Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Fraunhofer IPMS demonstrates OLED with touch control

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/416886940/

Look, we're not going to argue that those chintzy clap lamps weren't pretty sweet in their heyday. And we're also not going to put up a fuss when you assert that snap bracelets were equally adorable in the early 90s. Nostalgia aside, Fraunhofer IPMS is headed straight for the future with its latest OLED breakthrough. Reportedly, the company has devised an OLED display that can be controlled via human touch or by simply waving one's hand in front of the panel. Unlike similar applications that have come before it, there's no additional hardware needed -- and therein lies the magic. The outfit is currently showing off the design at the Plastic Electronic 2008 show, though it yet to reveal anything close to a release plan.

[Via OLED-Display]

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12.1-inch Dell E Slim laptop spotted in the wild?

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/417079511/

Filed under: Laptops

It's hard to say what we've come across here, but if our retinas aren't deceiving us too badly, this looks to be an in the wild shot (sans blur, amazingly) of Dell's forthcoming E Slim. If you'll recall, we caught a glimpse of said device way back in June, and the two look at least marginally similar using the oh-so-scientific eyeball test. But look, even if this thing isn't the E Slim (though we're guessing it is until proven otherwise), we've been told on numerous occasions that Dell is mulling the idea of pumping out a netbook with a 10- to 12-inch display. An accompanying screenshot of the unit's internals was also provided, and while the model may say Optiplex1210, we're guessing that's just there for prototyping purposes; besides, the listed CPU matches up quite nicely with the aforementioned E Slim specs that slipped out this summer. So Round Rock -- when are you going to come out and get official with your 12.1-incher? Before or after this coming Tuesday?

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Gallery: 12.1-inch Dell E Slim laptop spotted in the wild?

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eMachines' $300 EL1200 desktop: "the size of a dictionary"

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/417193676/

Filed under: Desktops

Really, eMachines? You're honestly going to give your newest cheap-o PC this kind of tagline? Truth be told, we're not exactly sure what a standard sized dictionary even looks like (there's this thing called the internet...), but apparently, it's exactly the same size as the EL1200 desktop. Not sassy enough to be called a nettop, this here mini-tower is 40% smaller and 55% lighter than the company's second tiniest rig, and while it won't handle the likes of Crysis, it shouldn't have too many issues surfing the web and opening Word documents. As for specs, we've got a 1.5GHz AMD Athlon 2650e 64-bit CPU, NVIDIA's GeForce 6150SE integrated graphics, 1GB of DDR2, 160GB hard drive, a dual-layer DVD burner, 14-in-1 multicard reader, seven USB 2.0 ports and a $298 (MSRP) price tag. That system we just rattled off is available now at Wally World, while a slightly more stacked edition can be had at Best Buy for $349.

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New MacBooks to be based on NVIDIA GeForce 9400 / 9300 chipsets?

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/417215840/

Filed under: Laptops

With a new MacBook announcement now just days away, speculation is unsurprisingly at a fever pitch as to exactly what Apple has in store, and the folks at PC Perspective have now pieced together a few clues to whet your appetite in anticipation of the big event. Most of those are drawn from mounting evidence from the NVIDIA camp, including the image above that made an appearance on the company's website a few days ago and, most importantly, word that NVIDIA would be releasing its GeForce 9400 and 9300 chipsets based on the MCP79 integrated chipset design on October 15th (conveniently not stepping on Apple's toes the day before). The implication there being that the GeForce chipsets would replace the relatively underpowered integrated Intel graphics on the current MacBooks, with the new MacBook Pros supposedly getting an additional boost from a discrete G92-based mobility GeForce 9600. As PC Perspective points out, if true, that would be quite a coup for NVIDIA, especially considering that it wasn't all that long ago some were talking about it quitting the chipset business altogether.

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Asus intros WiMAX-equipped M50Vm-A1WM 15.4 incher

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/417332275/

Filed under: Laptops, Wireless

A new variant of Asus' M50Vm-A1 laptop -- the M50Vm-A1WM -- just showed up on Newegg and Amazon. Soulcrushingly long (mostly) alphanumeric string aside, it's a decent 15.4'' machine for its $1,399 price point, with desktop replacement specs: Intel Core 2 Duo P8400, 4GB of RAM, a GeForce 9600M with a satisfying 1GB of dedicated graphics memory, and even a numpad. What's new here is onboard WiMAX, which puts Asus on the post-XOHM launch bandwagon with Toshiba, Acer and other laptop manufacturers. This is good news for some lucky early adopters, but if you're not in one of the testing locales, you might as well continue twiddling your thumbs.

[Via ComputerMonger]

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