ASUS LAUNCHES EEE PAD TABLETS AND EEE TABLET NOTE-TAKING DEVICE

Asus launched a few tablets called Eee Pads and a digital note-taking device called Eee Tablet at Computex yesterday. Asus Eee PadThe Eee Pads are the company's first touchscreen tablets. These machines are available in two different configurations. The 12.1 inch version called Eee Pad EP121 has an Intel Core 2 Duo CULV processor. It runs Windows 7 Home Premium and will reportedly offer around 10

Read More

MSI UNVEILS WIND PAD 100 AND 110 TABLETS AT COMPUTEX

MSI unveiled two tablets at CES yesterday. The machines called MSI Wind Pad 100 and MSI Wind Pad 110 both feature 10 inch touchscreen displays. But the under the hood these are totally different machines. Wind Pad 100 Windows 7 tabletThe MSI WindPad 100 is powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor. It runs Windows 7 Ultimate. MSI has also developed a touch-friendly program launcher called

Read More

LG X140 GETS OFFICIAL

The LG X140 has been making appearances at trade shows for a while and today LG issued a press release announcing the official launch of the netbook. The netbook will soon be available in Latin America and parts of Asia. There is still no launch dates for the US and Europe. The LG X140 has a 10.1 inch display with 1366 x 768 pixels. It is available with your choice of a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 or

Read More

REALEASE LAUNCHES 10 INCH SHOGO TABLET FOR DESIGNERS

Realease (real-ease) has just unveiled a 10 inch tablet that runs on Linux. Called Shogo, it is essentially designed for developers that seek a more mobile way to design things. And it has got a few features that would make everybody happy. The tablet comes in two versions: the first version which will be available this August is based on Freescale’s i.MX37 (ARM 11) processor. The second model is

Read More

SEAGATE ANNOUNCES MOMENTUS XT SOLID STATE HYBRID DRIVE

Seagate has announced a 2.5 inch Solid State Hybrid Drive for notebooks. The drive called the Momentus XT combines solid state memory with traditional hard disk.The Momentus XT spins at 7,200rpm. It has 4GB of solid state memory and features Seagate's Adaptive Memory technology to deliver what is called the world's fastest hard drive performance. According to Seagate, when it comes to booting the

Read More

NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 480M NOTEBOOK GPU RELEASED

NVIDIA has officially released the GeForce GTX 480M discrete graphics cards for notebooks. The GeForce GTX 480M are part of the company's Fermi platform. Billed as the fastest notebook GPU, the GeForce GTX 480M is the company's first DirectX 11 capable graphics. It has 352 CUDA cores, a 256-bit memory interface, 850MHz processor speed and 1200MHz memory clock speed. The GPU supports CUDA, two-way

Read More

iPAD GOES ON SALE INTERNATIONALLY

The Apple tablet has gone on sale in various parts of the world including the UK, Japan, Italy, France and Germany. Interestingly, the iPad is doing quite well in Japan, a country where people prefer gadgets built by local manufactures.Incidentally, the Computex trade show in Japan starts in a couple of days. PC makers will be showing off all kinds of tablets there including those running Windows

Read More

HP Recalls Thousands of Laptops

Hewlett Packard has announced that it's recalling 54,000 laptop batteries. The lithium-ion batteries could possibly overheat and catch on fire. The batteries, which were made in China, came with laptops purchased both in stores and online from August 2007 to July 2008. Many were also sold independently.

According to HP, less than 3% of the laptops have the defective batteries and they company will replace them for free. The batteries can burn someone or catch on fire. The company released a statement saying, "HP fully stands behind the products it makes and has taken a proactive approach to this situation to ensure the safety of our customers and the integrity and quality of our products."

In May of last year the company recalled 70,000 laptop batteries, due to overheating, but the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that more batteries than originally thought were overheating. The recall spans over 31 different brands of computers. Initially, two different consumers complained but later an additional 38 complaints were filed by people injured by handling the batteries and laptops.

HP is not alone in recalling laptop batteries. Over 10 million Sony batteries were recalled between 2006 and 2008. 4 million of those were recalled by Dell, 1.8 million by Apple, 340,000 by Toshiba and 338,000 by Fujitsu. Lenovo, Acer, Sharpy and Sanyo also recalled their laptops. According to Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesman Scott Wolfson, said that almost any laptop battery can overheat if charged too long or if laptops don't have good ventilation systems.

If your laptop battery has been recalled and you ned a temporary back-up, why not consider a laptop rental?

---

Looking for Laptop Rental information? Visit our Tech Travel Agent Laptop Rental Page for a variety of laptop rental solutions for business or personal use. Or call today at 800-736-8772.

Read More

LENOVO TO USE ANDROID ON ITS SKYLIGHT SMARTBOOK AND IDEAPAD U1 HYBRID

Lenovo has decided against using its custom-built Skylight OS on its upcoming Skylight smartbook and the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid tablet/laptop. The company has apparently realized that a custom Linux-based operating system with no third party applications will attract few buyers. And since Lenovo is keen on finding as many buyers as possible, it has ditched the Skylight OS in favor of Google Android.

Read More

ASUS UL20FT WITH NEXT-GEN ULV PROCESSOR COMING?

Asus reportedly plans to launch an updated version of its 12.1 inch UL20a notebook. Sources claim that the new machine will be called UL20FT and it will have Intel's latest ULV chipset instead of the Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor found on UL20a.The UL20FT is likely to be powered by a 1.02GHz Intel Celeron U3400 or a 1.2GHz Intel Core i3-330UM processor. These processors don't support Intel's Turbo

Read More

GIGABYTE ANNOUNCES 11.6 INCH CONVERTIBLE TABLET WITH CORE 2010 PROCESSOR

Gigabyte will unveil an 11.6 inch convertible tablet PC at Computex next week. The company already has a line of thin and light convertible tablets. The newest addition to the family is called Gigabyte M1125. This model will have an 11.6 inch HD touchscreen display with 1366 x 768 pixels. It will also feature a full-sized keyboard. The Gigabyte M1125 will be powered by an Intel Calpella chipset

Read More

OLPC XO TABLET TO FEATURE MARVELL CPU

The folks at OLPC has announced that their next XO product will be a tablet, and not a laptop. The original XO laptop was built in-house, but this time around OLPC is working with chipmaker Marvell whose Moby Reference design will be the basis of its new tablet. The XO tablet is still aimed at students in developing nations. It will have a multi-lingual software keyboard with touch feedback. And

Read More

ACER LAUNCHES EBOOK READER, TEASES WITH A TABLET

Acer introduced two very similar looking devices this week. One of them is an eBook reader with a 6-inch E-ink display. The other is a 7-inch Android-based tablet PC featuring a full color display. The tablet appears to have a QWERTY keyboard below the touchscreen display. Acer CEO said that it is due out in the fourth quarter of this year. Few details are available at the moment, but the tablet

Read More

MEEGO V1.0 FOR NETBOOKS RELEASED

The folks at MeeGo have released MeeGo V1.0 for netbooks. MeeGo is a custom operating system designed for netbooks, smartbooks and mobile phones. This version of the OS is still primarily aimed at developers but it is fairly stable. So if you are a netbook user it is well worth checking out. And you can try MeeGo risk free because it can be run from USB drive.The MeeGo V1.0 is incredibly fast.

Read More

DELL INSPIRON MINI 11Z GET NEW TOUCHPAD

The Dell Inspiron Mini 11z is a thin and light notebook featuring an 11.6 inch HD display with 1366 x 768 pixels. It is powered by an Intel CULV processor and sports a nice wide keyboard. The only complaint that most people have with this netbook is that it features one of the worst touchpads.The Inspiron 11z has a touchpad with integrated left and right buttons. There are, however, a few

Read More

SAMSUNG NB30 PRO NETBOOK GETS WINDOWS 7 PROFESSIONAL

The Samsung NB30 has received a minor update. The new model called Samsung NB30 Pro runs Windows 7 Professional and has 2GB of RAM. The rest of the specs remain the same. Like the standard NB30, the NB30 Pro specialized netbook also has a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 10.1 inch display with 1024 x 600 pixels, 160GB hard drive, Intel GMA 3150 graphics, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, VGA and webcam. Both

Read More

GATEWAY LT2203 - 10.1 INCH NETBOOK WITH AMD V105 CPU

The newly unveiled Gateway LT2203 is essentially a rebranded version of the Acer Aspire One 521 and for good reason. Acer owns the Gateway and Packard Bell brands and has a history of launching the same netbook under all the brand names it owns. Anyway, the Gateway LT2203 was recently spotted in San Francisco at the Netbook Summit. Much like the Aspire One 521, the Gateway LT2203 has a 10.1 inch

Read More

MSI TO LAUNCH TABLET IN Q3

According to a Digitimes report, MSI will start shipping its tablet PC in the third quarter of this year. The company has been showing off tablet computers for a while and has now confirmed that its tablets will be sold in Europe and the US through regional wireless carriers during this year itself. The MSI Chairman, however, doesn't expect tablets to sell well until at least next year when

Read More

ACER ASPIRE 721 UP FOR PRE-ORDER

One of the first netbooks to sport AMD's new Nile processor, the Acer Aspire 721 is now up for pre-order from Amazon for $430 plus free shipping.The Aspire 721 has an 11.6 inch HD display with 1366 x 768 pixels. It is powered by a 1.7GHz AMD Athlon II Neo K125 single core processor. The notebook also has the ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics with 384MB of dedicated video memory. Other specifications

Read More

SONY ANNOUNCES LIMITED EDITION VAIO W NETBOOKS

Sony is not one to build low cost netbooks or notebooks. The company's VAIO W netbooks have pretty regular specs, still they are significantly pricier than their competitors from Asus or Acer. And now Sony has made yet another pricey addition to its netbook line.The company has just announced a special edition VAIO W netbook which is designed by Sony in partnership with Billabong. The biggest

Read More

GATEWAY NV59 AND NV79 NOTEBOOKS RELEASED

Gateway has refreshed its mainstream NV Series notebooks by adding the 15.6 inch NV59 and 17.3 inch NV79 to the line-up. The new Gateway NV notebooks are available with Intel's Core i3 or i5 processors, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, up to 640GB of hard disk space, webcam, WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Gigabit Ethernet LAN. While the NV59 doesn't have a discrete graphics option, the NV79 is available with ATI

Read More

HP PAVILION DM4T OVERVIEW

The HP Pavilion dm4t is now available for purchase. The Pavilion dm4t is a 14 inch thin and light entertainment notebook. It measures less than an inch in thickness and weighs 4.4 pounds with the standard 6-cell battery.The Pavilion dm4t can be configured with an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor. Other specifications include a switchable graphics option involving the Intel integrated HD graphics and

Read More

HP RELEASES PAVILION DV6T SELECT EDITION NOTEBOOK

HP has unveiled a Select Edition of its 15.6 inch Pavilion dv6t entertainment notebook. The main difference between the regular dv6t and the Select Edition is that the latter is available with a touchscreen display, quad-core processor and a different case design. The Pavilion dv6t select Edition is available with your choice of a Core i3, i5 or i7 processor (up to quad-core i7-820QM), ATI

Read More

MSI UNVEILS CX620MX AND CX420MX MULTIMEDIA NOTEBOOKS

MSI has made two new additions to its line of multimedia notebooks. The machines dubbed CX620MX and CX420MX sport 15.6 inch and 14 inch displays respectively. They are available with Intel's latest Core 2010 processors and ATI Radeon HD545V discrete graphics with 512MB of video RAM. Both notebooks feature two DDR3 memory slots, a 1366 x 768 pixels display and up to 500GB of hard drive. It is not

Read More

HP G72t 17.3 INCH NOTEBOOK NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

The HP G72t is a consumer-oriented 17.3 inch desktop replacement laptop. It is available with a Core i3 or i5 processor (up to Core i5-540M)and Intel HD integrated graphics or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5430 discrete GPU, up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, up to 640GB of hard drive and a DVD burner. The 17.3 inch display features 1600 x 900 pixels. The keyboard is full sized and features a dedicated numeric

Read More

HP PAVILION DV5T NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

The HP Pavilion dv5t is now available for purchase. It is the first HP notebook to feature a 14.5 inch display.The Pavilion dv5t is available with Intel's latest Core 2010 (Core i3-350M, i5-430M or Core i5-520M) processor, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory, up to 640GB of hard drive and a DVD burner or Blu-ray. There is no discrete graphics option other than the Intel HD integrated graphics. Other

Read More

EXO PC WINDOWS 7 TABLET COMING SOON

In terms of looks, the ExoPC Slate isn't much different from a typical iPad knockoff. It is an all-screen device with a touchscreen display and a shiny bezel. But in terms of software, it is very very different. This machine, for instance, runs a full version of Windows 7. It also features a suite of apps that makes the tablet more touch-friendly and that is a smart move because the Windows

Read More

COMPAQ AIRLIFE 100 REVIEWED

The Compaq Airlife 100 is one of the first smartbooks to hit the market. Needless to say, there has been a great deal of hype surrounding the device, but does it really manage to live up to its potential? Chippy at Carrypad recently obtained a pre-production unit from HP. He has posted a detailed review of the smartboook and according to him the machine is a bit of a let down. The Compaq Airelife

Read More

THINKPAD X100E TO GET WIMAX?

The Lenovo ThinkPad X100e is a thin and light notebook aimed at small and medium businesses. It has relatively better specs than a typical netbook. The X100e, for example, has a faster AMD processor, full-sized keyboard and an 11.6 inch display with 1366 x 768 pixels. And if sources are correct, the notebook is going to get better: it will soon get a 4G WiMAX option. According to the documents

Read More

The Sony Dash: True Tablet or Not?

So Sony has decided to dive somewhat into the tablet industry but not completely. The Dash has a tablet-like appearance and many of the same functions, but it is not exactly as portable as tablets like the iPad.

The Sony Dash has a pretty basic structure. It features a seven-inch touchscreen, stereo speakers, a snooze bar/menu button, volume buttons, a USB port, a headphone jack, and of course the power connection cord. The case that encompasses the Dash is made of a rubber-like material that allows you to get a good, secure grip on the device.

The biggest problem that I see with the Dash is the fact that it does not have a battery. This means you can’t just carry the Dash around. You are constricted by the fact that it must be plugged into an outlet. Sony says that there next version of the Dash will have a battery, but that makes me wonder even more why they didn’t just put a battery in the version that is out right now. I feel that having a battery would definitely elevate it to complete tablet status.

So we’ve discussed the external side of the Dash, but what’s exactly inside of the device? The Dash has a 500MHz processor and 256MB of RAM. Having this type of power under the hood allows for video playback, but it isn’t exactly enough to be considered extremely fast. The touchscreen is responsive, but the OS seems to lag behind at times.

The Dash runs Chumby OS with a custom Linux build. Now not many people have heard of a Chumby OS. I know that I had never heard mention of it before, but it is simply a Flash runtime that features Chumby widgets that Sony calls Dash Apps. There are over 1,000 Dash Apps. Now, with the Linux side of things, Sony added the capabilities to utilize Bravia Internet Video Streaming that allows for apps from Netflix, Pandora, Slacker, Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube, and a variety of other providers.

The Sony Dash is being called “an amped up alarm clock” by reviewers at engadget, and honestly in comparison with Apple’s iPad, that’s really all it is. Every action is easier to perform on the iPad, especially since the iPad has the option of using an external keyboard. Also the fact that the iPad is portable gives it a huge up on the Dash, and the iPad’s OS doesn’t lag behind. Now, it is $300 more that the Sony Dash, so that is something to definitely consider.

So it is your decision whether or not you think the Dash meets your needs. It’s only $200, and it does perform a decent amount of satisfactory actions. It’s an interesting approach to the tablet industry by Sony, but I think that they will most definitely do better with the Dash once they install battery capabilities.

---

Looking for Laptop Rental information? Visit our Tech Travel Agent Laptop Rental Page for a variety of laptop rental solutions for business or personal use. Or call today at 800-736-8772.

Read More

ACER LAUNCHES ASPIRE TIMELINE 1825PT CONVERTIBLE TABLET

Acer has officially introduced its Aspire Timeline 1825PT convertible tablet PC. The device is powered by a 1.3Ghz Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor with up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM and integrated Intel GMA 4500 graphics. The Aspire Timeline 1825PT has an 11.6 inch touchscreen display with 1366 x 768 pixels. The display can be folded down over the keyboard for using the device in the tablet mode. Other

Read More

HP G42T NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

The HP G42t has quietly surfaced on the company's website. The 14 inch notebook was not one of the machines HP introduced last week. No matter, it is now available for purchase and customization. The HP G42t can be configured with a Core i3 or i5 processor. Other specifications include up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, up to 640GB of hard disk drive, built-in webcam, WiFi, optional Bluetooth, a SuperMulti

Read More

ASUS EEE PC 1215N SPOTTED WITH DUAL CORE ATOM D510 PROCESSOR

Intel is expected to officially unveil its dual core Atom processors for netbooks any time now. The processors are coming, we are told, and maybe that is true but Asus doesn't want to wait. The company has already announced a netbook with a dual core Intel Atom processor. The upcoming Asus Eee PC 1215N netbook will reportedly have an Intel Atom D510 dual core processor which is meant for use in

Read More

ASUS EEE PC 1015P AND 1015PE OFFICIALLY UNVEILED

Asus has officially unveiled its Eee PC 1015P and Eee PC 1015PE netbooks. Both machines have the exact same specs, but the Eee PC 1015PE seems to have a little more Chrome around the edges of the keyboard. Detailed specifications are given below.Both Eee PC 1015P and 1015PE have 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, 10.1 inch display with 1024 x 600 pixels, Windows 7 Starter Edition, Bluetooth 2.1

Read More

COMPAQ AIRLIFE 100 OVERVIEW

The Compaq Airlife 100 is not yet widely available for purchase. Some bloggers have, nevertheless, managed to obtain a pre-production unit.The Airlife 100 is probably one of the first smartbookS to see the light of the day. The device is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Other specifications include 512MB of RAM, 16GB of flash storage, 3G and WiFi connectivity. In terms of design,

Read More

FUJITSU LIFEBOOK T730 MAKES ITS DEBUT

The Fujitsu LifeBook T730 has quietly made its debut. The notebook has a 12.1 inch WXGA convertible touchscreen display. It can configured with Intel's Core i5-520M, i5-540M or Core i7-620M processor. Other specifications include up to 500GB HDD or 256GB SSD, up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM, integrated Intel HD graphics, Intel WiFi a/g/n or Atheros b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, VGA, HDMI, Ethernet, FireWire, 3 USB

Read More

ASUS PLANNING A NETBOOK WITH A PULL-OUT PHONE

Several main stream PC makers are working on smartbooks which combine the features of a smartphone and a netbook. The Lenovo Skylight, for example, is a smartbook bearing the form factor of a netbook. Asus, the company that sparked the netbook revolution, hasn't announced any smartbooks yet and if sources are correct Asus isn't keen on building one either. The company is taking a different

Read More

INSPIRON M310Z - DELL'S FIRST NOTEBOOK TO GET AMD'S DUAL CORE ATHLON PROCESSOR

Dell Singapore has uploaded the product page for the Inspiron M301z featuring AMD's newest dual core Neo processor. The notebook is not yet available on Dell's US website.The Dell Inspiron M301z has a starting price of $999. It features a 1.3GHz dual core Athlon II Neo K325 processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 integrated graphics and a 320GB hard drive spinning at 7200rpm. The

Read More

TABLET NEWS ROUNDUP

Tablets are the flavor of the season.Here are a few tablet stories doing the rounds:Sony could launch a tabletSony is well known for its line of personal computing devices. In fact, the Japanese company has even earned the reputation of being the Apple of Windows PC makers. Sony certainly thinks highly of its machines. Needless to say, Sony computers are pricier than those built and marketed by

Read More

DUAL CORE INTEL ATOM N550 COMING LATER THIS YEAR?

Intel has both single core and dual core Atom processors for desktop computers. For netbooks, however, only single core processors are available at the moment but Intel is working on dual core versions as well. Now word is that the new chip will be called Atom N550. The dual core Atom N550 will reportedly have a clock speed of 1.5GHz, 1MB of L2 cache and two cores with support for

Read More

ASUS UNVEILS U-BAMBOO SERIES NOTEBOOKS

The Asus U Bamboo series notebooks feature a chassis built of bamboo. They show the company's commitment towards going green. Bamboo which is a good alternative to plastic is known for its superior strength and heat resistance. The recently unveiled Asus U Bamboo series include the 13.3 inch U33JC, the 14.1 inch U43JC and the 15.6 inch U53JC. All three notebooks feature a Core i5-450M processor,

Read More

ASUS EEE PC 1201PN OFFICIALLY UNVEILED

The Asus Eee PC 1201PN has been officially unveiled at long last. This 12.1 inch notebook with NVIDIA's next-gen ION graphics has been making unofficial appearances for a while. And now it is up for pre-order in Germany. Prices start at 479 Euros or about $608 US.The Eee PC 1201PN is powered by a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor with NVIDIA's next-gen ION graphics. It features a 12.1 inch

Read More

TOSHIBA SATELLITE PRO LINE UPDATED WITH INTEL'S CORE i3, i5 AND AMD ATHLON II PROCESSORS

Toshiba Updates Satellite Pro line with Core i3 or Core i5 processorsThe Toshiba Satellite Pro line has been updated with Intel's Core i3 and i5 processors and AMD's latest dual core Athlon II processors. The models that have been updated are the 15.6 inch Satellite Pro C650 / C650D, the 13.3 inch L630, the 15.6 inch L650 / L650D and the 17.3 inch L670 /670D. While the models with the suffix D

Read More

ACER TO SHOWCASE CHROME OS NETBOOKS AT COMPUTEX?

According to a Digitimes report Acer will showcase multiple Chrome OS based products at Computex in June. These could be tablets, netbooks or main stream computers. Acer has always said that it wants to be the first company to bring a Chrome OS netbook to the market. And now it looks like Acer may meet that goal.That said, you will still not be able to walk into a store and buy a Chrome based

Read More

AMD UNVEILS NILE PLATFORM FOR THIN AND LIGHT NOTEBOOKS

AMD has never really had a dedicated line of processors for the netbook and ultra thin laptop segment. But the sky-rocketing popularity of these mini-laptops has forced AMD to re-think its decision. And today the chipmaker unveiled its Nile platform for ultrathin notebooks.The new processors are available in single and dual core versions and will consume between 9 and 15 watts of power.PC makers

Read More

ACER UNVEILS ASPIRE 521, 721 AND 1551 NOTEBOOKS

Acer launched three mini-laptops this week and all of them are powered by AMD's newest low power processors. Here are some of the highlights of the new machines.Acer Aspire One 521The Acer Aspire One 521 is powered by a 1.2GHz AMD V105 single core processor and ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics. It is capable of handling HD video playback. The netbook also has an HDMI port for transferring video to an

Read More

Panasonic’s Truly “ToughBook”

This notebook is literally almost indestructible. It can withstand 70-mph winds, 6-inches of blowing rain per hour, and being dropped from a height of 6 feet over 25 times. This notebook is none other than Panasonic’s ToughBook CF-31.

This tank like piece of machinery looks very similar to is rugged predecessor, but the inside of the CF-31 shows exactly how Panasonic has made some changes. This ToughBook features a Intel Core i5 processor that almost doubles the performance and increases protection without having to sacrifice any battery life. This laptop that is generally meant for government agencies and police forces is listed at $3,799. This is about $1,000 less than the original ToughBook, which should make this much more available to those that need the notebook.

The ToughBook almost looks like a toolbox when it is closed up. The lid, bezel, and handle are all made of a magnesium alloy that is surrounded by a hard black plastic. The lid is held up by a pair of heavy duty hinges, and when you close the lid there is a spring-loaded latch that firmly secures it to the base.

The notebook measures 11.9 x 11.5 x 2.9 inches and weighs 8.8 pounds. This obviously is not the kind of notebook that you slide into your backpack and head to class with. However, it isn’t that difficult to get around with, because Panasonic designed the notebook to have an easy access handle to make carrying fairly simple.

Panasonic has also stepped up the protection with the CF-31. This incredible notebook is able to withstand temperatures ranging from -20 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit while operating and -40 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit when turned off. As I mentioned previously, it can withstand incredible wind, water, and drops from heights. It can also survive up to 310 pounds of pressure on its lid as well.

Besides protecting against the environment that the notebook will be placed in, it also provides you with great security. It includes a Smart Card reader, fingerprint reader, Trusted Platform Module (TPM) v1.2. It also features a conceal mode that turns off or dims the screen, all LED lights, and sounds immediately with a single press of a button.

The keyboard on the CF-31 is a great size and is fairly responsive. It is also backlit which is an incredibly useful feature. The touchpad is a little on the small size, only measuring 2.3 x 1.6 inches, but it is pressure sensitive which means that it can be used even when wearing gloves. A stylus is also built in if you don’t want to deal with using your finger.

The ToughBook features a 13.3-inch screen with 1024 x 768 resolution. This might seem kind of low compared to most other laptops, but it works great for the touchscreen applications.

The CF-31 has a variety of different buttons and ports including: four USB ports, Ethernet, HDMI ports with a SIM Card slot beneath, a power switch, fingerprint reader, SD Card slot, ExpressCard/34/54 slots, Wi-Fi switch, VGA, and DVD drive. A webcam is not included, but it is available as an option.

Performance wise, the CF-31 operates on a Windows XP operating system, has the latest 2.53-GHz Intel Core i5-540M CPU, and has 2 GB of RAM. The battery life was pretty good, lasting for 6 hours and 32 minutes.

Overall, the ToughBook CF-31 is quite an impressive notebook. I was first intrigued by the indestructible exterior of the laptop, but when looking at the inside, I was even more amazed. Yes, it is very pricey, but it is an almost unbreakable piece of machinery. Although it may not be practical for everyday use, I think that this is definitely great for someone in a line of work like the police force. This notebook is really interesting to read up on. It has so many different features that you don’t find in a regular notebook. Although its not for everyone, it is an extremely cool laptop that definitely deserves some recognition.

---

Looking for Laptop Rental information? Visit our page for Laptop Rentals for a variety of laptop rental solutions for business or personal use. Or call today at 800-736-8772.

Read More

ASUS EEE PC R101 UP FOR PRE-ORDER IN GERMANY

The Asus Eee PC R101 is now up for pre-order in Germany. The Eee PC R101 is basically a rebadged version of the Eee PC 1001PX but while the 1001PX is meant for the US market, the R101 is meant for the German market. The netbook has a 10.1 inch display with 1024 x 600 pixels. It is powered by a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor with 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. The battery is rated at

Read More

DELL INTRODUCES LATITUDE 2110 NETBOOK

Dell has released an updated version of its semi-rugged Latitude 2100 netbook. The new model dubbed Latitude 2110 has pretty much the same looks as its predecessor, but it also sports a number of updates.First, the Latitude 2110 is powered by a 1.83GHz Intel Atom N470 processor and GMA 3150 graphics. Second, it’s available with an optional touchscreen display. The netbook supports a range of

Read More

INTEL CEDAR-TRAIL M ATOM PROCESSORS TO HAVE SUPPORT FOR 1080P HD VIDEO

Few netbooks available on the market have HDMI output for HD video. That makes sense, because Atom powered netbooks can't handle HD video playback. Netbooks with NVIDIA ION graphics or Broadcom Crystal HD video Accelerator are exceptions to this rule.But it looks like things could change in the span of an year. Fudzilla reports that Intel's upcoming Cedar Trail-M Atom platform will offer full

Read More

MSI COULD UNVEIL ITS WINDOWS 7 TABLET NEXT MONTH

MSI has been working on a slate PC or a two for a while. The company even showed off some tablet prototypes at CES in January. But that was before the 'magical and revolutionary' iPad hit the streets. iPad has already established itself as the device to beat in the tablet space so much so that HP even shelved its tablet plans. But it looks like MSI is undeterred by the success of Apple. The

Read More

Thin is In When it Comes to Laptops

According to iSuppli, a market research firm, 2010 will be all about netbooks and ultra-thin laptops. As a matter of fact, even though the market experienced a 19% increase in sales last year (up from 2008), numbers for this year are expected to be even higher. They also expect this trend to carry on for the next four years, into 2014.

Laptops, Ultra-thin laptops, and Netbooks

In 2010, over 34.5 million netbooks are expected to ship (an increase of 30%) and in 2014, those numbers are expected to reach 58.3 million units sold. When it comes to the newer ultra-thin laptops, 14.5 million units are expected to ship this year, which is a 93% increase from the 7.5 million units shipped in 2009. As for standard laptops, they still dominate the market (160.5 million units are expected to ship in 2010), but growth is only about 21%. It's expected that notebooks will continue to dominate the market over the next few years, but thinner versions are definitely on their way up.

Acer is Number One

When it comes to computer-makers, Acer remains number one. The company, based in Taiwan, was at the top in 2008 and 2009, and iSuppli expects that to be the case in 2010. 37% of all laptops shipped last year came from Acer, which drives sales with competitive pricing, strong channel distribution, and quick production to market time. Asustek Computer came in at number, while Hewlett Packard, Samsung, and Dell rounded out the top five. However, the number two spot will potentially see Samsung or HP taking over. Those five companies alone make up 90% of the laptop market.

Another reason for Acer's popularity is it's creation ultra-thin laptops in 2009, something other companies hadn't yet started making. The company shipped around five million ultra-thin laptops in 2009. Asustek shipped about 700,000 ultra-thin unites, and together with Acer, dominated the market. Companies such as HP, Dell, and Toshiba didn't get into the ultra-thin game until late in the year, but they are expected to do so in 2010, which means lots of changes and competition to be number one.

Total Numbers

If iSupply's data is any indication, laptop popularity, as a whole, will continue to grow and dominate the computer market, with more and more people trading in their powerful standard laptops for netbooks and ultra-thing models. Rumor has it some companies, such as Toshiba, will be working to make thinner laptops more powerful.

In 2009, 166.9 laptops were sold. This year, 209.5 unites are expected to sell, with 371.5 units being sold in 2014.

---

Looking for Laptop Rental information? Visit our Tech Travel Agent Laptop Rental Page for a variety of laptop rental solutions for business or personal use. Or call today at 800-736-8772.

Read More

LENOVO INTRODUCES 11.6 INCH IDEAPAD U160 WITH CORE I-SERIES PROCESSOR

The just-launched Lenovo IdeaPad U160 is an 11.6 inch thin and light laptop with a Core i-series ULV processor. The machine weighs about 3 pounds and measures 0.9 inches in thickness. At $699, this machine is costlier than the IdeaPad U150, but it also packs some cool components under its hood. The IdeaPad U160 will be available with your choice of an Intel Celeron, Pentium, Core i3, i5 or i7

Read More

INTEL TO LAUNCH ULV VERSIONS OF ITS CORE i3 AND i5 PROCESSORS

Intel plans to launch ultra low voltage version of its Core i3 and i5 processors. These processors are meant for use in thin and light laptops with larger displays than netbooks. Intel already has a large line of CULV (Comsumer Ultra Low Voltage) processors. The most popular among them are the Celeron SU2300, Intel Pentium SU4100 and Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 dual core processors. The new chips

Read More

SONY LAUNCHES UPDATED VAIO P MINI-LAPTOP

A little over a year after launching the Vaio P 8-inch mini-laptop, Sony has refreshed the series. The new Vaio P has the same high definition display and small screen size, but it also sports some new features. Chief among the new features are the optical touchpad and the accelerometer.The touchpad is built into the screen bezel. The pad is on the right bezel and the mouse buttons are on the

Read More

AMD PHENOM MOBILE PROCESSORS SPOTTED

AMD is yet to officially announce its Phenom processors, but some PC makers have started announcing notebooks with the said processor.The Dell Inspiron M501R, for example, is offered with an AMD Phenom II X4 quad-core processor with an unknown model name. The Acer Aspire 5553G notebook with a Phenom II X4 N930 (2.0GHz/2MB/35W) has been spotted on Amazon.de. HP has also announced a new notebook

Read More

HP ENVY 14 OVERVIEW

The HP Envy 14 is a 14.5 inch consumer oriented notebook. It is available with your choice of a Core i3,i5 or i7 processors. The graphics option can be switched between the integrated Intel GMA HD and the ATI Radeon 5650 with 1GB of dedicated video memory. Up to 8GB of RAM can be installed. The standard storage option is an HDD (up to 640GB). Alternatively you can opt for a 160 / 256GB Solid

Read More

DELL LATITUDE E4310 NOTEBOOK OVERVIEW

Dell has uploaded the product page for its Latitude E4310 thin and light laptop. The Dell Latitude E4310 is a 13.3 inch notebook aimed at small and medium businesses. The Latitude E4310 is available with an Intel Core i5-520M or 540M processor, Intel HD integrated graphics, up to 500GB of HDD or up to 256GB of SSD, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory and DVD or Blu-ray drive. The 13.3 inch display features

Read More

WEBOS-BASED HP HURRICANE TABLET TO HIT THE STREETS IN Q3?

An insider at HP has indicated that a webOS tablet bearing the code name HP Hurricane could be released in the third quarter of this year. Less than a fortnight ago, there were reports that HP had shelved its Windows 7 tablet PC. The company apparently wasn't all that impressed with the performance of Windows 7 on its prototype touch tablet. This all goes down well with what we heard and saw over

Read More

HP TOUCHSMART TM2 TO GET CORE I3 AND I5 PROCESSORS?

Several HP notebooks were updated earlier this week, but the TouchSmart tm2 convertible tablet style notebook wasn't one among them. But according to sources, the tm2 will be getting an update in June. Word is that HP will update the notebook with Intel's latest Core i3 and i5 processors. The graphics card may also get an upgrade. The TouchSmart tm2 currently sports Intel's Core 2 Duo SU7300

Read More

New Toshiba Laptop Has Interesting Features

Some information about a new Toshiba laptop has been leaked and some of the details are pretty interesting. The information, which came from VozExpress, may have you asking yourself if it's all too good to be true!

The new laptop will featured a 512GB solid-state-drive, instead of a 500GB hard drive, which may be one reason the laptop is said to be extremely light. (Rumor has it, it'll weigh about 2.2 pounds, making it one of the world's lightest.) However, the solid-state-drive will probably drive the price up compared to what its counterpart with a hard drive would cost.

It will use standard-voltage Intel Core i3 or i5 processors, which is a big difference compared to most other ultra-portable laptops, that use a low-voltage processor. For this reason, Toshiba has been extremely inventive with its battery...or should I say batteries. The higher-voltage processor would eat up the battery life of a normal battery. But for this computer, in addition to the primary battery, the new laptop will feature a second battery, using Super Charged ion Battery (SCiB) technology.

According to CNET, batteries that use the SCiB technology have the ability to be recharged to 90% in a matter of ten minutes...yes, ten minutes. Many tech experts have been drooling over that information. Imagine, recharging your laptop in less time than it takes to wash a load of dishes or clean out your email inbox. This could mean huge things for the laptop industry and send Toshiba's competitors into panic mode.

In addition to the SCiB technology, the laptop is said to be the first laptop with a "honeycomb rib structure. It will also supposedly feature the new Blaze Mountain CPU cooling. There are no details as to when the 13-inch laptop will be released, or how much it will cost, but you can bet the details have many people waiting impatiently for more.

---

Looking for Laptop Rental information? Visit our Tech Travel Agent Laptop Rental Page for a variety of laptop rental solutions for business or personal use. Or call today at 800-736-8772.

Read More

TOSHIBA BUILDING THE WORLD'S LIGHTEST 13-INCH NOTEBOOK

Word is that Toshiba is building the world's lightest 13 inch notebook with fast charging battery. The company is already known for its line of ultra thin and light notebooks. The proposed machine will weigh less than 1kg with the SSD. The display will sport a 16:9 aspect ratio. The notebook will have a USB 3.0 dock. It will also feature a 2nd SCiB (Super Charged ion Battery) power source that is

Read More

TABLET NEWS ROUNDUP

In several countries including the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan and Switzerland Apple will start taking iPad pre-orders on May 10th. The tablets should reach the buyers on May 28th. UK prices for the tablet range from £429 to £669 depending on your configuration. Prices in other European countries range from €479 to €779. The base model of iPad with no 3G costs $499

Read More

MSI TO UNVEIL WIND U140 NEXT MONTH

MSI is expected to unveil its Wind U140 netbook at the Computex trade show scheduled to be held in Taiwan next month. The MSI Wind U140 is a 10.1 inch netbook. It has an Intel Atom N450 processor and will be available with optional WiMAX modules. The netbook will weigh 2.6 pounds with the 3-cell battery. That's all we know at the moment. It appears that this model has the same specs as the Wind

Read More

EUROCOM D900F PANTHER MOBILE WORKSTATION OVERVIEW

The Eurocom D900F Panther is a 17 inch mobile workstation. It is available with either a powerful Intel Core i7 or Xeon 5600 series processor with 12MB of cache. The D900F also has some of the most powerful discrete graphics available on the market including the yet-to-be-launched GTX480m with 2GB of GDDR5 memory. Other specifications include up to four SATA-300 hard drives or solid state drives,

Read More

MSI UNVEILS 17.5 INCH CX705MX NOTEBOOK

The newly unveiled MSI CX705MX is a 17.5 inch notebook. It is powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The graphics option is the ATI Radeon HD 545V discrete GPU. Other specifications include a 4-in-1 card reader, HDMI, up to 500GB of hard drive storage, VGA and Ethernet. There are 3 USB ports. The notebook runs Windows 7 Home Premium. The 17.5 inch display features 1600 x 900 pixels. Despite

Read More

HP UNLEASHES SEVEN NEW PROBOOKS

HP has unleashed seven new ProBooks five of which have AMD inside. The HP ProBook 4325s, 4425s and 4525s are now available with AMD’s latest Phenom II quad-core, Phenom II triple-core, Turion II or Athlon II processors and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 530v. The ProBook 4325s, 4425s and 4525s have a starting price of $619.The 14 inch ProBook 6445b and the 15 inch 6555b are available with the same AMD

Read More

HP 425 AND 625 NOTEBOOKS ANNOUNCED

The HP 425 and HP 625 are budget minded notebooks aimed at small and medium businesses. These machines are equipped with advanced wireless connectivity options and a spill resistant keyboard. The HP 425 and HP 625 sport 14 inch and 15.6 inch displays respectively. The notebooks can be configured with a range of CPUs including AMD’s new Phenom II, 2.3GHz Turion II dual-core, 2.1GHz Athlon II

Read More

HP ENVY 14 AND ENVY 17 OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED

The HP Envy 14 and Envy 17 are officially official now. The all-aluminum notebooks feature slot loading optical drives, backlit keyboards, VGA and HDMI ports. The HP Envy 14 is a 14.5 inch notebook starting at $999. It is supposed to replace the Envy 13. The notebook is available with a Core i5 processor, ATI Mobility Radeon discrete GPU and 7200 rpm hard drives. HP claims that the Envy 14 will

Read More

HP UPDATES PAVILION DM4, DV5, DV6 AND DV7 NOTEBOOKS

HP has refreshed its Pavilion line of notebooks. The models that have been updated include Pavilion dm4, dv5, dv6 and dv7. The 14 inch Pavilion dm4 now sports an all-metal brushed aluminum chassis. It can be configured with a Core i5 processor of your choice and ATI discrete graphics. Other new features include chiclet-style keyboard, fingerprint reader and on-board optical drive. HP claims that

Read More

EEE PC 1015, 1215 AND 1218 PRICING REVEALED

The pricing details for the Eee PC 1015, Eee PC 1215 and Eee PC 1218 have finally emerged. Asus had been working on these notebooks for a while but little information were available until now. Now Digitimes reports that the netbooks will sell for the local equivalent of $478 to $605 in Taiwan.The prices may seem a bit steep, but the Eee PC 1215 and 1218 have better specs than typical netbooks.

Read More

ASUS EEE PC 1005PR NOW SHIPPING

Asus has finally started shipping its Eee PC 1005PR in the US. This model is virtually identical to the Eee PC 1005PE. Both models sport 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processors, 1GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, 6 cell battery and Windows 7 Starter Edition. But unlike the 1005PE which has a regular 10 inch display, the 1005PR ships with an HD display with 1366 x 768 pixels. It also sports a Broadcom

Read More

SAMSUNG TABLET TO BE CALLED S-PAD; TO LAUNCH IN AUGUST

Like pretty much every other PC maker on the planet, Samsung has also been working on a touchscreen tablet PC for a while. Few details regarding the Samsung tablet are still available, but Korean website Etnews reports that the Samsung tablet will tentatively be called S-Pad. It will also reportedly have a 7 inch AMOLED display. The Samsung tablet will reportedly run Google Android. There were

Read More

AIGO N700 7 INCH TOUCHSCREEN TABLET RUNNING ANDROID EMERGES

Loads of Android tablets are due out this year.Most of these machines are based on the NVIDIA Tegra platform which combines a low power ARM-based processor with high performance NVIDIA graphics. The Aigo N700,for instance, runs Google Android and is based on the second generation NVIDIA Tegra platform. It is capable of handling 1080p HD video. The Aigo N700 has a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen

Read More

DELL LATITUDE E4310 COMING SOON

Dell has refreshed its Latitude family of notebooks with a new model called E4310. This is the same machine that was recently spotted at FCC sporting the code name Lafite. The Latitude E4310 is a 13.3 inch notebook. It is available with either a 2.4GHz Core i5-520M or a 2.53GHz Core i5-540M processor. Other specifications include up to 8GB of DDR3 RAM and up to 500GB of HDD. Optional features

Read More

PANASONIC UPDATED TOUGHBOOK CF-52 AND CF-T8 NOTEBOOKS

Panasonic has updated its ruggedized Toughbook CF-52 and CF-T8 notebooks. The Toughbook CF-52 is a semi rugged notebook, whereas the CF-T8 is tablet style notebook with a rugged case design. The updated CF-52 sports Intel's Core i5 processor clocking at 2.53GHz. The RAM has been updated to 2GB. Other features include a 250GB shock mounted HDD, WiFi, Bluetooth, and Gobi 2000 multiple carrier

Read More

DELL INSPIRON 13R, 14R, 15R, 17R AND M501R EMERGE

Dell has unveiled its Inspiron 13R, 14R, 15R, 17R and M501R notebooks. These notebooks offer more configuration options than their non-R siblings. As the names itself indicate, the M501R is different from the other models. It is offered with AMD's Phenom II X4 mobile processor, while the other notebooks have Intel Core series processors. The AMD Phenom II X4 processor is a quad core processor.

Read More

ASUS ANNOUNCES 8.9 INCH EEE PC 900AX

Most Eee PCs out there sport 10.1 inch displays, but before launching the now standard 10 inch netbooks, Asus introduced some 7 inch and 8.9 inch models as well. And now the company is back with another 8.9 inch netbook. The Eee PC 900AX we spotted at FCC a few weeks ago apparently has an 8.9 inch display. It has yesterday's specs including an Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, 4-cell battery,

Read More

INTEL ANNOUNCES ATOM N455, N475 AND N500 PROCESSORS

Intel released two new variants of its Pine Trail Atom processors this week. One of the new models, the Atom N455 has the same clock speed as the 1.66GHz Atom N450. Similarly the Atom N475 has the same clock speed as the 1.83GHz Atom N470. The major difference between the new models and the existing ones is that while the Atom N450 and N470 support DDR2 memory, the Atom N455 and the Atom N475

Read More

LENOVO IDEAPAD Z460 SPOTTED

The unannounced Lenovo IdeaPad Z460 has been spotted in China. The notebook has an Intel Core Series processor and discrete graphics. The IdeaPad Z460 is powered by a Core i3 330M 2.13 GHz processor with ATI Radeon HD 5450 graphics and integrated Intel HD controller. The notebook has a 14 inch display with 1366 x 768 pixels. Other specifications include WiFi b/g/n, optional Bluetooth, 2GB of RAM

Read More

TOSHIBA NB305, LENOVO IDEAPAD S10-3 AND HP MINI 210 UPDATED WITH ATOM N455 PROCESSOR

Intel's newly announced Atom N455 processor has already found its way to netbooks. Among the first netbooks to sport the brand new processor are HP Mini 210, Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 and Toshiba NB305. Two new versions of the HP Mini 210 with an Atom N455 processor have been listed by Amazon Germany. Both models feature 10.1 inch displays, 1GB of RAM and a 250GB hard drive. The netbooks should start

Read More

MSI X-SLIM X360 TO GET CORE i5-520UM PROCESSOR

Intel will officially unveil its Core i5-520UM Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) processor this summer and MSI has announced that its X-Slim X360 will be the first notebook to hit the market with the brand new processor.The MSI X-Slim series has been around for a while. It currently uses a 1.3GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 processor and ATI discrete GPU. MSI claims that the Core i5 version delivers better

Read More

ACER TIMELINEX 1830T, 3820T, 4820T AND 5820T PRICED

Acer has announced the pricing and availability details for its TimelineX 1830T, 3820T, 4820T and 5820T notebooks. The 11.6-inch Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T is expected to arrive in Europe in early June for €549 (about $731). The 13.3 inch 3820T will have a starting price of €699 (about $931). The 14 inch 4820T and the 15.6-inch 5820T both start from €749 (about $997).Acer had earlier said that

Read More

3G IPADS NOW SHIPPING

Apple has started shipping the 3G enabled version of its iPad tablet. The 3G models have the same base configuration as the WiFi only models, but they also sport a 3G module and AT&T's Micro-SIM card to connect to the broadband carrier's wireless data plans.The 3G enabled models are aimed at the road warriors who are constantly on the go and need to stay connected all the time.All iPad plans are

Read More