HP brings Voodoo into the consumer PC fold

The world's largest PC maker has decided it doesn't need a separate gaming PC unit anymore. From now on, Voodoo will be just one of Hewlett-Packard's consumer PC brands.

Voodoo founder Rahul Sood said on his personal blog that this was "always" the intention when HP bought Voodoo PC in 2006, and "the plan is now being accelerated, ultimately making it a reality sooner than any of us ever imagined."

Sood repeats that this is a "good thing" for the Voodoo brand, and he's probably right. HP knows how to move PCs, and has a giant marketing machine that could help push Voodoo into the mainstream, making the new Envy and Omen notebooks and desktops available at retail.

What's not clear is what happens to Sood. He was named CTO of HP's Global Gaming Business Unit, which was responsible for the Voodoo business, when his company was acquired.

The future of the Blackbird gaming brand also seems up in the air. It was introduced last year as a hybrid of HP's consumer PC line with Voodoo-influenced technology inside. It appears unnecessary to have both.

HP couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Via CNET Crave

Microsoft: Windows 7 on track

Windows unit head Bill Veghte said on Thursday that Windows 7 development remains on track.

The company has officially said it would ship by January 2010, but top executives have also said from time to time that it would be done by the end of 2009.

"The product is tracking very, very well," Veghte said. "We are committed and looking good, relative to our commitment--(shipping Windows 7) three years from general availability of Windows Vista."

Microsoft has released few details on the product, largely assuring customers that it would be making big architectural changes and that it will have a new multitouch user interface.


Video: Multi-Touch in Windows 7
Read more »

World's cheapest UMPC hits Singapore

If two words can be used to describe the NPC-400 mini-laptop by Impulse, it would certainly be "no frills". Forget the latest development in Netbook technology. The NPC-400 hardware is purely old-school, with a 400MHz MIPS processor and 128MB RAM driving the Linux operating system. The 7-inch machine, however, does have solid-state storage, though it is capped at a puny 1GB.

On the other hand, its port selection is quite respectable, with three USB 2.0, mini-USB, VGA-out and an SD card reader. However, we hesitate to call this a Netbook because it lacks basic Wi-Fi connectivity or an Ethernet port. To hook up to the Internet, you would have to rely on an external USB Ethernet or wireless dongle.

The NPC-400 is distributed in Singapore by 1st Emperor Marketing, which is charging S$324 (US$230.60) (inclusive of delivery island-wide) for pre-orders till July 31. The units will arrive at the end of August, when the price will go up to S$349 (US$248.40) once it hits retail stores.

Related story: Netbook roundup

LG Netbook in the works?

According to Digitimes, the latest vendor to join the Netbook race will be LG with the Atom-based X110. Manufactured by MSI--the maker of the competing Wind series--the X110 will have an 8.9-inch display, 2GB RAM, 120GB harddisk and run on Windows XP. But if you expect this sub-notebook to go for a song, think again.

Like most of LG's laptop offerings, the rumored X110 will appeal with its design and materials rather than cost, which is said to range between NT$19,000 (S$850.56) and NT$24,000 (S$1,074.38). LG's market audience for this model reside in the US and Europe, though we have contacted the local representative regarding Asian availability. But at this price point, we have doubts if it can compete effectively with ASUS and Acer in this market.

Related story: Netbook roundup

Eee PC 1000HD: The mix-and-match continues

The maker which brought you the Eee PC 701, Eee PC 900, Eee PC 901, Eee PC 904HD, Eee PC 1000 and Eee PC 1000H in the space of seven months now, has another trick up its sleeve.

If you just love the size and ample screen of the Eee PC 1000 series but want to retain a little old-school charm in your devices, the Eee PC 1000HD is just right for you. Who needs SSD anyway? An 80GB harddisk has much larger storage and gives added heft for security. Moreover, gambling with data security after dropping a laptop is a time-honored tradition.

The Eee PC 1000HD doesn't care for the performance and battery life of the Atom chip. No siree. Buying surplus is the way to go and this Eee PC is more than happy with the 900MHz Celeron processor found on the pioneering version.

If these qualities give you a tingle inside, then keep an eye on this space. We've checked with ASUS regarding price and Asia availability and should be hearing from them soon.

Related story: Choosing the right Eee PC

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