GPU upgradeable? MacGeneration thought so. c|net states that the 24″ iMac uses nVidia’s MXM mobile GPU. That means that it is technically upgradeable. But it doesn’t mean you can upgrade yourself. Apple does it to easily go back and forth from the GeForce 7300 GT to the GeForce 7600 GT for building different configurations. You? Out of luck. Why? There is no external access to the 24″ iMac’s MXM slot. And even if you did get access to it, there are not a single MXM-based chips to replace it with.
Epic Empire’s bottom line is 8/10 and recommends the 24″ iMac to “any cash-strapped professional”. c|net gives it a 7.6/10: 9 for design, 6 for features, 7 for performance and 5 for service and support. CNN Money’s bottom line is very logical, “There have always been lots of reasons to buy a Macintosh computer, but now there is no longer a reason not to buy one.” ZDNet recommends the 24″ iMac as a “PC that doubles as a secondary home-entertainment system.”
I love the idea of an all-in-one system with a beautiful 24″ wide LCD screen with ample display real estate generated by 1920 x 1200 pixels. I also dig the shirt the guy is wearing in the Aperture application.
[tags]Apple, 24″, 1920 x 1200, All In One, iMac[/tags]
Not much information is out there regarding LGE’s C1 convertible tablet PC. Sources are guessing the C1 will be powered by Intel’s Core Duo CPU or Core 2 Duo and an nVidia GPU. There is a SIM card slot for GSM-based data communications. The display is a 10″ wide according to some. Sony’s TX is 11.1″ wide and if LGE’s C1 is smaller than that… and is a convertible table PC, then, wow.
Updated with more information and pictures here.
[tags]LG, LGE, LG Electronics, Tablet PC, 10″[/tags]
Haier, a Chinese brand that sounds European, unveiled a 46″ LCD TV at the Korean Electronics Show. The 46″ unit has 1920 x 1080 resolution, 800:1 contrast ratio and 178-degree viewing angles. There isn’t too much information, but FYI only Samsung (or should I say S-LCD) makes 46″ LCD panels and so I would think Haier got the panel from Samsung. And if that’s the case the underlying technology would be PVA, which, IMO, isn’t all that great. Contrast ratios fall off the cliff as soon as you move away from exactly center. And if you’re okay with 10:1 contrast ratios at the 178 degree limit, that’s fine by me. That viewing angle specification really doesn’t do anything for me. Haier, what a name. Got to give it those Chinese!
One last thing: I don’t like integrated stuff in TVs. So, what do you do when your PVR breaks? Take the whole TV in? Or if it can’t be fixed get a whole new TV? No thanks. I’ll take my components ala carte.
Source: PVRWire
Sanyo’s PLV-Z5 is a LCD-based front projector with an impressive 10,000:1 contrast ratio. Improved gradation is achieved with a twin-iris system that integrates a lens aperture and lamp aperture. Pictures are sharpened by the company’s new TopazReal Technology that blends brightness levels of the lamp and LCD panels. There are two HDMI ports, a VGA port for connectivity to computers, and others. At just 9.8 feet you can display a 100″ screen with the PLV-Z5. Other details can be found here. A MAP price of $1695.00, 3-year warranty and you can get it now. No word on the resolution in the press release.
Ah, 1280 x 720. Found it here. You wouldn’t want a 100″ filled with only 1280 x 720 pixels. You wouldn’t like it. Although the 10,000:1 contrast ratio and 12-bit processing is impressive, if you want 100″ you’ll need to wait for a 1920 x 1080 version. Even at that improved resolution, you’d want to sit back a little if you don’t want to see the actual pixels.
Sony’s SRX-R220 is a front projector that has a brightness of 18,000 lumens and a resolution of 4096 x 2160. The ultra-bright unit uses a 4Kw lamp and is one of the brightest front projectors around and that brightness is more or less required for its intended purpose: digital theaters. It is based on Sony’s LCoS implementation, the SXRD chip. Price? Better just pony up $10 at the theater to watch the SRX-R220 in action.
Source: Sony, Engadget