June 5 - 10:35am EDT   Maingear has introduced the Pulse, a small form-factor PC featuring the NVIDIA Ion chipset. The basic configuration ships with a 2.93GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an integrated GeForce 9300 GPU, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive. The Ion components and an 80-percent efficient power supply are claimed to reduce power consumption, while customers can also add a GeForce 9800 GT ECO GPU or 65-watt Intel Core 2 Quad processors. The company claims a fully-loaded Pulse draws less than 145 watts under load while gaming. [full story]

May 1 - 4:25pm EDT   Lenovo has started shipping its latest 15.6-inch notebook, the IdeaPad Y550, and offers six models of the portable PC, with prices ranging from $669 to $1,199. All include a 1366x768 widescreen display and an integrated dual-layer DVD burner. The base model has a 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of RAM, along with a 250GB hard drive preloaded with Windows Vista Home Premium. [full story]

January 29 - 4:50pm EST   Intel plans on dropping the price it charges computer makers for some of its Core 2 Duo mobile processors in the second quarter of the year, according to a Thursday NotebookItalia report. The chipmaker's 2.8GHz T9600 CPU with 6MB of L2 cache will reportedly cost $309 per unit, a 40 percent discount from its current $517 price. Meanwhile, the slower 2.53GHz T8700 CPU's price will be reduced by 17 percent, from $236 to $197. [full story]

July 15 - 1:30am EDT   In addition the ultra-portable X200 and U330, Lenovo on Tuesday morning announced its new Centrino 2 ThinkPad SL notebooks as well as new IdeaPad notebooks. The trio of black-glossy covered ThinkPad SL notebooks, targeted to small- and medium-size business includes the SL300, SL400 and SL500; all offer built-in high speed mobile broadband connectivity along with Centrino 2's 802.11n networking, the latest Core 2 Duo processing, and new software that helps with data recovery, Internet connection setup, and a new optional service package featuring on-line data backup and on-site warranty repair. Some models also offer the now-in-vogue (but optional) Blu-Ray DVD player ... [full story]

July 7 - 8:20pm EDT   Averatec on Monday introduced a new all-in-one desktop PC that seeks to take on the illustrious Apple iMac in terms of design and features, while also offering several high-end features such as desktop-grade Core 2 Duo CPUs. Unlike the iMac – which uses the mobile Core 2 processors – the Averatec model uses E4600 2.4GHz processors, Intel's desktop-calibur chip. The Avertec All-In-One provides a 22-inch widescreen with a built-in HDTV tuner, 320GB hard drive, and a vertically oriented optical drive. [full story]

April 30 - 12:50am EDT   Alienware today unveiled the m17x, a gaming behemoth stuffed into the confines of a 17-inch wide screen laptop, featuring an option of Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme processors and dual Nvidia graphics cards. The hefty, sleek laptop uses a high-definition screen, featuring a resolution of 1920 by 1200 pixels, with up to 4GB of dual channel DDR2 memory, and up to two hard drives in a RAID 0 configuration for up to 1TB of storage. The m17x also has space for a third modular hard drive or DVD burner. [full story]

April 28 - 11:20pm EDT   In light of Apple's updates to the iMac line, MacMall is running a few specials on current and late model iMacs, both the 20- and 24-inch versions. MacMall is also bundling Parallels Desktop 3.0 with the purchase of any iMac, as well as a free Epson printer, and from $50 to $100 off the machine, after mail-in rebates. The online retailer is offering discounts on the newly released iMacs, from $1150 on the entry-model, to $2100 for the high-end 3.06GHz version – $50 to $100 off Apple's suggested retail price. The 24-inch iMac comes with a 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of memory, a 320GB hard drive, Superdrive and an ATI Radeon 2600 Pro. MacMall is selling ... [full story]

April 17 - 3:05pm EDT   After stoking massive controversy by announcing an alleged $400 Mac clone, vowing the fight Apple's Mac OS X EULA in Court then rapidly switching its address, leading some to question the authenticity of its claims, Psystar is attempting to clear up some of the confusion. Unfortunately, the company's explanation may raise more questions than it answers. Psystar initially claimed that it would soon deliver a $400 Mac clone, based around a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics. Stating that the machine will be compatible with Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5), the company says it will pre-install the OS and include a special restoration disc, alongside ... [full story]

April 14 - 6:00pm EDT   A company called Psystar claims it will soon deliver a $400 Mac clone, based around a 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo with integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics. Stating that the machine will be compatible with Leopard (Mac OS X 10.5), the company says it will pre-install the OS and include a special restoration disc, alongside the genuine installation disc. The legality of Psystar's operation is dubious, as Apple's Mac OS X license explicitly states that the software can only be installed and used on an Apple-labeled computer, specifically stating "You agree not to install, use or run the Apple Software on any non-Apple-labeled computer, or to enable others to do so." [full story]

March 21 - 5:20pm EDT   The Mac mini is supposedly getting an internal overhaul, rather than fading into nonexistence, as popular belief would indicate. According to AppleInsider, the miniature computer is to see the 45-nanometer Core 2 Duo chip, starting at 2.1GHz, with an 800MHz frontside buss and the Intel GMA X3100 graphics processor. This alleged update comes after almost a year of shipping the same model, without any major changes. [full story]

February 29 - 7:40pm EST   Apple's online store is currently offering reconditioned current-generation iMacs for as little as $1,249 and MacBooks starting at $849. The company's current-generation 20-inch 2.4GHz iMac Intel Core 2 Duo ($1,249) includes 1GB of memory, a 320GB hard drive, an 8x SuperDrive DVD/CD burner, and an ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO graphics card with 256MB of video memory; a 24-inch 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme model ($1,899) is also available with 2GB of memory, a 500GB hard drive, an 8X SuperDrive, and the same graphics card as the 20-inch model. Apple's supply of previous-generation iMacs includes the 20-inch 2.16GHz model ($1,099) with 1GB of memory and a 250GB hard drive; as ... [full story]

February 27 - 2:05pm EST   Other World Computing (OWC) today announced that it is offering 4GB memory kits for Apple's new MacBook and MacBook Pro Core 2 Duo notebooks, which began shipping yesterday. "OWC is providing memory for these new MacBook 13-inch 2.1GHz/2.4GHz Core 2 Duo Models and MacBook Pro 15-inch & 17-inch 2.4GHz/2.5GHz (including 2.6GHz optional configuration) Core 2 Duo models," the company said. "OWC memory is available in modules and kits of up to 4.0GB for these models as well as the previous MacBook Pro models." OWC's 4.0GB Memory Upgrade Kits are available for $100, and include two 2GB modules. [full story]

February 22 - 7:50pm EST   Apple's online store is offering reconditioned iMacs at especially low prices for a limited time. The company's 20-inch 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac is priced at $999, and comes with 1GB of memory as well as a 250GB hard drive. The 20-inch 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac is priced at $1,249, and offers 1GB of memory alongside a 320GB hard drive. Apple is also offering refurbished 24-inch Intel Core 2 Duo iMacs with 2.4GHz and 2.8GHz processors for $1,499 and $1,899, respectively. The faster 2.8GHz model ships with 2GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive, while the 2.4GHz iMac offers 1GB of memory and a 320GB hard drive. [full story]

February 15 - 3:05pm EST   Dell is now offering customers the option to include an Intel Core 2 Duo "Penryn" processor select XPS M1730 notebooks. Users can select the Core 2 Duo T8300 at 2.4GHz or T9300 at 2.5 GHz 45nm CPUs with the 17-inch M1730. The former is included in the unit's price, while the latter is a $125 upgrade. The T7800, running at 2.6GHz, is a $400 upgrade option. Introduced in January, the 45-nanometer Core 2 notebook platform is based on the same Penryn architecture as the desktop Core 2 and Xeon parts. The smaller, denser chips also make room for media instructions and larger caches. [full story]

January 2 - 11:55am EST   Axiotron has begun shipping its Modbook tablet Mac, a modified MacBook with a built-in Wacom digitized pen-sensitive liquid crystal display. The only Mac-based tablet on the market won the Best of Show award at Macworld Expo 2007 after debuting at the event. The Modbook features a 2.0GHz or 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Inkwell handwriting recognition software, a 24x DVD combo or 8x DVD SuperDrive, GPS support, and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. Modbooks start at $2,300 and include a 1-year warranty. [full story]