Acer Aspire ‘Gemstone Blue’ series details

Here’s a little more information about Acer’s new Gemstone Blue notebook series. First up, there are two models; the Aspire 8920G and the Aspire 6920G. Both feature an Intel Centrino Core 2 Duo processor and Vista Ultimate or Home Premium and up to 4GB of DDR2 667MHz memory, depending on your tastes. Both also have an integrated webcam, fingerprint reader, draft-N wireless, Bluetooth, CineDash media controller (see above photo) and Acer Arcade Deluxe software for all your media files.

The 6920G can handle a 320GB hard drive, 1X Blu-ray Super Multi double-layer drive, and your choice of a 16-inch LCD screen at 1920×1080 or 1366×768. Graphics are handled courtesy of an NVIDIA GeForce 9500M GS with 512MB of dedicated video RAM that can also grab up to 768MB of system RAM. The notebook weighs 7.7 pounds with the standard battery attached.

The 8920G can handle two hard drives of up to 320GB each, 2X Blu-ray Super Multi double-layer drive, and comes with an 18.4-inch LCD running at full HD (1920×1080). You can opt for the same GeForce 9500M GS graphics or bump it up to the 9650M. Video RAM is the same as the 6920G. The notebook weighs nine pounds with the standard battery. Nine pounds, I said.

Both will be available in about a month with pricing starting at $900 and topping out at under $2000 depending on your configuration

HP Mini 1000 Price Cut

Hewlett-Packard has announced that they are cutting the price of its Mini 1000 netbook by $40 which went live yesterday.

With the price cut, it means you can now pick one of these up for $359.99 with features such as a 8.9-inch display running on a Intel Atom N270 processor. It comes equipped with 1GB of RAM, an 8GB solid state drive, all for use on Windows XP Home.

If this little mini netbook sounds right for you, then it might be an ideal gift for someone this Christmas. Keep the price cuts coming please HP. Read the link below for more details.

HP TX2513CL Dual Core 12.1 inch Tablet PC

If you find that a standard size laptop is just too large and that a netbook is still on the small size, then the HP TX2513CL might be the perfect compromise. This dual core tablet PC has a 12.1 inch screen size, which will offer you the best of both worlds.

At the heart of the Hewlett Packard TX2513CL is the AMD Turion X2 RM-70 Dual-Core Mobile Processor, with a speed of 2.0GHz and a 1MB L2 cache. The tablet PC has 3GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive and an ATI Radeon HD 3200 video card.

The 12.1” Convertible Display has an Integrated Touch-screen as well as Brightview. Other features include LightScribe Super Multi 8X DVD±R/RW, Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n, Integrated Altec Lansing speakers, and much more. The HP TX2513CL Dual Core 12.1 inch Tablet PC is currently the on offer from Woot, and cost just $649.99

CrunchDeals: Acer Aspire One netbook for $309.99

Another day, another deal on a netbook. Today it’s the Acer Aspire One, which Buy.com has for just $309.99 – that’s cheap! You’ll get a 1.6 GHz Atom processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB solid state drive, 8.9-inch 1024×600 screen, built-in webcam, and the Linpus Linux Lite operating system. The whole thing weighs just 2.19 pounds.

HP, Dell, Toshiba Recall Sony Laptop Batteries Again

Three of the biggest laptop computer makers are recalling certain batteries because of a risk they may overheat and catch fire. Sony made the batteries and the recall mirrors -- yet appears a lot smaller than -- a similar one that occurred two years ago.

This time, around 100,000 batteries are affected, a fraction of the 9.6 million [m] recalled in 2006. Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Toshiba have already issued recalls for the batteries that were used in their products and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said "consumers should stop using recalled products immediately."

The batteries in question were manufactured between October 2004 and June 2005 and to date there have been about 40 incidents reportedly globally of overheating, Sony said Friday.

Most of the incidents are believed to be due to manufacturing line adjustments made during the period that may have affected some batteries, Sony said. Additionally some may have been due to raw material flaws.

Of the 100,000 batteries affected, around 35,000 were used in laptops shipped in the U.S. By far the greatest number, about 32,000, were shipped with HP laptops.

The maker said it is recalling batteries that have a barcode label beginning with A0, L0, L1 or GC that were shipped with HP Pavilion dv1000, dv8000 and zd8000 models; with Compaq Presario v2000 and v2400 machines and with HP Compaq nc6110, nc6120, nc6140, nc6220, nc6230,nx4800, nx4820, nx6110, nx6120 and nx9600 computers.

Toshiba's U.S. recall covers around 3,000 Satellite A70/A75, P30/P5, M30X/M35X and M50/M55 laptops and Tecra A3, A5 and S2 computers.

Dell is recalling battery model OU091 in Latitude 110L and Inspiron 1100, 1150, 5100, 5150 and 5160 computers.

Consumers who believe they have batteries that have been recalled should stop using the batteries and check with their PC vendor.

An additional 2,000 batteries were shipped in the Japanese market and the remaining 63,000 went to consumers in other regions, including Europe and Asia. Recall notices for machines shipped in these other regions are expected to be issued shortly.

Toshiba NB100

Toshiba NB100: the latest machine to cash in on the netbook craze.

Price $699

Toshiba is the latest of the big names seeking to cash in on the netbook craze. These tiny, lightweight and low-cost laptops may lack the CD-DVD drive and muscle of a fully featured notebook but they're more than enough for the web, email and basic software such as Microsoft Word.

This makes them an ideal companion to a desktop PC or even a larger notebook. The most serious compromise is the screen and keyboard.

In the screen department, Toshiba's NB100 settles on a 23-centimetre (nine-inch) panel that is sharp enough to avoid squintvision, although, like most netbook and notebook screens, it's easily washed out under too much ambient light.

The keyboard is where things come unstuck. Netbook keyboards are small enough to begin with because they have to fit into a fairly small footprint but the NB100's keys are smaller and more finicky than any similar-sized netbook. This is one that demands careful and precise (read slow) typing. Ditto for the trackpad and its mouse buttons, which are also skimpier than they should be.

Nor does this netbook's overall design make a statement, unless it's "I heart the '80s". In style, shape and colour, the chunky little NB100 looks like a pint-sized relic of the days before someone decided computers were allowed to look good.

The NB100's specifications are identical to most netbooks. Intel's pocket-rocket Atom processor runs the show with 1GB of memory, a 120GB hard drive, plus wireless networking, a memory-card reader and a low-grade webcam. The familiar face of Windows XP ensures the NB100 will run most programs from your main PC.

As with many netbooks, however, battery life can be the biggest disappointment: the NB100 will struggle to get past three hours of word processing and wireless internet usage.

Even allowing for Toshiba's $100 rebate, we suggest an Asus Eee PC, Acer's Aspire One or Dell's Inspiron Mini 9. They are all better buys in almost every respect.

Review: MiBook is cheap, colorful e-book reader

The MiBook e-book reader from Photoco Inc. shows 'cookbooks' of instructional video clips in New York.

Electronic books are the persistent wallflowers of the gadget world. Consumers have snubbed them again and again in favor of a 500-year-old technology: ink printed on paper.

Mindful of the dominance of paper, devices for reading electronic books so far have focused on providing an experience that's as close to traditional books as possible. But there is one that takes a completely different tack, so different that it brings into question the definition of "book."

This is the MiBook (pronounced "my book"), a book-sized white slab with a 7-inch color screen. Its "books" are memory chips with instructional videos. There are books available on cooking, home projects, gardening and child care.

For instance, the "Amazing Party Food" book shows the steps to making 150 different dishes, including a raspberry souffle, accompanied by voiceover from the MiBook's speakers. After each step, the video pauses, waiting for you to hit a button and go on to the next one.

Is it still a book if it's a chip with videos on it? That depends on your viewpoint. But it's quite possible to consider it a book if it does what a book used to do.

The MiBook, from Ohio-based startup Photoco Inc., is also considerably cheaper than Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle or Sony Inc.'s Reader, which start at $300. The list price for the MiBook is $120, but it's available for as little as $75 online, including two books. Extra books are $20 each.

The MiBook lacks the single greatest feature of the Kindle, which is wireless access to Amazon's e-book store, for near instant buying gratification. But both the Kindle and the Reader are limited by their "electronic ink" screen technology. It consumes very little power, but it can't show colors, and doesn't even do a good job of showing photos in shades of gray. Video is out of the question, because the display is very slow to update.

The MiBook uses a very conventional liquid-crystal display. Since it uses much more power than electronic ink, the MiBook is designed to be used at home, connected to a power supply. It has a fold-out stand, so it can be placed upright on a kitchen counter, and comes with a small remote.

But it also has a rechargeable battery, so it can be used untethered. Curiously, though, there's no indicator to tell you how much juice is left in the battery, or when it's fully charged. The manufacturer says the MiBook can show video for two hours on a charge, and cursory tests support that.

The books are Secure Digital memory cards, used in digital cameras and other gadgets. The slot on the MiBook will accept SD cards with pictures, music, text and homemade videos on them, meaning it can double as a digital picture frame and music player, or even, yes, as a regular e-book reader.

Sadly, the MiBook fails to fulfill its potential here, because its screen is of poor quality. Nothing looks really sharp, and it flickers. This doesn't matter so much when showing video — the screen is certainly no worse than an old tube TV set — but the idea of reading a novel or even a short story on it is unappealing. Family pictures don't look very good either.

Still, we can't dismiss the MiBook, particularly at $75. Despite its lack of buzz, it's certainly the most interesting e-book reader to come out since the Kindle, which is now out of stock thanks to an endorsement by Oprah, and unavailable until next year. The MiBook could be a good gift for someone who wants easy-to-follow directions for cooking or home projects.

With a better screen and some attention to the battery issue, the MiBook could have a better shot. With a color screen, it will never have the battery life of the "serious" e-book readers, but it would last for some hours of reading around the house or on the commute. And is it too much to ask for Wi-Fi? That would open it up to book downloads from the Internet, and let it work as an Internet radio player. Oh, and keep the price under $100. Please, Santa. I'll expect it in your bag next year.

HDX, a notebook computer or a portable TV?

Back in the mid 1980s, IBM, Toshiba, NEC and a few other makers of IBM-compatible PCs began selling portable computers with a hinged display that people could carry with them from place to place in their bags.

That was when we became familiar with the term “laptop”.

A laptop computer was much larger than an A4-size writing pad. It was quite heavy, too.

The term notebook was coined later around the time a U.S. brand called Zeos started being advertised in computer magazines. Notebooks were supposed to be portable computers that had been reduced in size to fit into a briefcase.

At that time, despite their large size, laptops had quite teeny-weeny screens. In addition, they were all monochrome LCDs. (Remember that those were the days when the user interface was text-based).

We were all quite happy we could use a laptop as a glorified typewriter replacement — all that was required was MS or PC DOS and WordPerfect and a box of 5.25-inch or 3.5-inch floppy diskettes.

In those days, few could envision watching live TV for many hours at a stretch on one of those laptop computers. But, today, it is no longer a dream; you can watch TV broadcasts the whole day in your office cubicle as if you were relaxing in your own living room.

The premium HDX16 has a built-in TV tuner, a sharp 16-inch display and plenty of high-end components. Despite its size and capability, it weighs only 3.2 kilograms.

Courtesy of Hewlett-Packard (HP) Indonesia, I had three weeks to enjoy a brand new HP HDX16, a premium notebook that could keep you captivated for months.

I reported in this column a couple of weeks ago that HP now pays really serious attention to the style element of its notebooks in an effort to make them stand out in the crowd. The HDX16 is as impressive in the list of its technical specs as in its beauty. It has many of the upper-caste components, making its US$2,199 price tag fairly reasonable.

Here is a list of the critical components: Intel Centrino 2 platform with a Core 2 Duo T9400 processor running at 2.53 GHz; 4 GB of DDR2 memory; 320 GHz hard disk spinning at 5400 revolutions per minute (RPM); a 16-inch BrightView Infinity widescreen LCD; a Blu-Ray ROM; Wi-Fi a/g/n and Bluetooth; lots of lighted touch buttons; and a pair of Altec Lansing speakers with HP Triple Bass subwoofer.

The processor has 6 MB of L2 cache memory. Of course, to match the hardware, HP, not surprisingly, has chosen Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium.

With such top-notch components under the hood, it is not surprising that this notebook performs with flying colors. Although, given its focus on digital entertainment, it may not be the best machine for games or heavy-duty movie editing, but it is certainly close enough.

The specs on the box also list that the notebook has an integrated DVB-T/analog TV tuner. I could not test the DVB-T, but the analog tuner using the included antenna produced reasonable display quality.

There is a cable connector for TV cable reception, too, which raises display sharpness and color quality significantly. HP also throws in two remote controls — one for the notebook and the other for the Media control.

The keyboard is extremely close to my ideal: Each of the caps is covered with a chrome-like layer. HP has chosen the right material to ice the keycaps so that they do not get smudged as quickly as the “piano-like” keycaps. The separate numeric keypad on the right has keys that are narrower than the main keyboard, but they are still as usable.

Of course there is an integrated Webcam, too.

HP uses NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT with a 512 MB dedicated memory for the graphics subsystem. By default, the characters on the screen are comfortably large (even for me).
If HP had wanted to equip it with the latest technologies, it would have to include a 7200 RPM hard disk and DDR3 memory instead of the 5400 RPM and DDR2. However, as it is now, this notebook is already among the top-end units.

HP has also added a very thoughtful feature to the standard touchpad: Right above the panel there is a button to deactivate the pointing device. You must know how frustrating it is to have the pointer jumping all over the place as you inadvertently touch the pad. I think this toggle button should be made standard on every touchpad.

Strangely, despite its size and long list of features, the HDX16 is not as heavy as you might have guessed. HP managed to pack everything in a notebook weighing only 3.2 kilograms.
The HDX16 has a bigger sibling, the HDX18, which has an 18-inch display, and a whopping $2,999 price tag. Unfortunately, I did not have the detailed specs, and I do not know whether it will be available here, either.

A rather serious complaint that I have is that the chromed touchpad panel itself is not slippery enough to let the fingertips glide smoothly over it.

A glossy finish is very smudge-friendly, as you already know. The good thing is that the graphic artwork printed on the notebook’s body and cover, as well as its gray color, tones down the marks left by oily hands.

It’s too bad though that HP put the audio port on the front side; an area where the plugs are vulnerable to accidental elbow action.

Still, this is one of the notebooks that managed to make me feel sad as I said goodbye to it and put it back in its box for the courier to pick up.

Corsair - Flash Voyager 64GB review

It's fair to say that in the tribe of flash drives rampaging around the shelves of e-tailers and retailers, there are few beasts that can go toe-to-toe with Corsair's latest Flash Voyager. For not only is its footprint comparably significant, there's also the small matter of its 64GB storage capacity. It's a staggering amount, which would be ample to back up certain entire hard drives. It's just ripe, surely, for a Government department to pack with lots of confidential information and subsequently lose.

That said, losing it would prove to be quite a challenge. The Flash Voyager 64GB is a chunky device that protrudes a fair bit further than your average flash drive (unsurprisingly, given what it manages to pack into its chassis). It's just a little shy of the length of a credit card and its depth means that if you have two USB ports sat on top of each other, there's going to be some major fiddling to attach another device once the Corsair has put its towel over the proverbial deckchair (Corsair, to be fair, does provide a USB extender cable in the box for this reason).

As usual with Corsair's flash range, the drive is quickly and instantly recognised by Windows - and we tried this with both XP and Vista - and the firm hasn't bundled any software on it either. We quickly put it to the test and tried to get it to copy over the best part of 40GB of documents. It took a while, inevitably, to transfer the data, and the process eventually errored. The reason quickly became clear; one 6GB e-mail archive wasn't for budging, and that meant that the Flash Voyager was FAT32 formatted as standard. A quick reformat to NTFS overcame the problem.

So off to HD Tach, then, where one of the slight drawbacks to the product became evident. For the Flash Voyager 64GB simply isn't the fastest drive on the block: in fact it's some distance from such an accolade. Sequential read speeds are fairly constant, at around 22MB/s, but the burst speed of 25.7MB/s was a fair distance below the 4MB Flash Voyager Mini from Corsair that we recently tested. That clocked 34.9MB/s and even our aged OCZ Rally 2 2GB stick managed 25.1MB/s.

But then top performance clearly isn't the selling point here, as it's quantity and reliability that Corsair is selling. Once again backed up with a ten year warranty, the Flash Voyager 64GB certainly delivers in these areas and the robust outer rubberised casing is a fair shield of protection against accidental damage.

The price, inevitably, will leave a dent and serve as an active deterrant for most. The cheapest we found it was £149.99, which equates to £2.34 per GB. That's actually not bad, but considering you can buy a 320GB Western Digital MyBook external drive for £59, you have to wonder if flash memory, at this quantity of storage, is the right way to go.

Still, there are few quibbles about the quality of the 64GB Voyager and Corsair's standards are as high as ever. But this is undoubtedly a luxurious amount of flash storage for the near future and as a result it isn't likely to find its way into too many people's pockets just yet.
£150 inc. VAT

Verbatim - Mediastation Pro review

Verbatim is the latest company to follow in the footsteps of rivals like D-Link and NetGear by entering the streaming media market. Its MediaStation Pro offers wireless streaming, a range of format support and the option of an internal hard drive to store content locally, with the version on test supplied with a 500GB capacity drive pre-installed.

A selection of connectivity includes composite, component and S-video but we'd imagine most users would opt for the HDMI connection which offers the best audio and video quality and allows playback of HD media up to 1080p.

Populating the internal drive is simply a case of connecting the device via USB and dragging and dropping files into the relevant folders. There are full-sized USB ports on the back to hook up external storage for local playback and an Ethernet port and built-in wireless to give you a choice of network connectivity.

There are no wizards to help with setup but it's still pretty straightforward, allowing you to scan the local area and select your network before entering the appropriate security code. Instead of installing a front-end on your computer to help you choose which folders to share and adjust settings, Verbatim simply requires you to share folders through Windows in the usual manner. These folders will then be accessible through the network category on the main menu using the existing file structure.

It's a basic approach but quite effective, and while files can take a little while to load we were impressed by the smooth and responsive playback. You can adjust the aspect ratio of video via the remote, search to a specific point in a file and control subtitle size, position and synchronisation. In terms of file support you'll find AVI, WMV, MP4 and MPG along with the ability to store and play back ripped DVDs directly from the hard drive.

Additionally you can store or stream music and photos and there's a good range of file support here as well, though one complaint we have in this area is that the degree of control is quite poor.

Though there are additional features like access to Internet radio, basic playlist creation and password protection for folders, it's a bit thin on the ground in terms of extras. Switching between 'music', 'video' and 'photo' views, for example, simply invokes a file format filter that removes unnecessary filetypes from the on-screen display, and to be honest we can't see any reason why you wouldn't just search via the 'all-media' view all the time.

The overly basic interface isn't particularly friendly and the remote isn't particularly intuitive, with a range of context-sensitive buttons that only work when viewing certain types of media or browsing specific menus.

Overall we were a little disappointed by Verbatim's Mediastation Pro, because while it does perform well in terms of handling media, this market is old enough now to expect to see some interesting innovations from new devices. As it stands, the Mediastation is basic and capable but ultimately rather uninspiring and, though it may still be a good solution for beginners, there are more impressive solutions available from rivals.

Verbatim - Mediastation Pro features - Verdict

The Mediastation Pro performs well enough and is fairly easy to use, but this is mostly because it's quite basic and doesn't offer a lot of bells and whistles. As a local and networkable storage device aimed at beginners with a large collection of digital media it can still do a good job, but there are better options available if you're willing to forego the option of internal storage.

Nero AG - Nero 9 review

Just like its once-rival, Easy CD Creator (now Roxio Creator 2009), Nero is an application suite no longer content to simply burn your CD and DVD discs and walk away. Instead, Nero 9 is now a bunch of applications, all well held together by the StartSmart screen.

From the aforementioned screen you can jump to all of Nero's key functions via a well organised menu system. Tabs on the left-hand side offer choices between the likes of data burning, disc copying and backing up, while the menu at the top of the screen presents more generic, task-based tab descriptions such as Rip and Burn, Create and Edit and Back Up. It's actually a thoughtful way to keep both beginners and more advanced users happy via the same screen. Each tab offers a clearly-described sub-menu and it's an easy program to navigate.

This simplicity follows when you jump into any of the suite's individual programs. The guts of how to burn a disc, for instance, haven't changed in any dramatic way in some time, and sensible drag and dropping is still the best way to put either a data or music disc together.

The software keeps the more advanced options out of your way until you want to go and find them yourself, which is never too tricky, and it packs a lot of flexibility and power under the surface (although you need to spend a little extra if you want to buy a plug-in for Blu-ray support). It's also unfussy in the way it goes about its work.

But then it was last year, too. And the year before that. And this leads to the inevitable question that surrounds Nero 9: just what's new?

Not enough, as it happens. Most of the core functionality remains pretty much the same, albeit with a bit of paint here and there. Sure, you can now backup online, should you so choose, but that's a minor addition to a suite that most people buy, surely, to burn discs. If anything, it's taken a little more out than it's put in.

There's another factor, too. The installation is easily one of the longest we've ever seen for any software product, Windows included. We installed from a download version, so there wasn't even an optical drive to read from, and it took well over half an hour on a fast dual core system. We repeated this on an E6800-powered machine with 4GB of RAM, and again, another half an hour clocked up. Why? What exactly is the software doing?

Nero 9 has attracted a fair degree of criticism across online forums from regular customers, and it's not tricky to see why. There's not much of an upgrade here, and an argument that by some measures it's a downgrade. Yet for the new customer it's still a grand piece of software that's an excellent companion on your burning adventures. £60 is a lot to ask for it, though.

Checkpoint - ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 2009 review

When ZoneAlarm released its first personal firewall it was a wildly popular security solution for home users. Since then it has been constantly refining and updating its software to stay abreast of new threats. Internet Security Suite 2009 now combines its own award-winning firewall with Kaspersky's award-winning virus scanner, so on paper at least it appears to be the perfect combination of top-level protection. You'll also find a spyware scanner, identity theft protection, anti-spam, parental controls and more, to offer a comprehensive solution.

Setup is pretty fast and easy and the first thing that users of previous versions will notice is that the interface has had a bit of a refresh. Considering it was starting to look a bit dated this is not before time, and you'll now find a 'one-click' solution button on the main overview page that'll walk you through updates, scans and other tweaks to help you get the most from the software. From here you can view quick statistics on blocked intrusions and detected malware and access additional services such as identity protection and threat information at the SmartDefense Center.

Components are split up individually on a selectable list on the left and browsing through these reveals that while the revised interface is well received, most changes are in fact cosmetic and the same old slider control and tabbed settings structure exists underneath. This isn't a bad thing, since users have the choice of either making quick adjustments to security levels or getting their hands dirty with fine-tuning, so it's a suite that will appeal to both beginners and more advanced users.

While scans took a little longer than we'd have liked, in general performance was good and the software shouldn't have a noticeable impact on system overheads. It also uses minimal system memory during scanning and general operation, a tribute to the efficiency of the firewall and Kaspersky's antivirus tools.

The latter consistently scores the highest marks in Virus Bulletin's extensive tests and was given its VB100percent award, reserved for software that detects and cleans all current active threats. The firewall is also extremely capable and still up there with the best in the business, so from a security and usability point of view ZoneAlarm certainly seems to tick all the boxes.

Despite these distinct advantages it's not perfect, and one rather frustrating issue is that the suite doesn't include secure browsing, so you won't find protection against keyloggers, phishing sites and other online threats. It's not difficult to work out why browser security has been left out here since ZoneAlarm Forcefield does all this for you and when 'scanning' for holes in the security of your system you are notified of this and pointed in the direction of the Forcefield product page.

ZoneAlarm is a bit cheaper than most other security suites on the market but considering most others offer this sort of protection for free, the advantage is negated when you realise you have to spend around £20 extra for browser protection. Many other suites also offer additional features such as data backup, optimisation and cleanup, so while the level of security you're getting from ZoneAlarm is good, it's comparatively quite expensive.

Checkpoint - ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 2009 features - Verdict

Despite the lack of browser protection and the kinds of extras that rival packages are starting to offer at a comparable price, ZoneAlarm's firewall and anti-malware combination is second to none, and for a pure security solution it's an excellent choice to protect you against the latest threats and safeguard your computer against intrusion.

Epson - EB-W6 review

Epson's extensive range of projectors covers all areas of use, from home cinema and TV projection, to business for meetings and presentations, to classroom projectors designed to liven up school lessons. The EB-W6 is aimed at the last two of these and not as a home cinema projector, though in fact it's quite capable of projecting DVD and TV signals up to its native resolution of 1,280 x 800 (WXGA).

As projectors go, the EB-W6 is medium size, decked out in white and grey and with a deeply inset lens. The sliding lens cover also kills the video and audio output and the projector needs no lamp cool-down time, so you can unplug it to turn it off, if you need to vacate a room quickly, for example.

Controls on top of the case include a quick manual scan of available inputs, but the device picks up most video sources as they're plugged in. One of the main innovations of the EB-W6 is its ability to connect both video and control signals through a single USB cable. You don't need a VGA or HDMI header, though both are provided. Instead, you can use a simple USB 2 lead, for connection to just about any laptop which has a key sequence to switch from its LCD screen to an external monitor.

When the external monitor sequence is pressed, the projector detects it has been polled and downloads a driver to the connected notebook. It then duplicates whatever's on the internal screen. Don't try to run video this way, though, as there isn't the bandwidth to run it smoothly. But it's ideal for slideshows and PowerPoint presentations.

There are also sockets for an SD card and USB memory drive and, using the top panel controls or the supplied remote, these can be searched for any graphic files, like JPG and TIF. The projector then automatically displays a screen of thumbnails so you can select images for a slideshow.

Image quality is sharp and colours are vivid, thanks to Epson's 3LCD technology, and the lamp delivers 2,200 lumens with a contrast ratio of 2,000:1 and a wide screen, 16:10 aspect ratio. The lens isn't particularly short throw, needing up to 2.3m for a 60-inch screen, but the lamp only takes 170W and is rated at 3,000 hours, or 4,000 on low brightness. The EB-W6's three feet have a fast action tilt at the front, but adjusting for sideways alignment involves stiff and awkward rear screw feet.

Kalypso Media - The Political Machine 2008 review

With the media in an Election frenzy as the American people decide whether they favour Obama or McCain for the nation's top job (though by the time you read this they will have made that decision), Kalypso Media has chosen the perfect time to bring out a strategy game that will allow you to guide your own preferred candidate to the White House. And there's more to it than that, too.

If you follow the quick but thorough tutorial guides, you'll soon be prepared to take part in one of three optional gameplays: Quick Play, Campaign and Multiplayer. Quick Play is the most fun because you can choose your candidate and your opponent, whereas Campaign decides your opponents for you (which will be drawn from Presidential hopefuls past and present). You can even design your own front runner's physical appearance as well as their gender, their Home State, their party and most crucially their basic statistics.

These statistics become increasingly important when deciding what actions to take in each state, as they'll cover aspects like your stamina, fundraising abilities, charisma, good looks (or lack of them!), intelligence, credibility, how much the media like you and how much you appeal to minorities or religious groups. You'll inevitably want to play the main 2008 Campaign scenario first but there are fun alternatives that include the 1860 Presidential race, a futuristic election set in 3008, an evil alien planet election and a mythical European nations scenario.

Gameplay is turn-based and is a bit like Risk. You move your candidate around the map of the USA, assessing from the data in each state whether it's better to make a speech on key issues, take out media ads or upgrade your election HQ. Winning a state's votes for the electoral college is more important than winning just the popular vote and raising your awareness may be more important than just raising campaign funds. As the game progresses the map will gradually change colour according to which candidate captures which state.

In keeping with modern elections you can bring in specialists to help you, both dirty tricks agents such as Smear Merchants, Intimidators, Hecklers and Fixers as well as ratings boosters like Spin Doctors, Fashion Consultants, Hollywood Friends and Cheerleaders. Endorsements can be sought from major special interest groups such as the gun lobby or women's groups. Random events will also be included such as Activists and Scandal Mongers and periodically you'll be invited for a media interview where you'll need your wits about you to avoid any serious gaffes.

Although the graphics are fairly basic the gameplay is sufficiently engrossing and varied to keep your interest. However, the music is irritating to the extreme and there's no meaningful depth to any decision-making.

Corel - VideoStudio Pro X2 Ultimate review

The video editing software market is pretty much split into two categories. There's the real high-end, professional editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro and then you have your dumbed-down home editing suites like Adobe Premiere Elements, Final Cut Express or Corel VideoStudio Pro X2.

There's nothing wrong with these more concise, consumer-led bits of software. After all, why splash out nearly a grand for a piece of software when you're only going to use a small portion of the features? When you are making creative home movies you want the process to be quick and enjoyable, and if you can get a more basic editing suite for a fraction of the price of the big boys, then all the better.

When you look at the titles ‘Adobe Premiere Elements' or ‘Final Cut Express', what do you notice? The word ‘pro' has been cut from the title and replaced with something that insinuates a mere essence of its larger counterpart. Corel, however, has an annoying habit of leaving the word ‘Pro' in. For Corel, what matters is that you can create professional looking and sounding videos: how you got there doesn't matter so much.

When you load up VideoStudio Pro X2 you're given the option to delve straight into the video-editing suite, be taken through the process using the Movie Wizard or use the ‘DV to DVD Wizard'. This second option is designed specifically for those who have never dabbled in video editing before and offers a clear and intuitive workspace without the fuss of a complicated timeline.

For this review we were more concerned with the full-featured VideoStudio Editor. On loading up VideoStudio the interface could look a little daunting to those with little experience of editing. However, after a short tour around the main windows, tabs and drop-down menus it's pleasing to see that the set-up is pretty user-friendly. It also looks very familiar. Since Corel's acquisition of Ulead, the core essence of the suite hasn't changed much from the Corel Ulead VideoStudio 11 days.

The basic interface is made up of a timeline, your media library and a preview window. The main window is kept pretty sleek and fuss-free thanks to a series of tabs letting you change your view between ‘Capture', ‘Edit', ‘Effects', ‘Overlay', ‘Title', Audio' and ‘Share'. You can import your media files easily enough using the upper toolbar. However, it's also possible to drag and drop any video files you want to include into your ‘rushes' straight into the Library.

The principle for making your movies is the same as in the previous Ulead version, or indeed any timeline-based video software. By dragging your video rushes or audio clips into the timeline below you can construct your movie with split-second precision. Smooth transitions are made possible with VideoStudio's auto clipping, or alternatively you can carry out a Single Clip Trim to take out individual cells before you place them into your timeline.

There's a pretty wide selection of basic intro clips, audio samples and frame transitions available in the library to start off, meaning you can get going pretty much straight away. However, these aren't named or sorted by category, so you either have to waste a lot of time before you edit in going through the thumbnails, previewing their content and editing their tags, or go through the entire selection every time you need new content.

Once you get into the swing of things, making your video is satisfyingly simple. The timeline is quick to edit and you can easily chop and change scenes or audio without too much fuss. We managed to create a fun, creative, 2-minute video complete with soundtrack in about 20 minutes.

One thing we did notice, however, was that audio seemed to go missing for newly added video with a soundtrack on immediate playback. However, after playing back the video for the second time the audio reappeared and all glitches were fixed, so this seemed to be a bug in the program.

Some of the key changes since Ulead VideoStudio 11 concentrate on the Export options. If you want to share your movies with the world then the new, easy YouTube uploading option allows you to sign into your YouTube account and encode your movies in FLV whilst remaining within Video Studio X2. You can also add details like ‘tags' or change privacy options straight from here. Apple iPhone lovers will also be pleased to see new support for their device.

Rendering speeds have been stepped up a notch as have the possibilities for HD work, specifically improved capture and import features from AVCHD, Blu-Ray Disc and JVC HD camcorders. For that full, high-def, surround sound experience there are some excellent audio options available using the Surround Sound Mixer. Plus, if you want to get creative with video effects there are also new freehand draw features to add to the Chroma Key effects.

Bundled in with Corel VideoStudio Pro X2 Ultimate is WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-Ray, DVD Copy 6 Plus (for converting video to play on devices like your iPod, iPhone or Zune) and Steinberg WaveLab LE 6 Audio Editor. So be warned: you're going to need quite a bit of free disk space available to install the entire set, not to mention a compatible optical drive to make use of the HD functions.

Corel - VideoStudio Pro X2 Ultimate features - Verdict

Corel's VideoStudio Pro X2 Ultimate offers some great editing opportunities at a reasonable price. Despite the ‘Pro' tag, making an enjoyable, professional looking video is a possibility even for the complete novice. The Movie Wizard option is good for introducing users to the basics of video-editing before they venture into the full suite. Some of the included library assets are a little tacky and there are no clear categories or tags to help find suitable material quickly. Rendering times are reasonably quick and the new export features (particularly for YouTube) work well, especially with in-program log-in and uploading. If you aren't too fussed on sharing your files then you can save yourself a few pennies by seeking out the old Ulead software or indeed, Adobe Premiere Elements, as there's nothing radically different here in set-up.

Flash SSD for your Server, Make it faster!

Spotted on Akihabara, Samsung just announced thier new hi-performance SSDs (32 and 64) GB. This SSD is recomended for your server computer. This samsung SSD can achieve 100MB/s in reading mode. For writing mode, it has slower (of course!) speed for about 80MB/s. The SSD has tested for “ProLiant BL495c G5 Virtualization Blade Server” a HP server computer.

Toshiba Dynabook Satellite PXW Laptop Unveiled

Toshiba has just unleashed the new Dynabook Satellite PXW series laptop in Japan. Two models are available immediately, the PXW/55GW and PXW/57GW. The former comes with a 15.4-inch (1280×800, WXGA) resolution, a 2GHz Intel Celeron 575 processor, an Intel GL40 Express chipset, a 2GB of main memory (upgradeable up to 4GB), a 160GB of hard drive, and a DVD SuperMulti burner. It is also equipped with a media card reader, three USB ports, and WIFI connectivity. The notebook is retailed for around €800 (about $1,064).

As for Satellite PXW/57GW laptop, it has almost similar configuration, with better CPU, a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400. This one can be purchased for €930 or around $1,237.

Asus EeePC 1000-H has 160GB HDD

Asus will release their new EeePC 1000-H in Japanese market on October 25. As usual, this Easy series laptop is powered by Intel Atom processor. It has Windows XP OS, 160 HDD and 1GB of RAM. You can use 1000-H for about 6.9 hours without plug the cable to the power outlet. This 10-inch laptop will be available for 59,800(JPY)

JCHyun Udia MiniNote T100 Office Mini Laptop

JCHyun has just announced the release of its newest mini laptop, Udia Mini Note T100 Office, which seems to target student and mobile professional markets. Powered by an Intel Atom N270 processor (1.6GHz), the netbook sports a 1GB of DDR2 SDRAM, an 80GB of SATA hard drive, an integrated 0.3MP webcam module, three USB ports, a multi media card reader, and VGA-out port. Moreover, it is also equipped with a pre-installed Windows XP Home Edition SP3 operating system and MS Office Home & Student 2007 software.

JCHyun Udia Mini Note T100 Office mini notebook is retailed for 649,000 Won or about $460.

Toshiba Tecra R10 Laptop

Toshiba has just unveiled the new 14.1-inch Tecra R10 laptop, featuring a thin-and-light design with the powerful Intel Centrino 2 technology. At just 1.13-inch thick and 4.4 pounds weighs, the notebook features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 128MB nVidia Quadro NVS 150M graphics engine, a 1280×800 widescreen display with LED backlight, an integrated webcam module, an Intel Wi-Fi Link 5100AGN wireless module, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet LAN, and two USB ports. Moreover, it is equipped with an additional USB/eSATA combo port with “Sleep and Charge” function, PC Card and ExpressCard slots, a 6-in-1 media card reader, Firewire port, DVI-D, and VGA outputs. The company also aware of the user’s data as they include a fingerprint reader and Trusted Platform Module 1.2 for enhanced security, along with Intel vPro technology for easier IT Management and standard 6-cell battery unit that provides up to 5.48 hours of usage.

The first model on this series, Tecra R10-S4401 laptop, contains 2.26Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo SP9300 CPU, a 3GB of DDR2 main memory, a 160GB of hard drive, and a DVD burner. It runs on Windows Vista Business OS and retailed for $1,549.

Microsoft Reveals Blockbuster Lineup For Xbox 360

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Microsoft Corp. has revealed their new lineup of Xbox 360 games at the Tokyo Game Show 2008. As you might expect at one of the world’s prestige gaming events, the hype surrounding new game showings is always intense, and good old Microsoft didn’t disappoint.

The new lineup includes games from many of the world’s finest developers, and covered the coming holiday season right through into 2009 and beyond. Headlining the offering was of course the expected “Halo 3: Recon” by world-class developer Bungie, the latest new chapter in the classic “Halo” franchise. Microsoft also announced “TEKKEN 6″ is coming to Xbox 360, which ensures that Namco Bandai Games’s fans of the Tekken series will be happy on their Xbox 360s for the first time ever.
“Halo 3: Recon” is the latest chapter in the “Halo” saga, and with it, gamers now have a new hero to play. This is a stand-alone expansion, due for fall 2009 release, and has the usual extra hours of new campaign excursions and multiplayer gameplay. Visitors to the Tokyo Show also saw an all-new titbit in the form of strategy game “Halo Wars” from Ensemble Studios, which will be exclusive to Xbox 360. Shown in campaign mode, watchers got a taste of the gameplay and new perspective, but will have to wait until early 2009 for “Halo Wars” to retail.

John Schappert, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of LIVE, Software and Studios delivered the keynote address, and he paid homage to the best that Japan has to offer. There’s a reason why Microsoft likes Japan: by partnering Japan’s best developers and publishers, Microsoft not only gets huge Xbox 360 penetration into Japan, but to Japan, but also helps Japanese games reach new global audiences. During Schappert’s keynote address, he revealed that Xbox 360 has more top-selling, third-party Japanese titles than any current games platform. Japanese publishers have made sales of over $800 million in games to date for Xbox 360 and this is likely to hit lifetime figures of over $1 billion by the end of the coming holiday season.

Other new titles from Japan revealed by Schappert include “NINETY-NINE NIGHTS II” (producers Q Entertainment, developer Feelplus). This will join “Ninja Gaiden” and newly-announced “Ninja Blade” Japanese action games. Keeping RPG players happy he announced “Star Ocean: THE LAST HOPE” and “THE LAST REMNANT” and others including “Infinite Undiscovery,” “Fable II” and “Fallout 3.”

Samsung F700 review

What’s with all the touching?

These days the touch screen phone is more like the norm rather than the “ooh, wow is that a touch screen” phenomenon.

I remember the good old days when just having a huge brick of a mobile was the wow factor. And all you could do then were basically call and text someone and perhaps a mono-game or two. Kind of like years ago on the PC. And how has that changed hey.

But I digress. The touch screen phone phenomenon is exactly that… a phenomenon. Everyone that can is clamouring to bring forward the ultimate touch screen phone.
There’s the Samsung Glyde and OMNIA, the HTC range, the iPhone from Apple and even Blackberry’s released a touch screen phone.

So of course I had to get on the whole touch screen bandwagon and got myself a Samsung F700. And all I can say is what an awesome phone. Maybe I’m biased because it’s my first TSP (Touch Screen Phone)

I love the browsing (full HTML browser). It has a nice 5 megapixel camera (because these days a phone isn’t a phone without a camera right?)

It has a large screen (2.78 inches - 440 x 240 pixels) not as large as the 3.5 inch iPhone but hey it’s good enough I say. It has the usual MP3 and MPEG compatibility, along with Java games, onboard memory as well as expanded microSD capability, Bluetooth, 3G HSDPA and the expected mobile features these days.

The VibeTonz feature is the coolest thing. Little vibrations based on touch screen selections or scrolling etc. It’s hard to describe so I’ll just say two words that have stuck with me… “touch sensation”.

The battery life isn’t as bad as I expected from a TSP and it’s quite comfy in my pocket so an all round winner in my book.

The sad thing about it though is that not too long ago I had an unfortunate accident and dropped my awesome TSP. I was devastated. Heartbroken even. But then I picked it up and it worked perfectly. And although now it has many cracks spreading across the screen it still works like a charm. It’s sort of like driving your car with a whole bunch of cracks spread across your windscreen. The screen may be a mess, but the engine still runs.

I guess I’ll just hold out until I can get my hands on the new Samsung OMNIA or perhaps even the iPhone 3G… but then again I’m note sure if I will be able to handle a mobile like the iPhone… I mean it’s only got a 2 megapixel camera!

Best Buy Laptop On A Budget, Acer Aspire One Mini

If you’re shopping for a laptop as your primary workstation, your main computer, it’s easier to afford the top of the line, newest, freshest, most powerful laptop. However, if you only need a computer to work on while you’re travelling, when you’re out about town, or if you just don’t have a ton of cash [...]

If you’re shopping for a laptop as your primary workstation, your main computer, it’s easier to afford the top of the line, newest, freshest, most powerful laptop. However, if you only need a computer to work on while you’re travelling, when you’re out about town, or if you just don’t have a ton of cash to blow, you’ll want to look for a great budget laptop.

Now, the last thing you want to do is head into the local electronics store and snatch up whatever costs the least. If you do that, nine times out of ten, you’re actually going to wind up paying more than your new machine is actually worth. It’s entirely possible to get a good, up to date laptop for the same price you’d expect to pay for a lesser quality machine.

Here are a few of the best buy laptops available, combining great performance with low cost…

Acer Aspire AS5920-6959

At about $750 new, this may be at the higher end of the budget spectrum. However, the unit gives the kind of performance you might expect from something that costs twice as much. The system is built around an Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 core processor, which is just about the best processor you’re going to find within this price range. The 320GB hard drive is about twice as big as the HD you’ll find in most $750 laptops.

If there’s a downside, it’s that the unit is kind of chunky, being one of the biggest 15.4 inch laptops out there today. Still, if you’ve got seven to eight hundred bucks to spend on your laptop, this one may well be your best bet.

Acer Aspire One Mini A150-1006 Netbook

Simple and high quality. With only about half as much HD and an Intel Atom N270, rather than the Core 2 Duo, this one isn’t quite as powerful as the laptop listed above, but it’s slimmer, ultra-lightweight, and can be found at anywhere from $400 to $500 new. The above listed unit would make a fine primary workstation, whereas this unit is geared towards people who just need something for basic use when out and about. It’s designed more for cost-effectiveness and portability than power, but it’s still a relatively capable little machine when you consider the price tag.

Super-Cheapies

A rising trend these days, certain companies are releasing super-cheap laptops at anywhere from $150 to $200 in an effort to provide opportunities to students from working class families and in poorer parts of the world. The problem is that these machines usually have, well, laughable hardware. The cheapest would be the Medison Celebrity, at just $150. It boasts a whopping 256MB of memory! To put that in perspective, that’s less than 1/100 the storage space of the Acer Aspire we first listed. If you’re a graphic designer, don’t even think about these super-budget laptops. However, what do you need your laptop for? Just writing e-mails? Visiting a few websites or just writing? If your needs are simple, you might actually want to think about getting one of these ultra-budget units… just bear in mind that your cell phone probably packs more power!

Lenovo ThinkPad SL500 Overview

The Lenovo ThinkPad SL500 is a new 15.4-inch notebook, which belongs to company’s new SL series.

Like the other SL notebooks, the SL500 is based on Intel Centrino 2 “Montevina” mobile platform and balances between business computing and multimedia functions. It comes with the new 45-nanometer Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 1066MHz front side bus, up to 6MB of cache, and clock speeds ranging from 2.26GHz to 2.53GHz, depending on CPU model. According to a specification sheet, the laptop will be also offered with lower-end Core 2 Duo CPUs with 800MHz FSB.

The ThinkPad SL500 comes with the Intel GMA X4500 integrated graphics or the NVIDIA GeForce 9300M 256MB dedicated video card, up to 4GB of DDR2 RAM, up to 320GB of hard drive space, and the optional Intel Turbo Memory 2GB module for better responsiveness. Optical drive options include a CD-Rw/DVD Combo, DVD burner or Blu-Ray burner. The 15.4-inch display in the SL500 has a resolution of 1280×800 or 1680×1050 pixels, and a glossy or mate coating.

Networking features include the latest Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100ABGN supporting 802.11n standard or an 802.11a/b/g module, a Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Bluetooth receiver, and an optional mobile broadband connection.

The Lenovo ThinkPad SL500 has integrated web camera and fingerprint reader options, four USB ports, a PC Card slot supporting 34mm ExpressCard via adapter, Secure Digital card slot, Firewire port, and VGA and HDMI outputs.

The SL500 weighs around 6.4 pounds and runs Windows Vista OS. The laptop is available now for a starting price of $799 at Lenovo’s website

Centrino 2-Based Asus M50Vm X1, A1, B1 Now Available in the US

Asustek’s new M50 Series Centrino 2-based 15.4-inch notebooks - the Asus M50Vm - are now available for purchase through NewEgg.

The offered Asus M50Vm-X1 and M50Vm-A1 are powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processors at 2.26GHz, while the M50Vm-B1 comes with the T9400 at 2.53GHz. The notebooks feature 4GB of DDR2 RAM and the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS dedicated graphics cards with 1GB of video memory.

The M50Vm-X1 ships with a 250GB hard drive and a 1280×800 15.4″ display, while the M50Vm-A1 and M50Vm-B1 have 320GB HDDs and a resolution of 1440×900.

The latest M50 series laptops include a wireless module supporting 802.11n standard, Bluetooth, built-in 1.3MP web camera, and fingerprint reader.

According to the product specifications on Asustek’s website, the M50Vm also includes a Gigabit Ethernet port, modem, HDMI and VGA outputs, four speakers, 3 USB ports plus an e-SATA/USB combo port, ExpressCard slot, Firewire port, and 8-in-1 media card reader.

These multimedia oriented laptops weigh 6.66 pounds and run Windows Vista Home Premium OS.

The Asus M50Vm-X1, M50Vm-A1, and M50Vm-B1 are priced at $1,199.99, $1,299.99, and $1,449.99 respectively.

Sources: M50Vm-X1, M50Vm-A1, M50Vm-B1

HP Pavilion dv5t Launched

Hewlett-Packard released today the HP Pavilion dv5t Entertainment Notebook PC, featuring a 15.4-inch display, Intel’s “Montevina” Centrino 2 mobile platform, and the new finish.

The HP Pavilion dv5t includes the Intel Core 2 Duo 45nm processor at 2 - 2.8GHz, depending on model. There are also the new GMA X4500 integrated graphics, or one of the Nvidia’s dedicated GPUs - GeForce 9200M GS 256MB or GeForce 9600M GT 512MB. The laptop supports up to 4GB of DDR2 memory, up to 320GB of hard drive storage, and a DVD burner or Blu-Ray ROM. The 15.4″ display in this notebook has a resolution of 1280×800 or 1680×1050 pixels, depending on customer’s choice.

Regarding connectivity, the dv5 sports 802.11b/g wireless LAN support or the new Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5100AGN module supporting 802.11n draft standard. There are also an optional Bluetooth module, and an Ethernet LAN port. According to a specifications sheet, the dv5 does not have a built-in modem.

The HP dv5t features Altec Lansing stereo speakers, optional web camera and fingerprint reader, HDMI and VGA outputs, four USB ports (4th shared with eSATA port), an ExpressCard slot, 5-in-1 media card reader, and Infrared receiver.

HP says the dv5t weighs 5.83lbs with a 6 cell battery.

The dv5t includes the newly designed high-glossy HP Imprint 2 Mesh finish with a grid-like pattern in onyx and chrome.

The laptop PC is offered with Windows Vista 32-bit or 64-bit operating system and can be purchased through HP’s website for a starting price of $899.99.

MacBook Pros with GeForce 8600M GT Hit by GPU Problem

Apple has confirmed that 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models with the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT video cards are affected by the recently reported GPU problem.

“If the NVIDIA graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within two years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge, even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty,” Apple says.

The company added it is issuing refunds to customers who may have paid for repairs related to this issue.

Symptoms of the graphics card problem are distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen, as well as absence of video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on.