HP Unveils 'Loss-Proof' Laptop

Hewlett-Packard is launching a connected laptop that holds no data locally -- using technology from thin-client specialist Neoware, that it acquired only weeks ago.

"The HP Compaq 6720t mobile thin client is a laptop with no local data residing on it, so it is immune to data loss," said Andrew Gee, sales manager for HP remote client solutions.

The HP device could mark the coming of age of laptop thin clients, said Gee. Although Neoware announced one in 2006 and Wyse launched one in 2007, they have only had a small niche because they have needed special hardware and relied on connections that have not been reliable.

The laptop runs embedded XP, has a 15.4-inch wide screen display and a solid-state disk, so it will run silently and have good battery life. It also has a spill-resistant keyboard, said Gee.

No price has been announced for the laptop yet, but it will be available in the second quarter of this year, said Gee.

HP also launched two thin clients for the desktop -- the t5730 and the t5730, which run XP embedded and Linux, and cost $810 and $615, respectively. Both have AMD chips with ATI graphics cards and include two-screen support: "We're seeing a lot of requirements around multimedia," said Gee. The Windows version has integrated Wi-Fi and can be mounted on the back of HP monitors to save desk space.

Source

Read the rest...

Dell Unleashes the XPS 420 Desktop

It appears that Dell is making an attempt to take on the likes of HP and Apple with the release of the XPS 420 —a rig focused on the multimedia enthusiast. Features include: Intel Core 2 Duo or Extreme processors, your choice of ATI or NVIDIA graphics cards, a max of 1TB storage, 1-4 GB of Dual DDR2 SDRAM, a 20-inch LCD monitor, and Xcelerator technology —which makes converting video quick and easy. The XPS 420 also comes bundled with Adobe Systems Elements Studio, which includes Photoshop Elements 6, Premiere Elements 4, and Soundbooth CS3. As you might have guessed the XPS 420 won't come cheap, regardless of the options you choose. Prices range from $1500 to $2,500.

Source

Read the rest...

USB 3.0 to Bring 10x Speed Increase in 2008

Intel discusses its plans for USB 3.0 technology

During Patrick Gelsinger's keynote at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) today, Intel made a small announcement regarding a group of companies who are now working together to create a "superspeed personal USB interconnect” with 10 times the speed of the current generation technology of USB 2.0. The USB 3.0 Promoter Group -- which consists of Intel, Hewlett-Packard, NEC Corporation, NXP Semiconductors, Microsoft and Texas Instruments -- looks to make several other major changes.

The current USB 2.0 version has a top data-transfer rate of 480 megabits per second, so a tenfold increase would be 4.8 gigabits per second. Many devices don't need that much capacity, but some can use more, including hard drives, flash card readers and optical drives such as DVD, Blu-ray and HD DVD. The fastest flash card readers today use IEEE 1394 "FireWire" connections that top out at 800 megabits per second.

In addition, USB 3.0 will offer greater energy efficiency, Gelsinger said. It will be backward compatible, so current USB 2.0 devices will be able to plug into USB 3.0 ports.

Source

Read the rest...

HP Blackbird 002 Dedication Edition Goes On Sale Today

The Ultimate Gaming Rig !!

Let's hope you have a few dozen credit cards primed and waiting, because at 2PM EDT today, HP is letting loose its limited run of 518 HP Blackbird 002 Dedication Edition PCs. You can score one of the sexy / powerful / spendy machines for $5,500. That price gets you an overclocked Intel Core Exreme QX6850 processor, dual NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultras, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB 10,000rpm HDD and a 500GB 7200rpm drive, liquid cooling for the CPU and GPUs, a Voodoo Razer mouse and keyboard, and decent bundle of games to get you started. If this doesn't quite sound like your style, you can always hold out until october, when configurable machines will become available, ranging from $2,500 to $7,100 in price.

Source

Read the rest...