Intel debuts its Pine Trail-based Classmate PC
Continuing to give the OLPC XO line a run for its money, Intel has today officially presented its latest version Classmate PC which is powered by the Pine Trail platform and features a tweaked, more rugged design. The new education-oriented solution has a 10.1-inch (1024x600) LCD touchscreen that can be rotated 180 degrees (for tablet-mode operation), a built-in camera, WiFi connectivity, plus optional 3G, GPS and WiMAX, dual headphone jacks, and a battery enabling up to 8.5 hours or work.
The Classmate PC comes with improved ruggedness, a water-resistant keyboard, touchpad and screen, scratch resistance, hard drive drop protection, as well as an optional anti-microbial keyboard. The Atom-powered netbook also includes a digital accelerometer, a touch-optimized user interface, support for PDF and ePub file formats (for use as an e-reader), and is loaded with handwriting recognition and note-taking software.
According to Intel, PC makers will releases netbooks based on this new Classmate PC design later this year.
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Apple sues HTC for patent infringement
There's no love in the air for Apple as it has today filed complaints against smartphone maker HTC with the US ITC (International Trade Commission) and in the District Court in Delaware. According to Apple, some 20 of its patents which relate the the iPhone's user interface, underlying architecture and hardware are being violated by HTC and its kewl Android phones (we added the Android part of course).
"We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We've decided to do something about it," said Apple supreme ruler Steve Jobs. "We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours."
The ITC filing suggests that Apple is seeking a US ban on imports of infringing HTC products, while the Delaware complaint is probably just for extra scare.
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Opera 10.50 goes final, for Windows
These past few months have been crazy for Opera users as they have been bombarded with lots of snapshots, betas and RCs of the Opera 10.50 browser. The development of the new browser version has been going in fifth gear without a doubt and today everyone can slow down for a bit and savor the final version of Opera 10.50 for Windows.
Claimed to be the fastest browser yet on a Windows platform, Opera 10.50 comes with multiple additions and updates including a tweaked interface (with the new Opera menu button), a more polished skin, Windows 7 integration, the new Carakan JavaScript engine, a fresh graphics library (Vega), private browsing (tabs and windows), improved support for HTML5 and CSS3, a 'smarter' address field, and more.
"Opera 10.50 is the fastest browser in almost all speed tests," said Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera. "But, more important than any speed test is the real-world speed during use. We designed Opera 10.50 to be easy to use, while making our unique features stand out, so you can get more out of the Web."
Opera 10.50 for Windows can be downloaded from this page.
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Asus' Crosshair IV 890FX-based boards coming up
Asus is moving fast with its AMD 8 Series line, having already revealed two M4A89G (890GX) boards, and also a couple of ROG (Republic of Gamers) products based on the upcoming 890FX chipset. Below you can see the top of the tops, the Crosshair IV Extreme and Crosshair IV Formula ATX motherboards which obviously target enthusiasts who want to build an AM3 system around the AMD 890FX/SB850 solution.
Both ROG boards feature an intricate cooling system and multiple overclocking features (OC buttons, iROG, ROG Connect), four DDR3 memory slots, four PCI-Express x16 slots for CrossFireX configurations, 7/8 SATA connectors (six of which are 6.0 Gbps), Gigabit Ethernet, and 7.1 channel audio.
Both the Crosshair IV Extreme and Crosshair IV Formula are still in the works and could debut next month, just before AMD introduces the Phenom II X6 processors.
Photos courtesy of lab501.
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Nokia readies the C5 S60 smartphone
Nokia today presented the C5, a new, entry-level smartphone, the first to be part of the Cseries of devices. Set to debut in Q2, the C5 measures 112 x 46 x 12.3 mm, has quad-band GSM, EDGE and HSDPA 10.2 Mbps support, and features a 2.2-inch (240x320) screen, a 3.2 megapixel camera, 50MB of built-in storage, a microSD slot (2GB card included), and Bluetooth, USB connectivity.
THe Nokia C5 runs Symbian OS v9.3, is pre-loaded with Ovi Maps 3.0, Nokia Messaging, and is going to be priced at 135 Euro (before taxes and subsidies).
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Asus announces the DR-900 e-book reader
It's been a busy CeBIT kick-off for Asus as the company has revealed a new graphics monster, new Eee PCs, delayed the Eee Keyboard again, and presented to the world the DR-900, its first 9-inch ebook reader. Looking a lot like the DR-950, the reader features an E Ink panel with a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels, a pencil-thin profile, 2/4GB of internal storage, WiFi, optional 3G, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a battery life that's supposed to last for up to 10,000 page turns (per charge of course).
Asus has not provided the DR-900's price tag or release date. Yet.
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Logitech comes up with the Z205 laptop speaker
Sock and tired of the low-quality sound provided by your laptop and/or netbook? Then you may be in luck as Logitech has developed something that could put an end to your mobile audio suffering, the Laptop Speaker Z205. Working with both Mac OS or Windows-powered portable PCs, the Z205 measures 64 (H) x 180 (W) x 34.33 (D) mm, has an easy-to-attach clip-on design, two drivers to provide stereo sound, and makes use of USB connectivity for both its data and power needs.
"While people love the portability of their laptop computer, they are often missing out on the immersive listening experience that external speakers provide," said Mark Schneider, vice president and general manager of Logitech's audio business unit. "When designing the Logitech Laptop Speaker Z205, we wanted to help people get better audio while enjoying their favorite shows or music without sacrificing portability. The Laptop Speaker Z205 is tiny enough to toss in your bag, but delivers big sound."
The Laptop Speaker Z205 comes bundled with a carrying case, is backed by a two-year warranty and should start selling in the US and Europe later this month for about $40.
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Asus Eee Keyboard still not ready, now set for April release
Remember the Eee Keyboard? Yes, that Atom-powered PC-in-a-keyboard which was delayed since the summer of '69... make that 2009. Guess what, it's delayed again, the new release date being April. 2010, don't be cheeky.
Following Asus' CeBIT press conference, the company's chairman Jonney Shih has provided the updated schedule for the Eee Keyboard and apologized for the delay while explaining that the extra development time is required in order to enhance the product's user experience.
The Eee Keyboard features a 5-inch (800x480) capacitive touchscreen, a 1.6 GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 16 or 32GB solid state drive, GMA 950 integrated graphics, and a battery life of about 4 hours. The compact PC is set to sell for $500 to $600.
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Nvidia delivers the GeForce 196.75 WHQL drivers
Nvidia has just released what hopefully is the last driver before its DirectX 11 cards become available, the WHQL-certified GeForce 196.75. This CeBIT-edition driver includes the PhysX System Software v9.10.0129, has support for GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, 300 series cards and ION (1 and 2) GPUs, and provides the following:
- Upgrade HD Audio driver to version 1.0.9.1 (for supported GPUs).
- Increased performance in several PC games from v196.21 WHQL
Up to 13% performance increase in Crysis: Warhead with a single GPU
Up to 30% performance increase in Crysis: Warhead with SLI technology
Up to 13% performance increase in H.A.W.X with single GPU
Up to 15% performance increase in H.A.W.X with SLI technology
Up to 30% performance increase in Left 4 Dead with single GPU
Up to 28% performance increase in Left 4 Dead with SLI technology
- SLI and multi-GPU support for top new gaming titles including Assassin Creed II, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Command and Conquer 4: Tiberium Twilight, Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes from Liberty City, Mass Effect 2, Napoleon: Total War, and Zombie Driver.
- Enhanced SLI support for World of Warcraft and Unigine.
- Added override anti-aliasing support for Mass Effect 2.
- Numerous bug fixes.
Simply click on the links lined up below to download the GeForce 196.75.
- GeForce 196.75 WHQL (Windows XP 32bit)
- GeForce 196.75 WHQL (Windows XP 64bit)
- GeForce 196.75 WHQL (Windows 7/Vista 32bit)
- GeForce 196.75 WHQL (Windows 7/Vista 64bit)
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VIA presents the ART-3000 embedded system
Most tech-crazed eyes are certainly on CeBIT this week yet VIA didn't forget to attend the Embedded World 2010 exhibition in Nuremburg, where it is showing off the new ART-3000 embedded system. Set to be used for various industrial applications, the ART-3000 features fanless cooling, a ruggedized design, has low power requirements and is certified to resist at temperatures of -20°C - 60°C, vibrations of up to 5Gs and shocks of up to 20Gs.
"The VIA ART series really underlines our strength in offering system level products that exceed expectations," said Daniel Wu, Vice President, VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies. "Customers can now take advantage of a complete fanless, ruggedized system that offers incredible flexibility, a wide feature set, and excellent stability straight out of the box."
VIA's compact and sturdy computing box makes use of the EITX-3000 motherboard and has a 1.3 GHz Nano processor, up to 2GB of RAM, Chrome 9 integrated graphics, one 2.5-inch SATA drive bay, one CompactFlash type I/II socket, dual Gigabit Ethernet, multiple USB connectors, and dual LVDS and VGA ports. For more info about the ART-3000 see VIA's website.
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