Dell shows off tablet and all-in-one at Oracle OpenWorld

Though beaten to the punch by the FCC, Dell introduced the world to its forthcoming all-in-one PC at Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco.

Well, it wasn't a formal introduction as much as an all-too-brief glimpse of the XPS One A2010, which resembles a widescreen TV with separate keyboard. Chief executive Michael Dell drew the crowd's attention to the all-in-one during his keynote when he asked chief technology officer Kevin Kettler, who joined him on stage, what "that" device was. Playing along, Kettler "guessed" that it looked like a TV, since it had a remote and was playing a Blu-ray disc.

"It looks like an all-in-one machine. But I probably shouldn't say anymore about that," Kettler concluded, tongue firmly in cheek. He did mention that it will be announced next week.

Though an enterprise software conference might seem an odd place to introduce a firmly consumer-oriented product, Dell certainly wasn't the only one to deviate from standard OOW content. And it didn't stop with the XPS One. While on stage, Dell took the opportunity to demonstrate its forthcoming convertible tablet PC, the Latitude XT, which Kettler said is on track to ship in the next few months. And for good measure, Kettler briefly noted how the XPS M1330 laptop he was holding would be a great holiday gift for the whole family.

It wasn't all a consumer hardware commercial, however. Dell also talked up on-demand desktop streaming as an alternative to thin-client computing. On-demand streaming features a desktop client with its own CPU and graphics processor. Saying it had comparable security and costs to thin clients, and the performance of traditional clients, Dell said desktop streaming would allow IT departments to push software updates instantly to all stations and allow for better video playback.

And it wouldn't be a Dell keynote without a plug for the company's green initiative. Dell again challenged the industry to join his efforts in the greening of the IT industry. Citing a Gartner report predicting widespread data center brownouts several years from now, Dell called it "absolutely unacceptable".

Without revealing many details, he said that Dell will soon roll out a program called Greenprint, which allows companies to check their power efficiency and then enable them to find ways to make themselves even more "green".

He ended on the note challenging other companies to "consider the impact green technologies can have on (return on investment) and on our planet".

Via CNET Crave

ASUS 10-inch Eee PC rumors... quashed?

Size does matter, especially when we are talking about screen size. The ASUS Eee PC changed the perception how low a notebook can cost, but in the process some compromises were made. The 7-inch LCD has a resolution of only 800 x 480 pixels, which means some larger Web pages need to be scrolled vertically and horizontally.

When a German representative for ASUS mentioned that the upcoming 8GB Eee PC will come with a 10-inch display, people sat up. We also believed him when he said the dimensions will not be changed since there is a huge border around the current 7-inch LCD that can more than accommodate the extra 3 inches.

But sadly, this seems to be nothing more than a pipe dream. The people over at NotebookReview.com made contact with the ASUS representative who stated categorically that there would be no plans for a 10-inch Eee PC at all, as the demand for the current version is so great that the company can barely keep up. We also contacted our Asia-Pacific ASUS contact who mentioned that there was no such plan, either.

So this could either be a case of an unsubstantiated rumor or ASUS trying to cover up a snafu by a German employee who's leaked sensitive information that could impact current sales. We most certainly hope it's the latter.

New computer interface: Blow on the screen

Perhaps huffing at your computer might get you somewhere if research at the Georgia Institute of Technology comes to fruition.

Shwetak Patel and Gregory Abowd from Georgia Tech have published a paper that describes how to use a computer microphone to determine where on a screen a person is blowing. The technique, which they call BLUI for Blowable and Localized User Interaction, can distinguish between the different sounds air makes depending on where the breath is directed.

"BLUI supports blowing at a laptop or computer screen to directly control specific parts of an interactive application, such as blowing at a button to activate it," the researchers said in their paper (click for PDF). The technique requires a period of "training" to calibrate the system--blowing on each region of the screen for 3 to 5 seconds.

The handsfree user interface approach could be useful for situations where a person's hands are busy, or for people who can't control computers with their hands or arms in situations where speech control is impractical. Although speech "is reasonable for complicated or command-based tasks, it is not well-suited for direct, low-level controls such as scrolling, button pressing, or selection," the researchers said.
Read more »

Compute your way to better health

The next Tour de France winner may very well be the tech nerd from your IT department, if MIT's new invention makes it to the mainstream. Taking a page out of the GZ PC-Sport and Power Stepper book, MIT students modified an exercise bike so it can power your laptop.

This also begs the question: Does one have to pedal like a madman just to check your email? Not really, as these researchers discovered that only 30 watts are required to charge a notebook battery and the average person can generate up to 75 watts continuously. How the device works is the bicycle wheel is attached to a generator which charges a conventional car battery. A 12-volt cigarette-lighter adapter is then used to hook up with your laptop. This prevents overcharge and fluctuating current damaging your PC.

So if your neighbor starts turning up for work in cycling shorts and tank top, peek under the desk to check if he's trying to charge his notebook quickly.

Samsung introduces 128GB memory card

No, your eyes are fine, and no, it's not a typo on our part.

The current reigning king of flash memory pushes the envelope for NAND flash a little further with a 64Gb (gigabit) memory chip. Put 16 of them together and it amounts to 128GB (gigabyte) which is enough to put some hard drives to shame.

Samsung claims the mega memory card is capable of storing 32,000 MP3 files.

Built with a new manufacturing process that Samsung dubs the self-aligned double patterning technology (SaDPT), we are sure it's pretty heavy stuff, seeing that Samsung has applied for 30 patents in connection with the new 64Gb flash device.

But don't expect this drugged-up memory card before Christmas--Samsung is expecting production to commence only in 2009.

Via Dcviews

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