ASUS keeps things tiny with NOVA LITE Mini 2L PC March 21, 2008
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Granted, the Nova P22 is probably small enough for the vast majority of folks, but if you weren’t feeling the aforementioned machine for whatever reason, here’s another option. The NOVA LITE Mini 2L measures in at 9.09- x 7.24- x 2.00-inches and weighs just a few raisins more than the X300 (3.3-pounds for those taking notes). Apparently, this box was designed to simply “meet everyday computing needs” while keeping noise to a minimum, and ASUS has three lovely flavors for you to choose from. Packed within, you’ll find up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, an 80GB / 160GB hard drive, a DVD burner, Ethernet, WiFi (on select models), built-in speakers, four USB 2.0 ports, DVI / VGA and audio in / out connectors. No word on a price, release date or any of that pertinent information, unfortunately.
HP launches the 13.3-inch dv3000 laptop in Asia March 21, 2008
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It’s been a while since the HP dv2000 laptop made its original appearance, and it looks like HP’s giving the newest version a new model number as well as a slight redesign — say bonjour to the dv3000. Based around an oh-so-hip 13.3-inch display, the overall look of the machine is basically the same as the older model, but it’s slightly smaller. Inside, you’re looking at a 2.5GHz T9300 Penryn Core 2 Duo, GeForce Go 8400M graphics with HDMI out, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB disk, VGA webcam, a dual-layer burner, and an unusual combo USB / eSATA port that we’d like to take a closer look at. Not a bad piece of kit for $1,399 — too bad it’s only coming out in Asia around May.
Custom-built Xbox 360 joystick gets lit with LEDs March 21, 2008
Posted by harish in gaming systems.add a comment
Oh yeah, we’ve seen homegrown Xbox 360 joysticks that we would love to wrap our digits around, but ShaolinDrunkard’s latest creation is almost too pretty to touch — almost. The Xbox 360 Classic Led joystick sports the prototypical stick / button layout, but also includes that iconic green swirl and a smattering of lovely LEDs to really get the oohs and ahhs flowing. The handmade oak chassis isn’t too shabby, either, and as much as we’d love to see these being offered up to those with more dollars than creative genius, we’ve all ideas this is a one-of-a-kind. Tap the read link for a few more pics
First Pictures of Alienware Android Cell Phone February 17, 2008
Posted by harish in portable media.add a comment
Google and Dell are on the point of launching a new mobile phone to run on the Android operating system, probably at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona that’s going on at the moment. Dell have tried to enter the mobile phone market once before but their range of PDAs was a complete flop.
Well, would you buy a Dell phone? Exactly.
Dell have also recently acquired Alienware, the trendiest tech company in the world, an expert in Video, Gaming, and Audio, and a company crying out for a mobile phone.
So here are the first pictures of the Alienware mobile phone!
- Classic Alienware eye catching design
- Large screen with high resolution
- Superb video gaming capability
- Fantastic Audio
- Built on the Google Android platform
It’s well known that Dell want to enter the mobile phone market. Rivals such as Apple, Hewlett Packard and Asus already have mobile divisions, and last year Dell poached Motorola executive Ron Garriques to run their new global consumer group.
But so far their efforts have come unstuck, the uninspiring Axim PDA handset was dropped mid 2007, and Strategy Analytics Director Neil Mawson gave the following verdict “It makes sense for Dell to have a high-profile entry back into the market because its last effort with PDAs pretty much flopped.”
Why was this? The increasingly dull associations with the Dell brand? Maybe they should change their name to Dull. One thing for sure is there wasn’t exactly much of a stir when the last batch of handhelds were introduced.
The brand did get a shot in the arm however in 2006 when Dell acquired Alienware, the mega-stylish American laptops and desktops manufacturer, known for their expertise in video, audio and gaming.
Alienware are famous for their eye catching designs and innovative technology, only last month they launched the ultimate in video gaming experience, a giant curved monitor that fills the entire of the gamer’s peripheral vision. Conclusion, Alienware cool, Dell not cool.
The argument for an Alienware mobile phone is overwhelming. It would have the striking design to make an impression in a mobile market dominated by fashion phones, it would instantly be the coolest phone on the market thanks to the popularity of the Alienware brand, it would have the marketing muscle of Dell behind it to push it beyond its established niche and into the mainstream, and it would be the mobile gamer’s dream, just as video gaming on mobile phones is starting to enter the picture.
To add to the excitement there have been rumours recently that Dell and Google are on the point of making a surprise announcement at the 3GSM World Mobile Congress with speculation growing over an iPhone-challenging mobile device.
The first wave of phones built on the Google Android Open Development Project are due this summer, what price an early announcement of a real Google phone to sink our teeth into
APX-2: The New HD Audio PC from Onkyo February 16, 2008
Posted by harish in music systems.add a comment
Onkyo is loved by Japanese customers for its amazing product line-up. While this is not the first time for Onkyo to launch an HD audio computer, this new version, the APX-2, has been released in partnership with SOTEC, the Japanese PC manufacturer.
Our PC is sold in Japan through Sotec’s distribution channel. It’s been given a Core 2 Duo T5500 @ 1.66GHz, 1 GB of RAM, 500GB of HDD stick together with a digital audio amplifier. The very same amplifier found on the Onkyo PCI-200 audio card.
In order to minimize the effect of vibration and noise emminated by other components, Onkyo worked hard to ensure the APX-2 is as silent as possible. The HDD is stored in a Super Floating HDD Unit, a kind of noise cancellation box (22dB max). Onkyo also bypassed Vista’s volume mixer function and installed Pure Direct Audio Path (PDAP) in order to avoid audio lost due to Vista’s poor HD audio support.
