Laptops

17:50 June 29, 2008 PDT

The slim and sexy Portégé R500-S5007V with a 128GB SSD

In the world of laptops slim is definitely in. Toshiba’s Digital Products Division has announced the addition of a 128GB Solid State Drive (SSD) to the latest incarnation of its Portégé laptop series. The 2.4 pound Portégé R500-S5007V with a 128GB SSD is billed as the world’s lightest laptop, beating the much hyped Macbook Air, which weighs in at 3 pounds and, unlike the Macbook Air, even manages to include a built-in optical drive into a unit that measures as thin as 0.77-inches. This does mean that the Macbook Air 0.76-inch high Macbook Air retains its world’s thinnest title and it does feature a slightly bigger display – 13.3-inches to the R500’s 12.1-inches. Read More

UPEK's fingerprint sensor to be incorporated on 2009 Notebook PCs

By Kyle Sherer

17:09 June 5, 2008 PDT

UPEK's TCS5 TouchStrip Fingerprint Sensor

June 6, 2008 Consumers are increasingly attracted to the security and convenience offered by fingerprint scanners. Not only does it ensure the confidentiality of computer files, it's a silver bullet for the frustrated segment of the market that is running short on favorite sports teams and childhood pets to use as passwords. The latest example of fingerprint reading being brought to the broader consumer market comes UPEK, which has launched the TCS5 TouchStrip Fingerprint Sensor, a system that uses High Definition 3 Dimensional amplified sensing technology to read past the surface of skin to the “live layer”. The TCS5 is set to be included on 2009 Notebook PC models and is currently being demonstrated to select PC manufacturers at Computex Taipei. Read More

OLPC to produce sub $100 dual-touchscreen laptop

19:52 May 29, 2008 PDT

May , 2008 The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project looks to be on track to meet its target of producing a laptop for a price per unit below US$100 set out when the initiative was launched in 2005. At a press event OLPC project founder Nicholas Negroponte gave the “State of the State” address on the project to date and the evolution of the XO laptop, presenting the design for the next generation of XO hardware. According to Negroponte, work is already underway on the "XO-2" laptop, which will be cheaper and smaller and will use less power than its predecessor. The XO-2, or XOXO as it's also called, comes with Nintendo DS-like dual-touchscreen displays, which allows one of the touchscreens to be used as a keyboard, which can be customized for different aged children, different applications or different languages. Read More

New high performance laptop line from 1 Beyond

19:18 April 21, 2008 PDT

April 22, 2008 Digital video editing and compositing systems provider 1 Beyond has introduced the industry’s first laptop featuring Intel quad-core desktop processors with RAID 5 protection, optimized for HD video and graphics production, as well as two new rugged laptops designed to meet the extreme demands of in-field military personnel, public safety personnel and traveling professionals. Read More

The Lapstrap offers straighforward carrying solution for notebooks

00:06 April 15, 2008 PDT

Close screen to secure The Lapstrap in place

April 15, 2008 Laptop computers are built to be portable, but they aren’t really that easy to carry on their own. Like the Safe-Clik-N-Grip, the Lapstrap is new take on laptop transportation. The design is simple: an adjustable nylon strap with webbing section is placed across the open laptop and closing the laptop secures the strap in place ready to be carried with a neoprene shoulder pad included for comfort. Read More

HP targets education market with new Mini-notebook PC

17:22 April 9, 2008 PDT

April 9, 2008 Making personal computers more accessible to school students is both a worthy cause and an emerging target market. HP has now entered the arena with the announcement of the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, a full-function, small-format laptop PC priced from under US$500. Read More

Intel's new Classmate PC 'Netbook' unveiled

20:12 April 3, 2008 PDT

April 4, 2008 Intel Corporation has shown the second-generation design of its classmate PC - a low-cost, Internet-oriented, child-sized laptop computing platform designed to take the punishment dished-out in school environments and broaden access for the 95% of children worldwide who are currently deprived of the benefits offered by such technology. Dubbed a "Netbook", the classmate PC blueprint was unveiled this week at the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai and is aimed at giving manufacturers the freedom to tailor laptop models for a variety of education needs. Based on an Intel® Celeron® M processor with 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and mesh network capabilities, top of the line models will feature a 9-inch LCD screen, extended battery life, 512 MB memory, a 30 GB HDD storage and an integrated webcam. Read More

Dell announces Blu-ray laptop for under $1,000

22:14 March 30, 2008 PDT

Dell Inspiron 1525 gets sub-$1000 Blu-ray

March 31, 2008 In good news for high-def video fans, Dell has announced that its colorful Inspiron 1525 line of laptop computers is now available with optional Blu-ray disc playback starting at USD$879. Read More

Acer unveils Aspire 8920G HD home-theater laptop

20:19 March 13, 2008 PDT

March 14, 2008 Acer is aiming to bring laptop users closer to the full HDTV experience with its new Aspire Gemstone blue range. The top-of-the-line Aspire 8920G crams in a 1920x1080 resolution, 18.4-inch Full HD LCD screen, six integrated speakers backed by Dolby Home Theater technology, an optional digital TV Tuner and an on-board Blu-Ray disc drive in a striking design that incorporates a blue, black and silver color scheme with interior and exterior lighting effects and a Holographic 3D cover. Read More

Dell's first fully ruggedized laptop

20:46 March 4, 2008 PST

March 5, 2008 Dell has entered the rugged notebook market with the release of the Latitude XFR D630 - a sealed, shock-resistant and outdoor-ready unit aimed at government and commercial customers that meets Department of Defense standards (MIL-STD 810F) for operation in extreme environments. Read More

SpaceStation laptop cable organizer

By Kyle Sherer

16:02 February 24, 2008 PST

February 25, 2008 No matter how sleek your laptop looks, it will inevitably be surrounded by a tangled knot of cables and peripheral devices spread messily around your desktop. The latest solution to come to our attention is Bluelounge’s SpaceStation - a docking port for laptops that manages connections with an internal 4-port USB hub, keeping wires tangle-free and out of sight. The US$79.95 unit provides connections for peripherals where needed, and has an ergonomic slanted surface for keyboards. Read More

Lenovo all-in-one laptop and mobile device charger

By Emily Clark

17:27 February 6, 2008 PST

February 7, 2008 High-tech travelers often end up with more plugs, cords and cables than they care to carry, just to charge their suite of mobile devices. Lenovo's latest effort aimed at lightening this load is an all-in-one adapter designed to charge laptops and other electronic devices such as cell phones, PDAs and mobile music players. Read More

Axiotron ships Modbook Mac tablet computer

21:20 January 1, 2008 PST

January 2, 2008 Following its unveiling at last year's Macworld Conference & Expo, Californian based hardware manufacturer Axiotron has announced that the much anticipated Mobdbook™ tablet Mac solution is now available to consumers. Recently designated as an Apple-authorized product, the ModBook is the only Mac-based tablet computer on the market and comes pre-installed with Mac OS X Leopard™ and Inkwell® handwriting recognition software. Featuring a durable aircraft quality magnesium alloy structure, the 13.3" widescreen tablet incorporates Wacom® digitized pen-sensitive hardware with 512 levels of pressure sensitivity for responsive, intuitive onscreen writing and drawing, plus an in-built iSight® camera, a 2.0 GHz or 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, integrated 24x DVD Combo drive or 8x DVD SuperDrive and Global Positioning System (GPS) functionality. Read More

MSI unveil PR200 Crystal Laptop Collection

17:52 December 3, 2007 PST

December 4, 2007 Looking for an aesthetic edge in the portable computer fashion stakes? MSI Computer Corporation has launched a crystal-studded laptop finished in pearl white that just might fit the bill. Underneath the 120 crystal studs that adorn the lid, the PR200 Crystal Collection features an Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor, 12.1" TFT WXGA display, 160GB SATA HDD, plus a fingerprint reader, a 4-in-1 card reader and built-in 1.3 mega pixel webcam. Equally chic accessories are offered with the PR200 including two leather carrying cases in different sizes; a specially designed pearl white mouse and a 1GB crystal-studded flash drive. Read More

Dell adds M1530 laptop to XPS range

03:08 November 29, 2007 PST

November 29, 2007 Following hot on the heels of the recently released XPS One, Dell has announced another addition to their ‘Xtreme Performance System’ (XPS) line of PC’s with the release of the XPS M1530. According to Dell, the XPS series aims to offer the latest PC technologies available at competitive prices and with distinctive styling and judging by the specs, the XPS M1530 goes a long way towards delivering: the 15.4-inch laptop features a built in 2 megapixel webcam, biometric finger-print reader for added security and fewer passwords to remember, and design accents such as polished chrome detailing, touch-sensitive multi-media buttons, brushed aluminum accents and a choice of colors. Read More

Panasonic’s new “business-rugged” Toughbook notebooks

22:19 November 14, 2007 PST

November 15, 2007 Panasonic has added three "business-rugged" notebook computers their Toughbook suite. The new trio is drop-and spill-resistant with strong magnesium alloy cases and chassis, shock-mounted hard drives and LCDs, and internal flexible connectors for additional protection. Read More

GETAC V100 ruggedized notebook-tablet

22:34 November 6, 2007 PST

November 7, 2007 GETAC's water-proof, shock-proof and drop-proof V100 features a 10.4-inch XGA LCD screen that rotates by 180-degrees, transforming the ruggedized notebook into a Tablet PC designed to withstand harsh use in industrial and field environments. Read More

LapWorks Futura Laptop Desk

18:17 October 21, 2007 PDT

October 22, 2007 Laptops can get extremely hot and become uncomfortable on your lap. One solution is to use a pillow or something similar between your lap and the laptop but this is a poor strategy - it might keep you cool, but a pillow conforms to the bottom of the laptop and prevents the escape of hot air resulting in parts overheating and in turn reducing the lifespan of the device. LapWorks Inc., the market leader in ergonomic and heat reducing laptop desks, has recently released their Futura model and Techwarelabs has been testing the device - read their review. Read More

STOP-Lock two-tiered laptop security system

19:44 September 28, 2007 PDT

September 29, 2007 Until now most laptop security systems have either physically secured the laptop or helped track it down once it’s been lost or stolen. The STOP-Lock from security manufacturer Secure-It, Inc. has combined these elements in a laptop security system which combines a tracking system with a locking mechanism to help deter thieves. Read More

Logitech AudioHub notebook speaker system

By Gizmag Team

22:53 September 12, 2007 PDT

September 13, 2007 Long entrenched as the focal point of working life for many people, laptops are increasingly expanding their role to become a hub for personal entertainment with new solutions to accommodate this functionality emerging on a daily basis. This AudioHub Notebook Speaker System from Logitech combines a unique 2.1 one-piece speaker system and three integrated hi-speed USB ports in a compact design at just three and a half inches in height that's designed to fit neatly behind most notebooks. Read More

Sortimo’s passenger seat organiser with swivel laptop stand

01:02 September 12, 2007 PDT

September 12, 2007 Sortimo have made a business out of configuring work vehicles for effective storage and usability – like these click-in, click-out van racks for tools and equipment. Their latest utility device is a passenger-seat organizer for travelling sales agents and the like that gives you access to your laptop, files and samples whilst lashing securely and locking into the car, and easily mounting on a trolley for portability. Read More

Bargain or baloney? Medison Celebrity, the US$150 “laptop for everyone”

Medison's US$150 'Celebrity' notebook - can this product be for real?

July 27, 2007 A brand-new laptop PC for US$150 including a 1.5GHz Intel Celeron processor, 14” screen, 256MB of RAM, wireless connectivity and a Fedora Linux operating system pre-installed. If you think it sounds to good to be true, you’re not the only one – and its 6-week lead time on deliveries means the Medison Celebrity has almost 2 months in which to make blind sales before the first orders actually hit buyers’ doorsteps and we can find out whether the company delivers what it promises. Still, if it’s true, this has to go down as one of the most amazing pricing offers of recent times, and if positive customer reviews start coming in, you’ll have to get in line behind us! Read More

Lapworks laptop stands: ergonomic comfort on the lap or desk

July 17, 2007 The amount of time we spend on computers these days, and the damage that poor posture can cause combine to cause some big problems. Laptops, for example aren't really a lot of fun to operate on your lap top. The fiddly mouse-replacement pads and knobs are a big compromise, they don't sit very steady on your lap, and the heat buildup underneath them can really stew your plums on a long plane flight. What's more, put them on a desk and they don't offer decent ergonomics either. Which is why Lapworks have come up with a range of ergonomic laptop mini-desks to give you full and comfortable use of your computer and mouse on your lap, and neck-and wrist-saving ergonomics when it's on a desk or table. Read More

DaySafe 100: the anti-theft laptop backpack