The MSI Wind has certainly garnered a sizable following, but that’s not to say it isn’t without its share of problems, and the single, somewhat awkward trackpad button has proven to be a point of contention for many. One enterprising individual has now gone some way towards fixing that, however, with little more than a BIC pen and an Exacto knife. As you can see above, the pen supplies the springs that adds a bit more responsiveness to the now separate buttons, while the knife is used for some cutting that apparently has to be done just right. If you’re looking to take things one step further, another MSI Wind forum user also recently discovered that you can order a replacement Synaptics touchpad from none other than ASUS itself which, as most Wind users are no doubt aware, is considered to be far better to the Sentilic touchpad now included on the netbook. It apparently takes a bit of work to get it swapped in, but most anyone with a bit of modding skill should be able to handle it and, best of all, it only costs $8 (plus $5 shipping).

Read - MSI Wind Forums, “DIY two-button mousepad”
Read - MSI Wind Forums, “The $12 Touchpad Experiment”

Filed under: Laptops

MSI Wind mod turns one trackpad button into two originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, we heard that the Vivienne Tam-designed Mini 1000 was coming in December, and here it is, available to order on HP’s site. The custom 10-inch netbook is, as expected, sporting a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom with 1GB of RAM, plus an up to 60GB hard drive — a tiny smaller than the 80GB we initially heard about. The fashion-conscious laptop is less than an inch thick and has a starting weight of 2.45 pounds, and though it’s not exactly an example of “understated elegance,” those who want to begin (loudly) classing up their act can do just that for a starting price of $699.

[Thanks, Matt]

Filed under: Laptops

HP Vivienne Tam Edition Mini 1000 Digital Clutch now available originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Laptop Magazine’s reviewed the ASUS Eee Personal computer 1002HA we’ve been hearing so much about lately, and they’re pretty impressed with what they’re seeing. They gush over its looks, design and slimness, noting the similarity to the more high-priced S101, and think the keyboard’s decently comfortable. The reviewer found the 10-inch screen to be pretty cool for watching My Best Friend’s Wedding on, though viewing at an angle wasn’t necessarily awesome by any means. The 1002HA is a fast booter, and pretty speedy in general, with a strong WiFi connection. Where it really fails, however is in the fact that the two-cell battery (which ASUS claimed would last for five hours) made it only a sad 3 hours and 39 minutes, and the company isn’t planning on offering an extended life model either, apparently. So much for watching My Ideal Friend’s Wedding and Notting Hill back to back, huh?

Filed under: Laptops

ASUS Eee Computer 1002HA reviewed: looks cool but the battery stinks originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Man, remember when everyone thought their next laptop would have a minuscule SideShow display baked in the lid? Yeah, whatever happened to that fantasy? Apparently the engineers over at Novatech never got the memo that said technology was doomed for failure, as they certainly included a 2.5-inch color display on the lid of the X50MV Pro gaming laptop. That nifty inclusion aside, the unit also packed some pretty stout internals, though reviewers did lament the GeForce 9600M GT graphics chip. Still, the LCD was deemed gorgeous to look at, the inbuilt TV tuner was a welcome extra and performance was highly lauded in each area except hardcore gaming — which is obviously odd given the nature of the beast. In the end, critics couldn’t wholeheartedly advocate this machine over a litany of others for close to the same price, but there just might be a few very special features here that push you over the edge.

Filed under: Laptops

Novatech’s X50MV Pro gaming laptop reviewed, SideShow makes surprise appearance originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A month ago to the day we were weeping our poor hearts out as we heard that VIA and NVIDIA had canned whatever netbook plans the two had going on. Now, however, we’re being given a glimpse of hope that all may not be lost… at least in relation to NVIDIA. During a webcast from the Credit Suisse annual technology conference being held in Scottsdale, Arizona, NVIDIA’s CFO confessed: “We’re not saying we’re not interested [in the netbook space]; it’s a matter of how the market will evolve.” In other words, it’s taking a wait-and-see approach before plunging in headfirst. Honestly, we’re not too shocked to hear that it may still one day invade the swath of 7- to 12-inch mini-laptops out there — after all, it already branched out significantly with Tegra and Tesla. C’mon NVIDIA, we’ve got legions of folks waiting to fire up Crysis on their next Eee, and you could be the one to make it happen.

Filed under: Gaming, Laptops

NVIDIA still interested in jazzing up the netbook space originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Good OS’ latest operating system was just announced this week, but already some cool cat with a video camera and some serious credentials has managed to record a sneak peek. Quite honestly, the instant-on gOS Cloud system isn’t all that astonishing to watch tick, but if you’re looking for a brief glimpse at what’s apt to be fleshed out at CES, head on south of the break.

Continue reading gOS Cloud instant-on OS shown on video

Filed under: Laptops

gOS Cloud instant-on OS shown on video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’d argue that 7-inches is bordering on UMPC / MID territory, but given that Coby’s PoqetMate-7 is expected to boast a full QWERTY keyboard and a chassis like that of most traditional laptops, we suppose it’ll pass. Reportedly, the company is looking to enter the increasingly crowded netbook market next March with the aforementioned PoqetMate-7 and PoqetMate-9, with the youngin’ checking in at just $99.95. So, what will a nickle under a Benjamin purchase you? A miniaturized laptop with a Chinese-sourced Loongson processor, though specifications outside of that are still under wraps.

Update: Our pal Ross Rubin noticed that his quote was two years old and did some digging — yeah, this looks like a hoax through and through. So much for that.

[Via thegadgetsite]

Filed under: Laptops

Coby prepping sub-$100 7- / 9-inch PoqetMate netbooks UPDATE: It’s a hoax originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Available on the Nintendo DS — also Xbox Live Arcade at a later date, Metal Slug 7 is SNK Playmore’s latest entry in the side-scrolling shooter series. It features new automobiles and makes use of the DS’s touchscreen for map navigation. Video after the break.

Via Techeblog

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Thats right, the electric-powered “Tango crossed the quarter mile in 14.48 seconds at a speed of 92.15 mph, besting the Tesla’s 14.666 seconds at 101.23 miles.” Continue reading for the video.

As a point of reference, the Tango has approximately the same quarter-mile time as a Mazda RX-8 while the Tesla is on par with an Infiniti G35 sedan.

[via Jalopnik]

Via Techeblog

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The Anti-Gravity R/C Wall Racer from ThinkGeek “generates a powerful vacuum underneath causing it to cling to any flat surface.” Available now, priced at $29.99. Video after the break. Click here for one more picture.

Hit the gas and you’ll be cruising effortlessly across the wall leaving the floor free for those other lowly ground based r/c automobiles.

[via ThinkGeek]

Via Techeblog

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