Posts Tagged ‘news’
Viliv X70 arrives at Newegg; more expensive than rivals
If there’s one thing capitalism has taught us, it’s that competition is usually good for prices. Newegg have just joined Dynamism in offering the Viliv X70 UMPC, the 7-inch Korean touchscreen tablet, which you’d expect to mean prices were pushed down. Unfortunately Newegg don’t seem to have got that memo; their prices are actually a little more expensive than the existing offers.
Newegg have three X70 models to choose from, starting at $599.99 for the 1.20GHz Atom Z515 “Express P”, then the $729.99 “Premium P”, and finally the $879.99 “Premium 3GP”. Unfortunately Dynamism’s prices are all a couple of bucks cheaper, plus they’re offering free accessories and even a CPU upgrade on the entry-level model. Nice try, Newegg; how about a quick price slash to show you love us?
[via Laptoping]
Read the entire post on SlashGear
Korea push for 1W notebook standby, 2W PC, in latest green scheme
Korea has stepped up to be the first government to mandate a maximum power consumption rate for “green” PCs and laptops in standby mode. An evolution of the country’s Energy Efficiency program, the ruling means that PCs must consume 2W or less while in standby, and laptops 1W or less, in order to wear the “e-Standby” compliance label.
The new limit applies to any laptop or laptop-style device with an integrated power supply of 1,000W or above. While manufacturers are still free to produce devices with above 1W/2W standby consumption, the Korean government believes that consumer demand for earth-friendly (and cheaper to run) hardware will drive low-power adoption.
Intel have already stepped up to highlight that its Atom range of processors – commonly found in netbooks and budget ultraportables and nettops – already comes in under the 1W standby point, while many of its recent desktop motherboards also consume less than 1W in standby. Desktop PCs and their monitors are believed to account for 1-percent of the world’s energy use.
Read the entire post on SlashGear
Dell confirm Inspiron Mini 12 axe: focus on 10-inch netbook “sweet spot”
Dell have confirmed that they are killing off the Inspiron Mini 12, the company’s 12-inch netbook, leaving only 10-inch models in the company’s range. According to a posting on the Direct2Dell forums, the decision to axe the Mini 12 is in response to the “sweet spot” of 10-inch models that Dell has found buyers prefer.
“So, should you read anything into this as far as Dell’s commitment to the netbook space? Nope. It really boils down to this: for a lot of customers, 10-inch displays are the sweet spot for netbooks. That’s why we offer two different 10-inch Inspiron netbooks for Mini 10 and the Mini 10v. And on the Latitude side, the Latitude 2100 netbook is finding a home in schools all over the place. Portability is one of the key points for netbook customers. Larger notebooks require a little more horsepower to be really useful” Lionel Menchaca, chief blogger, Dell Community
However the company denies that it is backing out of the netbook space altogether, instead suggesting that the 12-inch screen size segment will be catered for by entry-level models in its mainstream notebook range. The Mini 12 has had a mixed past, with talk of its demise dating back to February this year.
However it is still available – along with the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, which has been given a temporary reprieve – from the Dell Outlet. The company has not commented on the more obvious possibility that it’s partly Intel’s dislike of 12-inch Atom-based netbooks that has led to them canceling the Mini 12.
Read the entire post on SlashGear
Toshiba confirm Blu-ray notebooks and players in 2009
Toshiba have gone public with their plans to develop Blu-ray devices, as they were tipped to be back in July. The company has applied for membership of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), the marketing and promotion organization behind the format, together with confirming that they intend to launch both standalone Blu-ray players and notebooks with integrated Blu-ray drives sometime during 2009.
Toshiba’s involvement with Blu-ray has been a long time coming, not least because the company was responsible for the rival HD-DVD format. However HD-DVD failed to find favor with buyers, and so around eighteen months after announcing their format was dead, Toshiba have jumped onto the Blu-ray bandwagon.
In their press release, below, Toshiba highlight both the growth of Blu-ray products and the demand from consumers and retailers for them to produce their own range as key motivators. Back when HD-DVD collapsed, Toshiba had suggested that it would focus on digital delivery rather than another disc-style format.
Press Release:
Toshiba Applies to Join Blu-ray Disc Association
10 Aug, 2009Tokyo—Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) announced today that the company has applied for membership of the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) and plans to introduce products that support the Blu-ray format.
As a market leader in digital technologies, Toshiba provides a wide range of advanced digital products, such as DVD recorders and players, HDTVs and notebook PCs that support a wide range of storage devices, including hard disk drives (HDD), DVD, and SD Cards. In light of recent growth in digital devices supporting the Blu-ray format, combined with market demand from consumers and retailers alike, Toshiba has decided to join the BDA.
Toshiba aims to introduce digital products that support the Blu-ray format, including BD players and notebook PCs integrating BD drives, in the course of this year. Details of the products, including the timing of regional launches, are now under consideration. We will make announcements in due course.
Read the entire post on SlashGear
ASUS Eee PC T91 on sale in US: $499 and in-stock
We’ve been waiting some time for the ASUS Eee PC T91 to arrive in the US, and according to online retailer BuyDig that wait is over. They’re listing the 8.9-inch touchscreen convertible netbook in-stock for $499, complete with free shipping and Windows XP.
The specific model on offer appears to be the basic single-touch T91, going by the confirmed UK specifications we saw earlier this week, with an Intel Atom Z520 1.33GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB SSD (and a 16GB SD card) and 1024 x 600 resistive touchscreen. Wireless connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, but no integrated 3G.
Still, even without the multitouch of the T91A or the 3G/GPS/TV-tuner of the T91GO, the twisty touchscreen tablet is still appealing. Anybody going to take the plunge?
Read the entire post on SlashGear
