10/27, 10:05am
Dell intros first multi-touch rugged tablet
After only a brief tease, Dell today formally unveiled the Latitude XT2 XFR. It's characterized as the first rugged convertible tablet to use capacitive multi-touch and is seen as ideal for use outdoors or at work where natural gestures, such as pinching to zoom into a map or flicking to scroll through a page, are more preferable to a pen. It nonetheless still works with a stylus and has a more outdoor-ready display that's more readily viewable in broad daylight.
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09/29, 7:30am
Ten Apple tablet details
Apple's heavily rumored media tablet has received added details today through a leak from a historically accurate source. The device is now thought to have a 10.7-inch screen -- up from the 9.7 most often suggested -- and to have versions both with a 3G modem as well as without. Resolution would logically increase, but it's now said the display may reach near 720p (1280x720) and would be large enough for comfortably reading books and magazines as well as larger websites and videos.
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09/28, 4:15pm
Verizon to offer subsidized Gateway netbook soon
According to a leaked document, wireless provider Verizon will soon begin offering its second subsidized netbook with the upcoming addition of the Gateway LT2016u, Engadget reported on Monday. The computer will be sold on a two-year data contract, and like the first Verizon-subsidized netbook, the HP Mini 1151NR, will use Qualcomm's Gobi data modem to access Verizon's 3G data network. Otherwise, the netbook packs a 10.1-inch display with a 1024x600-pixel resolution, a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive.
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09/23, 12:00pm
iRex DR 300SG reader official
iRex today branched out to the US for the first time with its first e-book device intended specifically for the US. The DR 300SG has an 8.1-inch touchscreen e-paper display but centers first on its 3G access for accessing stores. It should support the Barnes & Noble bookstore out of the box for downloads but also recognize several other store format,s including Fictionwise, LibreDigital and Newspaper Direct as well as the universal EPUB format.
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09/15, 7:50am
Apple tablet part details appear
Apple's frequently rumored tablet received more details on Tuesday with an apparent leak of production plans. Taiwan's Economic News claims the touchscreen hardware is now slated for February and that companies will start shipping parts in December. The publication reiterates the presence of a near 10-inch touch display but now insists the tablet will be based on a custom processor (likely ARM-based) from recent acquisition PA Semi and will use HSDPA for its 3G access, likely putting it on AT&T's network.
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05/07, 3:10pm
Apple 3G in Snow Leopard
Apple is building in support for internal 3G hardware into Mac OS X Snow Leopard, a leak suggests. While it's typical for Apple to have drivers for certain 3rd-party 3G adapters with the OS, AppleInsider shows a WWAN (wireless wide-area network) entry in System Profiler, which typically shows only the hardware that Apple includes with systems itself. The move implies that Apple plans to make 3G a factory option, likely internally, for one or more of its computers.
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03/16, 9:55am
Motion Computing tablet PC
Motion Computing on Monday announced the availability of its rugged tablet PC, the 12.1-inch J3400. To earn the rugged label, the J3400 is IP-52 rated and meets MIL-STD-810F specifications, that mean it can shake off a 3-foot drop onto plywood over concrete as well as lesser shocks; it further resists the damaging effects of dust and moisture. The drop protection is achieved by the use of a shock-mounted 1.8-inch HDD and display. An accelerometer and related hardware and software Motion calls DataGuard will protect data and the 80GB or 120GB hard drive by separating the needle from the disc surface when a fall is detected.
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02/16, 3:50pm
Sony VAIOs get Gobi tech
At Mobile World Congress on Monday, Sony and Qualcomm announced that the former's VAIO notebooks will be the first to feature the latter's Global Mobile Internet Technology (Gobi), letting the PCs access 3G mobile broadband networks regardless of type. Sony will make Gobi standard fare in some of its ultra-portable VAIO notebooks, including the Z, TT and new P series. Apart from built-in mobile broadband capabilities, the Qualcomm chips also feature an integrated GPS sensor.
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01/07, 11:15pm
OQO model 02 Plus
OQO in a late-night announcement revealed the model 02+, a significant revamp of its veteran UMPC. The new version is said to be the first ever PC to have an OLED display and, as a result, has a much more colorful, 1,000,000:1 contrast touchscreen that is also more visible outdoors. Without the need for a backlight, it also improves battery life. OQO claims that, in tandem with changes underneath, the 02+ lasts about 20 percent longer with 3.5 hours of use on a normal battery and 7 hours from an extended pack. It also accepts both finger and stylus input.
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01/05, 10:35pm
HP dv2 and dv3
HP's pre-CES launches today include two new Pavilion notebooks, one of which marks a first for the company's choice of processors. The 12-inch dv2 is one of the first systems to carry AMD's new Athlon Neo processor and uses a 1.6GHz version of the chip to provide ultraportable dimensions closer to a MacBook Air without cutting too deeply in terms of performance or price, unlike the aluminum chassis and Intel Core 2 Duo S of the Apple system; this and an LED-backlit display help keep the weight down to 3.8 pounds and the case down to between 0.93in and 1.29in despite the use of traditional notebook hard drives. HP likewise promises a 92 percent sized keyboard in the normally tight spaces of ultraportables.
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07/03, 4:10pm
HP Turion X2 Ultra Ships
HP today became one of the first companies known to be shipping systems based on AMD's new Turion X2 Ultra processors and platform. The 14-inch Compaq 6535b and 15.4-inch Compaq 6735b are HP's flagships for workstations and pros and use the new architecture to support up to 8GB of DDR2 memory (with 64-bit operating systems) as well as give faster integrated graphics through the Mobility Radeon HD 3200.
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