Tech News and Reviews
Laptops
How would you change Samsung’s Series 9 laptop?
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We know, Samsung already took the wind out of your “price cut!” sails, but hey — we’re pretty certain you’ve still got a few things you’d like to see changed on the altogether lovely Series 9. Sammy’s sexiest laptop to date has surely found its way into the homes of quite a few ultraportable aficionados, boasting a Core i5 chip, USB 3.0 and lovely all-in-one trackpad. ‘Course, even those enamored with the design have probably found a few chinks in the armor after a few month’s use, so we’re anxious to hear what you’d recommend Samsung do with revision B. Would you tone down the gloss? Arrange the ports any differently? Toss in a magnetic power connector? Boost the screen resolution? Voice your opinions down in comments below — it’s a free country, you know?
Apple to allow license-free virtualization with OS X Lion, developers roar with delight
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Developers and IT managers have reason to smile today, because it looks like Apple is changing its approach to virtualization. According to Mac Rumors, users who download the client version of OS X Lion will be able to run one or two virtualized copies on a single Mac, using tools like VMware or Parallels. This functionality first surfaced with Leopard, but was only available to users who obtained a pricey OS X Server license. The EULA for 10.7, however, suggests that Lion owners won’t need any extra licenses to tinker away in an alternate OS universe. It’s news that the enterprise community will certainly welcome, but we’ll have to wait a little longer before riding the Lion into a virtual realm, later this month.
HP Pavilion dv6z Quad laptop with AMD Llano innards goes on sale starting at $650
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AMD’s Llano platform might not satisfy everyone’s power-lust when housed in a desktop, but stick one of these all-in-one beauties in a laptop and you’re good to go. The new HP Pavilion dv6z Quad notebook — one of 11 new Fusion-powered models from HP — is a case in point, having just arrived at the company’s online store. The base model promises battery life of up to almost six hours, “discrete-class” integrated Radeon graphics with 512MB of video memory, and a 1.4GHz quad-core processor that can be clocked up to 2.3GHz using AMD’s Turbo technology. Oh yeah, and there’s the real benefit of switching to AMD: that base configuration costs just $650, versus a minimum of $999 for the Intel-equipped dv6t. For the money, you’ll also get 6GB of DDR3 memory, a 640GB 5400rpm HDD, a 1366 x 768 display (yes, a glossy one), HDMI output, and a pair of USB 3.0 ports in addition to two of the USB 2.0 variety. We ought to clarify that the sexy steel gray version on the left will cost you $25 extra, but hey, who wants to be “umber gray?”
Samsung Series 3 hands-on
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We were strolling around the Metropolitan Pavilion, enjoying the sights and sounds of Digital Experience, when, lo and behold, we spotted a pair of unfamiliar laptops gracing the thick black tablecloth at the Samsung booth. What you see above is just one member, the 12.1-inch model to be specific, of the as yet unannounced Series 3 line. These budget friendly lappies are anything but cheap looking or feeling. The entire lineup has followed in the footsteps of the Series 9, opting for soft brushed finishes that are, at the very least, metal-esque. Gone are the shiny plastics that made your notebook look like evidence at a crime scene. At the bottom end is a 15.6-inch model sporting a dual-core AMD A4 CPU and (oddly) a glossy display.
If you want to wipe the reflective sheen from that screen, jump up a notch to the $599 Core i3-sporting version. The 15.6 models reach all the way up to a quad-core Core i7 CPU for $819 and all the Intel varieties pack WiDi (as do the 12.5-inchers). The other sizes (11.6, 12.1, 13.3, and 14 inches) all sport the same premium finishes, solid keyboards, and pleasant touchpads, while being expected to be easy on the wallet. There are still some details to be worked out, and not all specs or prices are finalized but, while we wait for the official PR to roll in, check out our hands-on with the 12.1-inch and 15.6-inch models below.
HP announces Pivot for TouchPad, the curated, magazine-like way to find some apps
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Finding apps can be tough, especially when your Store or Marketplace is overwhelmed with a daily flood of debutantes. That’s not exactly a problem for HP, whose App Catalog for the webOS 3.0 TouchPad officially launches on July 1st and will be, the company admits, a little spartan at first. But HP has a plan for a future flood of apps: Pivot. It’s basically a curated digital magazine that will present a selection of apps someone at HP found interesting for whatever reason — a way for users to discover new downloads and, more importantly, for niche developers to not get lost in the shuffle. HP hopes this will attract developers, taking a different approach from the competition, which often resorts to outright promises of cash to pique their interest — but a few free TouchPads never hurts .
Archos intros 80 G9 and 101 G9 Android 3.1 tablets: 1.5GHz CPU, 250GB HDD, 3G-ready (hands-on)
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Angling for a new Android 3.1 tablet, are ya? If so, Archos has a new pair emerging from Paris today, the 80 G9 and 101 G9. Predictably, the biggest differentiator between the two is the screen size, with the former offering an 8-inch panel with a 1024 x 768 screen resolution and the latter stepping up to a 10.1-incher (1280 x 800). Both of ‘em are proudly using Seagate’s 7mm Momentus Thin in order to scale to 250GB, but of course, only time will tell how a power-hungry HDD will do in tablet form factor.
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Panasonic ToughBook C1 gets upgraded with faster processor, better battery life
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It may not look any different from the outside, but Panasonic has made some not insignificant upgrades to its rugged, 12.1-inch ToughBook C1 convertible tablet. That starts off with a new Intel Core i5-2520M vPro processor (2.5GHz, Turbo Boost-able to 3.2GHz), along with a standard 320GB 7,200 rpm hard drive (up from 250GB before), and some improved battery life — Panasonic says you can expect twelve hours from a pair of hot-swappable batteries, or six hours with one. It also says its various improvements contribute to a start-up time that’s 30 percent faster than the previous model, although that will obviously vary in real world use. Somewhat unfortunately, the convertible’s base price tag has also seen a slight upgrade — it’ll now start at $2,599 instead of $2,499 when the new model rolls out next month
ASUS quietly releases G74 gaming laptop, promptly puts it up for pre-order
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We’re pretty sure someone out there is snapping up gaming laptops with spray-painted red dragons and speaker grilles that look like belt buckles, but we suspect plenty of you just crave something that isn’t going to embarrass you at your next LAN party. Grown-ups, meet the ASUS G74, that buttoned-up fellow you see there. So far, we’ve found two configurations, both of which include a quad-core Core i7-2630QM CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M graphics with 3GB of video memory, 12GB DDR3 RAM (out of 16GB), dual 750GB 7200RPM drives, a 1080p display, Blu-ray player, backlit keyboard, and a USB 3.0. socket (along with three of the 2.0 variety). That’s what the G74SX-A1 ($1,745) looks like, and there’s also a $1,979 version with a 3D display, dubbed the G74SX-3DE. That generally matches what the new $1,899 Qosmio X770 has to offer, though the G74 is the clear winner in the memory department and, well, you can’t put a price on taste, right? Hit the source links to pre-order, and find some fancy press shots below that promise not to incinerate your eyeballs with tackiness.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 experiencing shipping delays, unavailable at some outlets
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So, we knew the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was coming, but it looks like some shoppers eagerly anticipating the tablet’s arrival will go home empty handed today. We just received word from a Samsung rep that there have been “shipping delays to some stores in certain regions.” They went on to say, “We expect most retail locations to have inventory by tomorrow while supplies last.” That’s all we have at the moment, but we’ll keep you posted as soon as we know more.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 reviewSamsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 review
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When we met with Samsung in late May, company representatives didn’t seem entirely sure that the company would meet the rumored June 8th ship date here in the US, but lo and behold, it’s done just that. The tablet’s launching at noon today at the Best Buy in New York City’s Union Square, and if you can’t make it up to the Big Apple, it’ll hit the rest of the nation on June 17th. But here’s the real question: is it worth making an effort to snag it on either date? The Galaxy Tab 10.1, much like its Limited Edition sibling that we reviewed last month, is ever-so-slightly thinner than the iPad 2, a slate that most sane individuals (and competitors, for that matter) would confess is the market leader today.
Naturally, everyone and their sister is gunning for Apple in this space, and Honeycomb’s the first mobile OS we’ve seen that has the potential to put any sort of damper on Cupertino’s ongoing rave. By and large, the consumer version of the Tab 10.1 is the same as the device launched at Google I/O, but there’s two key differences that we’ll focus on here: the tamed design, and the thoroughly different OS version (v3.1 here versus v3.0 before). Head on past the break for an in-depth look into both of those, but be sure to first take a gander at our Limited Edition review to wrap your noodle around the basics.