Leaked: Dell XPS M1530 laptop

The fine folks at Dell weren't quite ready to tell you about this one yet, but that didn't stop the Engadget Mystery Machine from rolling up on the top-secret upcoming Dell XPS M1530.

You may recall the much-hyped 13-inch M1330 from a few months ago. A laptop we liked so much, at the time we said, "Dell has finally put design first with the head-turning XPS M1330 laptop...We've been impressed with the emphasis on the user experience in this superthin, high-end laptop, from the slot-loading DVD drive to the touch-sensitive media buttons and HDMI-output jack". High praise, indeed.

Of course, we didn't have to wait vainly by the mailbox for ours, as some agitated customers did, but after some problems with parts and paint jobs, that system seems to be shipping smoothly now.

According to Engadget, Dell has a larger version of that excellent laptop coming out November 7. Called the XPs M1530, it applies the same design aesthetics we loved on the 1330 to a mainstream-sized 15-inch laptop. It's got all the standard stuff, from a thin LED backlit display to optional Blu-ray and wireless broadband, with a starting weight of under 1.8kg.

We'll keep an eye out for more info on this guy, now that the cat is, as they say, out of the bag.

Via CNET Crave

Philips' silicone peripherals

A well-known brand in the home entertainment arena, Philips takes a stab at the peripherals market with a wireless laser mouse and desktop combo. The common factor between them? Both are covered in soft silicon cushioning.

Actually, we believe the proper term isn't silicon (found naturally in sand), but silicone (found unnaturally under Pamela Anderson's mammaries). Unlike hard plastic, these devices have a soft feel and are easy to clean.

The Philips Wireless Desktop has a spillproof design for the keyboard, perfect for those who love to eat and surf. The mouse companion has a 1,000dpi optical sensor and a four-way scroll wheel. Both units can survive on a single serving of four AA batteries for up to seven months. It goes for S$119 (US$87.50) per set.

The Wireless laser mouse has twin laser sensors and 1,000dpi resolution. It, too, has a four-way scroll wheel and two AA batteries will feed it for up to one year. It costs S$79 (US$58.09) per pop. Both products are available this month in Singapore stores.

Final photos of Midas-touched MacBook

A couple of weeks ago we mentioned an outfit called Computer Choppers that will adorn your MacBook in 24k gold and, for an additional fee, a diamond-studded Apple logo. The company's site had only a few teaser shots at the time, but now it's done a full fashion shoot with a final product.

As gawdy as the whole idea may sound, you've got to view the finished work--inside and out--to make a final judgment. As we thought with the 18k gold shuffle and the 24k iPod, there's something visually stunning about Midas-touched Apple products, perhaps because their minimalist designs allow treatments that are over the top on other wares. But see for yourself.

Via Crave CNET

VAIO NR11Z: A budget VAIO. Yes, that's right

Calling all cheapskates: Sony's flogging a range of laptops known as the VAIO NR11 series, with a starting price of around £550 (S$1,657.51). Remarkably, it is hard to find anything wrong with them.

We're currently playing with the top-of-the-range (£649 (S$1,955.86)) VGN-NR11Z/S, which has a 2GHz dual-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, 200GB hard drive and a 15.4-inch screen. The only weak addition is an Intel X3100 graphics card, but a laptop this cheap is never going to play games, is it?

The Sony Web site describes the NR11Z as "stylish practicality", and it's not far off the mark. We wouldn't call it attractive, but the textured silver chassis has an industrial look that should appeal to anyone who's fed up with the pervasive piano-black movement.

The 1,280 x 800-pixel screen is good, there's wireless 802.11a,b,g, an SD card reader, DVD rewriter and four USB ports. It even comes with Microsoft Works, Google Picasa imaging software, and the pièce de résistance--a copy of WinDVD.

If £649 (S$1,955.86) is too rich for your blood, you can opt for the £549 (S$1,654.50) model, which has a 1.46GHz CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive--not bad value considering it has a VAIO badge.

Sony Singapore has told CNET Asia that this model will be launched soon locally as the VAIO VGN-NR17G. No details of exact pricing yet, though.

This post originally appeared in CNET Crave.

Dell XPS M1730: SLI with added PhysX

The chaps at Dell have just announced what could be the greatest ever gaming laptop. The XPS M1730 is the first to feature a dedicated PhysX card alongside a pair of Nvidia SLI graphics adapters. What we're saying is it does for graphics what Deborah did for Dallas.

For those not in the know, the Ageia PhysX Accelerator 100M is designed to handle complex physics processing in 3D games. It leaves the CPU free to focus on other tasks as it processes collisions, particle effects and all manner of other graphical niceties.

The XPS M1730's 17-inch screen can be cranked up all the way to 1,920 x 1,200 pixels, so you can enjoy 1080p Full HD--an unusual feature for a portable PC. Driving games at this resolution will need a hefty graphics solution, so it's no surprise to find twin GeForce Go 8700 GS cards s an option. Oh, you can get a ludicrously fast Intel Core 2 Extreme X7900 CPU and 4GB of RAM, too. We forgot that bit.

It's littered with other features, including up to 500GB of disk space (or an optional 32GB solid-state hard drive) and an optional Blu-ray drive. There's even a front-lit keyboard like on Lenovo laptops, HSDPA mobile broadband, and four different colours: Black, blue, red and white.

It's available now from the UK Dell site. You pretty much have our blessing to buy one, but you can bet your bottom dollar we'll want review it. No news on whether this unit will make the swim to Asia yet, though.

This post originally appeared in CNET Crave.

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