Laptop

GETAC V100 ruggedized notebook-tablet

By Darren Quick

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

Sony's wall-mountable VAIO series panel PC notebook

By Darren Quick

16:38 November 1, 2007 PDT

November 2, 2007 Aiming to merge the PC with a home entertainment center, Sony has added to their VAIO notebook lineup with the release of the LM series notebooks. The LM series features an eye-catching panel PC design reminiscent of Sony’s BRAVIA LCD TV’s with its’ 19 inch screen framed by a transparent bezel to blend into the surrounding environment. For ultimate integration, the VAIO LM series can be wall-mounted and features wireless keyboard, mouse and remote control. Read More

LapWorks Futura Laptop Desk

By Noel McKeegan

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

Toshiba's fuel cell powered portable media player

By Darren Quick

04:29 October 10, 2007 PDT

October 10, 2007 Toshiba demonstrated their latest Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) technology at CEATEC Japan 2007 with the unveiling of a prototype version of the methanol powered Gigabeat multimedia player. Building on Toshiba’s previous offerings the new player can run for up to 10 hours on 10 milliliters of methanol, longer than would be possible using a similarly sized conventional battery. The prototype integrates the fuel cell power plant into the back of the player - which runs on nearly 100% methanol - and discharges the vapor created through natural evaporation. Besides playing music and video, the player is equipped with a TV-tuner and features a capacity meter for tracking the amount of fuel you've got left. Read More

STOP-Lock two-tiered laptop security system

By Darren Quick

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

Toshiba introduces ultra-light Portégé notebook computer

By Gizmag Team

17:42 August 2, 2007 PDT

August 3, 2007 Toshiba has announced the new Portégé R500 business notebook computer featuring an impressive 12 hour battery life, 7mm optical disk drive and a transreflective LED backlight display for enhanced screen visibility. The ultra-portable Portégé R500 weighs in at just 999grams and is only 19.55mm thick, making it the world's lightest and thinnest 12.1-inch notebook according to the manufacturers. Toshiba has also updated its retail and business notebook ranges, including the flagship consumer notebook, the Qosmio G40. Read More

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

By Loz Blain

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

AMD’s TV Wonder turns your laptop or PC into a feature-rich HDTV DVR home theater

By Mike Hanlon

July 10, 2007 AMD today introduced two new TV Wonder products that could really accelerate the blurring of the digital and analogue worlds – both are thumb-sized devices that plug into your desktop or notebook and offer high-definition television (HDTV) viewing and digital video recording (DVR) capabilities. The rangetopping ATI TV Wonder 650 Combo PCIe is a combo-tuner DVR with ClearQAM tuning, allowing PC users to receive unencrypted digital content available from their local cable television provider, and switch between analog and digital TV to watch and record a digital TV program while simultaneously watching/recording an analog TV channel. Read More

The first washable computer mouse and the very clever mouse trap

By Mike Hanlon

June 29, 2007 Kurzweil’s Law (aka “the law of accelerating returns”) suggests that in an evolutionary process, positive feedback increases order exponentially, meaning that the speed and cost-effectiveness of a process increase exponentially over time, both for biology and technology. It’s a complex way of saying that we’re seeing unprecedented (20,000 years of change this century) and accelerating change, and in part explains the remarkable oversight that Belkin’s new washable mouse overcomes. With such rapid penetration of new technology, we’re bound to overlook some of the possibilities. For example, 13% of all people are left-handed, yet the first mouse designed just for left handed computer users was not created until 2006. The computer has invaded our world so quickly that 80% of Americans use a computer daily, all handling a mouse that until now, never gets cleaned. Read More

GoBook - the quarter-sized rugged laptop

By Loz Blain

June 21, 2007 Rugged laptops with wireless connectivity are well suited to a lot of professions, from industrial and military to environmental and emergency services. As such, they've been gaining in popularity, with Panasonic's Toughbook, Sahara's Tufftab and even a Hummer laptop muscling into the market. General Dynamics now takes the rugged, go-anywhere laptop one step further, by reducing it to a quarter of the size with its GoBook MR-1, which meets the toughest standards for humidity, temperature, vibration, dust, rain and drop-resistance. Read More

New MacBook Pro models are finally here - Santa Rosa, LED-backlit displays

By Tim Hanlon

June 5, 2007 Apple have lifted the lid on the new Santa Rosa-based MacBook Pro models, with 2.2GHz or 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processors, NVIDIA 8600M GT graphics, and 2GB of DDR2 RAM as standard. Only the 15-inch models get the new LED-backlit displays, with the 17-inch model now having an optional display capable of a 1920x1200 resolution - now that's a lot of screen real estate for a mobile machine. Prices remain the same as the previous models. Read More

Panasonic semi-rugged Desktop Replacement Toughbook with embedded 3G wireless

By Mike Hanlon

June 5, 2007 In an important product announcement, Panasonic has extended its Toughbook mobile computer range to include a semi-rugged, wireless-ready desktop replacement notebook, the Toughbook 52. Built on the new Santa Rosa chipset from Intel, the Toughbook 52 offers all the processing power of a desktop replacement notebook in a form factor engineered from the ground up for mobility and making sure your window to the world remains in pristine order thanks to embedded 3G access. The 15.4 inch widescreen laptop can withstand drops of up to 2.5 feet on all six sides, has a spill-resistant keyboard, six hours of battery life and a removable hard drive which can handle a drop of three feet. The MIL-SPEC-certified notebook incorporates magnesium alloy cases, flexible internal connectors and shock-mounted hard drives and LCDs. Read More

HP showcases 20 inch entertainment notebook

By Mike Hanlon

May 10, 2007 HP overnight introduced a wide range of mobile computing devices, services and infrastructure designed to enhance individual connectivity. The world’s largest notebook vendor showed 13 new notebook models, including a sleek, ultra-light Tablet PC but the star of the show was undoubtedly a 20-inch entertainment notebook. The new HP Pavilion HDX Notebook PC is a very impressive unit, using the big 20.1-inch diagonal display, which is capable of true HD 1080p resolution, with a range of home theatre features including quality speakers, a full-sized keyboard with number pad and a pop-out remote control for watching movies on the very stylish, dare we say iMac-esque, machine. Check out the photo library - this is both beautiful and functional. Read More

First Impressions: Lenovo's new 14 inch T61 and R61 Thinkpads

By Mike Hanlon

May 9, 2007 Several days ago Dave Weinstein had the chance to sit down with several members of Lenovo's product marketing team and take a look at two of the company’s new laptops – the new 14" T61 and R61 Thinkpads. Both units are based upon the newest Intel Santa Rosa technology that's being launched today. While we did get to see a sneak peak of some of what's coming up over the next few months, we did promise to focus on the two devices that are being released today. Dave’s first impressions … Read More

Lenovo's new ThinkPad Lineup

By Mike Hanlon

May 9, 2007 Lenovo today announced two new ThinkPad notebooks PCs - the ThinkPad T61 14.1-inch widescreen notebook and the ThinkPad R61 14.1-inch widescreen notebook. The new ThinkPads include a new top cover roll cage designed to increase durability, an improved cooling system, enhanced wireless connectivity with Ultra Connect II and a longer battery life through its Battery Stretch control option. The ThinkPad T61 uses the Intel Centrino Pro processor while the R61 14.1-inch widescreen uses the Intel Centrino Duo processor. Lenovo also introduced the Lenovo 3000 N200 15.4-inch widescreen notebook offering top connectivity and graphics capabilities with the latest Intel Centrino Duo processor. Read More

Bretford’s multipurpose Plus Tablet Arm Chair with laptop surface

By Mike Hanlon

March 23, 2007 The new Bretford Plus Tablet Arm Chair has a laptop surface, coffee cup holder and a supportive seat design, offering a combination of productivity and comfort for higher education and office environments. The chair will be available exclusively through the North American dealerships of Herman Miller, and will be shown for the first time at the National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP) show (March 25-28) in San Jose, California. Read More

The first million dollar laptop

By Mike Hanlon

March 23, 2007 UK-based bespoke luxury goods creator Luvaglio has created the first million dollar laptop. That’s what the first of their luxury laptops will sell for. Full details of the laptop have not been released at this point, but it is known that it incorporates a 17" widescreen LED lit screen with a specially designed anti-reflective glare coating for clear and brighter image, 128GB of Solid State Disk space and a slot loading Blue-Ray drive. There is an integrated screen cleaning device and a very rare coloured diamond piece of jewellery that doubles up as the power button when placed into the laptop and also acts as security identification. Images here, video here. Read More

Dual screen mobile now with Intel Dual Core Processor

By Mike Hanlon

February 28, 2007 Study after study shows the efficiency of using two monitors on the desktop, so Estari’s announcement that it has upgraded its 2-VU dual-screen mobile computer is worth looking into as it offers the same efficiencies in a mobile environment. Estari’s 2-VU dual-screen computers are two touch screen, full-page, full-color, multimedia electronic computing devices and the latest Model DC15 uses the Intel Core Duo Processor and the base model will sell for US$4350. The dual-screen mobile computers combine aspects of a laptop, desktop, tablet PC and e-Book reader into a solution that provides increased functionality, productivity and mobility with an unprecedented visual workspace. When in transport mode, the DC15 looks just like a briefcase. Read More

The Safe-Clik-N-Grip Laptop Strap

By Mike Hanlon

January 8, 2007 It might seem like a bit of webbing and a few bits of plastic, but anyone who frequents the airport with their laptop will understand the benefits of this clever invention. The TSA requires laptop travellers to remove their laptops from their cases and put them in the official TSA bin in order to be scanned by the x-ray machine. The process itself, although necessary, is very inefficient and time consuming, and a laptop computer could very easily be dropped at many different points during the screening process. Frequent traveller Gary Peters saw enough airports with his laptop that he decided to make life easier and created a prototype which developed into … the Safe-Clik-N-Grip Laptop Strap. Simple, inexpensive … very very handy! Read More

ThinkPad X60 Tablet PC takes touch-screen to next level

By Mike Hanlon

November 16, 2006 According to IDC, convertible tablet PC unit shipments will reach more than one million this year and more than four million by 2010, an inevitable consequence of field-bound industries such as healthcare, insurance, real estate, government, education and sales recognising that tablet PCs are the best option available for computer-based efficiencies right now. And Lenovo today pushed tablet state-of-the-art forward with the announcement of the ThinkPad X60 Tablet, a next generation convertible tablet PC with a 12-inch screen offering an indoor/outdoor, anti-reflective/anti-glare MultiView screen for increased viewability combined with the new MultiTouch feature that allows users to move the cursor with their pen or finger. The MultiView/MultiTouch high-resolution SXGA+ screen combination along with the 170 degree viewing angle means improved usability for the healthcare professional recording patient information in a hospital, the real estate agent taking notes in a home or the sports coach reviewing statistics at a game. Read More

Luxury Tulip Ego Laptop arrives in the U.S.

By Mike Hanlon

November 15, 2006 We’ve written previously about the EGO luxury laptop from Dutch company Tulip and its interchangeable skins and the good news is that the highly fashionable laptop which launched during Milan’s 2006 Fashion Week is now available on both sides of the Atlantic. The elegant design of the Tulip Ego laptop with its round shapes and fashionable, interchangeable skins is a milestone in computer design – at least for the PC – it’s not hard to imagine something like this from Apple. The Tulip Ego is easily carried either on the shoulder or by hand with its rounded chrome handle and with its interchangeable skin system, it doesn’t just come in designer fabrics, finishes and colors, the skins can be changed anytime, anywhere using a customized USB-stick cap that comes with the laptop. So you can mix and match to suit your dress, surroundings or mood. Retail pricing starts at US$5,000 and stretches into the six figure range for the diamond encrusted version. Read More

All laptop coolers are not created equal

By Mike Hanlon

November 6, 2006 As anyone who owns a current generation laptop knows, they generate a lot of heat, and that heat isn’t good for the laptop or your lap. This story actually began from a press release featuring the NotePal P1, Cooler Master’s lightweight portable note book cooler. Crafted from aluminum, the USB-powered Note Pal P1 (pictured bottom) has a no-skid surface with rubber rings on top, which holds your notebook in place, a compartment underneath for USB cable storage and air vents in the back to draw heat away from your laptop and it really looks the part - we were very taken with its fetching good looks. Then we did a bit of research and found that the boys at BigBruin had already run the NotePal through it’s paces, comparing it with the much older and not-nearly-as-stylish Hiyatek HY-CF-6157-01 Laptop Cooler (pictured top). The story begins there because the lads actually measured how well each did its job of cooling a Dell Inspiron and the “Hiyatek cooler could improve the temperature 8-12C as compared to no cooler, while the NotePal P1 would improve things 2-5C in the same areas.” Quite clearly, there’s much more to a laptop cooler than good looks and the Hiyatek also includes a four slot card reader and three port USB 2.0 hub, all while handling its primary role as a laptop cooler quite nicely. Read More

Belkin's CushTop and PocketTop offer comfort when using your laptop anywhere

By Mike Hanlon

September 13, 2006 Using a laptop away from a desk can result in some pretty ugly scenes – there’s a reason you don’t see too many people curled up with a laptop. As usual, if there’s a company likely to apply a bit of lateral thought to improving the situation, it’s Belkin. The company’s new CushTop and PocketTop enable you to use your laptop comfortably while on your couch, bed or floor. The US$40 CushTop acts as a cushion, providing padded comfort between your laptop and your lap. The US$50 PocketTop acts as a case and mobile workstation, providing a built-in cooling pad and storage space for laptop accessories. Both will ship in North America in November, with launches in Asia, Europe and Australia to follow prior to Santa coming (apologies to all those who don’t believe in Santa). Read More

Field Tested: Lenovo updates the Z series ThinkPad with the Z61t, Z61m, and Z61p

By Mike Hanlon

September 10, 2006 Last November, we had a chance to test the new Z60t and Z60m Thinkpads. These devices were the first of Lenovo's 60 series products, and were the first to offer integrated EVDO service from Verizon in the US. They were also the first Thinkpads built to a new set of internal standards for docking station and power supplies that are compatible across the entire 60 generation of products. The Z60 was followed by the T60 and X60 Thinkpads in February, which added Intel's current generation of dual core processors, but unfortunately the Z60 was released too early to get these new gems, and an expected upgrade to the specs of the Z60 didn't materialize when we thought it would. The new Z61t and Z61m laptops refresh their Z60 forbearers, and the Z61p is a new wide screen workstation model based upon the Z61m chassis. Read More