Toys & Gadgets

The soap opera of would-be Mac cloner Psystar was already full of shady twists and turns, but there’s a possibility Apple’s legal team thinks there’s some truth to a few of the wilder conspiracy theories out there — a paragraph tacked on to an amended version of the complaint filed in California says that Apple believes people or corporations “other than Psystar are involved in Psystar’s unlawful and improper activities.” That could mean just about anything, of course — we’ve always thought Psystar was being a little too cocky, and no one’s ever figured out how a fledging company that couldn’t even hold on to a credit card processor could retain such a hotshot law firm — but chances are Apple’s just covering its ass in case it wants to sue the major investors of Psystar individually or even the OSx86 hackers that unwillingly enabled the company’s dubious business. Either way, with all of Psystar’s antitrust counterclaims dismissed and Apple adding new DMCA claims to its lawsuit, we’ve got a feeling things are about to go boom in Florida pretty soon — if machines really are still shipping, this is probably your last chance to grab a piece of (semi-functional) history.

[Via Daring Fireball]

Filed under: Desktops

Apple amends Psystar complaint, says someone’s behind the curtain originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Buy Mobile and Verizon Wireless Stores Are First to Carry New 16GB CapacityMilpitas, Calif. September 29, 2008 – SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), a global leader in flash memory products, today announced it is bringing to market its 16GB* mic…

Wow, Jose @ Planetx64x has a nice step-by-step on installing Mac OS X on the super tiny MSI Wind, it’s a pockable Mac almost - via /.

Recently I’ve managed to install Apple’s OS X Leopard operating system 10.5.4 onto a 10 inch MSI Wind Netbook, and you can too. Let me preface this by saying that I consider myself an Apple fan, and run nothing but authentic Macs in my home studio office. If you’re looking for another Mac vs. PC debate, then there’s is nothing for you to see here. Move right along please.

The Victim: An MSI Wind U100 Netbook. This slick little machine comes preloaded with your choice of Windows or Linux. Armed with an Intel Atom 1.6 Ghz Processor, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB HD, built-in ethernet, wifi, webcam and bluetooth. That said, the most enticing feature is its crisp & clear 10 inch screen.

To accomplish this procedure, you will be opening the MSI netbook to upgrade the memory and swap out the factory wifi card (which will void your warranty). So think twice if you are not comfortable doing such a thing. We need to do this bacause having more memory always helps any operating system run snappier. OS X is no different. The MSI Wind takes up to 2 GB of RAM. More importantly the factory wifi card that it comes with, does not work in OS X out of the box. So you’ll need to acquire a Dell Broadcom DW 1390 or 1490 internal mini pci wifi card, which are both inherently supported in OS X.

I found both the 1 GB memory upgrade stick and a 1390 card on ebay for no more than $20 each. You’ll need a special Leopard build titled “MSI WINDos x86”, of which the Hackint0sh community should be credited for assembling. It’s a slipstreamed “Kalyway” build which includes all the proper Kexts, drivers, Kernel modifications, and other files necessary to achieve a fully working installation on the MSI wind. Please do not inquire about where to find this disk image, it’s in all the typical shady places on the net.

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Section: Communications, Mobile, Computers, Networking, Wireless

With all the latest news that are circulating around concerning WiMAX and what it is capable of doing, I’m sure a lot of you geeks out there would want to try it out. However, getting a WiMAX signal also means that you will need to spend exorbitantly just to buy a brand new laptop or desktop that’s equipped with a WiMAX signal receiver. Well, worry no more! Here comes Motorola WiMAX USB dongle to the rescue.

Motorola offers various band selections such as 2.3 GHz, 2.5 GHz or 3.5 GHz which may vary from country to country. Since Motorola broke out each band as its own peripheral, world travelers will probably need three versions of this adaptor.  The USB plug and play feature makes it all too easy for users to utilize WiMAX now. Notebook users do not need to worry about this device being a power-hungry monster because Motorola has assured that it will have a low power consumption. It is compatible with Windows XP (SP1/SP2/SP3) and Windows Vista. No word on Mac compatibility, though.

This is indeed a great news for all of WiMAX worshippers out there who are trying their best to get their hands on WiMAX and at the same time keep their wallet full throughout the month. Albeit there’s no pricing for it yet, it is anticipated that it’ll be in the market as early as October 2008.

Via [Motorola’s WiMAX USBw 100 Adaptor]

Full Story » | Written by Cheng Hung for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Hardware, Laptops, Gadgets / Other, Green, Peripherals, Displays

PC Magazine is reporting that Dell plans to change its laptop displays to mercury-free and energy saving LED backlighting.  Two thirds of their Latitude E-series will ship with the new displays by December 15th, and they plan to have 80% of their laptops include the new LED backlights. The transition is expected to be completed by 2010.

“Why did we do this? We have been listening to our customers in order to extract customer value, and LED helps to move that agenda along,” said Michael Murphy, Dell’s senior manager of worldwide environmental affairs, in an interview.

Dell says its 15-inch displays will consume an average of 43% less power, which will save 220 million kilowatt hours in 2010 and 2011 combined.  Another advantage is that they are mercury-free. Mercury is a toxic chemical and recyclers don’t like having to process the small amount found in traditional backlights. Another advantage consumers will really love—the new LEDs will extend battery life. The reduction in power can nearly double a laptop’s battery life, something every laptop user never seems to have enough of.  They also reduce a laptop’s weight.

Dell says they are also working on LED desktop monitors but doesn’t yet have a timetable for their release.

Read[PC Magazine]

Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops

Those who have been looking for tough and ruggedized notebooks will be glad to know that Panasonic is coming out with three Toughbook 8 notebook models - the F8, W8 and T8. 

All three notebooks with their Intel Core 2 Duo Processors are lightweight, ranging from 1.3 to 1.7 kgs courtesy of their magnesium alloy casing and chassis. Panasonic put in flexible internal connectors so the Toughbook can withstand lots of abuse.  The hard drives and LCDs are shock mounted to keep them protected.  Also, don’t worry about dumping liquids onto the keyboard because it is spill-resistant.

In addition, the Panasonic Toughbook 8 series of notebooks also come with 802.11 a/b/g/draft-n Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0 and most importantly the Gobi 3G technology. This enables users to select between mobile broadband carriers or international roaming functionality which will work with CDMA2000, EV-DO and HSPA/UMTS/GPRS technologies.

The Toughbook F8 features a 14.1-inch wide display and an internal optical drive, a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, up to 4GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive, an integrated DVD multi drive, TPM security chip and runs Windows Vista with an XP-downgrade option. The Toughbook W8 packs in all the F8’s features except for its smaller 12.1-inch LCD and a modest 1.20 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor.  Finally, we have the Toughbook T8 which boasts of the same features, as the W8 but comes with an extra ergonomic rubber hand strap and a Display Image Rotation software.

The Panasonic Toughbook W8, T8 and F8 will all be released by November.  Both Toughbooks W8 and T8 will set you back $2,099 while the Toughbook F8 will have an SRP of $2,499.

Read [Business Wire]

Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Audio, Portable Audio, Video, Portable Video, Computers, Mobile Computers, Wireless, Gadgets / Other, GPS/Navigation, Web

Clarion recently came out with a product that combines everyone’s on-the-go, PMP, GPS, and Internet, needs into one device.  Here comes the Clarion MiND (Mobile Internet Navigation Device).  Although it doesn’t come with cell phone support, so maybe not all your on-the-go-needs, but 3 out of the 4 isn’t bad.

When thinking of devices that incorporate all these essential features, only a few devices come to mind, such as the iPhone, UMPCs, and maybe NetBooks. However, each of those devices lack some features that the Clarion MiND has, except for iPhone which can make calls.

To begin with, the MiND comes with a 4.8 inch WVGA LCD GPS-esque touch screen, with 800×480 resolution. With a screen like this, it makes viewing maps, videos, and the Internet a whole lot better. In addition, one of the main and standout features is the processor it uses, the Intel Atom processor. With a processor such as this one, it becomes a lot like a PC and loads everything very fast. It connects to the Internet using Wi-Fi and unfortunately, there is no 3G connectivity.

Another cool feature about the MiND is the car connectivity it comes with. For example, if you purchase the vehicle docking system, you can connect the device to play audio using the speakers, and have the car speakers read out the GPS directions. It also comes with something called “Human Mobile Music Media Interface”, or H.M.I, which is an interface guide that can lock certain features when the car is in motion. This technology will probably prove to be very helpful as it can stop people from using the Internet when driving and other possibly dangerous features.

Tatsuhiko Izumi, president of Clarion, had this to say about their latest device -

“ClarionMiND represents the perfect balance between leading-edge hardware technology and next-generation software solutions. Delivering an Intel Atom-powered full Internet experience that integrates the latest advances in navigation capability with multifaceted entertainment functions, the innovative ClarionMiND demonstrates our commitment to finding new ways to connect people with their music and information in a mobile environment.”

The Clarion MiND is set to be available in early November in both Canada and the U.S. In January 2009, Clarion plans to release it in Europe selling for either $649.99 or 649.99 Euros. Lastly, a Premium model featuring 3G connectivity is set to be available next Spring. I’ve seen many high-end GPSs sell for similar prices, but this definitely looks to be better than those as it comes with other key features such as Internet. It’ll be interesting to see how it sells as compared to other similar devices.

Read [Clarion Press Release]

Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: News, Computers, Software / Applications, Web, Online Music/Video

Remember Jammie Thomas?  The single mother who fought against the RIAA when they sued her?  She was originally told to pay $222,000 for copyright infringement.  On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Michael Davis declared a mistrial and ordered a retrial.  The mistrial is ruled on the grounds that the RIAA had convinced him and the jury that it did not have to prove that files that were in Jammie Thomas’ Kazaa shared folder did not need to be downloaded.  According to the judge, the RIAA downloading the files from the shared folder should prove enough, yet the instruction to the jury that no proof of the being able to download the files is needed was “erroneous.”

This is only a small step so far in the RIAA trials against piracy.  Jammie Thomas was the first person to bring the claims into a court room while everyone else settled before reaching court.  We’ll have to watch and see what a jury rules when under instruction that doesn’t so blatantly make the case essentially an automatic win for the RIAA. 

Though I don’t know the exact specifics of what went on in the court, I don’t see why the RIAA couldn’t have just proven that the songs were available for download.  There are plenty of ways to record a video of something that’s happening on screen, and the RIAA downloads songs before trial anyway.

Most interesting in the judge’s statement is his condemnation of the fines levied against Jammie Thomas.  He writes: ”

While the court does not discount plaintiffs’ claim that, cumulatively, illegal downloading has far-reaching effects on their businesses, the damages awarded in this case are wholly disproportionate to the damages suffered by plaintiffs. Thomas allegedly infringed on the copyrights of 24 songs -? the equivalent of approximately three CDs, costing less than $54, and yet the total damages awarded is $222,000 – more than 500 times the cost of buying 24 separate CDs and more than 4,000 times the cost of three CDs.”

Now that’s something that’s easy to agree with in this case.

Read [Wired]

Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Filed under: Laptops

Thought that Atom CPU shortage a few months back was just posturing by Intel? Take a look at the top 10 list of best selling “Laptop Computers” over at Amazon. All but one laptop (the 13.3-inch MacBook) is a netbook and 8 of the 10 devices are powered by Intel’s 1.6GHz Atom processor. Guess this makes it official: the age of the netbook has indeed, arrived.

[Via MacRumors and Cult of Mac]

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Section: Computers, Mobile Computers, Laptops

Dell, which has been consistently teasing us with 17-inch notebook beauty has finally unveiled its Precision M6400. If you are thrilled with the idea of having notebook with such a large screen, you may start pre-ordering for the Precision M6400 at the Dell’s online store now. Dell promises to deliver the Precision M6400 by the later part of October.  If you’re still undecided, here’s a quick rundown of the notebook’s features and specs which might help you make a decision.

The Dell Precision M6400’s 17-inch display can either be a WXGA+UltraSharp with 1440×900 or 1920×1200 resolutions, a WUXGA RGB LED back-lit display or an edge to edge back-lit display, with both having a 1920×1200 resolution. The notebook also comes packed with an 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme processor which is also known as the Intel quad-core platform. In addition to these, the M6400 notebook also features 4 DDR 3 memory slot which can support 4GB or RAM each. That gives you the option to have 16GB of RAM in a portable computer.

You’d also get powerful graphics cards in the M6400 since Dell threw in a Quadro FX 3700M complemented by a 1GB of video memory. For storage, you can have as much as 1TB with the M6400’s dual hard-drive bays which you can partition or setup in RAID array. You’ll also get other features such as DVD-ROM, CD-RW/DVD, DVD+/-RW optical drives, WLAN and Bluetooth, and a slew of security features including steel-reinforced cable lock slots, fingerprint reader and more.

Interested in the Dell M6400 notebook? You will have to prepare a hefty sum though since a base system of the M6400 notebook would set you back $2,599 and that comes with a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of memory, 80GB of HD, read-only DVD drive, 512MB Quadro FX2700M video card. Of course, the more money you can spend, the more powerful your M6400 would be.

Product [Dell]

Full Story » | Written by Arnold Zafra for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »