All The Latest Cell Phone, Gadget and Tech News
2 Feb
Make her heart melt this Valentine’s Day with this cute, cotton candy pink colored laptop from
Sony, the Sony VAIO VGN-C290. Don’t let the pink color fool you, however. This laptop is a nice, powerful machine, featuring an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and an energy-saving 13.3-inch widescreen LCD display with XBRITE-ECO technology.
The VGN-C290 features integrated wireless LAN, an optional DVD burner, extended battery life, and Windows Vista Business or Windows Vista Home Premium. Because this laptop is customizable, the 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive capacity ranges from 60GB to 160GB, and has memory configurations available from 1GB to 2GB.
Tags: Laptops1 Feb
Sony has rolled out a new business-class notebook computer - the Sony VAIO TX5-Series. With an advanced carbon fiber construction, the notebook provides great strength while keeping the weight down to just 1.25kg, making it an ultra-portable notebook perfect for business men and women on the go. With an ultra-low voltage platform included, battery life is also capable of lasting up to 7 hours. This will leave you with more time to get your work done, and less time worrying about finding a place to plug-in and power up every two hours.

The Sony VAIO TX5-Series notebooks come standard with Windows Vista Business, 1GB RAM, widescreen X-black LCD display illuminated by low power consumption LED technology, fingerprint recognition, Trusted Platform Module encryption, and sensor-based hard disk drop protection.
A special limited edition model of the Sony Vaio TX5-Series will be available exclusively through the Sony Style website. This model, the Sony VGN-TX5VN/L will feature a premium natural carbon finish and have a special 2GB RAM configuration.
Tags: Laptops1 Feb
Verizon Wireless and Novatel Wireless announced today the availability of the USB730, the world’s first CDMA 1x Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) Revision A USB wireless modem. The USB720 modem will be available online beginning today and in stores Feb. 20 , and is compatible with all the latest notebook, desktop, and handheld PC’s through the industry standard USB interface.
Novatel Wireless designed the modem, and has choosen Verizon Wireless as the distibutor for the device. The USB720 device measures just 3.52 x 1.49 x .69 inches, and weighs only 1.6oz, making it very compact and highly portable. The modem has an advanced dual band diversity antenna system design, with an integrated flip antenna. The modem is compatible with Verizon Wireless’ enhanced and existing wireless broadband networks, as well as Verizon’s NationalAccess network, which is based on CDMA 1xRTT technology. It supports Windows 2000, XP and Vista, as well as Mac OS X, and works seamlessly with the enterprise edition of VZAccess Manager software.
Along with the annoucement of the new USB720 EV-DO modem, Verizon has also announced the availability of increased speeds of Rev. A technology to BroadbandAccess customers in parts of Illinois, Florida, Utah, Virginia, and Massachusetts. Customers will experience average download speeds of 450-800 kilobits per second (kbps) and average upload speeds of 300-400 kbps. This means you can download a 1MB email attachment in just 15 seconds.
Customers in Rev. A enhanced areas that purchase the USB720 that are already subscribers to BroadbandAccess can begin enjoying the new speeds immediately with no additional charges. Verizon customers with a voice plan of $39.99 or higher can sign up for the unlimited BroadbandAccess with Rev. A speeds for an extra $59.99 per month. Verizon customers without a voice plan can purchase BroadbandAccess for $79.99 per month.
You can pick up the new EV-DO USB720 model for $149.99 with a two year agreement, or $199.99 with a one-year agreement. The device is available right now on Verizonwireless.com and through Verizon’s business sales channels. USB720 will be available in Verizon stores, including Circuit City, beginning February 20th.
Tags: Laptops, Portable Devices1 Feb
The Kensington Vo200 BT internet phone will allow you to make calls with any of the popular VoIP services, such as Skype, Google, AOL, MSN, or Yahoo. It’s designed specifically to work with laptops (although it will work with a desktop PC as well) and can be stored away in the laptops PCMCIA card slot. While the phone is in the PCMCIA card slot, the phone is constantly charging, and when removed it has 3 hours of talk-time and 30 hours of stand-by time.

The mouthpiece of the phone can be folded out to allow you to use it like a cell phone, or you can flip it around and set it up like a stand, where it can be used like a speakerphone. To make your calls clearer, the phone includes noise suppression technologies and echo cancelation. And when you’re running out of jice, a blinking LED light will warn you when you have 10% of talk time left.
This slim new Kensington Vo200 BT internet phone can be purchased on Kensington’s website for just $89.99.
Tags: Laptops, Portable Devices31 Jan
Today Sony announced the VAIO G11-Series notebooks created specifically for business travellers who don’t want to have to lug around a heavy piece of equipment and all kinds of accessories. At just 1.12kg, including battery, the G11-Series notebook is very portable. The power supply unit was also shrunk down in size, weighing 170g and shorter end to end than a pen.
Advanced carbon fiber laminate was used for the G11-Series casing and lid, which shaves off some weight, and giving the notebook unprecedented strength and durability. Most notebooks do not feature as much carbon fiber as the VAIO G11, which makes this one of the lightest notebooks that can withstand some beatings. Further proving its durability, the VAIO can be dropped from a height of no more than 90cm without harm. If it drops while the device is powered on, the hard disk will sense the acceleration and automatically lock down drive heads to prevent damage and data loss.
The notebook also includes the latest Intel Ultra-Low Voltage processor, which expands battery life to an impressive 9 hours. This means you get high performance, minimal power consumption, and less worries.
The display screen on the G11-Series notebook is small at just 12.1-inches with XGA resolution but this is designed with business in mind. It features the 4:3 aspect ratio rather than the widescreen 16:9 that is now featured in most consumer-oriented notebooks.
A special limited edition model, the VGN-G11N/T is available exclusively through Sony Style online for a limited time only. It features a premium brown carbon fiber finish, and has 2GB of system memory, rather than the standard 1GB.
Tags: Laptops31 Jan
Sony has just completed key updates for its 2007 VAIO product range. ![]()
The Sony VAIO AR30-Series is the latest version of the first notebook to feature an integrated Blue-ray Disc optical drive. The flagship notebook in this series is the VGN-AR31S, which was created to be the ultimate Full HD entertainment notebook.
The Sony VGN-AR31S notebook features a huge, 17-inch double lap X-black LCD widescreen display, which is capable of Full HD. With the integrated Blu-ray optical disc drive, users can edit personal HD video content and burn it onto a Dual Layer 50GB Blu-ray disc, and with the premium display, you can enjoy all the benefits of Blu-ray playback. The notebook also includes an integrated hybrid digital/analog TV tuner, and comes with a remote control for the ultimate PC entertainment system.
Tags: Laptops31 Jan
Boston Power Inc. introduced on Tuesday at DEMO 07 its new Sonata product line, a next generation, lithium-ion battery for laptop computers. Sonata batteries are considered to be a drop-in technology, which means OEMs don’t have to change their designs for the product to work with them.
Some of the benefits of the Sonata batteries are enhancements in performance and safety, which include slower chemical kinetics, novel current interrupt devices, new thermal fuses, unique pressure relief vents, and safer pack configuration. Sonata batteries also feature the industry’s fastest re-charge time - in just 30 minutes you can recharge your battery to 80% capacity. This is at least half of the time of other batteries. As well, the Boston Power Sonata batteries are designed to match the lifespan of a laptop computer. Instead of having to buy at least three new batteries in the first three years of a computer like most consumers, if you use a Boston Power Sonata battery you wouldn’t need to buy any other batteries in that timeframe.
Tags: Laptops30 Jan
HP has presented their latest laptop to be released with the new Windows Vista, it is called dv6255 and will become available to the general public (released) on January 30 as expected, but you can already pre-order from BestBuy. Anyway, the features on this new laptop have to match the requirements of Vista, therefore it is obvious the good amount of Ram Memory (2GB) as well as a good processor (Intel Core 2 Duo processor T5200) is a good bet to work with the new Microsoft Operative System.
The hard-drive is also big in terms of storage capacity (160GB) and in case you need to release some data you can just use the available DVD Writer from LightScribe aka SuperMulti 8X. As usual, there are USB2.0 slots (in this case, 3) and a digital media reader for transferring data purposes from digital cards to the laptop, it has a 15.4-inch WXGA with a 1280×800 resolution which includes an HP Pavilion webcam (1.3megapixels) with microphone. There is a lot of other software included besides the Vista, and for $1,400 (canadian) it can be yours.
Tags: Laptops29 Jan

Toshiba is rolling out their spring line-up of super-cool new laptop computers, starting witht he Toshiba Qosmio F30-87 AW. It comes with the new Windows Vista Home Premium operating system, a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, NVIDIA GeForce GO 7300 graphics card, Multi DL DVD burner, and a 15.4-inch display (1280×800). It also has a 5400rpm 120GB SATA hard disk, REGZA digital TV tuner, and WiFi. The battery is supposed to give you 2.7 hours of computing time before you’ll need to plug-in and recharge. You can pick one up for about $1,585.
Tags: Laptops25 Jan
If the Toshiba U205-S5057 didn’t pack much of a punch in your eyes then you should take a look at the Toshiba Satellite U205-S5067 which is an upgraded version of the U205-S5057.
The Toshiba Satellite U205-S5067 notebook draws it juice from the dual-execution core T7200 Core 2 Duo processor with 2.0 GHz speed, 667 MHz system bus, and massive 4 MB L2 cache. This one comes equipped with 2GB of RAM, so multi-tasking is a breeze. Other features include; 160 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), tri-mode 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with up to 196 MB of shared video RAM, and 5-in-1 memory card reader.
The Satellite U205-S5067 weighs over 4 pounds and has a 12.1-inch widescreen display with TruBrite technology for enhanced performance and a resolution of 1280 x 800. One also comes across the Toshiba LifeSmart Technology which includes shock-absorbing technologies to protect the hard drive, a spill-resistant keyboard, fingerprint security, and a magnesium alloy case.
The notebook comes bundled with the Windows Vista Home Premium OS and includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. Other software applications include; Disc Creator, Recovery Disc Creator, and Speech System. Third-party software titles include Microsoft Works 8.5, Microsoft Office OneNote 2007, InterVideo WinDVD 8 SD and Creator 2 Platinum, Google Desktop and Toolbar, McAfee Internet Security Suite (with 30-day trial), and Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60-day trial).
The Satellite U205-S5067 double-layer DVD drive plays formats like DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs, CD-RW discs, and dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs and one also comes across USB 2.0 ports, FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ,VGA monitor port, PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type II, PCMCIA R2.01, PC Card16, CardBus, headphone jack and a microphone jack. It shall retail for $1,599 in around February.
Tags: Laptops25 Jan
Lenovo has introduced the new USB 2.0 Super Multi-Burner Drive with LightScribe. This external device allows you to copy music, video, or data and create professional labels. Features of the device include read/write speeds of up to 24x to CD and 8x maximum writing to DVD.
The multi-burner drive is extremely lightweight and slim for ultimate mobility. With the included LightScribe feature you can burn professional quality labels on LightScribe compatible CDs and DVDs. The Lenovo US 2.0 Super Multi-Burner Drive has read/write capabilities for DVD-R Dual Layer and DVD+R Double Layer media.
The drive also includes the easy-to-use Multimedia Center for Think Offerings software, WinDVD movie navigator software, WinDVD Creator Plus video editing software. When used with suppored computers such as the ThinkPad X40/X41, X Series Tablet, and X60 series notebooks, a power adaptor is not required for normal operation.
The Lenovo USB 2.0 Super Multi-Burner Drive with LightScribe will be available for purchase on January 26 for $249.95.
Tags: Desktop PCs, Laptops, Portable Devices24 Jan
The Toshiba P105-S6217 is actually an upgrade to the yet to be released Satellite P105-S6207 which also translates into more expensive! The 17 inch notebook promises to be a gamer/videophile delight with its TruBrite display. Other nifty add ons include; USB TV tuner with both NTSC (standard definition) and ATSC (HD) tuners, Harman Kardon speakers, digital audio output, and the Intel GMA 950 video card with up to 196 MB. One also comes across the Express Media Player which lets you access CDs and DVDs without booting the system.
The Toshiba Satellite P105-S6217 has the Intel 1.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 processor under its hood which features a 667 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and large 2 MB L2 cache. This one too like all the new Toshiba notebooks comes installed with Windows Vista Premium OS and a host of Windows Centre Applications. The notebook also includes; a 200 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), tri-mode Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11a/b/g), multi-format/dual-layer DVD burner, ExpressCard slot, multi-format memory card reader, and a fingerprint reader for added security.
Toshiba has also installed the notebook with a number of applications like; Microsoft Works 8.5, Microsoft Office OneNote 2007, InterVideo WinDVD 8 SD and Creator 2 Platinum, Google Desktop and Toolbar, McAfee Internet Security Suite (with 30-day trial), and Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60-day trial).
Some other features found on the P105-S6217 include; S/PDIF digital audio output,FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ,VGA monitor port, PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type II, PCMCIA R2.01, PC Card16, CardBus,1 headphone jack and a microphone jack. The notebook would retail for 1,599 in January end.
Tags: Laptops24 Jan
Those who require a notebook for gaming and multimedia purposes should give the new Toshiba Satellite P105-S6207 a look. The Windows Vista notebook has been equipped with a brilliant 17-inch TruBrite display and includes; an external USB TV tuner with both NTSC (standard definition) and ATSC (HD) tuners, Harman Kardon speakers, digital audio output, and the Intel GMA 950 video card with up to 196 MB. One also comes across the Express Media Player which lets you access CDs and DVDs without booting the system.
The P105-S6207 draws it juice from the Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 processor which features a 1.66 GHz processor speed, 667 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and large 2 MB L2 cache. The notebook comes bundled with the Windows Vista Home Premium OS and includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. Toshiba has also thrown in a 160 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), tri-mode Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11a/b/g), multi-format/dual-layer DVD burner, ExpressCard slot, multi-format memory card reader, and a fingerprint reader for added security.
Other software applications include; Disc Creator, Recovery Disc Creator, and Speech System. Third-party software titles include Microsoft Works 8.5, Microsoft Office OneNote 2007, InterVideo WinDVD 8 SD and Creator 2 Platinum, Google Desktop and Toolbar, McAfee Internet Security Suite (with 30-day trial), and Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60-day trial).
The Toshiba Satellite P105-S6207 measures 15.5 x 10.8 x 1.65 inches and weighs 7.1 pounds. It comes bundled with rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions and shall retail for $1,299 in January end.
Tags: Laptops24 Jan
The Toshiba Satellite U205-S5057 notebook is a 12.1″ Notebook PC with Windows Vista Home Premium as the operating system. Thus Toshiba promises it as a great fix for advance users and the notebook also comes bundled with applications.
The Toshiba Satellite U205-S5057 has a 12.1-inch TFT display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and the on board TruBrite technology helps in enhancing the imagery. It also uses the new dual-execution core T5500 Core 2 Duo processor which features a 1.66 GHz speed, 667 MHz system bus, and 2 MB L2 cache. Other system specs include;160 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), tri-mode 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with up to 196 MB of shared video RAM, and 5-in-1 memory card reader.
The new notebook by Toshiba weighs over 4 pounds and includes a double-layer DVD drive which plays DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs, CD-RW discs, and dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs. The notebook also comes bundled with a number of nifty applications like; Disc Creator, Recovery Disc Creator, and Speech System. Third-party software titles include Microsoft Works 8.5, Microsoft Office OneNote 2007, InterVideo WinDVD 8 SD and Creator 2 Platinum, Google Desktop and Toolbar, McAfee Internet Security Suite (with 30-day trial), and Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60-day trial).
The Toshiba Satellite U205-S5057 is powered by a 6-cell rechargeable lithium-ion battery (4700 mAh) which has a battery life of up to 4.5 hours and comes bundled with rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. Some other features include; 3 USB 2.0 ports , FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ,VGA monitor port, PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type II, PCMCIA R2.01, PC Card16, CardBus,1 headphone jack and a microphone jack. It shall retail for $1,299 in February.
Tags: Laptops23 Jan
Today Intel Corp. introduced the Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N network connection, which is an upgrade to the wireless component found inside Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology and other Intel based laptops. This device will enable users to extend networking speed and range, and is based on the draft 802.11n WiFi specifications.

The Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N network connection offers users up to 5 times the performance and twice the wireless range. As well, it provides an an extra one hour of battery life as compared to existing Draft-N products.
Wireless-N technology greatly improves consumers’ home networking experiences by reducing dead spots, optimizing HD entertainment experiences, improving battery life, and the benefit of working with existing 802.11 a/b/g access points. It is especially helpful in households where multiple people access a wireless network at the same time, and utilize heavy bandwidth consuming applications.
The Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N technology will be delivered in conjuction with new notebook computers from OEM’s such as Acer, Asus, Gateway, and Toshiba that will be powered by Intel Centrino Duo. These laptops are being distributed with Microsoft Windows Vista beginning at the end of this month.
Tags: Laptops23 Jan
Remember the Sony VAIO C-Series laptops we told you about last week? 
Then, there were only six colors available, but now Sony is offering Limited Edition “Graphic Splash” versions of the notebook. There are very limited supplies of these special edition laptops, so you’ll want to grab one before they’re all gone.
The Graphic Splash limited edition designs are available in Green Storm, Red Storm, Blue Streaks, Angel and Pink Swirl. Prices start at just $919, depending on your configuration.
Tags: Laptops23 Jan
Are you sick and tired of the boring black, silver, and white laptops that just about everyone is carrying around? Looking to spice up your laptop collection with a little color? Then head on over to Colorware, where you can now get yourself a Lenovo ThinkPad t60p in your favorite color.
Probably more important than the color, is the machine’s specs. The Lenovo ThinkPad T60p colorized by Colorware is not just a pretty device, but also a powerful one. It features a 15.4-inch widescreen TFT display, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 1GB memory, 100GB SATA hard drive, wireless connection, DVD burner, ATI Mobility Fire GL V5250 Graphics, and a FingerPrint Scanner for secure login.
The color coating on the Lenovo ThinkPad T60p also is supposed to protect from scratches. According to the website, the color coating is applied to the laptop in a custom atmospheric chamber while still in its liquid form. Then, it is cured with ultra violet light to make it scratch resistant and have superior clarity.
Available colors fall under either Metallic or Solid color categories, as show below:
Tags: Laptops23 Jan
The official consumer launch day for Windows Vista is January 30th, or just about a week from today. However, the folks at NewEgg are already offering you the ability to purchase the new Windows Vista OS.
Right now, NewEgg is offering the new OS in the Ultimate, Home Premium, Home Basic and Business editions in 32-bit versions. There is no information about 64-bit versions at this time on their website.
Pricing is as follows:
Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Ultimate Single Pack DVD ? OEM - $199.99
Windows Vista 32-Bit Business Single Pack DVD ? OEM - $149.99.
Home Basic - $99.99
Home Premium - $119.99
23 Jan
ASUS has announced the A8Jr notebook series which have the distinction of being the worlds first notebook series to use ATI’s Mobility Radeon?2300 GPU for superior imagery! The new notebooks are thus ideal for running graphical intensive applications or even gaming!
The A8Jr notebook series would be powered by the latest Intel Core 2 Duo technology and will come loaded with Windows XP and would be WIndows Vista ready too. All models in the series have been equipped with a 14.1″ Widescreen Color Shine LCD featuring ASUS Splendid Video Intelligence Technology. One also comes across support for Bluetooth and wi-fi. Users can also go for the optional Bluetooth 2.0 EDR which transmits three times faster than the standard Bluetooth.
The ASUS A8Jr uses Splendid Video Intelligence Technology which is known to reduce noise and enhance the brightness, skin tone and color saturation for all video applications. Users will also dig the built-in accessories like the microphone and the high-resolution webcam. Other features include; 5x USB Ports, 1x TV-Out, 1x DVI Port, 1x Card Reader, 1x Express Card, 1x IEEE1394, 1x VGA Out, 1x RJ11, 1x RJ45. No word on pricing or availability.
“There is an ever-increasing demand for higher graphic processing power and crisper graphics for entertainment and applications alike,” says David Cummings, director of marketing, Graphics Products Group, AMD. “Our answer to that demand is the X2300 GPU. This GPU utilizes patented technology to increase processing power and provide the user with smooth, realistic hi-resolution graphics.”
Tags: Laptops22 Jan
The ASUS W5Fe Laptop is a compact 12-inch wide notebook featuring the cutting-edge SideShow external auxiliary display on the LCD cover. ![]()
The W5Fe is baed on ASUS’ award-winning W5 series design, and comes with a number of exclusive features including a high-resolution swivel webcam and display technologies for enhanced digital entertainment fun. It also features a card reader slot and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.
The ASUS W5FE notebook utilizes Microsoft’s powerful new Windows Vista operating system, and has Intel Core 2 Duo processors, as well as Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology. The external mini screen is a great feature that runs off of the independent SideShow operating system, which can be booted up without booting up the entire PC. This allows for quick access to information such as phone numbers and addresses, or other information that you need to get at quickly. It’s also great for when you’re in a meeting and need to look up some info quickly, without setting up your laptop and creating a disturbance.
Tags: Laptops
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