In recent past Apple has been praised as a company that has at least verbally opposed DRM. More weight was given to their supposed DRM stance when they began offering some music from EMI without copy protection on iTunes. When it comes to hardware, however, Apple still seems to be in step with the industry. It's been discovered that Apple's new MacBook lines include full HDCP support, a technology intended to “ensure” that content being played back is only being played on “authorized” displays.
You can see an example of the technology in action here. The DRM-protected content refuses to play, due to an external projector attached to the machine being “unauthorized” to play it. In the future, Apple says, all of their hardware will support this feature. This could make keeping and playing back DRM-protected content even more cumbersome than it is now, with people finding themselves locked in not only to a particular machine, but to a particular display as well.
As the amount of HDCP-aware content increases you can expect more people to encounter this kind of issue as well. HDCP has been a controversial technology since its introduction years ago, though to date there has been very little fallout because of it. That could soon be changing.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Apple's new MacBooks are HDCP-aware
HP unveils multi-touch consumer tablet PC
Apple may have popularized multi-touch screens with the introduction of its iPhone smartphone back in 2007, but the technology is just now getting a foothold in notebooks and desktops. One of the main proponents in these segments has been HP, which introduced the TouchSmart all-in-one media PC earlier this year and today is touting a new touch friendly model in the form of a tablet called the TouchSmart tx2.
While Apple’s MacBook line enables multi-touch gestures on the trackpad, the new HP Touchsmart tx2 actually lets you enjoy such functionality right on the 12.1-inch screen – whether or not this is in fact useful rather than just a nice perk remains to be seen.
It should be noted that Dell actually beat HP to the punch when it introduced multi-touch on its Latitude XT tablet back in July, but the technology was essentially limited to scrolling and zooming functions, whereas the tx2 will come with HP’s own MediaSmart software which adds a few more gestures to the mix.
Specs for the HP TouchSmart tx2 include an array of AMD Turion X2 processors, up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM, hard drives up to 400GB, and an optional ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics card. The tablet can be ordered immediately with prices starting at $1,150 and it will begin shipping in late November
Friday, August 08, 2008
PSP extended life battery kit is discontinued
"Yes, we are discontinuing this product as we look for other opportunities to service the consumer," notes de Leon. Hopefully, we'll see something else that can augment the PSP's battery life.
HP Unveils Compaq 2230s Ultraportable
- Intel Core 2 Duo CPU up to 2.8 GHz
- 120/16/250/320GB SATA hard drive/5,400 rpm
- Up to 4GB RAM
- 4-cell battery
- 12.1 inch display/1280 x 800 native resolution
- Intel GMA 4500MHD, up to 384MB shared memory
- Intel 802.11 draft n, Bluetooth 2.0
- ExpressCard/34 slot, SD card reader
- 3 USB ports, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, modem, headphone, mic, optional Kensington lock slot
- 3D accelerometer
- Drive encryption
- HP SpareKey
- HP File Sanitizer
- Fingerprint reader
- 11.6 x 8.9 x 1.1 inches
- Starts at 4.1 pounds
Live Webcast Tomorrow of the ECS G10IL and Sylvania MESO
Our first hands-on impressions of the netbooks will be up by the end of today, but for those interested in seeing them up close and personal, tune in tomorrow to our live webcast. We’ll take you through both of the systems and then have some renowned mobile technology bloggers, including JKKMobile, JKontheRun and Sascha from EeePcNews.de, join the conversation.
Hands-On with the ECS G10IL: The Sexiest Netbook Yet
I have a pre-production ECS G10IL and the company has not yet made public what brand the notebook will come to the U.S. market under. We just know it won’t be branded as ECS. Nevertheless, here are my first thoughts on the potential MSI Wind and Eee PC 1000H killer.
To see the ECS G10IL put under a microscope, tune into our live broadcast tomorrow, August 8 at 1:00 p.m. EST.
Stunning Lid and All-Around Design
As I said before, the ECS G10IL is one nice looking netbook both from the inside and out. The lid is covered in a white glossy finish but is inlaid with thin silver stripes. The unit we have is not like the one that we saw at Computex; it has a glossier lid and a different hinge.
When we put the ECS G10IL next to an MSI Wind, the G10IL looks shinner and more attractive. Also of note is the ECS’ circular and sturdy hinge (check it out in the video), which looks very similar to that of the Sony VAIO FW Series.
The beauty extends under the cover. The white matte inside has a minimalist look and its rounded edges remind me of a Apple MacBook. As for the size of the mini-notebook, it weighed 3.0- pounds which is a tad heavier that the Wind. When put on top of the Wind it appears that the systems are the same exact size, though our G10IL is a bit smaller, perhaps because our Wind has a thicker, 6-cell battery.
A Keyboard With Lots of Breathing Room
The keyboard is nothing but pleasant. It is very similar to the keyboard found on the MSI Wind, however the keys are wider and have a flat shape, reminiscent of recent Macbooks. Our one peeve about the keyboard is the odd placement of the small sized shift key to the right of the up arrow button.
The touchpad is wider than that of the MSI Wind. However, there is the single mouse button, that clicks left or right, below it. The button is also inlaid with blue LED status lights. It’s interesting that ECS didn’t just put the lights on the side of the pad.
Wide 10-Inch Screen
The 10-inch sunken screen on the system is roomy and bright. When I watched Paris Hilton’s campaign video on Hulu.com, colors looked bright and vibrant. I could easily see small details, like her blond strands of hair. Because you cannot push the screen back any further than to about a 75-degree angle there was no noticeable glare.
Early Performance Thoughts
We have a pre-production unit of the ECS G10IL. However, we have no anecdotal performance complaints (we will run some benchmarks on it later on). Its 1.6GHz Intel Atom Processor and 1GB of RAM have no problem pushing Windows XP Professional (with Service Pack 3) along. I made a few calls over Skype while surfing around in Firefox 3 and there was no hold up. Its 120GB Samsung HM121HI hard drive booted the system in 50 seconds.
Very Early Verdict
My few hours alone with the ECS G10IL have me thinking that we could have an MSI Wind and Eee PC 1000H killer on our hands. Sure we don’t know when it will come to market or how much it will actually cost (ECS’s Henry Kwan told us around $499 a few months back), but that doesn’t mean it won’t be one of the best 10-inchers around.
Hands-On With the Sylvania g Netbook Meso
Plain, Functional Design
I saw the MESO back at Computex as the wooden clad Amtek Elego. Sylvania took the design down a notch. Our review unit sports a glossy black cover (which has already become smeared in finger prints); a fancy looking “g” is front and center on the lid. The netbook is a comfortable size and weighed in at 2.6 pounds. Compared to the 8.9-inch Acer Aspire one, it is thicker but the Acer is longer.
Small Keyboard, Nice Trackpad
The keyboard on the Meso is about the same size as the one as the Gigabyte M912 (a flashback to the days of the ASUS Eee PC 701 keyboard). The truth is I have been typing on the Gigabyte M912 for a few days now and I have gotten quite used to it and am mistyping less and less. Nevertheless, it is still cramped compared to competitors like the 8.9-inch HP Mini-Note or the Acer Aspire one.
The touchpad on the Meso is smooth and features dedicated right and left mouse buttons. However, as you will see in the video, there is a loud clicking sound when they are pressed. This might annoy some people, especially the person trying to sleep in bed next to you while you surf the Web.
Matte Display With Speakers Below
Unlike the glossy screen on the Acer Aspire one, this 8.9-incher has a 1024 x 600 resolution matte display. I like that you can bend the lid all the way back. In addition, the vertical viewing angles are quite good as bringing the screen to a 45-degree angle didn’t cause much of a glare. Watching a streaming video of the Colbert Report was clear and the picture was quite bright.
Unlike most other netbooks, the g Netbook Meso has its speakers positioned below the screen. Though this is superior to the Acer Aspire one, which muffles its speakers by putting them on the bottom, it adds significant length to the system’s lid. The speakers are actually quite loud (see the video for a sampling), but sound a bit tinny.
Early Performance Thoughts
We have the $399 version of the g Netbook Meso, which is powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and 512MB of RAM. It also sports an 80GB hard drive. Our unit is an early model so it does not have the Ubuntu Netbook Remix OS that it will come to market it with. It is, however, running Windows XP and there will be an XP-version of the Meso released in September.
Even with only 512MB of RAM, the Meso runs Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 3 quite well. We conducted a smooth video call over Skype while surfing the Web in Firefox 3. Even better, the notebook doesn’t seem to run too hot.
So there you have our first impressions of the Sylvania Netbook g Meso. But there is more. Tune in tomorrow to ask your questions about the newest mini on the market.
ASUS Vito W1 wireless mouse keeps watch on your heart rate
Watches that monitor your heart rate may be commonplace these days (because, you know, they're actually useful), but a mouse that keep watch on your ticker -- well, that's something you don't see everyday. ASUS seems to think that's a shame, however, and it's set out to rectify things somewhat with its new heart-monitoring Vito W1 wireless mouse. Apart from an apparently really simple heart-monitoring application that comes with it though, this one looks to be about as standard as wireless mice get, with it boasting a 1,200 dpi resolution, a 2.4GHz USB receiver, five programmable buttons and not much else. No word on a price just yet, nor is there any indication of a planned release 'round these parts.
New robotic arm promises to mind Newton's third law
REDFLY now available for $499, purpose even less clear
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Lenovo Enters the Mini-Notebook Market with the IdeaPad S10
Rumors of Lenovo entering the mini-notebook space end here and now. Lenovo officially announced this morning its IdeaPad S10 - a 10-inch mini-notebook running the 1.6GHz Intel Atom chipset. Do we have a MSI Wind or Eee PC 1000H killer on our hands? Quite possibly.
Two configurations of the 9.8 x 7.2 x .8-1.08-inch and 2.4-pound S10 will be available in the U.S. Priced at $399, one will have 512MB of RAM and an 80GB hard drive. The other marked at $449.99 will have 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. The specs seem to indicate that the system will support 2GB of RAM, so we assume swapping out RAM will be easy.
Initially the netbook will come preloaded with Microsoft Windows XP. However, Lenovo told us that a version of the S10 running Linpus Linux will be available is other countries.
We cannot wait to get our hands on the mini-notebook as the keyboard is reportedly “85 percent of the size of a full-function notebook PC’s keyboard.” A close look at the pictures in the gallery below strongly suggest a large and comfortable touchpad with dedicated right and left mouse buttons. The touchpad will support multi-touch gestures. The 10-inch 1024 x 600-pixel (WSVGA) resolution screen also looks extremely promising and is LED backlit for power saving. The speakers lining the front of the system also give it a different look and will hopefully blast out some decent sound as they aren’t buried on the bottom.
Lenovo has seemed to work in all the important ports. The netbook includes Bluetooth connectivity, 802.11b/g , and an ExpressCard for popping in a mobile broadband card. It also sports a LAN connection and VGA-out. It has a 1.3-megapixel webcam, two USB ports, mic and headphone jacks, and a 4-in-1 card reader. I am hesitant about only 2 USB ports.
As for battery life, Lenovo is promising that the system will be available with a 3-cell battery, capable of 3 hours, and 6-cell, capable of lasting 6 hours.
The IdeaPad S10 will come in white, black, and a glossy ruby red. It will be on retail shelves in the U.S. on September 28 and perhaps on Lenovo.com a bit earlier. It will be available in China, however, on September 5 and in the far east on September 10.
A version of the S10 with a 9-inch screen will be available in select countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Mexico, India, France, Turkey, Poland, and others.
Lenovo IdeaPad S10 netbook unveiled
The new Lenovo IdeaPad S10 marks Lenovo's entry into the netbook PC market, with more models to follow soon.
Lenovo also plans to introduce netbook models designed specifically for students and educators. Approximately one-inch thin with models weighing just over two pounds, the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 netbook typifies thin and light design.
The 10.2-inch screen Lenovo IdeaPad S10 comes in flavors of classic white and bold black as well as a glossy ruby red. Its keyboard is designed to be 85 percent of the size of a full-function notebook PC's keyboard, and an energy-efficient LED backlit display is claimed to help provide longer battery life than traditional displays.
The Lenovo IdeaPad S10 includes Wi-Fi and also has an ExpressCard slot so users can enable the netbook for optional high speed mobile broadband connectivity. To optimize the social networking experience, the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 comes with tools such as a built-in web camera for video messaging, two USB ports and a 4-in-1 multicard reader. The Lenovo IdeaPad S10 netbook runs Microsoft Windows XP.
Using the Intel Atom processor, the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 provides basic notebook functionality as a user's secondary PC. Lenovo offers it in two configurations, with one having 512MB of memory and an 80GB hard drive and the second configuration having 1GB of memory and a 160GB hard drive. Lenovo's OneKey Rescue System is claimed to help users recover data should a system error or virus occur.
The Lenovo IdeaPad S10 netbook PC will be available beginning in early October 2008, and prices start at $400.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Multi-function Adjustable Folding computer laptop desk
Thermal many holes evenly distributed in the panel, to avoid overheating triggered crashes, hardware damage and other issues, to help extend the life of the computer. At the same time also allows notebook tilt to the right angle to avoid long bow to see the screen head and neck pain caused by fatigue.
Size about:
Folding 30 x30x25cm
Started 60 x30x25cm
Material: ABS plastic
(Cool blue lines)
Bed tables with laptops:
Caring handle design, more convenient to carry out easily!
Tetrapod support to form a stable force uniform system that allows the use of computer tables to be more stable.
Cool, blue line, and create a romantic atmosphere of the waterfront.
Fast, cooling, the debris included, the use of computers, such as multiple tables for a reactive, this family-oriented to provide full-service!
Angle suitable for a more comfortable operation
Notebook cooling pad can be used
MOUNTING easily foldable
A number of stalls are free to adjust the perspective panel
Tetrapod stability and a solid metal support
Thursday, July 31, 2008
One real Traveller should have this ten tech toys
It may be hard to believe what the Met Office tells us, that we’re about to get an entire month’s rainfall in a single day, but the summer holidays are well and truly upon us. So it’s time to start packing the bags and stocking up on the latest tech toys that you can take on holiday with you.
If you stay here in the soggy old UK we’ve got rugged outdoor GPS devices, waterproof camcorders and wind-powered widgets such as the Freeplay radio or the Mini Wind Turbine. Head off to sunnier climes and you can use a Slingbox to watch your favourite TV shows anywhere in the world, or the Nimzy Vibro Max to play your tunes.
So wherever you go, or whatever you do, here are the must-have gadgets for your outdoor pursuits this year.
Flip Ultra
The Flip miniature camcorder is one of this summer’s hottest gadgets. Most digital camcorders are so complicated you need a degree in nuclear physics to use them, but this pocket-sized wonder is designed to be simplicity itself. You just press the Record button to start recording, and then press Stop when you’re done. That's it. The unit focuses automatically and is designed to cope with low-light conditions at parties or in pubs, so all you have to do is point it in the right direction and let it do its stuff.
The Flip has 2GB of memory built into it, which should be enough to capture one hour of video. It has 640 x 480 resolution – not exactly HD but fine for some quick holiday shots – and 2x zoom. When you’re finished shooting, a little USB connector folds out of the unit so that you can transfer your video onto a PC or Mac for editing or uploading to YouTube.
Price £99.95
Available from Firebox
Reg Rating 90%
Freeplay Mini Solar Wind-Up Radio
The Freeplay is a kind of eco-friendly Swiss Army knife of a device. It’s a compact AM/FM radio that can run off solar power or – as it’s chucking down as we write this – you can pull a little hand-crank out of the back of the unit and wind it up manually. It’s also got a torch built into it, and even a mini-USB connector that you can use to charge a mobile phone - though you may need an additional adaptor, depending on the type of handset you have. The radio will run for about 12 hours when fully charged. However, a 60-second crank – if you’ll pardon the expression – will keep the radio going for about 20 minutes, as well as running the torch for half an hour, or giving your mobile another two or three minutes of talk-time. Prices start at £19.95, but there are more expensive DAB and multi-band models available as well.
Price from £19.95
Available from Ethical Superstore
Reg Rating 90%
HY Mini Wind Turbine
We’ve seen a few portable solar-panel devices that can be used to charge iPods and other devices using solar energy. But let’s face it, they’re not much use when the weather’s as lousy as it has been this summer. A more reliable source of renewable energy here in the UK is wind-power, captured through the ingenuity of the HY Mini Wind Turbine.
The name is self-explanatory – the Mini Wind Turbine is simply a little fan that can pick up even a mild breeze and convert it into electrical energy. The energy is stored in a rechargeable battery so you can carry it around with you until you need to recharge your iPod, mobile phone or whatever. It includes a set of adaptors that will fit most types of handset or MP3 player, and for another £10 you can get a kit that lets you fix it to the handlebars of your bike. We kid you not.
Price £39.95
Available from Firebox
Reg Rating 85%
Kensington Contour Cargo Notebook Backpack
You’ll need a decent backpack to carry all your gadgets when you hit the road, and Kensington’s Cargo Contour Notebook Backpack is specifically designed for the techno-traveller. It includes a special padded sleeve to protect your laptop - up to 15.4in in size – though, of course, you can put other things in there as well. It’s got a variety of handy pockets and pouches for carrying phones, MP3 players and other devices, as well as a headphone port so that you can listen to your music while you keep your MP3 player safe inside the backpack. The base of the pack is waterproof to keep everything snug and dry, and it has a special lumbar support to ease the strain on your back as you lug all your techno-toys around with you.
Price £46
Available fromKensington
Reg Rating 80%
LaCrosse Meteotronic WM5000
Given the state of the weather this summer you shouldn’t leave home without one of these. The Meteotronic is a portable ‘weather station’ that can provide three-day weather forecasts for pretty much anywhere in Europe. It receives signals broadcast from weather stations in mainland Europe and provides forecasts for 90 different areas across the continent - although you can only get two-day forecasts for some of the more far-flung regions. It can display the current indoor and outdoor temperatures as well as daily highs and lows over the next three days. There’s even an alarm clock built into it to make sure you get off to an early start.
Price £40
Available from Cotswold Outdoor
Reg Rating 75%
Nimzy Vibro Max
The Nimzy Vibro Blaster turned a few heads when it was first released a couple of years ago, and this updated model improves on the original's winning formula. Like its predecessor, the Vibro Max uses innovative "electro-acoustic" technology that allows it to project acoustic vibrations into any flat surface, such as a wooden shelf or table-top. This causes the flat surface to emit sound, effectively turning the entire surface into a speaker. The Vibro Max itself is a compact little cube measuring less than 2.5 inches on each side, so it’s easy to slip into a backpack or suitcase when you’re travelling, and you can then just grab it and drop it onto any flat surface when you fancy listening to some tunes. It produces a healthy 20W audio output – much more than you’d get from a conventional set of portable speakers of the same size – and this model also includes a little remote control with adjustable bass, treble and volume controls. A standard audio jack lets you connect most types of MP3 players or other audio devices, and a recent price cut to just under £50 makes it excellent value for money.
Price £50
Available from Widget
Reg Rating 80%
Oregon Scientific Action Cam ATC3K
The Action Cam was just made for the YouTube generation. It’s a ‘hands-free’ camcorder that you can attach to the handlebars of a bike or onto a crash-helmet, allowing you to capture all the action as you and your friends risk life and limb in whatever insane sporting activity takes your fancy. It’s water-proof and shock-resistant so it should be able to survive most ‘extreme’ sports, and Oregon claims that it can carry on shooting at 30 frames per second even when completely underwater.
There are a number of Action Cam models currently available, so make sure you get the latest ATC3K unit, as this has a wider field of view than previous models and a slot for memory cards with capacity up to 4GB - roughly two hours of video at the Action Cam’s 640 x 470 resolution. The only bad news is that you’ll need to budget extra for the memory card is this isn’t included in the price.
Price £100
Available from Widget
Reg Rating 75%
Satmap Active 10
Outdoor GPS devices tend to be more expensive than their in-car counterparts – not least because they need to be much more solidly built in order to survive bad weather and being dropped every now and then as you trek across the Cairngorms.
Satmap’s Active 10 ‘sports GPS’ isn’t the cheapest outdoor model we’ve come across either. However, its rugged design and all-round versatility make it a good option for the more adventurous traveller. The waterproof handheld includes a 3.5in colour screen that's bright enough to view even in poor lighting conditions. Like most outdoor GPS devices, the Active 10 is sold with a basic UK roadmap built in, and you can buy additional maps for various parts of the country, with prices starting at about £30. The Active 10 can even double up as an MP3 player, thanks to its SD memory card slot and headphone socket, so it can help keep your spirits up when the going gets tough.
Price £300
Available from Satmap
Reg Rating 80%
Sennheiser PXC 300 Headphones
We don’t find in-ear ’phones ideal for traveling with – it’s too easy for them to fall out or get snagged as you move around – so we prefer a proper set of headphones for listening to music on the move. Sennheiser’s PXC 300 headphones provide good sound quality at a nice price, and they’re also designed with portability in mind. The headphones fold up when not in use so you can easily slip them into a pocket, and the headband and folding joints are reinforced with steel. The headphones are also provided with a rugged traveling case for extra protection. But the best bit: they come with noise-reduction technology to blank out external noise. Perfect for plane journeys.
Price £99
Available from Sennheiser
Reg Rating 85%
SlingMedia Slingbox Classic
If you’re on holiday and you can’t bear the thought of missing the Olympics, then the Slingbox is the answer to your prayers. You leave the Slingbox at home, hooked up to a DVR or your aerial, and use it to stream your favourite programs across the internet so that you can watch them anywhere in the world - as long as you’ve got Internet access or a 3G phone. The Slingbox is sold with SlingPlayer software which that lets you watch programmes on a Mac or PC laptop when you’re traveling. However, if you want to use it with a mobile you’ll need to pay an extra £20 for the optional SlingPlayer Mobile software - and the bad news is that it doesn’t currently work with the iPhone.
Price £100
Available from Sling Media
Reg Rating 85%