Archive for February, 2009
Posted by: admin in Laptops
You might scoff at netbooks for their perceived lack of horsepower, but what if that not-quite phenomenal cosmic power was itty-bitty enough to fit in your (necessarily oversized) wallet? Toradex has unveiled the credit card-sized Robin Z510 and Z530 personal modules, which manages to fit quite a bit in fairly small space. The two mainboards feature a 1.1GHz Intel Atom Z510 and 1.6GHz Atom Z530 (the same processor found in the Vaio P), respectively, as well as integrated GMA500 graphics card with HD capabilities, support for up to seven USB 2.0 ports, and on board microSD slot (pictured, bottom left), 512MB DDR2 RAM, and 2GB solid state flash disk. Enthusiasts can order it now for 129 € / 179€ ($164 / $227), but there’s about a $20 discount if you’re willing to buy in bulks of 10,000 or more.
[Via Slash Gear]
Filed under: Laptops
Toradex’s Robin stuffs Atom-based computer on credit card-sized module originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by: admin in Laptops
 Adding further fuel and confusion to the Nokia laptop fire sparked by yesterday’s comments from CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasuvo, we’ve DigiTimes reporting that Nokia is actively seeking Taiwanese manufacturing and design partners for its netbook — a very specific laptop form-factor. DigiTimes‘ sources wag their gossipy fingers in the direction of Compal and Foxconn (aka, Hon Hai Precision Industry) as the two most likely joint design manufacture (JDM) partners. However, instead of an ARM Cortex A9 Sparrow-powered device as speculated by Mobile-Review, DigiTimes claims that Nokia is developing a netbook powered by either Qualcomm’s Snapdragon (currently based around the ARMv7 architecture used in the ARM A8 Cortex CPU) or Intel’s Atom platforms. Of course, we could be looking at multiple form-factors from Nokia (MIDs, Netbooks, and laptops) in harmony with their successful approach to the mobile phone market.
Update: The chipset rumors are actually more closely aligned than they appeared at first glance. Mobile-Review stated the Nokia’s Sparrow-based device wouldn’t ship until 2011 — that’s plenty of time for ARM-based Snapdragon to adopt the Cortex A9 processor.
Filed under: Handhelds, Laptops
Nokia laptop a Snapdragon or Atom-based netbook? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by: admin in Laptops
Been brushing the idea of a netbook off for months now? Let’s see you ignore this. Hot on the heels of the Inspiron Mini 10 going on sale, Dell has lowered the barrier to entry on its marginally smaller Mini 9 to a rather incredible $199. For under two bills, you can now grab yourself an Obsidian Black 8.9-inch netbook with a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, WiFi, a 4-cell battery, GMA950 graphics, 512MB of RAM, a 4GB SSD and a copy of Ubuntu Linux. Of course, that price heads up a hundred bucks if you just can’t live without Windows XP, but if there’s ever been a time for learning how to deal within an open source environment, we’d say this is it. Good luck with that whole “resisting the temptation” thing.
[Via technabob]
Filed under: Laptops
Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 drops to a delicious $199 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by: admin in Laptops
Between the Commercial Times and DigiTimes, no secret is safe within ASUS. The former is reporting (via the latter) that ASUS will launch its second generation ultra-thin Eee PC in April as followup to the Eee Personal computer S101. The Eee Personal computer Shell, as it’s supposedly called would mark a welcome departure from ASUS’ staid alphanumeric naming convention and is said to be easier to carry than the S101 while bringing higher specs and a longer battery life for just NT$17,000 - 20,000 ($486 - $571) — that’s well below the S101’s $699 suggested retail price. The name Shell, of course, would seem to imply a curved, clamshell design. Now, with one of ASUS’ favorite events, CeBIT, starting next week, we’d expect an announcement to be days away if the rumor is true — a high probability what with the launch of yesterday’s Eee Personal computer firesale and Intel’s new CULV processors for ultra-slim laptops prepped for a March launch.
Filed under: Laptops
ASUS Eee Personal computer ‘Shell’ ultra-thin netbook launching in April? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by: admin in Laptops
Well, that was fast — we were wondering where that Gear Diary video of an HP employee fixing the defective webcam on a Vivienne Tam Mini 1000 went, and it turns out that it was pulled at ol’ Hewpie’s request. The company’s promised to release an official statement with instructions for sending in affected machines, and we’d guess it doesn’t want customers taking matters — and display bezels — into their own hands while they sort out a plan. Sounds reasonable to us — and we know you understand it too, which is why we’ve posted a similar video after the break.
Continue reading HP promises fix for Mini 1000 webcam problem
Filed under: Laptops
HP promises fix for Mini 1000 webcam problem originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by: admin in Laptops
It’s simple to overlook amidst all PowerPoint-fueled fisticuffs but, in addition to slinging rebuttals at Intel and muttering insults under its breath, NVIDIA also appears to have dropped a bit of news about its next-generation Ion platform. While we’d already heard that Ion 2 would be supporting VIA’s Nano processor in addition to Intel’s Atom, it looks like it’ll also support Core 2 Duo processors, and even Pentiums and Celerons for good measure. That, of course, isn’t all that surprising given Ion’s roots in NVIDIA’s current MCP79M/MCP7A chipset platform, and there’s certainly plenty of time for things to shake out further before that promised Q4 rollout date — and, knowing these two companies, things probably will.
[Via Electronista] Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
NVIDIA Ion to begrudgingly support Core 2 Duo by Q4? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by: admin in Laptops
Our rocky history with the MacBook Air Rev. A has been well documented, and while Apple would very much like us to forget all about it and plop down another $1,800 for the much-improved Rev. B, not everybody has that sort of birthday money to throw around. Reports of cracked hinges on the laptop are nothing new, but we always assumed Apple would eventually ‘fess up to the problem and comp those repairs. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case, and we just got another report of a hapless MacBook Air owner who has a broken hinge that Apple says will cost $800 to repair, despite the fact the laptop is under warranty. Our own MacBook Air Rev. A had the exact same problem — the hinge becomes loose over time, then suddenly catches and cracks from normal use, it’s not from undue stress — and Apple did the repair for free, but only after we escalated the issue to a manager, who let us know how very nice of them that was. From reading various reports, that seems the exception to Apple’s repair policy, which lists this sort of damage as “accidental,” and we’re wondering how widespread this issue might be. If you or a loved one has been affected, hit up the poll below and pour out your heart in comments. If you’re unscathed or MBA-free, feel free to show very little compassion to your fellow man. Wiggle hinge and broken hinge video is after the break.
Read - Apple Discussions forum thread
Read - MacRumors forum thread
Read - Crashzone’s link roundup
Continue reading MacBook Air hinge defect not covered by Apple’s warranty?
Filed under: Laptops
MacBook Air hinge defect not covered by Apple’s warranty? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by: admin in Laptops
 HP’s Mini 1000 might get all the ladies, but the netbook isn’t without its flaws. Apparently in the manufacturing process somebody forgot to remove the protective film from the webcam lens, giving thousands of netbooks incredibly impaired vision of their handsome owners. HP hasn’t fessed up to the problem in any grand manner, but an HP employee was kind enough to do some on-the-spot surgery of Gear Diary’s Vivienne Tam-edition Mini 1000. It’s not super-involved, so check out the video after the break and then go scare the life out of your girlfriend when you suddenly attack her flowery netbook with a pair of knives. Tell her Engadget sent you.
Update: At the time this post is going live, the video has been pulled from YouTube. We’re not sure what’s up with that, but the procedure is pretty simple: wedge open the top of the screen, push down the two connecting tabs to separate it more, pull off the film with tweezers. This might void your warrant (in fact, probably does) so proceed at your own risk!
Continue reading A bit of surgery gives the HP Mini 1000 new sight
Filed under: Laptops
A bit of surgery gives the HP Mini 1000 new sight originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by: admin in Laptops
It wasn’t too hard to see this one coming, but NVIDIA has now shot back at Intel and responded point by point to each accusation Intel made recently about its Ion platform. For starters, while NVIDIA doesn’t exactly dispute that Ion is just a repurposed MCP79M/MCP7A chipset, it does state that Ion is a “modern 2 chip solution,” while Intel is relying on a “4-year-old 3 chip design.” NVIDIA also points out that Ion is certified by Microsoft to deliver the “premium Windows experience,” and not just Windows XP, and that, contrary to Intel’s claim, Ion does in fact offer similar battery life to an Intel-based system while also delivering ten times the performance. In related news, Intel CEO Paul Otellini himself hit NVIDIA with a few jabs yesterday at a Goldman Sachs conference in San Francisco, saying that NVIDIA is simply not in a strong competitive position, and that, “if you don’t have a microprocessor, what else do you’ve to sell?” Meanwhile, AMD was said to be wandering around the cafeteria, looking for a seat at the lunch table.
Read - Tom’s Hardware, “Nvidia Fires Back at Intel’s Anti-Ion Sentiments”
Read - CNET, “Intel CEO comments on Nvidia, economy, flash” Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
NVIDIA responds to Intel’s Ion dismissal, all eyes on recess for confrontation originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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