PeeWee PC netbook moves to 2.0, rated to take the worst your tot can deliver

Little fingers can dish out big pain for gadgets, and unless your little one is beefy enough to lug around a Toughbook you'll be wanting something small and durable for them. Enter the $449 PeeWee Power 2.0, the latest revision to the company's series of kid-friendly computers. This netbook is said to survive drops with aplomb, but only has a "water resistant" keyboard, so don't toss those sippy cups just yet. It also comes loaded with security software to hopefully keep your kids from finding the worst the 'net has to offer, but with only a 1.6GHz N270 Atom processor on tap, 1GB of RAM, and a mere 30GB of HDD storage, we're guessing it could also be a good tool to teach them all about patience.

Gallery: PeeWee Power 2.0

Continue reading PeeWee PC netbook moves to 2.0, rated to take the worst your tot can deliver

PeeWee PC netbook moves to 2.0, rated to take the worst your tot can deliver originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 14:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple granted patents for glasses-free, multi-viewer 3D system, colorful keyboard backlighting

We've seen a few Apple 3D patents before, but this latest IP portfolio addition shows Cupertino has clearly been thinking differently. At its core the system involves a screen, projector, sensor, and a 3D imager, which work together to allow multiple viewers to perceive 3D images from nearly any position in a room without glasses. This flexible autostereoscopic 3D effect is achieved by tracking user's positions and projecting pixels onto a reflective, textured surface that then bounces separate images into the left and right eye. Virtual interaction methods with the 3D projections are also described in the document, implying the technology has aspirations beyond passive viewing.

Speaking of aspirations, Apple's approach clearly seeks to fix many common 3D issues at once. The most obvious is literally taking 3D glasses of the picture -- which we firmly support. On the flip side, the design addresses common faults with current glasses-free options too such as: ghosting and narrow viewing angles, while still keeping commercial viability in mind. That sounds magical to us, but considering the patent was filed back in 2006, we still expect 3D to be handled the old fashion way for quite a while to come.

While we're on the subject of patents, a handful more popped in by way of Apple related to keyboard backlighting. Think multiple colors, individually lit, customizable by the user or automated based on environmental conditions and you get the gist. Hey, if it means a return for the Bondi Blue late 90's iMac design (with bright, matching keyboards), then we're excited. But it doesn't.

Apple granted patents for glasses-free, multi-viewer 3D system, colorful keyboard backlighting originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Register, Apple Insider  |  USPTO (1), (2), (3)  | Email this | Comments

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MeeGo-based Intel Atom phone and tablet spotted from Russia with love

First the 2018 World Cup and now this. An Intel press event in Moscow was reportedly the site of some new MeeGo device reveals. Mail.ru's Anton Spiridonov was on hand and managed to spot Intel Atom-based phone the Hi/Lo Vibrant (we haven't heard of the company, either) and a tablet of some sort, both equipped with the Linux-based OS. Not much else is known save for what appears to be a 5 megapixel camera labeled as such on the back. More pics below.

[Thanks, Chris]

Gallery: MeeGo-based Intel Atom phone and tablet spotted from Russia with love

MeeGo-based Intel Atom phone and tablet spotted from Russia with love originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PSA: Botched AVG 2011 update might be why your PC won't start today

Did you update your free copy of AVG 2011 today, in the hopes of evading a nasty bug? In a set of mildly familiar circumstances, the antivirus company has inadvertently unleashed an even nastier one. Users running 64-bit editions of Windows 7 and AVG 2011 are reporting a STOP error after a mandatory antivirus update this morning, which is keeping some from booting their machines into Windows at all. The buggy update has since been pulled and there are a couple ways to preemptively keep it from happening if you're staring at the message above, but if you've already been stung, you're looking at some quality time with a recovery disc or repair partition to fix your Windows boot files. Find all the solutions, including the preemptive ones, at our source link below.

PSA: Botched AVG 2011 update might be why your PC won't start today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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