Posts in Notebooks
Crier, crier. Dell's on fire!
Darius Chang | Feb 21, 2008Editors' note:
Turns out this video was based on a case way back in 2006 before the rash of battery recalls was made. Old news, but the visuals are still just as stunning.Seems that dance of the flaming laptops is far from over. Act two, scene one involves what looks like a Dell Latitude notebook experiencing an identity crisis, mistaking itself as a pyrotechnic device.
What is really amazing was that it took so long before the fire extinguisher came into play. Either the nearest extinguisher was in the next building, or the other chaps were looking around wondering if they were part of a candid camera gag. In any case, do not be the joker who went in and pulled the laptop away from the fire, barely missing an impressive fireball that would have seared his eyebrows off.
We've sent a love note to Dell for comment. In the meantime, enjoy this video and remember, kids, keep your laptop off your laps.
Via Gizmodo
What should I do with my HD-DVD laptop?
Darius Chang | Feb 20, 2008
The domino effect is in full play here. When Warner declared that it was going Blu-ray all the way, hardware and entertainment companies started following suit. So though it may have lost the Betamax war decades ago, Sony can now celebrate with its Blu-ray win.
So does this mean laptops with HD-DVD drives have suddenly become obsolete overnight (desktops have it easy as their optical drives can easily be upgraded)? Yes and no. Unlike dedicated home theater players whose sole purpose is to pump out HD-DVD movies onto a big screen, there is more to notebooks than watching videos. Moreover, some models have swappable optical drives so you can always upgrade in the future.
On the other hand, expect to see fewer and fewer titles released in this format. Toshiba will be stopping production of this media, so getting you hands on blank HD-DVD discs will become more difficult in the future. When that happens, it's upgrade or die time.
So what do you think? Do you bemoan the loss of a rival standard that drove the price wars during the holiday season? Or do you celebrate the fact that worrying over which format to pick has become a thing of the past?
Images of HP's rumored UMPC appear on the Web
Reuben Lee | Feb 20, 2008
From the images, it seems that the UMPC will also be equipped with an onboard Webcam and two-button trackpad. No information yet on prices or availability but we are expecting to get more updates from HP soon.
Via Engadget
Picture credit: Engadget
HSDPA ThinkPad X61 hits Singapore
Darius Chang | Feb 19, 2008
In a small island state where it takes only 2 hours to travel from end to end and where wireless hotspots abound, Singaporeans are still not satisfied if they cannot be perpetually hooked onto the Net. So, in conjunction with service provider SingTel, Lenovo has started retailing HSDPA-enabled ThinkPad X61 laptops.
One of the few ultraportables running on a full-power Core 2 Duo processor without compromising on weight or battery life, the ThinkPad X61 is the laptop of choice for traveling business executives. As such, don't expect this unit to come cheap. Retailing for S$3,099 (US$2,278.68) and above, these models do not come with fingerprint sensors or external optical drives. What they do offer is Lenovo's three-year next business day onsite warranty. Hence your investment is well-protected. You can check out more details about this deal here.
HP UMPC coming this spring?
Darius Chang | Feb 18, 2008
Over a seafood dinner with HP management last Friday, the PC maker offered more than just aorta-clogging cuisine. In an informal chit-chat session, we learned that HP is readying its first UMPC which may hit the market in late spring.
Spec-wise, it disclosed... absolutely nothing. But digging deeper between the lines, we suspect the company's maiden voyage into this niche segment is likely to be competitively priced, much like the ASUS Eee PC. In fact, according to one HP staff, "you won't even need to consider this purchase. You'll buy it like a handphone without a thought". At this price range, we reckon it is unlikely to be a convertible tablet PC like the LifeBook U1010. Claiming that its UMPC will address several issues plaguing the current crop of pocketable portables, we were told that one of the key areas of improvement will be in battery life, though again no specific numbers were mentioned.
HP staffers also mentioned that this product has great potential as a lifestyle accessory, catering to professionals as well as youths. Again, we read between the lines that it is likely to be exceptionally portable and no larger than 10 inches. In the personalization department, the Palo Alto company mentioned laptop skins, so it may be possible that HP may offer custom skins for its first UMPC.
The only thing for certain is that HP is gearing for an official launch within the next few months. So for those of you contemplating a UMPC, you may want to wait just a little longer.
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