Tech News and Reviews
Desktop
Acer’s 27-inch HR274H monitor promises to do 2D-to-3D conversion on the fly
Dec 1st
It likely won’t win over anyone who isn’t too fond of 3D to begin with, but those looking for some additional quasi-3D content beyond the standard fare now have a new option to consider in the form of Acer’s 27-inch HR274H monitor. It not only includes a set of passive, polarized 3D glasses, but what Acer describes as its own “chip-based solution” that promises to convert all 2D content to 3D in real time (it can be switched on and off on the monitor itself). Unfortunately, there’s no word yet as to how well the effect works, and the monitor’s specs are otherwise decidedly ordinary for the rather high $599 price tag — you’ll just get a TN panel with a standard 1920 x 1080 resolution. Additional details can be found in the press release after the break.
NEC LaVie Touch Windows 7 tablet comes packed with DVD-sporting dock
Sep 13th
If this nifty little bugger looks familiar, that’s because it should. NEC’s LaVie Touch sports the same design and specs as the VersaPro model we spotted back in May. The difference here is, it comes packed with a bevy of accessories, including a keyboard, mouse and a dock that happens to hold a DVD drive. Underneath the 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800, IPS touchscreen is a 1.5GHz Oak Trail CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD. Sure the pair of full USB ports, HDMI jack, WiFi, Bluetooth and SD reader are welcome, but it’s that optical drive packing stand that really makes this a unique package. The NEC LaVie Touch should be landing in Japan next month for around $1,200 with the accessories. Sadly, here’s no word of whether or not it’ll ever find its way stateside.
Xbox Development Kit arrives with ‘significantly reduced price,’ Sidecar attachment
Apr 6th
What’s this, you ask? The next generation of Xbox 360 development, that’s what. With a shockingly small amount of fanfare, Microsoft has ushered in a striking new Xbox Development Kit, which is purportedly designed to increase efficiency and reduce cost for Xbox 360 dev teams. Aside from boasting an undisclosed uptick in RAM, built-in flash memory, a more capacious hard drive and a slimmer form factor, this XDK will also be sold at a “significantly reduced price from its predecessor.” ‘Course, the folks in Redmond aren’t saying what exactly that sticker will look like, but those interested in taking the plunge regardless will also have the option to license a Sidecar attachment that enables debugging and disc emulation. We’re told that said accessory can be shared among multiple XDK consoles, and in turn, it should lower the overall price to create, test, debug, and release an Xbox 360 or Xbox Live Arcade game. It’s still a guessing game when it comes to an actual launch date, but it’ll become “the standard kit” when new orders are fulfilled in the future. Feel free to peruse the gallery below if you’re interested, and toss out a wild guess as to what that Sidecar will go for on eBay during the next century. Aim high, bub!
Lenovo’s ThinkCentre M75e destop range introduced, complete with business socks
Oct 21st
They ain’t much to gawk at, and they certainly won’t satisfy your craving for tomorrow’s best first-person shooter, but Lenovo’s newest ThinkCentre machines will undoubtedly tear through an Excel spreadsheet and block your access to any website deemed remotely entertaining. The M75e will be arriving in two versions: a small form factor mini-tower starting at $504, and a standard tower starting at $524. Both units ship with a baseline configuration that includes a 2.8GHz AMD Sempron 145 AM3 processor, Windows 7 Professional, 2GB of DDR3 memory, an integrated AMD GPU (capable of driving two displays by its lonesome), a 250GB hard drive and a three-year warranty. Big spenders can upgrade to an Athlon II or Phenom II CPU, up to 16GB of memory and a Haspel tuxedo. Or so we’re led to believe. Bonus video is after the break.
iMac (mid 2010) Core i3 review
Aug 4th
There’s nothing outwardly different about the new iMacs Apple just released last Tuesday, but the hardware underneath that familiar aluminum chassis has gotten faster — particularly on the low end, where a new 3.06GHz Intel Core i3 processor and discrete ATI Radeon HD 4670 graphics chip have taken over for the previous gen’s 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo and integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400m. That’s a big boost — Apple claims the new version is some 50 percent faster — and so we actually turned down the hot-rod 27-inch 2.93GHz Core i7 iMac in favor of a stock $1,199 21.5-inch Core i3 when it came time to pick up a review unit. We wanted to see just how much bang Apple’s delivering for the entry-level buck, and we weren’t disappointed when the tests came back. Read on for the full review!
Stealth Computer debuts paperback-sized LPC-100 mini PC
Aug 2nd
Stealth Computer is certainly no stranger to tiny PCs, but it’s now produced its smallest one to date in the form of the LPC-100. Measuring roughly the same size as a thick paperback novel, this one weighs in at just 1.2 pounds, and packs your choice of Core 2 Duo or Dual Core Celeron processors, an Intel GM45 mobile chipset with integrated graphics, up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, a max 500GB hard drive, and a rugged aluminum chassis that should hold up to life beyond the desktop. Unfortunately, all that doesn’t exactly come cheap — look for configurations to start at $995. Full press release after the break.
Apple’s 24-inch and 30-inch Cinema Displays on the outs
Jul 28th
Now that Apple‘s unleashing a 27-inch Cinema Display in September, what’s to become of its 24-inch and 30-inch bookend brethren? Straight from the mouths of Apple execs and disseminated by way of Macworld’s Jason Snell — a man who would most definitely be in the know — the dynamic duo is being discontinued. End of the line is when supplies run out, so better place your orders now if you aren’t hip to monitors with diagonal lengths divisible by 9.
Lenovo’s multitouch IdeaCentre B305 all-in-one now shipping
Jul 15th
Looking for something a bit more basic (and less expensive) than Lenovo’s A300 series of all-in-one PCs? Then you might want to consider the company’s IdeaCentre B305, which is now finally shipping after making its debut back in May. It’ll set you back just $699, which will get you a 21.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 multitouch display, a 2.7GHz AMD Athlon II X2 235e AM3 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and a DVD burner, among other standard fare — higher-end configurations are also available, of course, and top out at $949.
Lenovo adds touch to IdeaCentre A700 and B305 all-in-ones, vies for your desktop dollars with H320
May 12th
While keeping the overdesigned aesthetic of their IdeaCentre brandmates, the new A700 and B305 (above) all-in-ones from Lenovo are moving things forward with optional touchscreens and freshened up spec sheets. The A700 offers the full range of Intel’s Core 2010 laptop CPUs, but tops things off with the slightly older 45nm Core i7-820QM, which gives you four cores operating at a somewhat pedestrian 1.73GHz default speed that can be cranked up to 3.06GHz when circumstances demand it. Other specs include a 1080p 23-inch display, built-in 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, and a side-mounted Blu-ray drive. If you’re feeling extravagant, you can even cram in 8GB of DDR3 RAM, but don’t expect to be paying the $999 entry price for that package when these become available at the end of June.
Samsung unveils 23-inch U250 and 20-inch U200 multitouch all-in-one PCs
May 12th
Eager for more of Samsung‘s outlay? Good. Officially unveiled today over in the UK, the company’s new 23-inch U250 and 20-inch U200 all-in-one PCs are going where loads of AIO machines already have: the multitouch galaxy. The former offers up a full 1080p resolution, while the latter steps down to 1,600 x 900; both of ‘em ship with Windows 7 Home Premium, and the company would have you know that these two mark its “first venture into the home PC market in the UK.” Regrettably, the excitement was tempered by the lack of a real specification sheet, but we’re told they’ll ship later this month for those who couldn’t care less about nuts, bolts, gigahertz and megabytes.
