Events

Dell updates Inspiron line

By Terence Huynh on January 8th, 2010 No Comments

After updating the Inspiron Mini line, Dell has brought out an update to the Inspiron 14, 15 and 17 laptops. The new laptops have been redesigned for “on-the-go media consumption” and have a new thin chassis, 16:9 HD displays and will have an Intel Core i5 processor that will start at US$849 and are available now. There will also be versions with a Core i3 processor that will start at US$569 later in the month.

The desktop lineup also gets an update with the Inspiron 580 and the Inspiron 580s. These will feature either a Core i3 or Core i5 processor and will have a 320GB hard drive and 4GB of DDR3 memory. You can buy them now, with the starting price tag of US$499. Gallery of the Inspiron 17 laptops and the 580 desktop are below.

Dell brings out tablet concept

By Terence Huynh on January 8th, 2010 1 Comment

Featuring a 5-inch screen and will be Android powered, Dell has released images of its new tablet concept. And that’s about it, virtually no details have been released other the first two – and that’s usual from all Dell product teasers. Why use a 5-inch display? We don’t really have an answer for that yet. But apparently it will ship later this year – according to the Direct2Dell blog. Gallery is below.

Plastic Logic brings out QUE – and expensive

By Terence Huynh on January 8th, 2010 No Comments

We all knew it would be making the product announcement. Plastic Logic has finally revealed the QUE proReader, an eBook reader – though they claim it is so much more – that is super slim and is suitable to read newspapers thanks to its large crisp display. With 8.5 x 11-inch dimensions, it has signed up a number of newspapers, including the LA Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Fast Company – all which join other announced titles like USA Today and IDG publications like MacWorld and PC World.

It will be sold in mid-April 2010, while preorders have started today. Later in the year, Barnes and Noble will start selling the QUE. It will come in to models: the 4GB that will cost US$649 and US$799 for the 8GB.

Alienware launches 11-inch gaming laptop …

By Terence Huynh on January 8th, 2010 No Comments

… because that is so possible. Well, now it is. This is the Alienware M11X. Alienware is known for their gaming laptops, and this is no different. According to them, it will demonstrate the power of a 15-inch laptop but it is not a 15-inch laptop. This is a 11-inch laptop and is a sub-US$1000 notebook. We don’t really know what is inside but all we know is that it has 6 1/2 hours of battery life; a NVIDIA GPU which is you can switch to it without restarting or logging out; have a DisplayPort, HDMI and VGA and it looks thin.

Gallery is below.

Palm releases Verizon versions of Pre and Pixi, adds Plus to its name

By Terence Huynh on January 8th, 2010 1 Comment

Remember the Palm Pre and how we got excited over the phone – then that hype died down? Well, Palm has another announcement today; it will be bringing the Palm Pre Plus (above) and Palm Pixi Plus to Verizon. The Pre Plus still looks the same  and comes with the Touchstone recharger and a 3-megapixel camera, but it will have 16GB of on board storage. The Pixi Plus also looks the same with no other changes. Both phones, however, will support CDMA, unlike the Sprint models – they support CDMA2000.

They hit Verizon on January 25 this year. Gallery is below.

Spring Design launches nook competitor – the Alex

By Terence Huynh on January 8th, 2010 No Comments

CES 2010 BlockMore eBook readers are being released here at CES, with Spring Design revealing the Alex – claiming that it is the only dual screen Google Android-based eBook reader to integrate web browsing and reading. The device features two screens – one 3.5-inch LCD screen and a 6-inch EPD screen. I should note that the Barnes & Noble nook also features two screens and uses the Android platform, but is restricted to only books. The colour screen allows it to act as a virtual keyboard and access to the growing number of applications from the Android Marketplace.

It will connect using Wi-Fi, 3G, EVDO/CDMA and GSM networks; while it can read books using the Adobe ePub and PDF formats or simple HTML and text documents. It also has a removable microSD card slot.

It will be sold on the website from February 22, 2010 with a price tag of US$399.

Panasonic reveals wireless audio system, delivers full sound

By Terence Huynh on January 7th, 2010 No Comments

CES 2010 BlockPanasonic has announced that it will bring out the SC-ZT2, a new wireless audio system that says that it can transmit the audio from the Full HD 3D Blu-Ray Disc Player without the need of a cable, also known as wireless. Its “advance proprietary properties” allow users to enjoy Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD 7.1-channel surround sound despite having two speakers – which are basically poles (which Panasonic say its to minimise unwanted sound reflection).

It will be available in June. Pricing has not been revealed as of yet.

Panasonic adds new iPod dock to accessory list

By Terence Huynh on January 7th, 2010 No Comments

Since the iPod launched, there have been a lot of third-party accessories – ranging from unknown brands most likely from China to Sony and Panasonic. Speaking of Panasonic, they have introduced the SC-SP100 (it’s that little black dock in the above image with the iPhone docked in it), a 2.1-channel audio system that is compatible with your iPod and iPhone. It also features a integrated subwoofer and will also work with an normal AUX cable to connect other MP3 players.

It will be available later in the month, though no word on actual date and pricing. Gallery is below.

Panasonic releases new HD camcorders

By Terence Huynh on January 7th, 2010 No Comments

Panasonic will be adding three new HD camcorders to its product line for 2010 — the HDC-HS60, the HDC-TM55 and the HDC-SD60 — which promise to be perfect for portability without sacrificing the HD quality of the footage. They all feature a 35.7mm wide-angle lens, which Panasonic says that it is perfect for shooting in a variety of different scenarios like self-portraits and outdoor landscapes.

All three have a 25x optical zoom, and can extend to 35x zoom with its Intelligent Zoom feature; along with the expansion of its Intelligent Auto (iA) with the addition of Face Recognition and Intelligent Scene Selector.

But what are the differences? The HDC-HS60 feature a 120GB hard drive and can be expanded by a SD, SDHC or SDXC card; while the HDC-TM55 have 8GB flash memory and also feature a slot to expand the memory with a SD, SDHC or SDXC card. The HDC-SD60 will only have the SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Availability and pricing have not been announced, but “will be announced 30 days prior to shipping date” – so remember that! Gallery is below.

SANYO brings out thinnest dual camera

By Terence Huynh on January 7th, 2010 No Comments

CES 2010 BlockSANYO has announced what they call the thinnest, smallest and lightest camera, the Dual Camera Xacti VPC-CS1 – and this time, it can record in HD (1920 x 1080 pixels). It has an 8 megapixel lens to shoot pictures, 10x zoom, a mini HDMI port to view the HD video recorded in the clearest picture it can be and is compatible with the Eye-Fi card – allowing your images to be uploaded to a computer automatically without plugging it in.

This will come in one colour – silver – and have a price tag of $299.99. It will hit retail stores in February this year.

Sony brings Internet viewer called dash

By Terence Huynh on January 7th, 2010 No Comments

Featuring a 7-inch colour touch screen, Sony has brought out a competitor to the popular Chumby with the dash, the “personal Internet viewer” – according to its press release. The device also features an internal accelerometer that allows you to view it in portrait mode or landscape, built-in stereo speakers, a headphone output jack and a USB port to connect to electronic devices.

The device seems to suit the bedroom as it can be an alarm clock and a radio – granted if you have a Wi-Fi connection at your house. It also will have 1,000 applications – including apps from Blip.tv, Crackle, Epicurious and NAVTEQ, and will be able to run multiple applications at the same time.

The dash will be out in store shelves in April for US$199.

Xbox 360 to go back in time with Game Room

By Terence Huynh on January 7th, 2010 1 Comment

Microsoft has added new additions to the Xbox Live service, including a new Games Room – giving players a chance to play the old arcade games from Atari and Konami on both Windows PCs and Xbox 360 – but only the Xbox 360 will allow you to challenge your friends. Over 1000 games will be released throughout the next three years, though 30 games will be initially launched. Expect this in Spring.

Confirmed: HP to make Windows slate PC

By Terence Huynh on January 7th, 2010 1 Comment

BREAKING NEWS: It’s official. Microsoft has revealed that HP will be developing a new touch-enabled slate PC that will feature Windows 7 during its keynote today. Microsoft showed it off by using the Amazon Kindle’s Windows application. Microsoft and HP has confirmed that it will be launched later in the year, just no word on the pricing or the actual date. So Apple, look out now. Gallery is below.

Sony brings out the VAIO Z series

By Terence Huynh on January 7th, 2010 No Comments

Sony just wrapped up its press conference, and released a whole bunch of televisions, laptops and camera. This is one of them, the VAIO Z Series laptop. Just over three pounds in weight, it has a carbon-fibre aluminium chassis and has a 13.1-inch LED backlight display.

Features include a HDMI output port, Integrated wireless 3G technology from Verizon, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a solid state drive with a maximum capacity of 512GB – there is no option for a 2.5-inch hard drive. It has an option to upgrade to a Blu-Ray optical drive, and you can choose to have it run Intel Core i7 or Intel Core i5 with Hyper-Threading.

It will retail for US$1,899.99 and will hit stores in Spring.

Sony competes with Flip with the “bloggie”

By Terence Huynh on January 7th, 2010 No Comments

Yes, you are reading that name correctly. My friends, Sony has released two new cameras that will comprise the bloggie camera line. These cameras will record in 1920 x 1080 MP4 video and features a 5 megapixel camera; and like the Flip, have a USB port attached to them so you can transfer the videos from the camera to the computer without having to find the cord to connect it to.

The MHS-CM5 camera has a pistol-grip design and has a 2.5-inch display that flips out from the side, along with 5x optical zoom. It also features a HDMI output, so clips can be played on your HDTV. The other one, the MHS-PM5 camera more resembles the Flip and features a 2.4-inch display, 4x digital zoom and SteadyShot image stabilisation – though it can’t be use when recording HD material. There will also be a MHS-PM5K, which will allow the bloggie camera to capture 360-degree footage that can be viewed with the supplied software.

These cameras will be sold in retailers and is currently on sale online; and the PM5 will cost US$170, while the PM5K will cost US$190. The CM5 has a price tag of $200.

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