Technology News: Personal Computers

Jobs' Quiet Comeback, Mini's Big BOM and Maine's Massive MacBook Splurge

Thursday - July 2, 2009

After the raging blog activity surrounding the launch of iPhone OS 3.0 and the new iPhone 3GS, the Apple-focused blogosphere has finally slowed down to catch its collective breath. Still, there's plenty to talk about, like Michael Jackson music sales going through the roof on iTunes, CEO Steve Jobs returning to Apple's Cupertino campus, the Mac mini's relatively high build cost, and MacBooks selling like text books in Maine. "Michael Jackson is likely make more money in death than he ever did in life -- the Elvis effect," writes Cult of Mac blogger Leander Kahney. [More...]

Adesso's New Slimtouch Keyboard: Terrific Touchpad, Loopy Layout

Monday - June 29, 2009

Adesso's newest keyboard, the Wireless Slimtouch Ergo, is a love-it-or-hate-it type of product. If you can get along without the features it misses and get through the learning curve, you might just keep it. It has a few interesting features to offer those looking for a change of pace. However, making the move probably will not be an easy transition. [More...]

A Tale of Two Demos: Innovation vs. Desperation

Monday - June 29, 2009

Over the last two weeks I attended two events: one organized by the Blu-ray folks and one by HP. Both PR teams did excellent jobs; however, one had a strong offering to work with, while the other was stuck with a toad of a product offering. Both products look to add value to platforms that are struggling at the moment. [More...]

The Troublesome Task of Rejiggering the Keyboard

Sunday - June 28, 2009

Lenovo put nearly a year of research into two design changes that debuted on an updated ThinkPad laptop this week. No, not the thinner, lighter form or the textured touchpad -- rather, the extra-large "Delete" and "Escape" keys. It may seem like a small change, but when you start messing around with the keyboard, people get nervous, according to Lenovo's David Hill. [More...]

Sony Plugs Blu-ray on a Budget With New Vaio

Monday - June 22, 2009

Amid questions about consumer enthusiasm for Blu-ray technology, Sony on Monday announced a new notebook computer positioned by the electronics giant as an entry-level Blu-ray player for mobile viewing. The VAIO NW notebook series carries an $880 starting price tag for a Blu-ray equipped model. [More...]

Smartbooks: Embracing Linux With Open ARMs

Thursday - June 18, 2009

Asus notwithstanding, netbooks have received a great deal of attention in the Linux community for their role in gaining wider acceptance for our favorite operating system. So, when Freescale and Qualcomm recently debuted a line of what they call "smartbooks" at Computex -- featuring ARM processors and a low price point -- the blogosphere had no choice but to sit up and take notice. [More...]

Apple Pounds Palm, Sets Sights on Redmond

Monday - June 15, 2009

Apple is making an impressively strong statement that it can survive Steve Jobs' departure. While I still don't think it has the magic that Steve Jobs brings to the table in terms of execution, it is actually doing better at the moment than when he was there and active. Palm just took a major shot at its base and missed, and Apple is going after it with blood in its eyes. [More...]

WWDC: iPhone Invigorated, Snow Leopard Spruced, AT&T Tarnished

Friday - June 12, 2009

The hottest news in the Apple-focused blogosphere this week all started with Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. On Monday, the company -- sans still-on-hiatus CEO Steve Jobs -- announced the faster iPhone 3G S, multiple MacBook upgrades, and its next Mac OS X -- aka "Snow Leopard." All these announcments gave the online world plenty to talk about. [More...]

The Asus EeeTop: A Nettop in Search of a Mission

Thursday - June 11, 2009

The Asus EeeTop ET1602 is an interesting computer with some potential for home and business use. However, it will surely cause considerable discussion over what users might really do with it. The ET1602 is essentially a netbook-like computer with a 14-inch by 8-inch LCD touchscreen wrapped around it. [More...]

Apple Launches Speedy New iPhone, Cuts a Bunch of Prices

Tuesday - June 9, 2009

Apple used the first day of its annual Worldwide Developers Conference to focus on power, speed and price-slashing regarding its hot-selling iPhone. Monday's keynote speech and demonstrations introduced the new iPhone 3G S that is supposed to be faster in terms of download and connection speeds and more robust when it comes to juggling applications. [More...]

Natal Drops Jaws, Nvidia Shines, Pre Sets New Bar

Monday - June 8, 2009

Last week, Microsoft stole E3 with what may be the closest thing to a "Star Trek" holodeck yet: Project Natal, which turns a gamer's whole body into a controller. Computex was all about battles between smartbooks and netbooks; Intel and AMD; and Windows and Android. Also last week, the Palm Pre actually showed up on my doorstep, and I got a first look. I wasn't disappointed. [More...]

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