GadgetyTech » Computers

Laptop or Tablet, Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Has You Covered

Dave Peterson — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:43:34 +0000

Whether in reaction to Apple’s anticipated month-end announcement, or just because the idea has reached an intersection of demand and technical capability, 2010 is looking like the year of the tablet computer. I think that tablets, once they pass the hurdles of price and capability (see the history of notebooks for that) are going to be the portable computers of choice. But that may be a few years off and what do you do to bridge the gap between the netbook world of today and tablet world of tomorrow? Lenovo has an answer at CES, and it looks to be a pretty good one. The IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is a tablet computer running Lenovo’s Skylight Linux OS. It has an 11.6-inch multitouch screen backed by a Snapdragon processor and a 16GB sold state drive when used as a tablet.

The real charm of this device is the fact that it’s not only a tablet. Slip the screen into its keyboard-equipped clamshell case, and the display smoothly transitions over to Windows 7, and the tablet becomes a netbook. Docked with the keyboard, the system switches to an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 128GB on SSD. Anticipated release month is June at a planned price of $999.

My highest anticipation remains focused on Apple’s tablet, but it’s good to know that should it underwhelm, there are going to be a lot of alternatives on the market this year.

Via Engadget

The Ins and Outs of Windows 7 Upgrade Pricing

Dave Peterson — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:27:45 +0000

Do you remember when the heart of being a tech geek was knowing specs and understanding how one component would interact with another? I miss those days. Increasingly, it seems the key to making one’s way through the world of computers and personal technology is not so much about the nuts and bolts of functionality as it is the research and deciphering of companies’ terms of service, licensing and upgrade agreements.

The example from a couple of weeks ago was the sometimes conflicting (and changing while you tried to understand it) nature of the iPhone 3G S upgrade terms. This week, we have the pricing scheme for Windows 7. Many Windows users are looking forward to the upgrade as a “Vista that works”. Advance impressions from people that have run the widely available beta versions have been largely favorable. The upgrade versions of Windows 7 will be $119.99, $199.99, and $219.99 for the Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate editions, respectively. Full versions will run you $199.99, $299.99 and $319.99. If those prices leave you a little shocked, you might want to consider the pre-order available now, where you can get the upgrades of Home Premium and Professional for $49.99 or $99.99, for a limited period ending July 11, or when they run out of the quantity allotted. There’s a limit of three copies per edition, per customer. If you upgrade from Vista, you can do a clean install or an upgrade over your existing installation. If you’re upgrading from XP or Windows 2000, you can still use the upgrade versions, but you will have to do a clean install.

Windows 7 is scheduled to ship October 22, 2009.

WWDC Brings Glee and Sorrow to Apple Faithful

Dave Peterson — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:34:52 +0000

Today’s announcements by Apple at WWDC in San Francisco had a pretty good number of significant items, including the highly-anticipated new iPhone, but unfortunately the afternoon discussions and blog posts were indicating an understandable anger about the upgrade terms for many current iPhone users.

First, the iPhone stuff. If you have no interest in the iPhone, you might want to skip down a couple paragraphs. But if you really hate iPhones, you’ll probably get some satisfaction in the way loyal owners are being treated. The good news is that there are some nice new features in what is being called the iPhone 3G S. There’s a new processor, which promises to increase computing speed by up to twice as much. A new 3-megapixel camera with digital zoom, tap focus (tap on the screen to designate a focus point), and geotagging of images. Better news is that the iPhone finally has video capture abilities, and the software to do some basic editing, but unfortunately only in VGA quality. The phone has voice control now, bringing it current with many other phones that have had this for quite a while. Cut, copy and paste has been an iPhone grail for a long time. The 3.0 software makes it a reality, finally. Other features we’ve known about for a while, such as a digital compass and voice memos are now available. Finally, tethering (the ability to use your phone to give your notebook computer internet access across the 3G network) is promised, and, via Engadget, AT&T says they’ll be on board, but no date or pricing has been revealed. The iPhone 3G S will become available June 19.

All that’s great, as is the $199 and $299 prices for 16 and 32 GB sizes. And the current 8 GB iPhone 3G has dropped to $99. Except, those prices aren’t available if you’ve bought an iPhone too recently. And anyone with an iPhone 3G has. If you have the ugly habit of giving Apple/AT&T money too often, you’ll be assessed a $200 loyalty penalty, on top of the widely advertised price. If you’re not an AT&T customer, you’re one of their favorite people in the world, and in the clear. If you are an AT&T customer, the best plan is to go to the Apple site that is selling the phone and find out what the specific dates and prices involved for you may be. In my case, having bought an iPhone 3G last July, I’d be eligible for the advertised pricing after March 2010. Of course, you can also call AT&T at 1-800-333-6651.

Moving on to happier news, the next major update to OS X, Snow Leopard, will be rolling out in September for an upgrade price of $29. The changes aren’t too flashy, more refinements to what’s already there, but the upgrade looks to be well worth the price. Examples of what to expect are a total installed size 6 GB smaller than current and the Expose feature available from the dock.

Price drops and spec changes were announced for the MacBook Pro family, as well as the MacBook Air. The MBP is now available in a 13-inch size for the first time, starting at $1199. The most controversial move with the notebooks is the removal of the ExpressCard slot, replacing it with an SD card reader, in all except the 17-inch model. While the SD reader is handy, anyone with a broadband card for net access on the road will tell you trading away the ExpressCard slot is too high a price. All the machines now have non-removable batteries that Apple says will last the average user five years, with up to seven hours on a charge. The 15-inch model starts at $1699 and the 17-inch is priced at $2499. Maybe the biggest eyebrow raiser is a $700 cut to the MacBook Air, now starting at $1499, $1799 for an SSD-equipped machine.

So it was a mixed bag. A lot of things that should have been exciting (and in many cases, were), mingled with just enough take-aways and cross-corporate mucking about (I’m looking at you, AT&T), to unfortunately mute the thunderous applause Apple anticipated.

Finally, a Really Thin Netbook!

Dave Peterson — Wed, 27 May 2009 03:03:12 +0000

Whenever I look at netbooks, I keep thinking how thick they are. Manufacturers seem to be able to shrink the other two dimensions, and drop the weight, but thickness remains remarkably similar to full-size notebook computers. I can’t say exactly why this is such a big deal to me, but maybe it stems from the devices I use the most. My iPhone and Kindle2 are obviously both pretty trim, but even my 17-inch last-year’s-model MacBook Pro, packing some considerable power, is only about 3/4 of an inch thick. That’ll skew your perceptions right there, and if I can’t find a netbook that’s thinner than my full-power notebook, I’m not moved to buy.

NEC Japan, though, is rolling out something that might just meet my unrealistic expectations for a super-portable computer. The VersaPro UltraLite type VS is just 0.62 inches thick, and weighs 1.6 pounds, while providing a 10.6-inch 1280×768 screen. Finally, some stats that are worth taking the hit to storage and performance we expect from a netbook. Specs also include a 1.86GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1 GB of RAM and storage on a 64 GB SSD. It’s got 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, three USB ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port and a SD memory card slot. Two different batteries are available, one that gives about 4.1 hours’ time and another that gives 8.2 hours. Electronista is reporting the price as equivalent to $1,052.

Via Electronista

Sharp NJ70A Set Apart by LCD Trackpad

Dave Peterson — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:59:52 +0000

When the unibody MacBook Pro made its first appearance in pictures on the web last fall, some of them seemed to show a display on the trackpad. That turned out to just be a trick of the light, but now Sharp’s Japanese division is making the idea a reality with the Mebius NJ70A. It’s a netbook with a 10.1-inch screen, an Atom N270 CPU and a 160 GB hard drive. But what really makes it notable is the trackpad which is also a four-inch LCD display with resolutions up to 854 x 480. It’s even multi-touch. With the right software, this could be a very interesting tool for graphics applications. Like so many really enticing pieces of technology, the Mebius NJ70A is only being marketed in Japan, but it gives the rest of us a hint about what might be just around the corner.

Via AkihabaraNews

Desktop Systems to Match Your Nano

Dave Peterson — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:57:37 +0000

It seems that a rainbow of candy-colored cases is no longer just for your iPod Nano. Dell has announced their new Inspiron desktop line, and they’re rolling out with eight different face plate colors. Behind all the shininess, you’ll find configurations based around your choice of Intel or AMD dual or quad-core processors and up to 8 GB of memory. Available as either a slim tower topping out at a 750 GB hard drive, or a mini-tower with 1 TB of storage. A Blu-ray optical drive is an option, as is a 19-in-1 card reader and HDMI connectivity. Prices start at $299 and Dell says these will be available later in the spring.

Dell Gets Apple-Thin with the Adamo

Dave Peterson — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 01:37:41 +0000

One of the things I like best about my MacBook Pro is the thin profile. When I look at notebook computers now, I’m always checking the specs on thickness, and they’re usually an inch or more, which just feels incredibly bulky to me. What’s someone to do who doesn’t want to go the Apple route but craves the thin? Dell yesterday announced specs on their long-anticipated Adamo notebook and began taking orders on their web site.

The Adamo is aimed most directly at the MacBook Air audience. It’s .65 inches thick with an aluminum case similar to Apple designs. The 13.4-inch display extends to the edges of the case, making full use of the trim design. The base model ($1,999) has a 1.2 GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 2 GB of RAM, and a 128 GB solid state drive. Battery life is stated by Dell at 5+ hours. The system is available in two colors, Onyx and Pearl.

As always, if you want the thinnest computer available, you’ll be paying a premium for it. But if you’ve been looking longingly at the MacBook Air, but don’t want to leave the Windows world, the Dell Adamo offers a pretty good option.