May 7 - 3:10pm EDT   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. [full story]

March 16 - 9:55am EDT   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. [full story]

February 16 - 3:50pm EST   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. [full story]

January 7 - 11:15pm EST   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. [full story]

January 5 - 10:35pm EST   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 ... [full story]

July 3 - 4:10pm EDT   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. [full story]