Archives for February 2006

Total 10 pages : 1 2 3 4 [5] 6 7 8 9 10

Microsoft driver flaw saps battery strength

Tom Krazit  |  Feb 17, 2006

Microsoft has confirmed the existence of a flaw in its USB 2.0 drivers for Windows XP Service Pack 2 that can cause a notebook to consume power at a faster than expected rate when using a peripheral device.

The issue, first uncovered by Tom's Hardware two weeks ago, appears to affect certain Intel-based notebooks running Windows XP Service Pack 2. When a peripheral device was connected to a USB (universal serial bus) 2.0 port, the notebook's battery life plunged at a greater rate than would normally be expected from the use of a peripheral such as a mouse or storage key. At the time that details of the flaw were published, Intel denied its processors or chipsets were the responsible for the issue. And Microsoft refused to confirm to CNET News.com until yesterday that the software company was responsible for the battery performance problem .
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Filed under:  Notebooks
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Juice Bags

Juniper Foo  |  Feb 17, 2006

It's bad enough that vendors come up with tons of portable gadgets to tempt our pockets. That's, however, not as daunting as lugging along all the attendant cables, adapters and plugs to power up these devices. Ever tried carting your handheld gizmos along on a backpacking trip or even outstation? So yes, we want one of these. It's been out a while, but there are now a lot more color flavors for the fashion plate than just standard black. Juices up your portables, from your PSP to laptops, at anywhere from 1 up to 6 hours, depending on the device. Goodbye power bricks, hello Juice Bag!

Click for limited edition Juice Bag

Price: From US$199.95
Availability: See the Reware site
Device: Solar-paneled backpack
Basic specs: 6.3 watts, 16.6 volts, 0.325 amps, water-proof solar panel, weight 0.45lb, 12 x 12 x 0.1 inches, blocking diode to protect portable electronics, Universal CLA/Car Charger Female Socket inside the media pocket, bag comprises stop-rip nylon material

Filed under:  Gadgets
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Sony finds glitch in its Bravia TVs

Philip Wong  |  Feb 16, 2006

Sony Japan has recently reported up to 400,000 Bravias affected by a software glitch which may prevent the set from powering off or be brought out of the stand-by mode after 1,200 hours of usage.

The affected models in this region are KF-E42A10, KF-E50A10, KLV-V26A10, KLV-V32A10 and KLV-V40A10. Consumers are advised to verify their unit's serial number against the defective batches before contacting their local Sony office for a free on-site software upgrade.
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Filed under:  Home AV
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Hello Kitty Mini Water Dispenser

Juniper Foo  |  Feb 16, 2006

It's been a while in Internet time (read: eons to fans of the lipless one) since we last featured a Hello Kitty item under Gadget Buzz. This one deserves some mention, only because water dispensers are such boring-looking office fixtures. For cubicle dwellers too lazy to make the trip to the pantry for some sky juice, this table-top water dispenser from Sanrio should bring some cheer, particularly with Hello Kitty reminding you to "please drink 8 glasses of water". Now who could resist that?

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Price: US$14.99
Availability: Online stores, including eToys
Device: Counter-top water dispenser
Basic specs: 3.75lbs, 20 x 5.5 x 5.5 inches, 64oz plastic tank, pink base, beverage-themed design, removable overfill tray

Filed under:  Gadgets
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Tags: hello kitty, pink
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MacBook Pro Valentine's surprise

Darius Chang  |  Feb 15, 2006

In a pleasant Valentine's Day surprise, Apple upgraded the processor for their flagship dual-core MacBook Pro on its online store even before the first unit has shipped, without raising the price by a single cent.

The pioneer intel-based Apple notebook, two configurations of the MacBook Pro is offered through the online store for pre-order. Due for shipping this month, the baseline model has its processor beefed up from 1.67GHz to 1.83GHz while the high-end unit now sports a 2.0GHz chip. The other components remains unchanged.

  • 1.83GHz or 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo
  • 667MHz frontside bus and main memory
  • PCI Express architecture
  • Up to 120GB Serial ATA hard drive
  • ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with up to 256MB memory on 16-lane PCI Express
  • ExpressCard/34 slot
  • Dual-link DVI, VGA adapter included
  • One FireWire 400 port, two USB 2.0 ports
  • Optical digital and analog audio I/O, built-in microphone and stereo speakers
  • Slot-loading SuperDrive
  • Illuminated keyboard, scrolling TrackPad
  • Built-in AirPort Extreme (802.11g), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, and Gigabit Ethernet
  • Mac OS X Tiger with iLife '06, featuring iWeb

Filed under:  Notebooks
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