9-inch Tablet Archos just unveiled its Archos 9, a tablet with a touch-enabled 9-inch LCD. One thing I have to get off my chest right away: the name needs to change. It’s like Apple naming a product Apple 9. The price is a very palatable US$500 powered by Intel’s Atom CPU and features a 120GB hard disk, 1GB RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, a removable Lithium-Ion battery, a webcam, and runs Windows 7. A few apps including Microsoft Office and Skype are included.
Resistive The Archos 9 is just 0.68-inch thick and weighs just 28 ounces. The touch technology is resistive. The Wired article assumes that just because the Archos 9 uses a resistive touch technology that it will not be as sensitive as the capacitive touch screens on the iPhone or Palm Pre. Not true. Stantum‘s resistive multitouch technology was impressive and just as good as any capacitive touch experience including the iPhone. The advantage of a resistive touch technology is the ability to use your finger, stylus, brush or anything else. The Archos 9 tablet is expected to be available on October 22.
Source:
“Archos Unveils $500 Tablet” -Wired
The detailed specs for the UN55B8500 from Samsung:
- Display: 54.6-inch S-PVA TFT LCD
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- Contrast Ratio: 7,000,000:1 (dynamic)
- Frequency: Auto Motion Plus 240Hz
- Connectivity: Internet@TV, DLNA, USB (2), InfoLink, HDMI (4), Component, Composite, Ethernet, VGA
- Adjustability: Swivel (Left/Right)
- Dimensions: 52.1 x 34.0 x 12.1-inch (w/stand), 52.1 x 31.4 x 1.6-inch (w/o stand)
- Weight: 77.6-lbs (w/stand), 61.7-lbs (w/o stand)
- Price: MSRP US$4,499.99
The UN55B8500 is a 55-inch LCD TV from Samsung sporting edge-lit LED backlight technology to make it really thin, just 1.6-inch. If you are thinking of putting a large LCD TV on the wall and making it as flush as possible to the wall, something like Samsung’s UN55B8500 is a must. The resolution is a requisite 1920 x 1080 with a motion-blur-busting 240Hz frequency called Auto Motion Plus. The 55-inch ultra-thin LCD TV has a lot of connectivity options, but I would like to see Samsung work with Netflix and others instead of doing its own thing. Four HDMI connections should help connect all of your digital video sources. The dynamic contrast ratio is rated at 7 million to one but that’s just marketing. The best way to see if it is any good is to go to a store where they have it installed in a dark room. It will be hard to find but well worth it since the dark environment will show you how good the UN55B8500 really is in terms of contrast. Although the MSRP is a sky-high US$4,499.99, Amazon is selling the UN55B8500 for just $4049.
Source: Samsung
“The OtterBox Defender Series for iPhone 3G / 3GS offers stylish and sophisticated protection in 3 layers. First, a thin, clear membrane covers your Touch Screen to help prevent scratches and dings. Second is a hard, strong Polycarbonate skeleton that surrounds your device. Wrapped around all of this is a Silicone skin that absorbs bump and shock. Included with the case is a ClipStand holster. This case will not fit the 1st Generation iPhone.” -OttberBox
Peace of Mind Thanks to OtterBox, I had a chance to protect my iPhone 3G with the Defender Case. I used my protected iPhone for a week to see how it felt. I’ll share with you my conclusion right away: The iPhone 3G / 3GS Defender Case from OtterBox gives you a sense of peace because it does the job of protecting your iPhone from drops, bumps and scratches very well. When my youngest (1 1/2 years old) was playing with my protected iPhone I wasn’t too worried even though he has a penchant for throwing things. (more…)
i7 Power Intel’s new Mobile i7 CPU will be powering new Studio 15, Studio 17 and Studio XPS 16 notebook PCs from Dell. The CPUs will be either the 1.6GHz Core i7 720QM or the 1.73GHz Core i7 820QM. It seems all major notebook PC brands will have i7-powered laptops in their lineups by the end of this week.
RGB LED Dell’s Studio XPS 16 (pictured above) comes in two LCD sizes: 15.6-inch and 16.0-inch. If you want the baddest display, opt for the 16.0-inch with a 1920 x 1080 resolution sporting a RGB LED backlight. The smaller size comes in 1600 x 900 and 1920 x 1080 resolutions with white-LED backlights.
Source:
- “Quad-core Core i7 720QM slips into Dell Studio 15 / 17 and Studio XPS 16″ – Engadget
- “Dell Studio XPS 16 Laptop Details” – Dell
Alienware’s M15x is the first notebook PC from the company to sport a mobile Core i7 CPU. Of course HP’s Envy 15 is the first notebook PC from any company to feature Intel’s Core i7. Alienware claims the M15x is “the world’s most powerful 15-inch laptop”. Maybe it is, but I’m not so sure. Let’s have a look inside. You have three CPU options for the M15x:
- 1.6GHz i7 720QM with 2.8GHz Turbo Mode, 6MB Cache
- 1.73GHz i7 820QM with 3.06GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache
- 2.0GHz i7 920XM with 3.2GHz Turbo Mode, 8MB Cache
16:9 LCD The M15x sports a 15.6-inch LCD with a 1600 x 900 resolution with a 1920 x 1080 option. Both LCDs make use of LED backlight technology. Alienware mentions an “edge-to-edge” display so I am assuming it has a cover glass design just like Apple’s MacBook Pro notebooks. (more…)