Ubuntu seems to grab all the headlines these days, but a few years ago it looked like upstart PCLinuxOS would give the popular Linux distribution a run for its money. While I don’t hear as much out of the PCLinuxOS camp as I used to, the Linux distro is still alive and kicking, and this […]
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Sony updates Vaio Z laptop, hopes people still want high-priced ultraportables
Netbooks, CULV laptops, and ultrabooks have all demonstrated that just because a laptop is small doesn’t mean it has to be expensive. But by definition, most of these affordable ultraportable laptops are less powerful than high-end laptops. Sony is hoping there’s still a market for small but high performance (and high priced) laptops. The company […]
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Review of Renice K3VLAR 50mm mSATA SSD
Since my last review of a Renice Technology Mini PCIe form factor solid state disk the company has upped it’s line of Mini PCIe form factor SSDs to include the Renice K3VLAR 50MM mSATA SSD, which adds Renice to the still small but growing list of companies now producing mSATA drives. Typical of many mSATA […]
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Intel plans to have Atom Cloverview chips ready in time for Windows 8 launch
Microsoft is working on its next-generation operating system designed to run on touchscreen tablets as well as it does on laptop or desktop computers. Intel, meanwhile is working on a next-generation Atom chip designed to work in tablets, netbooks, and other low power devices. See a trend here? This next part should come as no […]
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Acer AC700 Chromebook to ship this month
Acer has announced that its first Chrome OS laptop will be available this month for $349.99 with a 3G capable model coming later this summer. The company had planned to deliver the Acer AC700 Chromebook on June 15th, but after missing that target date, Acer sent out a press release announced the imminent launch of […]
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eReader market is outpacing tablet growth
It seems like a week doesn’t go by without the launch of a new tablet device for surfing the web, viewing media, reading eBooks, and running apps. But most of the high profile tablets available cost $400 or more. You know what’s a lot cheaper? An eBook reader such as the latest NOOK, Kobo, or […]
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Can’t afford your own netbook? Borrow one from the library
Netbooks are low cost portable laptops that can function as secondary computers for some folks — or primary computers for those who may not have the money to buy a more powerful machine (or the interest in spending that kind of money). But something neat happens when you make computers more affordable and more portable: […]
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Asus to launch its $200 Eee PC X101 netbook in July?
When I got a chance to check out the Eee PC X101 last week, an Asus rep told me that it was scheduled to hit the streets this summer. Now the folks at DigiTimes think they’ve narrowed the time frame. Industry sources say the netbook will drop in July. I’d take that news with a […]
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Enable Google Talk Voice and Video chat in Chrome OS and Chromium OS
Confusingly, when Google builds a new product the company doesn’t always make sure it plays nicely with the company’s existing (and often extremely popular) offerings. Take Google Chrome, for example. When the web browser was launched (and even to this day), frustrated users still want to know why they can’t access their Google Bookmarks out-of-the-box […]
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Official Android 3.1 update for the Acer Iconia Tab A500 tablet leaked?
We’ve seen the Acer Iconia Tab A500 Android tablet rooted, patched with custom software, and unofficially updated to Android 3.1. But now it looks like Acer is working on an official software update for the tablet. A leaked copy is starting to make the rounds and a number of folks at the xda-developers forum have […]
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DIY Eee PC BIOS Resurrection
Most of the time when someone says they’re trying to update or downgrade the BIOS on their computer, they simply mean they want to change the software running on the BIOS. But sometimes that’s not so easy to do without physically modifying the BIOS chips — and that’s exactly what Eee User forum member naviathan […]
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Closer look at the Archos 35 Home Connect – Video
The Archos 35 Home Connect is sort of a cross between a clock radio, a portable stereo, and an Android smartphone. Seriously. It’s little little device with a 3.5 inch touchscreen display, two relatively large speakers, and Android 2.2 Froyo. It can stream music from thousands of internet radio stations, view weather forecasts, or simply […]