Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Santech rolls out Centrino 2-based X46 laptop

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/314829327/

Filed under: Laptops

While we've yet to see the expected flood of Centrino 2-based gear, things certainly seem to be picking up as we near the end of that little delay, with Santech only the latest to debut a laptop based on the platform once known as Montevina. Dubbed the X46, this one comes packing a 15.4-inch WXGA+ display, along with your choice of Core 2 Duo processor up to 2.8GHz, up to 4GB of RAM (plus 2GB of Intel Turbo Memory). a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics card, a max 320GB hard drive (or 200GB if you want to do 7,200 rpm), and your choice of a DVD burner or Blu-ray drive. Look for this one to start shipping in Europe by June 30th, with prices starting around the $1,000 mark for the default configuration.

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Aztech's WL850MS wireless HD media streamer gets detailed

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/314894944/

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Believe it or not, Aztech's WL850MS was actually first mentioned way back at CES 2008, but it's just now finding the limelight at CommunicAsia. The well-spec'd unit supports 1080p media streaming over Ethernet or 802.11n WiFi, and you'll likely be thrilled to know that it boasts MIMO antennas for extended coverage and 2.4GHz / 5GHz dual-band capability. You'll also find four 10/100 Ethernet ports for multiple video recipients and a pretty swank enclosure, if we may say so ourselves. Word from Singapore has the unit retailing for around $263, but there's no telling how long we'll have to wait before seeing it on US soil.

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CherryPal announces two-watt, Freescale-based cloud computer

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/314910605/

Filed under: Laptops

It looks like the current ranks of green PCs are soon going to have some pretty daunting competition for the low-power throne, with upstart CherryPal announcing that it's about to bust out a cloud computer that'll consume a mere two watts of power. To hit that mark, CherryPal opted for Freescale's new 400MHz MPC5121e mobileGT processor, and eliminated all the moving parts normally found in a PC, which means no optical drive and 4GB of NAND flash memory in place of a regular hard drive. Otherwise, you can expect to get 256MB of RAM, built-in 802.11b/g WiFi, two USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, and a VGA port, with a "tweaked version" of Debian apparently serving as the OS. No word on a price just yet, but the company is boldly proclaiming that it'll be the "most affordable on the market."

[Via The Register]

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Pool Crashing in the UK Becomes Latest Google Earth Prank [Dipping]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/314535036/pool-crashing-in-the-uk-becomes-latest-google-earth-prank

The latest craze for teenagers with no place to go except Facebook is "dipping," or gatecrashing someone else's swimming pool. According to the Daily Mail (commenter djheath's favorite publication, if I recall correctly) putative trespassers select their swimming pool using Google Earth, and then notify their mates using social networking sites. The would-be revellers often turn up in fancy dress, and are advised to bring a bike (for a swift getaway). Owners only discover their pool has been dipped when they find a bunch of beer cans floating on the surface the next morning. [Daily Mail]

SATA / CF / IDE to USB 2.0 Bridge Adapter is way handy

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/314272804/

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

Though there are plenty of whatever-to-USB adapters out there, this critter just tickles our fancy with its extraordinary utility. The SATA / CF / IDE to USB 2.0 Bridge Adapter enables owners to connect CompactFlash cards, SATA drives and even IDE drives to any computer with a spare USB 2.0 port. Which is like, every computer made since forever ago. Usually, we'd suggest that practically every travel pack should possess one of these, but the cheapskate in us still feels the $22 price tag is a few notches too high.

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