Filed under: Features, Laptops

When we gave you readers a shot at ranting about the Everex gPC, little was left unsaid. If we were betting souls, we’d guess the firm’s über-cheap laptop — affectionately known as the Cloudbook — is about to suffer a similar beating. Based on early reviews, the wannabe Eee PC slayer wasn’t exactly a dream come true, but we just know there’s a good bit of potential here untapped. So, for those of you who’ve parted ways with your $400 in exchange for one of these Cloudbook contraptions, how would you improve upon what’s already there? Clean up the user interface? Add a bit more horsepower under the hood? Or would you just find a way to plug that unsightly gap between the LCD and keyboard? Go ahead, your momma’s not listenin’ — let us know how you really feel.

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Filed under: Features, Laptops

When we gave you readers a shot at ranting about the Everex gPC, little was left unsaid. If we were betting souls, we’d guess the firm’s über-cheap laptop — affectionately known as the Cloudbook — is about to suffer a similar beating. Based on early reviews, the wannabe Eee PC slayer wasn’t exactly a dream come true, but we just know there’s a good bit of potential here untapped. So, for those of you who’ve parted ways with your $400 in exchange for one of these Cloudbook contraptions, how would you improve upon what’s already there? Clean up the user interface? Add a bit more horsepower under the hood? Or would you just find a way to plug that unsightly gap between the LCD and keyboard? Go ahead, your momma’s not listenin’ — let us know how you really feel.

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Filed under: Laptops

Well, would you look at that? Oh wait, you can’t — because Dell just removed a teaser tagline from its USA webstore that totally gave away the impending release of a Penryn-based M1530. Earlier today, the “Select My Processor” page seen while building an M1530 showcased the following message: “Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, T7700, and T7800 require a selection of 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS as your video card. Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, T9500, and T8300 require a selection of 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT as your video card.” Of course, said message has since vanished, but we’d wager that it’s only a matter of days (hours?) before Dell finally gets with the program and gives its 15-incher the same treatment the M1330 and M1730 already received (not to mention the M1530 in other corners of the globe).

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Remember back in the old days, when men were men, dogs ran free, and computers were the size of small countries? It was a time when viruses weren’t malicious, rather, they delivered cherry popsicles, unicorns, and nuclear joy-beams. Well, now you can return to a simple time of laughter and love thanks to the Newton Virus and related dongle, created by the design collective Troika. Instead of gnashing your files, spamming your address book, or giving you “The Finger” repeatedly, this virus engages just once, and creates a playful desktop mishap that will undoubtedly inspire the victim to hug the nearest person. Though the virus was coded way back in 2005, it’s now being shown at the MoMA’s Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition. Watch it all go down, literally, in the video after the break.

[Thanks, H&M]

Continue reading The Newton Virus spreads joy

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Filed under: Laptops

Well, would you look at that? Oh wait, you can’t — because Dell just removed a teaser tagline from its USA webstore that totally gave away the impending release of a Penryn-based M1530. Earlier today, the “Select My Processor” page seen while building an M1530 showcased the following message: “Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, T7700, and T7800 require a selection of 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS as your video card. Intel Core 2 Duo T9300, T9500, and T8300 require a selection of 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT as your video card.” Of course, said message has since vanished, but we’d wager that it’s only a matter of days (hours?) before Dell finally gets with the program and gives its 15-incher the same treatment the M1330 and M1730 already received (not to mention the M1530 in other corners of the globe).

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Laptops, Peripherals

We’ve all ideas the designers at Cupertino had good intentions when designing the MagSafe adapter, but just in case you can’t seem to find the value in said feature, the $11.99 MagStay Pro is out to remedy your curious quandary. As with the JerkStopper, this concoction actually plugs into your MBP’s nearby USB port in order to get a better grip on the machine. Apparently, this thing is designed to help you avoid any “unintentional disconnections” in power, but aside from totally blocking your USB port (no passthrough?), you’re also begging for some extraneous repair bills. To each his / her own, we guess.

[Via TUAW]

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Filed under: Laptops

With all these new Penryn-based lappies hitting the shelves, we can’t help but be immediately underwhelmed by the BenQ Joybook A53. Sure, the case is fairly attractive, but still, offering up a Core 2 Duo T7250 with just 512MB of RAM is sort of weak. Granted, we’ve all ideas this one’s being aimed at the budget-minded set, so hopefully they’ll be down with the 80 to 200GB 5400RPM hard drive choices, dual-layer DVD writer, 15.4-inch WXGA (1,280 x 800) resolution display, trio of USB 2.0 ports, VGA output, audio in / out and 6-cell battery good for around 2.3-hours of usage. Also of note, you’ll find integrated Ethernet / WiFi, a 4-in-1 multicard reader and a 0.3-megapixel webcam for pixelated video chats. Unfortunately, BenQ didn’t mention how costly this one would be, but it will be rolling out to Poland, Russia, China, Thailand, and Australia right away, while the rest of the world has to wait just a few more months.

[Via Electronista]

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Filed under: Laptops

After a stay that’s been anything but uneventful, OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte has announced that he’ll be stepping down as CEO of the organization, and that he’s now searching for a successor, although he’ll be staying on as Chairman. That word comes from an interview Negroponte gave to BusinessWeek, where he admitted that “management, administration, and details are my weaknesses,” and even went so far as to say that the organization needs to be managed “more like Microsoft.” He also revealed that the search for a new CEO had actually begun last year, but had ratcheted up in recent weeks, during which time the organization was also reorganized into four operating units, including technology, deployment, market development and fund-raising, and administration. No word on any contenders for the top spot just yet, but Nick Neg described the ideal candidate as someone with a “leadership profile similar to that of Kofi Annan,” adding that he hopes to have the search concluded by April or May.

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Filed under: Laptops

Perhaps the ECS G10IL could use some help in the naming department, but it certainly isn’t having any trouble bringing a bit of class to the subnotebook market. In addition to those stylish good looks, the G10IL sports a webcam, HSDPA 7.2, three USB ports, Ethernet and a 56Kb modem (joy of joys!). No mention is made of WiFi or Bluetooth, but at least the former seems a given. Other details are slim, but the price is supposedly “sub-$500.” Perhaps this “race to the bottom” won’t be so horrible after all.

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Filed under: Laptops

NEC’s LaVie lineup has been dressed up in just about every costume imaginable, but for whatever reason, it has yet to be embossed with the characters from Kimi Kiss — until now, that is. Fans of the series will surely appreciate the design cues, but the hard part will be choosing from the smorgasbord of color options. Nevertheless, those actually concerned with what’s inside the chassis will find a 2GHz Mobile Sempron 3600+ CPU, 512MB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, DVD combo drive and a 15.4-inch 1,280 x 800 resolution panel. A bit underpowered for ¥90,783 ($879), but even NEC knows you aren’t looking at this one for the exquisite componentry.

[Via Gizmodiva]

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