Friday, February 27, 2009

The BlackBerry Storm ad that might have been

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/the-blackberry-storm-ad-that-might-have-been/


This, shall we say, confrontational BlackBerry Storm ad by NY ad agency Guava has been making the rounds today, depicting a blackberry "bullet" taking a violent path through a familiar-seeming piece of fruit. An anonymous source told us that RIM considered it but eventually got cold feet -- and we can understand why. Nonetheless, it's an awesome bit of smack, so hit up the break and check it out for yourself.

[Thanks, Michael]

Continue reading The BlackBerry Storm ad that might have been

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The BlackBerry Storm ad that might have been originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MSI X-Slim X320 and X340 coming in April

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/msi-x-slim-x320-and-x340-coming-in-april/

Hint of déjà vu notwithstanding, we're pretty stoked to hear MSI''s ultra-thin X-Slim laptops, the 13.4-inch X320 and X340, are making their way to the retail channels this April. The X320 is sporting a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, while the Intel CULV-equipped X340 will be available in two configurations: a 1.2GHz Celeron M 723 and a 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500. MSI's Director of U.S. Sales Andy Tung says he expects the trio to run for around $700, $750, and $999, respectively. If that's not enough, two more X340 models are coming in May, in 1.3GHz Core 2 Solo SU2700 and a Core 2 Solo SU9600 options. No word on the 15.6-inch widescreen X600 model, but we're hoping to see it sooner rather than later.

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MSI X-Slim X320 and X340 coming in April originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OE-A shows off nonvolatile RAM, RFID tag formed by printing

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/oe-a-shows-off-nonvolatile-ram-rfid-tag-formed-by-printing/


While it's far from being noteworthy to the mainstream public, printable electronics hold a lot of promise. Over at Printable Electronics 2009 in Tokyo, the Organic Electronics Association (OE-A) demonstrated some of the most extreme, useful printings that we've seen to date. By utilizing an eclectic array of printing methods, the agency was able to produce nonvolatile RAM with a capacity of 1,024 bits (for use in ID and game cards) along with a printed RFID tag that could be launched today in logistics operations. We doubt very seriously that mere consumers will soon have access to printers of this nature, but if we can now print memory and wireless identification tags, one must wonder: what on Earth is next?

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OE-A shows off nonvolatile RAM, RFID tag formed by printing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Musiblocks rock the house

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/video-musiblocks-rock-the-house/


Here's something that managed to slip beneath our radar but is definitely worth the double-back: Musiblocks. The design project consists of a central control block at the base of the tower with an embedded force sensor and 6 circular connectors. Add more (or heavier) blocks to increase the volume or twist the block atop the base to switch tracks. The only block with any electronics is the core, control block at the base -- the other blocks are just hardwood slabs with tin conductors. Remember, if Sony can mass produce the Rolly, don't be surprised to see Musicblocks go retail sometime soon. Video after the break.

[Via Yanko Design]

Continue reading Video: Musiblocks rock the house

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Video: Musiblocks rock the house originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 04:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD's triple-core Phenom II X3 goes quad-core via BIOS hack

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/amds-triple-core-phenom-ii-x3-goes-quad-core-via-bios-hack/


Here's a little known secret for you to chew on: that triple-core AMD Phenom II X3 you purchased actually has four cores. The last one's just locked down for pricing purposes. A Korean site has disclosed information that enables owners of select motherboards to unlock that fourth core, and apparently, all you need is a Biostar mobo and / or a BIOS that has an option labeled Advanced Clock Calibration. When said selection is flipped to "Auto," the fourth core is loosed from its shackles and able to ever-so-slightly up your frame rates and overall level of excitement. Of course, you're taking a big risk by running a chip in a fashion it was never intended, but what fun is life without a little edge-side living?

[Via Slashgear]

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AMD's triple-core Phenom II X3 goes quad-core via BIOS hack originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Eee PC 'Shell' ultra-thin netbook launching in April?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/27/asus-eee-pc-shell-ultra-thin-netbook-launching-april/


Between the Commercial Times and DigiTimes, no secret is safe within ASUS. The former is reporting (via the latter) that ASUS will launch its second generation ultra-thin Eee PC in April as followup to the Eee PC S101. The Eee PC Shell, as it's supposedly called would mark a welcome departure from ASUS' staid alphanumeric naming convention and is said to be easier to carry than the S101 while bringing higher specs and a longer battery life for just NT$17,000 - 20,000 ($486 - $571) -- that's well below the S101's $699 suggested retail price. The name Shell, of course, would seem to imply a curved, clamshell design. Now, with one of ASUS' favorite events, CeBIT, starting next week, we'd expect an announcement to be days away if the rumor is true -- a high probability what with the launch of yesterday's Eee PC firesale and Intel's new CULV processors for ultra-slim laptops prepped for a March launch.

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ASUS Eee PC 'Shell' ultra-thin netbook launching in April? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Acer's easyStore H340 says hello Atom, hello Windows Home Server

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/acers-easystore-h340-says-hello-atom-hello-windows-home-server/

Acer's easyStore H340 says hello Atom, hello Windows Home Server
Discounting CyberPower's misnomer, we haven't seen a proper Windows Home Server to compete with HP's MediaSmart in quite some time. Thankfully Acer is up to the challenge, at least in Japan, announcing its new easyStore H340 series, initially available in two flavors: S1 for those who need just 1TB of storage and the S2 for those who want three times that. (Yes, S3 seems like a more appropriate name to us, too.) Other than the number of drives internally (one for the S1, three for the S2) the machines are the same, sporting a 1.6GHz Atom 230, 1GB of memory, and four internal drive bays. Naturally both offer all the WHS tricks, like remote backup of networked computers and plenty of media streaming, tricks they'll start turning in Japan on March 6th at the cost of about $600 for the S1 and $900 for the S2.

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Acer's easyStore H340 says hello Atom, hello Windows Home Server originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LCD Bluetooth Vibrating Bracelet is a watch short of awesome

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/lcd-bluetooth-vibrating-bracelet-is-a-watch-short-of-awesome/

Brando tried here, it really did, but the crucial omission of a watch just kills the deal for us. Still, for those nowhere near ready to give up their Sea-Dweller, the LCD Bluetooth Vibrating Bracelet makes for a perfect complement. Essentially, this here piece of jewelry pairs up with your BT-enabled cellphone in order to display caller ID information and vibrate whenever someone rings in. If you're tied up at the moment, you can simply hit a button on the bracelet that will reject the call and potentially kill friendships. At $49.90, though, we'd hope the whole "stainless steel" claim is true -- wouldn't want any yellowing going on at this price point, now would we?

[Thanks, Louie]

Continue reading LCD Bluetooth Vibrating Bracelet is a watch short of awesome

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LCD Bluetooth Vibrating Bracelet is a watch short of awesome originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA responds to Intel's Ion dismissal, all eyes on recess for confrontation

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/nvidia-responds-to-intels-ion-dismissal-all-eyes-on-recess-for/


It wasn't too hard to see this one coming, but NVIDIA has now shot back at Intel and responded point by point to each accusation Intel made recently about its Ion platform. For starters, while NVIDIA doesn't exactly dispute that Ion is just a repurposed MCP79M/MCP7A chipset, it does say that Ion is a "modern 2 chip solution," while Intel is relying on a "4-year-old 3 chip design." NVIDIA also points out that Ion is certified by Microsoft to deliver the "premium Windows experience," and not just Windows XP, and that, contrary to Intel's claim, Ion does in fact offer similar battery life to an Intel-based system while also delivering ten times the performance. In related news, Intel CEO Paul Otellini himself hit NVIDIA with a few jabs yesterday at a Goldman Sachs conference in San Francisco, saying that NVIDIA is simply not in a strong competitive position, and that, "if you don't have a microprocessor, what else do you have to sell?" Meanwhile, AMD was said to be wandering around the cafeteria, looking for a seat at the lunch table.

Read - Tom's Hardware, "Nvidia Fires Back at Intel's Anti-Ion Sentiments"
Read - CNET, "Intel CEO comments on Nvidia, economy, flash"

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NVIDIA responds to Intel's Ion dismissal, all eyes on recess for confrontation originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ATI Radeon RV740 prototype 40nm video card gets reviewed, loved on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/ati-radeon-rv740-prototype-40nm-video-card-gets-reviewed-loved/


The Guru of 3D (not an actual guru, by the way) got its hands on a prototype ATI Radeon RV740 video card, and has been kind enough to put the thing through its paces. This is the company's first 40nm video card and while the review should all be taken with a grain of salt -- being "done with beta drivers and an early engineering sample board" -- preliminary results are quite positive. The card performs "fairly close to a Radeon HD 4850," something you don't often hear about in cards retailing for less than a hundred bucks. In fact, the reviewer was so taken by the card's performance at this price point that he predicts that this thing will be responsible for nothing less than "another shift in current mid-range pricing." But don't wait until the April release date to see this thing in action -- hit the read link for the big review.

[Thanks, Weston]

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ATI Radeon RV740 prototype 40nm video card gets reviewed, loved on originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A bit of surgery gives the HP Mini 1000 new sight

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/a-bit-of-surgery-gives-the-hp-mini-1000-new-sight/

HP's Mini 1000 might get all the ladies, but the netbook is not without its flaws. Apparently in the manufacturing process somebody forgot to remove the protective film from the webcam lens, giving thousands of netbooks incredibly impaired vision of their handsome owners. HP hasn't fessed up to the problem in any grand manner, but an HP employee was kind enough to do some on-the-spot surgery of Gear Diary's Vivienne Tam-edition Mini 1000. It's not super-involved, so check out the video after the break and then go scare the life out of your girlfriend when you suddenly attack her flowery netbook with a pair of knives. Tell her Engadget sent you.

Update: At the time this post is going live, the video has been pulled from YouTube. We're not sure what's up with that, but the procedure is pretty simple: wedge open the top of the screen, push down the two connecting tabs to separate it more, pull off the film with tweezers. This might void your warrant (in fact, probably does) so proceed at your own risk!

Continue reading A bit of surgery gives the HP Mini 1000 new sight

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A bit of surgery gives the HP Mini 1000 new sight originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer's Ion-based Hornet nettop leaked in presentation slides?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/acers-ion-based-hornet-nettop-leaked-in-presentation-slides/

Despite NVIDIA's claims that we'd have an Ion desktop sometime this Spring, we still haven't really seen it in consumer-bound hardware -- until now, that is. Although unconfirmed, slides have purportedly leaked out of what is said to be the Acer Hornet Ion-based nettop. Aside from the platform and a HDMI output, we don't have any specs for the machine. What we do know is that it's sporting a Wii-inspired wireless game controller / air mouse, and can apparently hang from the back of LCD TVs. The leaked images also tout its eco-friendly design, small form factor, "silent operation," and a price tag of only a couple hundred dollars. Elaborate Photoshop or impending PC? While we sit here and impatiently wait for some official word, hit up the read link for more pics.

[Via Slash Gear]

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Acer's Ion-based Hornet nettop leaked in presentation slides? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Comparison Chart Breaks Down 15 Web-Based Photo Editors [Comparisons]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/bMuGwCAcc-U/comparison-chart-breaks-down-15-web+based-photo-editors

CNET's Webware puts 15 web-based photo editors in a spreadsheet comparison battle, including well-knowns and previously reviewed Picnik and Photoshop.com/Express, but also some good-but-obscure picks. The author likes Picnik and Fotoflexer, but says the "best" depends (of course!) on what you're trying to do.



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Multi-Monitor Mouse Snaps Your Cursor Around Multiple Screens [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/P6tFlum24Qo/multi+monitor-mouse-snaps-your-cursor-around-multiple-screens

Windows only: Moving your mouse cursor across multiple monitors them all can be a long haul, especially in triple- and quad-monitor setups. Snap your mouse from screen to screen instead with keyboard shortcuts.

Multi-Monitor Mouse is a small application which, when triggered by a keyboard combination, snaps your mouse cursor to the next monitor in your multi-monitor setup. You can specify whether the mouse jump should be relative—having the cursor placed in the same relative position on the new monitor—or in the center of the screen. You can also specify the order of monitors the mouse will leap to, if sequential's not your thing. It takes a few minutes to get used to, but once you get the hang of this app, it's hard to imagine dragging your mouse across 3,000+ pixels again. Multi-Monitor Mouse is freeware, Windows only.



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E.ggTimer Counts Down via URL Variable [Web Applications]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/bZlQ-TnFYiM/eggtimer-counts-down-via-url-variable

Timers are useful for all manner of things, but you may not always have a handy portable timer with you. E.ggTimer is a dead simple web-based count down timer that you'll (almost) never be without.

You use plain English to tell E.ggTimer what window of time you need counted down. The time variable is plugged right into the URL—if you need a 20 minute countdown you use the URL http://e.ggtimer.com/20minutes. You can use combinations of years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds with the same plain style, just by entering the variables in logical order: 01days before 00hours, then 20minutes, etc. The timer starts when you load the URL in your browser and counts down in large block letters in the browser window center, with an animated black and white border that slowly fills in as the time passes. While it might not be a practical count down tool for retirement, it's extremely handy for a quick monitor on your brewing tea, or your next break to stretch and get some fresh air.



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Gazup Uploads to Multiple File Sharing Hosts [Web Applications]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/8SyxMyqARCs/gazup-uploads-to-multiple-file-sharing-hosts

If you need to upload a file to multiple sharing sites, Gazup can mirror your file across many of the popular free file hosts.

You can upload the file from your computer or feed Gazup up to 5 URL or FTP addressesto grab from. The upload dialog box automatically updates to tell you how big the files can be, based on the file hosts you have selected. Those supported free hosts include (deep breath): RapidShare, MegaUpload, FileFactory, HideMyAss, Badongo, Mediafire, Uploadbox, zShare, and NetLoad.in. The maximum file sizes for those hosts range from 100-400MB.

Uploading a file is free and requires no registration, but if you sign up for an account, you can manage your uploaded files.



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DoubleTwist May Be the Coolest Universal Media Manager Ever [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/NhRrfD2GvR4/doubletwist-may-be-the-coolest-universal-media-manager-ever

Mac OS X only: doubleTwist simplifies media management, whether you want to sync to your mobile device, share it with friends, or upload it to YouTube, Flickr, or Facebook. It's so easy your grandparents could use it.

The idea behind doubleTwist is simple, and is probably summed up best by the narrator of the demo video:

doubleTwist automatically converts the video (and other media) so it can play on my phone so I don't have to worry about geeky formats and settings.... doubleTwist takes care of all that boring work for me.

Fair enough. So the point is, doubleTwist handles all the background work to make any media gel with wherever you want to put it, and you don't need to worry about whether or not it's in the right format. Just drag and drop the media to wherever you want it to go, and doubleTwist takes care of any necessary conversion in the background.

So yes, doubleTwist may be the coolest media manager in the world. But there are some problems with it.

For one, I couldn't even test the thing properly because you need to create an account before you can use it, and no matter how many addresses I used to register, I can't seem to get the confirmation email—so I'm basically reviewing the idea rather than the program. One would assume this little bug should be worked out quickly enough (at least if they want users).

Second, if you actually care about those "geeky" formats and settings, you may not be keen on relinquishing control. We've heard complaints about doubleTwist from two different users in the past regarding its transcoding, but things could have changed in the past year. I could talk more about! this if I could actually try it out, but alas. If you give it a try and have more luck than I did, let's hear how it's working for you in the comments. If doubleTwist sounds familiar, that's because we covered the Windows version about a year ago. Strangely, though, that version has been pushed into a closed beta while the new Mac version is ready for public consumption. doubleTwist is a free download, Mac OS X only.



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Multi-Select, Upload Progress Added to Gmail Attachments [Gmail]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/a8e7-QqTFgo/multi+select-upload-progress-added-to-gmail-attachments

No more triple-clicking for every file you want to send over Gmail. Clicking "Browse" now lets you select multiple files at once to attach to a message, and tiny progress bars are displayed while each file uploads sequentially. Nice improvement over all that clicking, and fewer guesses as to whether "Still working ..." means progress or eminent browser crash. [Official Gmail Blog]



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Extensoft Screen Capturer Grabs Desktop Images, Video, and Audio [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/6fzdTPDEmJ0/extensoft-screen-capturer-grabs-desktop-images-video-and-audio

Windows only: If you need to grab both video and still screen captures, but don't have the need or budget for professional software, Extensoft Screen Capturer can do both with ease.

With Extensoft's app, you can capture the entire screen or specified areas of it. Captured images can be saved as BMP, JPG, PNG, and TIFF formats. Video captures can be saved in either WMV or AVI format—there are codecs for DiVX, ffdshow, and XviD, among others, for post-processing, and audio can be grabbed during video sessions as well. Almost all of the menu commands for controlling Extensoft Screen Capturer have corresponding keyboard shortcuts, making it easy to use mouse-free.

Screen Capturer is free but does require a basic name/email registration. The registration is sent instantly and requires no validation, so if you'd like to avoid using your primary email, a disposable one would work just as well. Extensoft Screen Capturer is freeware, Windows only.



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Hello Slightly Cheaper Blu-ray [Blu-Ray]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/u1H1tSrKS_Y/hello-slightly-cheaper-blu+ray

Panasonic, Sony and Philips are spinning off Blu-ray licensing into a single company, which for us, the real people, means we should be seeing Blu-ray prices take another tumble downward.

That's because the costs of licenses for people to make Blu-ray stuff will drop as much as 40 percent, since manufacturers won't have to talk to all three companies to get the rights. So a license under the cheaper regime would be about $9.50 for a read-only Blu-ray device and $14 for a burner, while discs will run 11-15, from read-only to re-writeables.

It won't result in incredible price drops—probably not enough to spur a sudden rush on Blu-ray right now—but it should help push Blu-ray players even further past the $199 mark that became the bar over the holiday season, and every little bit cheaper with content helps, given how much pricier discs are typically then movies on DVD.

How cheap do you need movies to be before you go Blu-ray? [Electronista]



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Sony X1000 OLED Walkman to Hit UK Next Month for ~$300 [Sony Walkman]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/BRfTl3JeoQo/sony-x1000-oled-walkman-to-hit-uk-next-month-for-300

Sony's slick-looking X1000 Walkman line popped up for preorder on Amazon UK with a release window of 2-5 weeks. That means we should be seeing the touchscreen, OLED player before the end of March.

The 16-gigabyte NWZ-X1050B will cost £214 (~$300) and 32-gigabyte NWZ-X1060B will cost £283 (~$400). Looking forward to the X1000 making a stateside appearance sometime soon. [Amazon UK via OLED-Display via Engadget]



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Google Me Business Cards: Best or Worst Idea Ever? [Design]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/jZyMnrtiAIU/google-me-business-cards-best-or-worst-idea-ever

This business card idea is undoubtedly clever, visually suggesting to people that they just Google your name for contact info. But do you want to encourage people to do so?

If you happen to be John Mahoney, people will think you're some old guy that appeared on Frasier. If you're Adam Frucci, your dance moves will immediately stand out. And if you're me, well, people will occasionally blame you for a certain CES prank that Techmeme is convinced I wrote. So I ask again, do you want to be Googled? [Ji Lee via Geek Sugar]



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Verizon's LG Versa Officially Go-Go Gadget Modular Phone [Lg Versa]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/O7aTGKz93nY/verizons-lg-versa-officially-go+go-gadget-modular-phone

You know how running a three-legged race doesn't make you or the guy you're strapped to run any faster?

LG's Versa snaps together two things LG does reasonably well—texting and touchscreen phones—into a single, modular freak of nature that you can swap out the parts on, like Robocop in Robocop 3. Meaning it'll be like those two hobbling dudes who trip over themselves a lot (i.e., Robocop 3) or at best, approximately equal the sum of its parts.

LG's non-smartphone OS has gotten better from phone to phone (the Vu on AT&T to Dare on Verizon), so this updated version should be fairly usable, even if the 3D UI is completely gratuitous. It's got visual voicemail! At the very least, they're promising a better browser with Flash. (We'll see though).

No word on the ridiculous line of accessories that'll be coming, like the gaming d-pad we saw in leaks, or the BJ attachment some of us were hoping for. But they're obviously coming. The question is how many and when and if they're good—then the Versa could be something way more interesting than a gimmick or just a good hybrid. The Versa itself'll be out March 1 for $199 after the usual rebates and contract.

VERIZON WIRELESS LG VERSA GIVES NEW MEANING TO VERSATILITY

Attachable QWERTY Keypad, Animated Touch Screen Interface, and Advanced Web Browsing Offer Latest in Wireless Phone Style and Function

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., and SAN DIEGO – Verizon Wireless and LG Electronics M! obileCom m U.S.A., Inc. (LG Mobile Phones) announced today that the LG Versa™ will be available on the nation's largest and most reliable wireless voice and data network beginning March 1. The LG Versa will be an MVP (Most Versatile Phone) for customers, sporting an elegant bar design with a chrome border, animated 3-inch touch screen interface with tactile feedback and an attachable QWERTY keypad.

Customers can personalize their LG Versa phones based on their messaging needs on any given day – either attach the QWERTY keypad to their phones or leave the keypad at home. The LG Versa's home screen is transformed into a sizzling, animated 3D interface and customers can quickly customize up to three different home screens with their favorite shortcuts. The built-in accelerometer rotates screens automatically from portrait to landscape, and customers can use rotation movements to steer games. The HTML Web browser includes Flash and RSS feed support, and customers can keep up to three windows open and switch from one window to the other to view pages.

Additionally, the phone comes packed with Verizon Wireless' V CAST Music with Rhapsody and V CAST Video services. V CAST Music with Rhapsody allows customers to purchase more than 5 million full songs over-the-air, download the master copy of their songs to their PCs free of digital rights management (DRM) software and sync their favorite tracks, albums and playlists from their PCs to their LG Versa phones using the included USB cable.

V CAST Video allows customers to download or stream video from the best names in news, sports, entertainment and more.

The LG Versa supports productivity tools – such as Visual Voice Mail to keep people more productive and prioritize their messages – while Verizon Wireless' VZ NavigatorSM service transforms the phone into a navigation device at a fraction of the cost of most GPS systems. In addition, the LG Versa is compatible with Mobile Broadband Connect to allow customers to use their phones as a mode! m by lin king their laptops to their phones to establish a broadband connection anywhere within Verizon Wireless' Mobile Broadband rate and coverage area.

Additional features and capabilities of the LG Versa include:
• Virtual QWERTY keypad
• 2.0 megapixel camera and camcorder with autofocus, flash and image editor
o SmartPic technology for improved image quality
o Camera resolutions: 1600 x 1200 (default), 1280 x 960, 800 x 400, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 pixels
o Face detection – automatically detect a face when taking a picture
o Zoom: up to 2x
o Image editor: zoom, rotate, crop, add frames and icons, and write over images
o Video resolutions: 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 176 x 144 pixels (default)
o Video recording time: 30 seconds for sending or up to one hour for saving
o Video player for WMV, MP4, 3GP, 3G2 formats
o Customizable brightness, white balance, shutter sound, color effects, photometry, and self-timer
• Music Player –
o Music player for .mp3, .wma, unprotected .aac and unprotected .aac+ formats
o Multitask while playing music – hide player to send messages, edit contacts, and browse the Web
o Create and manage playlists
o Music Library – organized by artist, genre and album
o Music Only Mode (RF off except Bluetooth®)
• microSD™ memory port with up to 16 GB support coming soon
• USB Mass Storage – transfer files between microSD card and PC
• Bluetooth Version 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) –
o Supported profiles: headset, hands-free (car kits), dial-up networking, stereo phonebook access, basic printing, object push (for vCard and vCal), file transfer, basic imaging, and human interface device
• Animated three-dimensional interface for home screens – customize up to three home screens with favorite features and applications
• Module home screen when QWERTY keypad is attached
• VZ Navigator-capable – get visual and audible directions to thousands of destinations, locate bu! sinesses and other points of interest, get maps of a location and share directions with others
• Chaperone® Child-capable – allows the LG Versa to have its location shared with family members via the Chaperone Web site, the Chaperone® Parent application or Child Zone® SMS alerts
• Chaperone® Parent-capable – with the Chaperone Parent application, customers can view location information or be notified of the whereabouts of the Chaperone Child phone
• Visual Voice Mail – delete, reply and forward voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions
• Mobile Web-capable – customizable, enhanced wireless access to the latest in news, sports, weather and more
• Mobile Email – access MSN® Hotmail®, America Online® and Yahoo! ® accounts to exchange e-mail
• Media Center-capable – downloadable games, ringtones, wallpapers, location-based services and more
• Mobile IM using AIM®, MSN, Yahoo!
• Auto Screen and Key Lock – prevents unwanted key actions
• 2.5 mm headset jack
• Text, picture and video messaging
• Supports threaded messaging
• Personal organizer with calculator, EZ Tip Calculator, calendar, alarm clock, stopwatch, world clock, notepad, and drawing pad with character recognition
• Speakerphone and voice commands
• Bilingual interface – English and Spanish
• Phonebook with up to 1,000 entries with multiple contacts
• TTY/TDD-capable
• In Case of Emergency contacts
• Frequency: 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA
• Data transmission: EV-DO Revision A (Rev. A)
• Dimensions: 4.16" (h) x 2.07" (w) x 0.54" (d)
• Weight: 3.81 ounces
• Hearing Aid Compatibility = M4/T4
• SAR: head 1.38 W/kg, body 0.764 W/kg
• LCD: 262K color TFT, 480 x 240 pixels, 3.0"
• Ambient light sensor controls the brightness on the LCD according to surrounding light
• Proximity sensor turns LCD off when a customer is placing a call on the LG! Versa • External LCD: monochrome OLED, 56 x 120 pixels, 0.94" (only available on the QWERTY keypad attachment)
• Standard battery: 1,100 mAh
• Usage time: up to 290 minutes or
• Standby time: up to 430 hours

Pricing
The LG Versa will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores beginning March 1 for $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

Customers can get the most out of their LG Versa with Verizon Wireless' Nationwide Premium calling plan. Starting at $79.99 monthly access, the Nationwide Premium calling plan includes unlimited messaging, VZ Navigator, Mobile Email and V CAST VPak, plus unlimited megabytes for Mobile Web and Media Center. Mobile Broadband Connect can be added to their plans for $59.99 monthly access for 5 GB, and Visual Voice Mail is available for $2.99 monthly access, per line, plus airtime or megabyte charges and messaging fees, depending on a customer's plan.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.



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12-year-old Builds Homeless Shelter Yurt from Trash [Home Dome]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/xy23i0yv9tI/12+year+old-builds-homeless-shelter-yurt-from-trash

12-year-old Max Wallack submitted this amazing "Home Dome"—a homeless shelter made from plastic, wire, and packing peanuts—to a recent "Trash to Treasure" design contest. Based on a Mongolian yurt, it's warm and includes a bed.

The project both helps divert materials from landfills and gives the homeless a place to sleep (though I wonder how they breathe under all that plastic). Max won $10,000, a Dell laptop and a trip to Boston. [Design Blog]



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Purported Specs Surface for Slimline 10" Acer Aspire One [NetBooks]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/tv6QaoFRzlw/purported-specs-surface-for-slimline-10-acer-aspire-one

Yesterday's 10" slimline Acer Aspire One leak wasn't rich with info, leaving us nothing but our own speculations. Luckily, some guy got a hands-on with the machine, and took plenty of notes.


An anonymous tipster passed on these hands-on photos along and full spec list to NetbookNews, though we can't confirm its authenticity:

Housing: 2.4 cm thick, 25.5 cm wide, 18.5 cm deep
CPU: Intel Atom N270 1.6 GHz
RAM: 1 GB
HDD: 160 GB
WLAN: 802.11a/b/g Atheros (goes with ath5k in the kernel 2.6.29er)
LAN: Attansic Gigabit (goes with atl1e in 2.6.29er kernel)
SATA: Intel ICH7 Controller SATA: Intel ICH7 controller
Display: 25.9 cm / 10.2 "diagonal with Glare (but bright enough that it doesn't matter)
Resolution: 1024 × 600
Sound: Intel HDA
VGA: Intel 945GME
Int.Cardreader: JMicron (goes with sdhci module after the command modprobe pciehp pciehp_force = 1)
Bluetooth: integrated (Broadcom chipset)
UMTS: "apparently" yes
Killswitch: for Wlan + Bluetooth
Touchpad: Synaptics (scroll down to the edge possible)
Battery: 3-cells (approximately 3 hours duration)

The only surprise here is the lack of an SSD. The spec list says it'll be a 160GB HDD, which is encouraging from a performance standpoint (the Aspire One's SSD's are slllooooooooow) but not so much from a toss-it-in-you-bag-without-thinking-about-it ! angle. T he smallish battery is also a bit alarming, as the Aspire One, even in its previous smaller incarnation, was never know for great battery life. As for the OS, I wouldn't expect a change from the current XP/Linpus situation—the SUSE installation you see in the photos was apparently not the OS that came with the netbook. [NetbookNews via Slashgear]]



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Man-Made 'Happy Clouds' Float Over London [Emoticlouds]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/x9H1Hu2nG-k/man+made-happy-clouds-float-over-london

While a cloud floating overhead is traditionally heralded as a bad omen, the 2057 "Happy Clouds" released over London were simply meant to "cheer people up a bit."

Artist Stuart Semple released these smiley-shaped, pink-tinted clouds to celebrate London industry. Comprised of helium, soap and vegetable dye, a total of 2057 clouds were launched at a rate of one every seven seconds.

Sadly, the clouds lasted only 30 minutes apiece before they disintegrated away. Then again, there are only so many smiles I can take in a day before I just need to punch somebody. [Stuart Semple via designboom]



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Samsung's laptop-accompanying LapFit display gets reviewed

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/25/samsungs-laptop-accompanying-lapfit-display-gets-reviewed/


Samsung has certainly carved out a curious niche for itself with its new LapFit display, which not only competes with regular LCD monitors, but laptop stands that accomplish the same basic goal for a fraction of the price. That said, the folks at TrustedReviews seem to think the display could still win its share of fans, especially considering its apparently low power consumption, and its more than reasonable sub-£100 price tag (or roughly $150). On the downside, however, it seems that the TN display is considerably lacking in terms of image quality, with it apparently displaying noticeable banding, poor grayscale performance, and a general lack of sharpness when it comes to text. The particular D190S model reviewed also just has a single VGA port, although the D190SU adds some DisplayLink over USB, and the LD190X tops things off with some wireless capabilities.

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Samsung's laptop-accompanying LapFit display gets reviewed originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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DDR3 shootout pits OCZ, Kingston and Corsair against one another

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/25/ddr3-shootout-pits-ocz-kingston-and-corsair-against-one-another/


DDR3 modules aren't exactly new or anything, but given just how low the prices of big time kits have become, we figured it prudent to pass along one of the most thorough shootouts on the subject that we've seen. HotHardware grabbed a few DIMMs from the labs of OCZ Technology, Corsair and Kingston, threw 'em all in a Core i7 rig (not simultaneously, silly!) and benchmarked the lot until they literally fell asleep at the keys. The results? We'd love to tell you which sticks came out atop the pile, but that would just be spoiling the fun for you, now wouldn't it? Give the read link a look if you're ready for the action.

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DDR3 shootout pits OCZ, Kingston and Corsair against one another originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SanDisk ships first ever multicard readers with style

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/25/sandisk-ships-first-ever-multicard-readers-with-style/


Okay, so maybe you've seen a multicard reader or two in your day that wasn't unsightly to the nth degree, but it's a rarity, let us tell you. Furthermore, SanDisk's latest bunch are amongst the first we've seen that we'd actually feel somewhat proud to have sitting on our desks, and considering that there's only so much added functionality you can give these things, aiming for high fashion was probably a good move. The new line of ImageMate readers are currently shipping out to retailers in North America, with the All-In-One reader listing at $29.99 and the Multi-Card reader selling for $10 less.

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SanDisk ships first ever multicard readers with style originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buffalo intros SHD-NSUM series SSDs with USB and SATA-II interfaces

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/25/buffalo-intros-shd-nsum-series-ssds-with-usb-and-sata-ii-interfa/


Internal SSD drives generally aren't the most exciting devices out there, apart from the fact they're SSDs, but Buffalo's new SHD-NSUM series of drives look to bit a bit of an exception, with each packing a microUSB port for some data transfers in a pinch in addition to the standard SATA-II interface. Otherwise, the drives are expectedly pretty standard fare, with Buffalo promising that they're 30% faster than a standard hard drive, and offering them in the usual 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities. No word on a 'release round here just yet, but those in Japan should be able to pick 'em up in March for between $120 and $390.

[Via SlashGear]

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Buffalo intros SHD-NSUM series SSDs with USB and SATA-II interfaces originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gigabyte's M1022, S1024, T1028 netbooks show themselves at CeBIT

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/25/gigabytes-m1022-s1024-t1028-netbooks-show-themselves-at-cebit/


Gigabyte said it'd be showing off a trio of new netbooks at CeBIT this week and, lo and behold, all three have now emerged from their less than secretive whereabouts and made their public debut, and the good folks from Engadget Chinese were on hand for an up close look. While all three pack more or less the same standard netbook specs, they do manage to differentiate themselves quite a bit from each other around the edges, with the M1022 "Booktop" in particular coming paired with a rather unique dock that holds the system vertically and lets you hook up a monitor and your choice of peripherals. The T1028 also takes things one step further by opting for a tablet form, as you can see above, while the ThinNote S1024 keeps things a bit more simple with a thin, more business-like design. Be sure to hit up the link below for plenty more pics, and the complete specs for each.

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Gigabyte's M1022, S1024, T1028 netbooks show themselves at CeBIT originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia working on laptops, ARM-powered MID?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/25/nokia-working-on-laptops-arm-powered-mid/


If you were looking for proof that the line between smartphones and laptops is rapidly starting to blur, look no further -- Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasuvo told Reuters today that the Finnish company is "looking very actively" at making a laptop, since "what we we know as a cellphone and what we know as a PC are in many ways converging." Sounds about right to us -- but even more interestingly, we're also getting word from the generally-reliable Mobile-Review that Espoo's working on a MID powered by the new multicore ARM Cortex A9 Sparrow chip. If M-R is to be believed, the new device will only somewhat resemble the current N-series Internet Tablets, instead featuring a slide-out keyboard with diamond-shaped keys and a new widget-based interface. That's a mockup from Unwired View above, and we think it looks pretty nice -- although we're hoping Nokia's moved well beyond this hybrid N97 / Internet Tablet design language by the time this thing launches in 2011. This sort of convergence is definitely the next big trend, so we've got to ask: smartphone, MID, netbook or laptop -- what's in your (potentially giant) pocket?

[Via Electronic Pulp]

Read - Unwired View on ARM-powered MID
Read - Reuters on Nokia laptops

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Nokia working on laptops, ARM-powered MID? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:56:00 EST. Please see our! terms for use of feeds.

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New slimline Acer Aspire One slimline pics, alleged specs leak

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/25/new-slimline-acer-aspire-one-slimline-pics-alleged-specs-leak/


After seeing the tiniest bit of evidence this morning of a slimmer Acer Aspire One, an anonymous reader has bragged to netbooknews.de that he's gotten some hands-on time with the laptop, and brought along some purported pics of it as evidence. Dimension-wise, we're looking at 0.95 inches thick, 10 inches wide, 7.28 inches deep. As for specs, it's pretty much what you'd expect from a netbook: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 with 945GME graphics, 1024 x 600 resolution, 1GB RAM, 802.11 a/b/g, a 3-cell battery that's said to last a discouraging 3 hours or less, and "apparently" integrated UMTS -- no word on whether or not this thing's packing SSD. Overall, the mysterious individual with an enigmatic hat gave it positive impressions, with special props given to the keyboard and touchpad. Hit up the read link for more pics, and Acer? Give us some official glamor shots soon, please.

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New slimline Acer Aspire One slimline pics, alleged specs leak originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS W90 gaming laptop now listed on Newegg

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/25/asus-w90-gaming-laptop-now-shipping/

ASUS' heavy-hitting W90Vp-X1 gaming-friendly laptop has shown up on Newegg. The 18.4-inch behemoth's sporting a 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9600, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4870 X2, WUXGA resolution, 6GB DDR2 RAM, 320GB HDD at 7200RPM. Of course, with specs like that, you weren't expecting it to come cheap, were you? The retailer's demanding a $2,200 ransom to take it home. Admit it, you're just happy it's an ASUS machine with no "Eee" in sight.

[Via Electronista]

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ASUS W90 gaming laptop now listed on Newegg originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Versa heading to Verizon on March 1

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/lg-versa-heading-to-verizon-on-march-1/


If you're the type of individual who can never decide between the Cobb salad, the lobster bisque, and the sesame prawns and end up ordering all three, take note -- your phone has arrived. The long-rumored LG Versa lets you have your cake and eat it too by starting life as a full touchscreen slate, and when the time comes for some serious emailing, texting, or notetaking, you just snap on the included cover that includes a full QWERTY keyboard. The cover also features its own OLED display -- handy, since the Versa's 480 x 240 main display is concealed while the cover's closed -- while the phone itself rocks EV-DO Rev. A with tethering capability, a 2 megapixel cam with face detection and video recording, microSD expansion, and GPS. It'll be available starting March 1 for $249.99 on contract before a $50 mail-in rebate.

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LG Versa heading to Verizon on March 1 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell's greenish G2410 LCD monitor goes on sale

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/dells-greenish-g2410-lcd-monitor-goes-on-sale/


Dell's new 24-inch G Series LCD, which was previewed during CES this year, has finally gone on sale at the outfit's website. The G2410 flat-panel is said to be one of the firm's greenest LCDs, as it proudly sports an EPEAT Gold rating and utilizes halogen-free laminates in circuit boards along with chassis plastics that contains 25 percent post-consumers recycled plastics. Other specs include a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution panel, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 250 nits of brightness, VGA / DVI connectors and a 5 millisecond response time. It's all yours for $349, though there's no apparent discount for hugging a tree prior to pulling the trigger.

[Thanks, Rob]

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Dell's greenish G2410 LCD monitor goes on sale originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 03:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS' Eee PC 901 with 20GB SSD and 6-cell battery now just $268

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/asus-eee-pc-901-with-20gb-ssd-and-6-cell-battery-now-just-268/


An Eee PC costing $550 just 8 months ago is now selling for less than half that price from a trio of major on-line retailers. In an apparent across-the-board price cut, several SSD-based EEE PC 901 models have been slashed with your choice of Linux or XP. Most notable is the 8.9-inch netbook configured with a 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, 1GB memory, 20GB SSD, Linux, and 6-cell battery. Careful though: the European CeBIT show (an ASUS favorite event) is just days away and with it should come a few new Eee PC models running the latest Intel processors and chipsets. Consider yourselves warned. Hit the read link for the details.

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ASUS' Eee PC 901 with 20GB SSD and 6-cell battery now just $268 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 06:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dell's Inspiron Mini 10 finally up for order, starts at $399

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/dells-inspiron-mini-10-finally-up-for-order-starts-at-399/


It's been a rocky road, paved with hardship and confusion, but Dell's finally ready to let us at its colorful collection of Inspiron Mini 10 netbooks -- at least the order page. You can (slightly) configure them to your hearts content, but any color outside of black comes with a $30 price premium. We upped a Mini 10 to "Jade Green" and threw in a 1.6GHz Z530 Atom processor (1.33GHz is standard) and ended up at $479, but there's no expanding beyond the 1GB of RAM or the 160GB HDD, as per the international netbook treaty. The order page is quoting a "preliminary ship date" of April 2nd, up from the March 31st we saw two days ago, so we hope that's just a rough estimate.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Dell's Inspiron Mini 10 finally up for order, starts at $399 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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