Personal Computing
Computer speakers integrate iPod dock
iHome's new iH69 and iH70i speakers are designed to save on clutter by allowing users to dock, charge, play and sync iPods directly to their computer.
OLPC to produce sub $100 dual-touchscreen laptop
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May , 2008 The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project looks to be on track to meet its target of producing a laptop for a price per unit below US$100 set out when the initiative was launched in 2005. At a press event OLPC project founder Nicholas Negroponte gave the “State of the State” address on the project to date and the evolution of the XO laptop, presenting the design for the next generation of XO hardware. According to Negroponte, work is already underway on the "XO-2" laptop, which will be cheaper and smaller and will use less power than its predecessor. The XO-2, or XOXO as it's also called, comes with Nintendo DS-like dual-touchscreen displays, which allows one of the touchscreens to be used as a keyboard, which can be customized for different aged children, different applications or different languages.
LaCie updates d2 Blu-ray drive
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May 29, 2008 LaCie has doubled burn speeds to 4x for its d2 Blu-ray Drive and has updated the aluminum alloy case and software suite. The multi-format drive records, rewrites and reads 25GB or 50GB BD-R (recordable) and BD-RE (rewritable), as well as DVD±RW DL and CD±RW and comes fully equipped with Roxio burning software, including Easy Media Creator for Windows, and Toast Titanium for Mac, and dual FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 interfaces.
World's fastest 2.5-inch 256GB SSD from Samsung
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May 27, 2008 Following on from last year's 64GB solid state drives (SSD) with SATA II interface, Samsung has upped the ante by developing a 2.5-inch, 256 Gigabyte (GB) multi-level cell (MLC) based solid state drive using a SATA II interface, which it claims is the world’s fastest. With a sequential read speed of 200 megabytes per second (MB/s) and sequential write speed of 160MB/s, Samsung's MLC-based 2.5-inch 256GB SSD is about 2.4 times faster than a typical HDD. Samsung are also laying claim to title of the thinnest drive with the largest capacity to be offered with a SATA II interface - it measures only 9.5 millimeters (mm) thick, and has dimensions of 100.3x69.85 mm.
Dell first to ship systems using new high performance Ultrastar Hard Drives
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May 26, 2008 Dell is the first computer supplier to ship server and storage systems using high performance 450GB SAS disk drives based on Hitachi's new Ultrastar 15K450. The 3.5-inch, 15,000 RPM drives deliver 450GB of storage and a 30 percent improvement generation-to-generation in sequential throughput. They also have 50 percent more available capacity than their 300GB predecessors, but similar low power characteristics. The drive features average seek times as low as 3.3 milliseconds and the fast rotational speeds reduce average latency time to 2 milliseconds. The drives are available with either 3Gb/s Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) or 4Gb/s Fibre Channel (FC) interfaces.
IBM’s new BladeCenter QS22
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May 19, 2008 IBM has expanded its High Performance Computing (HPC) capabilities for businesses with the introduction their new BladeCenter QS22 - a new, economical supercomputing technology inspired by advanced scientific research facilities. The heart of the QS22 is the multi-core IBM PowerXCell 8i processor, a new generation processor based on the Cell Broadband Engine (Cell/B.E.) Architecture, which is compliant with the Cell Broadband Engine (Cell/B.E.) Architecture, originally developed by IBM, Sony and Toshiba to provide the computing power for cutting-edge gaming applications. For challenging arithmetic operations the IBM PowerXCell 8i offers five-times the speed of the original Cell/B.E. processor and, coupled with additions like 16-times more memory (up to 32GB) than its predecessors, the QS22 can handle workloads that previously required dozens of servers.
Record breaking one petabyte data warehouse
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The Sybase IQ analytics server has set a Guinness World Record by powering the world’s largest data warehouse on a Sun SPARC Enterprise M9000 server. The environmentally friendly system uses a column-oriented data structure with patented indexing and a scalable grid to allow data to be compressed by up to 70% of its input size, and searched and analyzed in less time.
New Travelstar 320GB notebook HDD from Hitachi
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May 9, 2008 Hitachi has begun shipment of its fourth-generation 7,200 RPM mobile hard drive, the Travelstar 7K320. The new drive delivers 60 percent higher capacity than its predecessor, while improving application performance by 12 percent and power consumption by 22 percent. The 320GB Travelstar 7K320 features a SATA 3Gb/s interface and fast media transfer rates to provide faster file copying and document retrieval, better graphics and improved game performance. A best-in-class operating shock protection of 400Gs minimizes the effects of rough handling and vibration and with power utilization on par with Hitachi’s 5,400 RPM mobile drives, users can enjoy more “unplugged” notebook computing time.
IronKey 8GB Secure USB Drive
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Flash drives are becoming almost ubiquitous these days, and with Flash memory continuing to follow its own version of Moore’s Law, capacities that were groundbreaking a year or two ago are now low-cost promotional items and the overall effect is that all flash drives become disposable within a short time. This is sad, because once the public’s mind has perceived an item as being of no enduring value, that becomes the truth. It’s particularly sad when an item such as the IronKey comes along, because it has all the virtues of a state-of-the-art flash drive and delivers great bang-per-buck for its unique functionality.
Apple speeds up iMac line with faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors
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April 30, 2008 Apple has updated its all-in-one iMac line with faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors with 6MB L2 cache and a 1066MHz front-side bus across the line. The new iMacs come with 2GB of memory as standard in most models, but support up to 4GB of 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM memory, and for the first time, the 24-inch iMac features an optional NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB of video memory, delivering up to two times standard performance for graphic intensive applications in tests conducted by Apple.
LaCie Rugged HDD capacity supersized to 500GB
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April 28, 2008 LaCie has pushed mobile capacity to 500GB for its Neil Poulton designed Rugged Hard Disk. The LaCie Rugged features a unique scratch-resistant aluminum shell and a shock-resistant rubber bumper to protect data against the everyday bumps, bruises and hard knocks. Utilizing a Hitachi Travelstar 5K500, 2.5-inch internal hard disk, LaCie was able to produce a product nearly identical in size to its previous Rugged offerings.
HTC Shift: ultra-compact, dual-interface mobile computing
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April 23, 2008 With a form factor that sits somewhere between a fully-fledged laptop and a pocket-size PDA, the light weight HTC Shift mobile PC offers a full QWERTY keyboard and a 7-inch "slide-‘n-tilt" touch-screen interface backed by Wi-Fi and HSDPA/3G connectivity, a 40-gigabyte hard drive, two days standby battery life and a handy "always-on mode" that allows access to emails and other features without the need to fully boot up the device.
New high performance laptop line from 1 Beyond
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April 22, 2008 Digital video editing and compositing systems provider 1 Beyond has introduced the industry’s first laptop featuring Intel quad-core desktop processors with RAID 5 protection, optimized for HD video and graphics production, as well as two new rugged laptops designed to meet the extreme demands of in-field military personnel, public safety personnel and traveling professionals.
The personal interface prototyping tool
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Russian Artemy Lebedev is best known for his Optimus Keyboard design which surfaced three years ago and has been the subject of much controversy. Artemy is obviously quite focussed on finding a better way to interface humans with computers because since Optimus, he’s come out with two other keyboard designs (three key and Upravlator) and now his latest concept is a touch-screen (think iPhone) keyboard. We hope this gets built cos we think it's important.
The Lapstrap offers straighforward carrying solution for notebooks
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April 15, 2008 Laptop computers are built to be portable, but they aren’t really that easy to carry on their own. Like the Safe-Clik-N-Grip, the Lapstrap is new take on laptop transportation. The design is simple: an adjustable nylon strap with webbing section is placed across the open laptop and closing the laptop secures the strap in place ready to be carried with a neoprene shoulder pad included for comfort.
Prototype energy-saving computer delivers significant efficiency boost
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April 14, 2008 Using off the shelf technology researchers have developed a highly energy efficient computer that consumes 70 percent less energy than ENERGY STAR labeled computers. Researchers Peter May-Ostendorp and Nathan Beck of Ecos collaborated with chip makers Intel, AMD and Via Technologies to see how much they could reduce the energy demand of computers operating in today’s business environment by using the hardware makers’ most-efficient computer platforms and adding best-in-class components such as hybrid hard drives and right-sized 80 PLUS power supplies.
IBM set to supercede Flash with superfast, high capacity, low cost Racetrack memory
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April 11, 2008 Nanotechnology was more science fiction than fact when Dr. Eric Drexler released his seminal 'Engines of Creation: the Coming Era of Nanotechnology' in 1986. 20 years later, this revolutionary discipline, which focuses on the manipulation of matter at an atomic or sub-atomic level, is starting to bear fruits in a vast array of bleeding-edge technologies. With nanotech innovations spurring the latest advances from solar energy capture that works in the dark, to long-range, high-power, quick charging batteries for electric cars, to fog-free glass and smart self-thermoregulating fabrics already maturing as viable technologies, the latest advances in nanowire data storage from IBM seem set to thrash both hard drives and flash memory at their own games. It'll be incredibly fast, virtually indestructible thanks to no moving parts, its capacity will be absolutely enormous, it'll use next to no power and produce next to no heat - and it will be 100 times cheaper per byte than flash memory. What's more, IBM says the public debut of this amazing "Racetrack" memory "could be closer than you think."
HP targets education market with new Mini-notebook PC
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April 9, 2008 Making personal computers more accessible to school students is both a worthy cause and an emerging target market. HP has now entered the arena with the announcement of the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, a full-function, small-format laptop PC priced from under US$500.
LaCie launches triple interface designer hard disk
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April 8, 2008 LaCie’s partnership with designer Neil Poulton continues with the release of new triple interface hard disks which feature a sleek, compact design fashioned in a black-mirrored finish and including a blue LED strip to give an ambient underside glow. The disks, available in capacities of 500GB, 750GB and 1TB, include USB 2.0, eSATA and two Firewire 400 interface ports for connection to PC or Macs with simple plug and play setup supported for Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Mac OS X 10.3.
Intel's new Classmate PC 'Netbook' unveiled
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April 4, 2008 Intel Corporation has shown the second-generation design of its classmate PC - a low-cost, Internet-oriented, child-sized laptop computing platform designed to take the punishment dished-out in school environments and broaden access for the 95% of children worldwide who are currently deprived of the benefits offered by such technology. Dubbed a "Netbook", the classmate PC blueprint was unveiled this week at the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai and is aimed at giving manufacturers the freedom to tailor laptop models for a variety of education needs. Based on an Intel® Celeron® M processor with 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and mesh network capabilities, top of the line models will feature a 9-inch LCD screen, extended battery life, 512 MB memory, a 30 GB HDD storage and an integrated webcam.
HP releases customizable PC lineup
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April 4, 2008 A webcam with up to 12-megapixel still photo resolution, a 17-inch diagonal flat-panel monitor and a range of customizable desktop PCs which allow consumers to mix and match options are among the highlights from HP's new line-up.
Dell announces Blu-ray laptop for under $1,000
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March 31, 2008 In good news for high-def video fans, Dell has announced that its colorful Inspiron 1525 line of laptop computers is now available with optional Blu-ray disc playback starting at USD$879.
Panasonic upgrades its rugged Toughbook 19 Tablet PC
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March 29, 2008 Panasonic has introduced upgrades to its Toughbook 19 rugged convertible tablet computer. The next generation Toughbook 19F convertible tablet PC joins Panasonic’s flagship Toughbook 30F clamshell notebook with its incorporation of the Core 2 Duo processor and expanded memory capabilities, (1GB SDRAM standard, upgradeable up to 4GB). The 5.1 lb Toughbook 19 also offers an optional integrated 2MP camera for use in inspection and incident documentation applications for which the convertible tablet has become widely deployed in military, government and commercial applications.
Alienware Area-51 Desktop PC
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March 25, 2008 Alienware’s new Area-51 desktop PC now offers unprecedented multitasking capabilities thanks to an Intel QX9770 Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core processor featuring four cores churning out clock speeds of 3.2GHz. With Intel building the QX9770 around 45nm microarchitecture and its dynamic thermal management solutions the Area-51 has the grunt to take next-generation games, 3D and video rendering or day-to-day productivity applications in its stride. A 1600MHz Front Side Bus allows for faster read/write speeds between the processor and memory and any PCI-Express devices while the new NVIDIA nForce 790i motherboard, with support for both DDR3 memory and PCI-E 2.0, ensure the Area-51 desktop speeds keep power users happy.
Apple's tiny new 802.11n AirPort Express
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March 19, 2008 Apple has updated its AirPort Express mobile base station with 802.11n to deliver up to five times the performance and twice the range of the previous model. With its single-piece, compact design weighing just 190 grams, the updated Airport Express is claiming the title of the world’s smallest 802.11n-based mobile base station. It can be plugged directly into the wall for wireless Internet connectivity and USB printing and is compact enough to be taken on the road for wireless freedom wherever there is an Internet connection.
Acer unveils Aspire 8920G HD home-theater laptop
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March 14, 2008 Acer is aiming to bring laptop users closer to the full HDTV experience with its new Aspire Gemstone blue range. The top-of-the-line Aspire 8920G crams in a 1920x1080 resolution, 18.4-inch Full HD LCD screen, six integrated speakers backed by Dolby Home Theater technology, an optional digital TV Tuner and an on-board Blu-Ray disc drive in a striking design that incorporates a blue, black and silver color scheme with interior and exterior lighting effects and a Holographic 3D cover.
World’s first 2.5'' half-terabyte mobile hard drive and 22X DVD burner from Samsung
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March 8, 2008 March 8, 2008 Samsung has announced that it is shipping the world’s first half-terabyte (500GB) 2.5” mobile hard drive and the industry’s fastest DVD burner.
Dell's first fully ruggedized laptop
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March 5, 2008 Dell has entered the rugged notebook market with the release of the Latitude XFR D630 - a sealed, shock-resistant and outdoor-ready unit aimed at government and commercial customers that meets Department of Defense standards (MIL-STD 810F) for operation in extreme environments.
DYMO DiscPainter CD/DVD printer
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March 3, 2008 The DYMO DiscPainter CD/DVD printer is a compact dedicated disc printer, optimized for producing high-quality, full-color graphics on inkjet printable discs in about one minute. Discpainter uses DYMO’s patented RadialPrint (or ‘spin’) technology that prints directly onto the CD while it is spinning, creating professional quality graphics quickly from outer edge to inner hub. DiscPainter features three print quality modes that lets users print up to 600 DPI graphics in a minute, and 1200 DPI images in three minutes, while ink density can also be adjusted with nine ink density settings for precise ink control to optimize the quality for the specific disc surface be it matte, glossy or color. One ink cartridge is able to print around 100 discs in a matte or glossy format.
Ultraportable ThinkPad X300 Notebook PC
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The ultra-portable Lenovo ThinkPad X300 measures less than three-quarters of an inch at its thinnest point and combines leading technologies such as solid-state drive storage, enhanced wireless connectivity and an integrated fingerprint reader. Recognized for its superior environmental attributes by the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), the versatile ThinkPad X300 can be configured for extreme portability starting at just 2.9 pounds, or maximum battery life of up to 10 hours or a balance between the two. It also offers an optional built-in 7-millimeter slim DVD burner and includes stereo speakers, a digital microphone and an integrated camera.
Corsair to release 16GB Flash Voyager GT high performance USB drive
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February 29, 2008 Corsair has announced a new 16GB high performance USB 2.0 flash drive dubbed the “GT” which offers a significant boost to data transfer speeds.
PicAnswers.com helps identify mystery objects
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February 28, 2008 The new PicAnswers.com website uses visual rather than word clues, to identify objects, people, places paintings - anything you can photograph. Often people stumble across things in life and are unsure as to their purpose and use; therefore a word driven search engine is not much help. Now they can upload an image instead of giving a verbal description.
Xyber Technologies' silent, fan-less PCs
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February 28, 2008 Consumers who use PCs for high-end gaming or media work can invest in a top-of-the-line computer and still be held hostage by a ticking time bomb cooling system. While fan-based systems are slowly corrupted by dust, and liquid cooling systems face the problems of evaporation and highly damaging seeping, Xyber Technologies offers an alternative that it claims is quieter, more efficient, and more stable.
Consumer version of Microsoft Surface PC flagged
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February 27, 2008 Announced last year in a commercial format for use in public spaces, Microsoft's Surface computing technology could soon be available in a consumer version according to a report from InformationWeek.
New MacBook Pro gets Multi-Touch Trackpad
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February 27, 2008 Bigger hard drives and faster processors are on offer in Apple's latest update to its notebook line-up. The MacBook Pro also gets a Multi-Touch™ trackpad as seen on the MacBook Air which enables more sophisticated web browsing and navigation of photos by supporting pinch, rotate and swipe inputs.
