laptops

Sony's flash memory-based UMPC comes stateside

Not exactly new, but perhaps new to you: Sony's VAIO UX ultramobile PC garnered a lot of attention last year for its cool palm-size design, but even though it contained a fully fledged Intel Core Solo CPU and ran Windows XP, it fell somewhat short as a usable mobile computer.

The latest update, which sounds very promising, is the UX Premium Micro PC. This version has a 32GB solid state hard drive, which means no moving parts, better battery life, less heat, and faster access to your data (or at least 32GB worth of your data).

Flash memory-based hard … Read more

Toshiba's high-end Vista tablet

If you like the Mac-style white look for your computer hardware, you're going to appreciate Toshiba's initial entry in the Windows Vista laptop category. The Portege R400 is a beautifully crafted convertible tablet laptop, one that is every bit as expensive as it looks.

The R400 has plenty of high-end features, such as built-in EV-DO support and a small LED readout on the front edge that shows the time, battery level, and wireless signal strength. It can also alert you to new e-mail messages when the lid is closed.

The Portege R400 has a 12.1-inch screen and … Read more

HP's Vista-powered entertainment tablet

HP is one of the first vendors to announce a laptop specifically built to run Windows Vista. The HP Pavilion tx1000us is what we call a convertible tablet PC, a standard-looking laptop whose screen swivels 180 degrees and folds down over the keyboard. It has a 12.1-inch screen and falls into the thin-and-light category of laptops.

The tx1000us takes advantage of several of the new tablet features in Windows Vista, including Pen Flicks (quick shortcuts you activate with a swipe of the stylus) and enhanced support for touch-sensitive screens--the kind that work with any pointing device or even your … Read more

Solid state, solid price

Futurist types have been talking about SSD drives for years--solid state hard drives with no spinning platters or other moving parts to slow you down on the road to rapid computing. It's not totally crazy--after all, that's pretty much how your iPod Nano works--but for desktop and laptop computers, the high price and low capacity of these little drives have kept them from being more than an amusing proof-of-concept.

SanDisk has got a new Solid State Disk for all the naysayers out there, upping the capacity to a reasonable 32GB (still small for a hard drive, but not … Read more

LED laptops: Thinner, lighter, longer, better

From the Tech Report yesterday comes the news that Apple and HP will release laptops in Q2 that will feature new LCD screen technology. Instead of the regular fluorescent lamps that serve as backlights for your typical LCD screen, the new displays will use LEDs. The Tech Report's story mentions that the effect will be a brighter image with better contrast. What it doesn't mention is that LED-backlit displays will allow for thinner laptop designs and longer battery life.

Apple and HP may be readying their designs, but Sony is already selling such a laptop. The Sony VAIO VGN-TXN15P/W … Read more

USB Webcam key does double duty

As much as it pains us to admit it, some of us at Crave don't have the latest personal technologies in our personal possession. One such glaring omission, for example, is a laptop with a built-in Webcam.

As shameful as this is, we hope to still be able to partly make up for this shortcoming with something like the diminutive "Volvex," a USB stick with built-in camera from Sunyang DNT. Unfortunately, PClaunches says this little combo gadget will be available only in South Korea until further notice, starting at $59 for a model with 512MB storage. But … Read more

Dell offers Blu-ray with the XPS M1710

As more and more manufacturers get accustomed to working with Blu-ray technology, prices will eventually drop for the everyday consumer. Until then, prices will remain on the premium side. Dell became the second manufacturer, after Sony, to offer a Blu-ray optical drive option in a laptop by now offering it with their XPS M1710 system. This model is available in red or black and is sure to be popular with users.

If your MacBook is into leather

As part of our charitable holiday wishes, we've asked that people not neglect the MacBooks in the family while their iPod siblings get all the attention. The response, we're happy to say, has been admirable.

If you're looking for one more accessory to stuff in your laptop's stocking, the ever-fashionable Chip Chick has just the item: a "form-fitting leather wrap." The line of "Signature Suits" from Case-Mate come in various designs of black, white and red with contrasting accents.

The case covers are a bit on the high side at $149, but … Read more

Toughbooks get tougher to resist with mobile broadband

These days, if you're not rocking some mobile broadband on your laptop, you might as well not even leave the house. The latest notebooks to jump on the EV-DO Rev. A bandwagon (for those speedy 800KBps downloads) are the Panasonic Toughbook W5 and the T5, originally released in September. The provider of choice in this case is Sprint.

Our enthusiasm is only somewhat dampened by the fact that those two models are what Panasonic calls "business-rugged." That means these laptops have a magnesium-alloy case designed to withstand a 1-foot drop, and shock-mounted hard drives rated for a … Read more