i escape

After spinning off from the OLPC project last year with that fancy dual-mode display technology in its pocket, Pixel Qi has been pretty much talk. Now there's more talk, but at least it comes with a timeline: next month. That's when Pixel Qi founder Mary Lou Jepsen believes the much-anticipated 10-inch 3Qi display should hit the scene, combining a low-power black and white mode, e-paper mode and high-resolution color LCD mode into one glorious, sunlight-readable (and hopefully outlandishly cheap) screen. They'll just be shipping samples initially, but should have the screen producing in volume sometime this summer. Mary Lou also has some big words on the future of displays, claiming that they're working on screens that act like a chip on the motherboard, saving power and improving visuals -- we're not sure what that entails, but it sounds pretty neat. She also says that "screens shouldn't be TVs," and that touch and multitouch are key. It doesn't sound like any of that is in the 3Qi, but hopefully it's all going to be ready to go for the Nick Neg crew by the time OLPC XO-2 (pictured) rolls around.

[engadget]

We certainly aren't tired of the X-Slim 320 laptop from MSI, with its Air-like form-factor in less expensive and slightly more practical packaging -- it's still many moons away from release, after all. Despite that, MSI felt the need to announce two new models to round out the still unreleased lineup: the 13.4-inch X340 and 15.6-inch X600. We don't know much about these two yet except that the X340 is slated be priced somewhere in the (wide) range of $699-$999 in the US, that both offer HDMI in addition to VGA output, both are Centrino 2-based, and that the X600 even has an eSATA port on top of its two USBs. We'll surely be seeing a lot more of this pair (plus the X320 as well) at CeBIT in just a few weeks, and are hoping that MSI will go ahead and maybe release one before introducing any more.

[engadget]

It has become more and more common for people to read eBooks the fact that they are as easily available and distributable on the internet. Sony has come up with innovative way to enhance your digital reading experience. Sony reader is available on 6″ display, weighing at as light as 9 ounces and as thin as half an inch. It reads PDF, JPEG, MP3 and more formats. The battery allows contiguous reading of up to 7500 page flips per charge session. It uses a revolutionary paper-like display with E Ink technology to ensure comfort reading even in bright sunlight. Selection of colors currently in Silver and Dark Blue. Sony also offers range of customization services, such as custom engraving with laser, and selection of covers to make your Sony Reader more personal.

[techfresh]

Gateway has decided to release its new notebook PCs later later this month. The M-2408j features 2GB of memory (supports up to 4GB), 250GB of HDD, and a DVD Super multi-drive. Meanwhile, the Gateway M-2410j offers a 3GB of memory, and 320GB of HDD. Both desktop replacements adopt a 1.9GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 QL-60 processor with a 15.4-Inch LCD Screen in WXGA resolution (1,280×800 pixels), WiFi connectivity, 1.3MP webcam, HDMI output, and 5-in-1 card reader. The M-2408j and M-2410j are priced at approx. €470 and €580, respectively.

[techfresh]

At a recent presentation, Toshiba demoed a little hand-held UMPC prototype, indicating that the company is considering that product market. The silver-framed machine has a 5.6-inch touchscreen, and runs Windows Vista on an Atom processor and 64GB of SSD storage, and even packs in GPS. Though the onscreen touch keyboard takes up too much real estate, it's a great-looking little package. But apparently Toshiba isn't going to turn prototype into product as it's considered too small for practical use. That'll interest fans of the fabled Apple touch tablet, I'm sure. What do you think guys: would you buy a PC this size?

[gizmodo]

It seems for Mike Arrington and the 560+ commenters that there is a desire in the market for a web tablet. Arrington is proposing they build it as a project and bring it to market themselves in a bold bid to build traffic and a product that many seem to seek.

In truth, what they look to build is an inexpensive ($200) iPod touch. My touch lives in my living room. I use it to surf the net, play games and be connected whenever I feel like it. The instant on, quick WiFi and fun operation make it a staple I am not sure I’d be happy living without at this point.

Arrington and his band of rioters want a big screened version. OK, I can see how that would be fun, but building such a beast at $200 is going to be very difficult. Another plus/minus is open source. I don’t want to rain on his parade, but I’ve not been satisfied with open source projects.

What I do think is Apple will be jumping into this market with a student/web tablet. They’ve the software platform, distribution model and even a store to buy add-ons and content from. It is all slick and done. All they need to do is build the hardware. I see this coming at $599 to $799 range and it doing very, very well. Perhaps September will bring some interesting things from Apple, really one of the only companies I could see doing this right.

How about you?

[gadgetell]

Lenovo is throwing new models of laptops at us like there is no tomorrow, like there is a new chipset and they want to be the first ones to overcrowd the market with new stuff. It’s their new and improved line of ThinkPads.

At the starting line we have first the SL series intended to be a small business line. The price ranges from $699 to $1199, they have an optional HDMI port, Blu-ray and 3G add-on from AT&T, Ericsson and WiMax for around $30. The SL series will come in 3 models: SL300 (13-inch), SL400 (14-inch) and SL500 (15-inch).

Second at the starting line, as a new entry is the W series (split from the T series). They try to steal our eyes with Switchable Graphics, which lets you switch from discreet to integrated graphics without rebooting the computer, along with Display Port.

There’s also the R series that represents the budget series.

All of these models have one thing in common, they all run on Centrino 2 schemes. As for the pricing, the SL400 and SL500 (already in stores) starts at $799, while the others will hit the shops in August and will go from $899 and may reach $1999 for the W500.

We got to mess around with Lenovo's new Idea Pad lineup tonight -- those new Think Pads were mysteriously absent, however -- and while we'd say Lenovo is playing it pretty safe at the moment, we still like what we see. The hinge design that first emerged in the U110 is now present in the whole line, and while the ThinkPad heritage has been hidden under mounds of glossy plastic, it's still fairly evident in the build quality of the laptops, and particularly in those well-loved keyboards. The new Y-series laptops are rather serious contenders in their respective categories, with the 15-inch Y530 matching up nicely to any mid-tier 15-incher from the Likes of Sony, HP or Dell, while the 17-inch Y730 offers an easily hot-swappable second drive bay, a switch for graphics card overclocking, a performance-oriented secondary display and function buttons, and secondary arrow keys for rocking that dastardly "The World's Hardest Game" -- though most gamers will be sticking with AWSD for the other relevant FPS niceties those keys offer. We'd say our biggest disappointment is the U330, which loses the U110's distinctive (and comfy) glossy-flush keyboard, and whose inclusion of a disc drive leaves it with none of the U110's strikingly small stature. Sure, 13.3-inches and switchable graphics are nice, but it really hardly stands out from the Y-series IdeaPads, which is no good considering the premium prices Lenovo expects for its U-series laptops.


[engadget]

Fujitsu Siemens has been making ultraportable laptops for years. But they're not exactly cheap. Now it looks like the company is getting ready to join Asus, Acer, HP, Dell, MSI and others in launching a laptop that's both cheap and tiny. Fujitsu Siemens hasn't released many details about its upcoming device.

The computer will reportedly sell for between 300 and 400 Euros, or $475 to $633 US. And judging by the fact that there's a Windows key on the keyboard, it's a safe bet that it will be Windows XP and/or Vista compatible. That doesn't mean there won't be a Linux version though.

[liliputing]

V12 Design from Italy is working on a dual touchscreen notebook concept, dubbing it the Canova and hopes to release it sometime in the near future. Developed for creative types such as artists, the whole idea is to take a regular sketch or writing pad and transform it into the digital realm. The first generation prototype wasn't too hot to boot, but the second generation comes with a brand new swagger that boasts multi-touch input, a software-based keyboard for easy input and haptic feedback for a more conventional typing experience. Voice recognition feature has also been thrown into the fray, while e-book functionality completes the rout of specifications. Come on now, V12, stop teasing us and release a final model already.

[ubergizmo]

ECS has been teasing the netbook market for months now with its G10IL -- meticulously surveying the competition and batting its eyelashes at US consumers. Fortunately, LAPTOP was able to sit down with Henry Kwan of ECS to help bring the flirtatious cycle to a satisfying end. Accordingly, we now know that the G10IL will ship in 8.9- and 10-inch models with the latter most likely shipping to US soils. It'll be available at an entry-level price of $399 in September running Linpus Lite 9.4 Linux off an 8GB SSD. It'll also be configurable with XP on an 80GB disk and EDGE/HSDPA/HSUPA data for much more. No sentimental delusions of educating the world's children here, the G10IL is meant for serious business use only. How refreshingly direct ECS.

[engadget]

Kohjinsha unveiled two new mini laptops, the SX-Series and SC-Series. The former is powered by a 1.33Ghz Intel Atom Z520 processor, a 1GB of main memory, and a 60GB of hard drive. Moreover, it is equipped with an 8.-inch touchscreen display (1280×768), a SuperMulti DVD burner, 2 x USB 2.0 ports, VGA out, an Express Card slot, WiFI, Ethernet LAN, and 1Seg TV
tuner.

[source]

As more and more power hungry gadgets find their way into the market, the need for a universal mobile power backup battery becomes apparent. Philips recognized this need and developed a line of several devices with different capabilities to recharge portable devices ranging from cell phones and MP3 players to portable computers. The Philips SCE7640 offers up to 60 hours of charge and up to 20V (enough for most laptops). A different model, called SCM7880, has a USB connector and six different plugs and according to Philips is good for up to 15 charge hours with 5V. The last model is the SCE2110, which is specifically designed for mobile phones. The models come with a LED indicator displaying the battery charge status and a space-saving foldable power plug.

Това устройство може да задоволи поне за известно време нарастващата нужда от енергия за всичките ни джади. Машината може да зарежда мобилен телефон, MP3 дори лаптоп. Добро решение от странна на Philips


Portable Energy from Philips [tfot]