Tuesday, September 22, 2009

MSI Wind U110 Eco Updated (Slightly) With 15-Hour Battery Life [NetBooks]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/g81o3NpglY8/msi-wind-u110-eco-updated-slightly-with-15+hour-battery-life

MSI's Wind U110 was a perfectly fine netbook when it was released in January, but the newer Toshiba NB205 and HP Mini 5101 make it look outdated. MSI updated the U110 with a 15-hour, 9-cell battery, but is that enough?

Basically, this is the same netbook as the older U110, but subs the 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 for a 1.3GHz Intel Atom Z530. The new processor is better for power efficiency, but has shown less performance punch than the typical netbook Atom. The system still has the same 1GB memory and 160GB hard drive. It's also offered with either Windows XP or Vista.

The real difference here is that giant 9-cell battery which supposedly gives a 15-hour run, and I guess the "Eco" name, which doesn't seem to refer to any particular environmental update. That battery doesn't only give the netbook a larger behind, but it adds to its weight. List price is $430, though Newegg has it right now for $400. [MSI]




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Posted by Augustine at 6:22 AM

Carbon nanotubes find yet another purpose, could star in ultra-reliable batteries

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/21/carbon-nanotubes-find-yet-another-purpose-could-star-in-ultra-r/


Carbon nanotubes are kind of like peanuts. They both seem pretty simple at first glance, but with a little work, you can make pretty much anything out of 'em. Take this case, for example, as MIT boffins have discovered that by forming the tube-shaped molecules of pure carbon into minuscule springs, they could be "capable of storing as much energy, pound for pound, as lithium-ion batteries." The real kicker is exactly how they'd do it -- "more durably and reliably." Essentially, these newfangled cells could be left alone for years on end without losing their charge, and unlike conventional batteries, these wouldn't suffer from performance degradation when exposed to temperature extremes. Of course, anything as pie-in-the-sky as this is probably at least a decade or so out from Walmart shelves, but considering that the group responsible has already filed a patent, we'd say they're pretty confident in the possibilities.

[Via Physorg]

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Carbon nanotubes find yet another purpose, could star in ultra-reliable batteries originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 6:21 AM

AMD to bring six-core 'Thuban' processor to the consumer realm

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/21/amd-to-bring-six-core-thuban-processor-to-the-consumer-realm/

Look out, Intel -- six cores are mightier than four, don'tcha know? Shortly after introducing a six-core processor in the server sector, AMD is reportedly angling to issue a hexa-core chip over on the consumer side. The chip maker has confirmed to Maximum PC that a six-core slab of silicon (codenamed Thuban) will be released in 2010, with the real kicker being that it'll be fully backwards compatible with existing AM3 and AM2+ mainboards. It'll be based on 45nm process technology and will boast an integrated DDR3 controller, 3MB of L2 cache and 6MB of L3 cache, and while the outfit wouldn't confirm, word on the street has it that the final product will sport a Phenom II X6 moniker. So, Core i9 -- what have you to say now?

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AMD to bring six-core 'Thuban' processor to the consumer realm originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 6:20 AM

Viliv's WinXP-powered X70EX MID now on sale in America

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/21/vilivs-winxp-powered-x70ex-mid-now-on-sale-in-america/

We're still not exactly sure who among us is buying MIDs, but as with those mysterious video glasses, it's abundantly clear that someone, somewhere definitely is. Take Viliv's X70, for instance. This thing's been around the world a time or two in more than one iteration, but at long last, the E70EX has departed Hong Kong and landed on US soil. Over at NewEgg, the X70EX Express P, X70EX Premium P and X70EX Premium 3GP are available for immediate shipment, though you'll still have to justify the $599.99, $729.99 and $879.99 (respectively) price tags. Good luck with that, and be sure to let us all know how it turns out.

[Via Laptoping]

Read - Viliv X70EX Express P
Read - Viliv X70EX Premium P
Read - Viliv X70EX Premium 3GP

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Viliv's WinXP-powered X70EX MID now on sale in America originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 6:20 AM

Samsung R&D goes bananas for mobile, intros 1GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera-on-a-chip, much more

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/22/samsung-randd-goes-bananas-for-mobile-intros-1ghz-processor-5-me/

In a Samsung-esque introduction, Samsung has unveiled a crazy stack of tech for mobile devices, most of it aimed at improving performance in high-end devices while reducing power consumption -- an initiative we can always get behind. Among the introductions are a pair of 1GHz ARM CORTEX A8 processors, one for phones and one for larger mobile devices, the former of which can be paired with Samsung's new 1Gb OneDRAM solution, and both of which can churn through 3D graphics while keeping power usage to a minimum. Other highlights include a 5 megapixel CMOS system on a chip camera, which can process 1080p at 30 fps, a 512Mb PRAM chip newly in production, and a mobile display driver with integrated capacitive touchscreen support. With samples of the processors out in December, and the camera trickling into the market Q1 of next year, we probably have a ways to wait for devices based on all this tech -- but boy are we prepped for it.

Read - 1GHz low power application processors
Read - 5 megapixel camera
Read - PRAM starts production
Read - Ramped up OneDRAM production
Read - Display driver IC with embedded capacitive control

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Samsung R&D goes bananas for mobile, intros 1GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera-on-a-chip, much more originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posted by Augustine at 6:20 AM

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