laptops

Fujitsu's missing-link laptop

Where does a laptop end and a handheld computer--or even a really, really smart phone--begin? We have no idea, and we're not sure it really matters. But for those who care, Fujitsu is doing its best to blur the lines.

The "U series" addition to its "LifeBook" line of laptops features ultra-portable machines that are barely an inch thick and weigh less than 1.3 pounds. But you wouldn't necessarily know it by the specs: an 800MHz Intel chip, 20GB hard drive, 512 of memory and a built-in fingerprint reader. All of which beats … Read more

BitTorrent to fire up CNET Live

In the Internet world, peer-to-peer sharing has always sparked discussion. This week on CNET Live, Ashwin Navin, president and co-founder of file-sharing site BitTorrent, will sound off on the hot topic. Navin contributed his perspective earlier this month about Ohio University's decision to ban peer-to-peer applications on campus. What does this mean for the rest of us? Tom Merritt is going to find out.

In addition to that fiery topic, the boys are going to figure out what is behind all those blazing batteries in laptops. Brian will reveal what tops his Crave list, and Tom is going to … Read more

LG's 'Chocolate' laptop

LG seems determined to repeat the success of its "Chocolate" branding beyond its mobile phones, extending it to home theaters and other equipment. The latest object of this confection affection, according to PClaunches, is the "Z1" laptop.

The computer is notable for the type of dual LCD screens (12.1 and 2.5 inches) seen in other laptops designed to use the "SideShow" feature in Windows Vista PCs. The rest of the specs aren't too shabby either, including a 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of memory, a 120GB hard drive, … Read more

Encrypting laptops is worth the money

For the most part, security technology procurement is a struggle as security budgets have always been low and remain under-funded.

Security executives have to justify purchases in terms of business risk--a daunting task for even the most skilled professionals. As the old saying in the security world goes, organizations don't want good security, they want good-enough security. Paying for anything more is often viewed as a waste.

In general, frugal security strategies remain but my colleagues and I at Enterprise Strategy Group see one particular area that bucks this trend--full disk encryption (FDE) for laptops. Many large organizations are … Read more

Can any screen be turned into a tablet?

Digital tablets are great, especially now that they've come down to relatively reasonable prices. But what if you don't have room on your cramped desk for yet another external device like Wacom's "Bamboo"? Navisis claims to have the answer with its "Laptop Tablet," which the Korean company says can turn any screen into a tablet with software that calibrates the pixel-point location of its stylus, according to Gizmag.

The sensor device, which is expected to retail for about $130, looks something like a clip-on Webcam that can be attached to the edge of … Read more

Laptop sizing: S, M, L, HDX

Just how big is HP's new Pavilion HDX laptop? If Dan Ackerman's video doesn't give you a sense of scale (who knows, Dan could be 3 feet tall, making the HDX appear much larger than it really is), then perhaps this slide show will help. Let there be no doubt, this is one massive mobile PC. The HDX so big, in fact, we don't know of a laptop bag that could contain it. More details here.

The Santa Rosa shuffle

Every major PC manufacturer is announcing a lineup of new laptops this morning. These systems are all part of Intel's new Santa Rosa platform, which to the laptop-buying public means they'll have either a Centrino Pro or Centrino Duo sticker on them somewhere.

Our colleague Michelle Thatcher will go into further detail on the Santa Rosa specs later today, but for the most part, it involves having one of several new mobile Intel CPUs (From the T7000-series), support for Wireless N networking, Intel's new 965 chipset, and some additional onboard memory--Intel calls it Turbo Memory--for faster booting. … Read more

Just announced: HP Pavilion dv9500t

Exactly which new laptops will debut with Intel's Santa Rosa platform may be the worst-kept secret in the tech world. Which is why it brings us some relief to report that at least one of the systems to be built on Santa Rosa has officially been announced.

At a morning event in Shanghai (that's evening here, thanks to the curvature of the Earth), HP revealed the Pavilion dv9500t, a follow-up to the desktop replacement dv9000 series. Aside from the new components, the dv9500t is very similar to its predecessor, with only a few small tweaks to the feature … Read more

HP to debut Blu-ray HD DVD combo drive

Hewlett-Packard began its HD video-purveying life as a member of the HD DVD camp, but come Wednesday, two of its Pavilion desktops will take a more inclusive position in the format war by offering internal dual-format Blu-ray/HD DVD drives. We've seen certain high-end home theater PCs with one Blu-ray and one HD DVD drive crammed into the front, but as of May 9, HP will be the first to offer a hybrid HD drive.

The two models offering the drive, the Pavilion Media Center m8010y and the Pavilion d4890y (both Intel powered), will be available as configurable options … Read more