Laptops

Army, Lockheed Martin team up for DisOPS ‘battlefield PDAs’

centerprestigsss — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:14:20 +0000

Remember the Land Warrior program, which only took 15 years and half a billion dollars outfit our troops with high-tech battlefield uniforms? With DisOPS (“distributed operations”) Lockheed Martin is taking a different tack. Deployed to Special Forces in Afghanistan, the system is comprised of the Connect software which runs on ruggedized laptop computers, allowing squad leaders to plan missions on a map, and View PDAs that receive info over tactical radio, cellphone, or even WiFi networks. The PDAs provide “friendly force tracking of other team and squad leaders, land navigation tools, photo capture and transmission, and the ability to annotate and share maps in realtime with other leaders.” In addition to all that, the handhelds include a sniper detection system for locating the origin of enemy fire and distributing it to other units in the area. Reportedly the system is working quite well — which means that, barring any further obstacles, DisOPS might see widespread use before 2030.

[Via Wired]

Laptop reliability survey: ASUS and Toshiba win, HP fails

prestigesmwm — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:24:03 +0000

Boy, do we have a nice slab of data for you to sink your teeth into today. The 3-year service history of more than 30,000 laptops has been pored over, analyzed, and reduced to gorgeous comparative charts, which you know you’re dying to know more about. We should note, however, that the service was provided by SquareTrade, whose primary business is selling extended warranties, but that shouldn’t completely prejudice us against reaching conclusions on the basis of the presented facts. Firstly, netbooks have shown themselves to be on average 20 percent less reliable than entry-level laptops, which in turn are 10 percent more likely to break down than premium machines. In other words, you get what you pay for — shocking, right? The big talking point, though, will inevitably be the manufacturer comparison chart above: here ASUS and Toshiba (rather appropriately) share the winners’ spoils, while HP languishes in the ignominious last place, with more than a quarter of all laptops expected to suffer a hardware fault of some kind within three years. So, does your experience corroborate / refute this info? Keep it gentlemanly, okay?

[Via Electronista]

Alienware M17x owners complaining of ’skipping, stuttering audio,’ with no fix in sight

kartridzhej — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:24:02 +0000

Sorry, dudes and dudettes: It seems that a number of you who’ve purchased Alienware M17x rigs are running into some serious latency issues, particularly skipping and stuttering audio. According to a reader named augur, he has pinged the company, from whom he has received “no positive response or resolution.” In addition, we’ve come across a number of detailed complaints from users all over the Interwebs, including postings on the Notebook Review and Dell Community forums. So what’s the deal, Dell? Are you on this, or what? And dear readers, have you been running into problems with your Alienware?

[Thanks, augur]

Read – My M17x and it’s DPC Latency, Stuttering, and Lock Ups
Read – Notebook Review: M17x and DPC Latency

Dell’s Adamo XPS now on sale starting at $1,799

prestigesmwm — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:24:02 +0000

Dell’s slimmest laptop ever still isn’t shipping out to eager consumers, but at least the Win7-packin’ Adamo XPS is now configurable over on the outfit’s website. The base $1,799 configuration includes a 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo SU9400 CPU, a 128GB solid state drive, 13.4-inch WLED panel, 2 megapixel camera, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, GS45 integrated graphics, WiFi and a USB Ethernet adapter. Unfortunately, hardly any of the components are upgradable, but there are a few select upgrades available for those with the cheddar. The scary part? That December 22nd estimated ship date. Better spring for overnight and cross those toes!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Google announcing Chrome OS launch plans this Thursday

prestigesmwm — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:24:01 +0000

It’s looking increasingly unlikely that Google’s Chrome OS is really launching this week (not that we were really that convinced anyway). What is true, however, is that the company is hosting an event later this week at its Mountain View, CA headquarters to showcase its progress, provide an overview of the platform, and give information on its “launch plans for next year.” Excited? Us, too.

Lenovo ThinkPad W701 hints at Core i7 Extreme in FCC reveal

trialsoft — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:06:26 +0000

Lenovo can’t be feeling too much warmth toward the FCC right now. After Intel and Wistron combined to remove any mystery from its next IdeaPad, here comes the latter with yet another filing revealing yet more tasty morsels of knowledge. Wistron’s latest submission is for a “Notebook Computer with Wacom Digitizer,” which immediately points us toward the high-end ThinkPad W series,with the W700 being the only Lenovo laptop to sport such an appendage so far. Reassuringly, the new model name appears to be W701 and we’ve spotted a 2GHz Intel CPU, 320GB Fujitsu HDD, and a Samsung-made 17-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) display in amongst the test specs. If your appetite hasn’t been titillated already, the only contemporary mobile CPU from Intel that we know to run at a default speed of 2GHz is the quad-core Core i7-920XM, which comes with 8MB of L3 cache, 3.2GHz single-core max speed, 55W TDP, and a truly stratospheric price. We might have a Holiday Gift Guide candidate for 2010 already.

ASUS’s UL30Vt announced, somehow finds room for discrete graphics

offegoalofido — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:06:25 +0000

ASUS impressed the world with its lightweight, inexpensive 13.3-inch UL30 over the summer, and just last week impressed us with its switchable-graphics packing bigger cousin, the UL80Vt. Now the 30 is getting the discrete treatment, enabling users to choose from molasses rendering and “all-day computing” battery life or slightly more robust graphics and slightly (about an hour) shorter longevity. The system also packs DDR3 memory, a 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor (able to be overclocked), and that “stylishly robust” aluminum lid. No word on release or price, but the earlier Vt models didn’t come with a massive leap in MSRP, so we’d expect this one not to fall too far from UL30’s $749 street price.

Gallery: ASUS UL30Vt

[Thanks, Neti_Neti]

Sony applies next-gen snowflake tech to boost VAIO W’s appeal

solovekaaqw — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:06:25 +0000

When Sony’s VAIO W netbook was released, we said the company would “have to do better than put a pretty face on a vanilla set of innards to get our next five Benjamins.” So what has the company done to raise the appeal of its little netbook? Boosted the processor? Added a big SSD? Lowered the price? Nah, it went ahead and painted some snowflakes on the lid. Pretty though they may be they still hide the same 10.1-inch, 1366 x 768 LCD, 1.6GHz Atom, and 1GB of RAM. There are some improvements: storage is upped a bit, a 250GB HDD instead of 160, and it now includes Windows 7 Starter instead of XP. And there are snowflakes. Still $499. Get yours before they melt!

[Via Sony Insider]

Kohjinsha PA series reviewed, found lacking

metrocashcarryry — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:55:33 +0000

It’s well established by now that the Kohjinsha PA series tablet is one peculiar creature. It has the internals and OS of a netbook, with a 1.33GHz Atom CPU and Windows XP Home, the 4.8-inch display of a portable MID, and the convertible capabilities of an internet tablet, while its price (around $770) seems to imply it performs all three roles with aplomb. The Pocketables crew have followed up their unboxing of the quirky little device with a full-on review, and their conclusion has been that sadly it’s more of a chump than a champ. Poor build quality and substandard input controls dragged this contender down, in spite of its swiveling screen and decent performance thanks to a 32GB SSD. Ultimately, it’s the price that dooms the PA series to ignominy, and it seems like only a miracle — or a timely RilakKuma rebadge — will make it commercially successful. Hit the read link for the full story.

Acer Aspire Timeline 1820PT convertible hits Australia, gets specs

metrocarryzjj — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:55:32 +0000

Acer’s Aspire Timeline 1820PT lit up our radar today after going official in Italy and arriving unheralded on the company’s Australian site. Yet another 11.6-inch convertible notebook, this guy ships with Windows 7 Home Premium and features both multitouch display and touchpad, up to 1366 x 768 display resolution, an Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 (1.2GHz) processor, GMA X4500MHD, up to 8GB RAM and 320GB storage, 3G, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. In addition to all that, this bad boy sports the usual ins ‘n outs, including HDMI and a card reader, and boasts an eight hour battery life. Sounds like the company’s 1820P, eh? We thought so too. No word yet on price or stateside availability, but you can get a closer look in the gallery below, and be sure to peep the specs after the break.

Gallery: Acer Aspire Timeline 1820PT

[Via Netbooked]

Technical specifications Acer Aspire 1820PT

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 (3MB L2 cache, 1.20GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 10W)
Memory: 4GB DDR3 1066MHz
Hard disk: 250GB or 320GB
Display: 11.6 inch HD 1366 x 768 (WXGA) pixels or 11.6-inch SD 1024 x 600 (WSVGA) pixels, LED-backlit, 200nits, multitouch
Graphics: Intel GMA X4500M HD
Audio: Dolby Sound Room
Networking: Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g WiFi Link 5100, UMTS / HSPA, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Interfaces: 3 USB 2.0 ports, VGA, HDMI, audio jacks, multi card reader
Dimensions: 285 (W) 208.9 (D) 28.5/34.5 (H) mm
Weight: 1.72 kg
Warranty: 1 year