating System: Linux or Windows XP
  • Expansion: VGA output, 2 USB ports, PCMCIA slot
  • Connectivity:Ethernet, WiFi
  • Battery: 2600 mAh battery with an estimated 2 hour battery life (if that’s what the company claims, I shudder to think what the actual battery life will be)
  • Weight: 1.2 kilograms / 2.6 pounds
  • Price: 800 Brazillian Reals, or about $482 US
  • Official Product Page

Sungjut TangoX This computer seems to be built from the same VIA reference design used in the Everex Cloudbook. But unlike the Cloudbook, the TangoX packs a touchscreen display.

  • Processor: 1.2GHz VIA C7-M ULV CPU
  • RAM: 1GB
  • Storage: 40GB – 80GB hard drive
  • Display: 7 inch 800 x 480 pixel touchscreen
  • Operating System: unknown
  • Expansion: 4-in-1 card reader, DVI output, USB ports
  • Connectivity: Ethernet, WiFi, removable SkypePhone
  • More Information

Few details available

The following companies have all announced plans to develop a low-cost ultraportable computer. But few details are available at this time and we have no pretty pictures to share yet.


Acer Acer is expected to show off its first entry into the low-cost ultraportable market at the Computex show in June. Here’s what we know so far:

Dell Dell CEO says the company plans to release an Eee PC competitor. While it’s not clear whether the Dell 500 will be that computer, the company has announced plans for a low-cost computer by that name in India, which could fit the bill.

  • Operating System: Windows XP or Ubuntu
  • Expansion: 8-in-1 card reader
  • Connectivity: WiFi
  • Price: Rs 24,500 or about $600

Gigabyte Computer maker Gigabyte has also announced plans to develop a low-cost subnotebook. We first heard about the company’s intentions back in January, when it was said that Gigabyte would have something ready to ship by June. We haven’t heard much since then.

  • Processor: 1.6GHz single-core processor
  • Display: 7 to 9 inches
  • More Information

Liliputing: Comprehensive list of low-cost ultraportables

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Video: Digital Cowboy’s spy pen camcorder – Engadget

Filed Under: Uncategorized by admin — Leave a comment
April 24, 2008

My 2 Cents:  For the Bond in you ;O)

by Thomas Ricker, posted Apr 24th 2008 at 2:05AM

See the camera? Good, neither will the person you’re spying on. That’s Digital Cowboy’s latest take on the digital spy pen. The ¥17,800 (about $175) DVR-BP features a 1-mm pinhole CMOS camera, mic, 2-hour battery, and 2GB of memory to store all your video deceit at 352 x 288 pixels and 15fps. Coming April 24th to a GAP changing room near you. Sample video of a uh, pussy cat after the break.

Sample Video:

Video: Digital Cowboy’s spy pen camcorder – Engadget

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