Have Laptop Will Travel

New rugged laptop from Dell

Originally posted on March 4, 2008 @ 11:50 pm

Dell recently released a new rugged laptop that boasts of the utmost in durability. The XFR D630 is a good compliment to Dell’s other rugged laptop, the Latitude ATG D620. The difference between the two is regarding standards. The Latitude is a semi rugged laptop that passes half of the MIL-STD 810F specs — a standard that was formulated by the Department of Defense for products that are meant to be operated in harsh environmental factors. The XFR D630, on the other hand, passes all of the requirements.

Features-wise, the XFR D630 is similar to the Panasonic Toughbook CF-52 — it has a thick diecast magnesium alloy chassis, a sealed keyboard, as well as port covers. It also has a solid state drive that comes in 32 and 64 gigabyte capacities. the display is a 14-inch widescreen with a brightness rating of 500 nits. It also has touchscreen capabilities. What’s more, the XFR D630 is highly configurable with a big selection of processors, RAM and graphics.

HP enters ultraportable market

Originally posted on April 8, 2008 @ 11:43 pm

The number of companies following ASUS’ trailblazing entry to the affordable ultraportable market continues to grow with HP being the newest kid on the block.

The company has launched its HP 2133 Mini-Note PC in the hope that it will be able to play with ASUS’ EEE PC. The new HP lappie has the same 3 pound weight as the EEE, as well as practically the same features. Users can also choose from a number of operating systems. The biggest attraction though could be its really beautiful look. The anodized aluminum exterior screams “Expensive” and really makes the the Mini-Note look like a PC not just for children (just look at the Intel Classmate) but for professionals too.

The Mini-Note will have the VIA C7-M 1.6 Ghz processor and will also have VIA integrated graphics. As for local storage, one can get 120 or 160gb harddrives or 4GB and 64GB SSDs.

The specs and the looks of the Mini-Note makes this a formidable competitor on paper but the $749 price tag sinks this ship especially when the EEE is almost $300 cheaper. We’ll see how the public reacts to the Mini-Note.

Microsoft inadvertently releases Vista SP1

Originally posted on February 25, 2008 @ 11:50 pm

Microsoft experienced a boo-boo last Thursday when the software giant inadvertently released Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista to a a number of users. Vista SP1 is supposed to be released mid-March.

SP1 is supposed to be the first major update/upgrade to the new OS that was released January 2007. What happened was that Vista SP1 was posted on Windows Update and was, by some glitch, made available to a large group that accessed Windows Update.

A number of users who actually know of the release date were surprised to see the availability of SP1. But the company has reiterated that the mid-March timeframe is still on schedule.

A few weeks ago, Microsoft also released SP3 Release Candidate 2 for Windows XP. The update has been made available on Windows Update but users are asked to revise some settings on their registry in order to get the update.

Alienware to release affordable gaming PCs

Originally posted on April 16, 2008 @ 8:18 pm

Alienware has made its brand synonymous with kick-ass gaming systems. It’s desktops and laptops are some of the most powerful in the market and is every techhead’s dream. The only thing that’s really not that attractive about it is the price — which is also some of the highest in the market.

But Alienware seems to have finally set its eye on budget gamers. Its update to its Aurora desktop series starts at a relatively affordable $1,000. The new PCs will sport AMD’s quad core Phenom 9850 processors as well as the buyer’s choice of graphics card. They can choose from the ATI Radeon 3870 X2, HD3850 or HD3870 cards in both single of dual Crossfire configurations. The usual alien-head chassis will be the body of these nifty and pocket friendly rigs.

Macbook Air released

Originally posted on January 16, 2008 @ 11:53 pm

All laptop nuts are definitely talking about the new Macbook Air, the newest offering from Apple, Inc.

The form factor is just to die for especially with its almost anorexic measurements. Touted to be the thinnest laptop ever, it will really turn heads. The thinness of the laptop though could be a source of some unexpected problems. It’s so wafer thin I wonder if someone might accidentally break it.

The specs of the Macbook Air are a mixed bag though. Although there are some nice features (multi touch trackpad, wireless access to optical drives) there are also new features that I think are a letdown (non user replaceable battery, low clock speeds, no optical drive).

What do you guys think about the Macbook Air?