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Archive for the 'computer' Tag

Yes, Apple announces its first tablet computer: The iPad

January 27th, 2010, 10:15 am by

Apple Announces Launch Of New Tablet ComIt’s official. Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs has announced the company’s first tablet computer: the iPad.

What can you do with it? Surf the Internet, send e-mail, share pictures, watch videos, listen to music, plays games and read eBooks, Jobs told the media crowd who showed up in San Francisco for this morning’s big announcement.

This is definitely what was rumored. And it does look like a giant iPhone. Jobs went on to show numerous publications that have built content fit for the iPad including the New York Times (which also made an appearance on stage), Time and  National Geographic.

UDPATE: Some prices revealed: $499 for the 16 GB version. The 32GB is $599 and 64GB is $699. These are all Wi-Fi versions. With 3G, add $130 to each model so the prices jump to $629 $729 and $829. Data plans start at $14.99/month for 250 mb of data or $29.99 for unlimited data. AT&T is providing the service plus offering free Wi-Fi hotspot access.

Apple iPad is 0.5-inch thin

The iPad begins shipping in 60 days for the non 3G versions. The 3G versions will ship in 90 days.

>> Watch Apple’s iPad video HERE.

It has interesting tweaks on the usual computer/phone features like calendar, Google Maps, contacts. Some featured services already built for iPad: Fandango movie tickets and MLB.com‘s baseball videos.

Take the poll:
OK. You’ve heard and read the buzz. We know it’s early — hey, you can’t even buy one yet — but we have to know …

So, will you buy one?
View Results

Jobs had a whole segment on, what else, iBooks. Harper Collins, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan are some of the publishers named. It uses the ePub format, an open format so you might be able to upload your own books. According to iLounge.com, Jobs said:

Apple will go further than Kindle with a full-screen eBook reader called iBooks. iBooks has a bookshelf that inclues covers on a shelf. You can see two pages or one page at once as you prefer, and there’s a button at upper left to access the new iBook Store. Fully integrated with app to let you discover, purchase, download eBooks right on your iPad.

SPECS: It has Internet, of course. There’s also Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (802.11n), some will have 3G wireless service built in (see prices above). All 3G models will be unlocked. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Apple mania • Computers • Gadgets • • • • • • • • | 87 Comments »

Toshiba won’t release netbooks in the U.S. — for now

September 18th, 2008, 6:01 pm by

Mini-computers known as netbooks may be the biggest trend among PC makers but Orange County’s own Toshiba America is holding off on releasing one of its own, according to a Toshiba spokesperson I spoke to today.

While the company’s European operations have apparently announced the first Toshiba netbook (pictured on right), that model will not be available in the U.S., according to my contact. We may even hear of other Toshiba netbook launches — Mexico? Asia? — but nothing here.

“The company is still evaluating the netbook in the U.S.,” is all my contact at Toshiba would say.

The local Toshiba computing group, based in Irvine, may be wondering as I did, whether people really want netbooks. These mini computers are smaller than laptops with 7 to 10-inch screens and cost around $300 to $600. But they are also less powerful, with Intel’s smallest chip, the Intel Atom. Dell, HP, Acer, Lenovo plus a slew of lesser-known brands have already released a netbook or announced one. (See “Mini PCs you may have missed“).

But maybe people do want them? Netbooks were recently on sale at Amazon.com. And this week, Amazon said that mini-laptops like the ASUS Eee PC and Acer Aspire One were among five netbooks in the top 10 best-selling notebooks from June till now. Eight of the top 10 best selling notebooks right now are netbooks.

More on netbooks:

Posted in: Computers • • • • • • • | Comments Off

OC’s Averatec offers twist on computers

September 15th, 2008, 10:31 am by

A computer that flips, a sleek monitor with the built-in PC and the computer du jour netbook — Averatec is back and trying to get our attention again.

Netbooks, twists on netbooks and all in ones

The Santa Ana company, a division of the Korean PC maker TriGem Computer Inc., plunged right back into the ultra competitive PC industry after being rescued last year from bankruptcy by Celrun Co., one of Korea’s top IPTV box makers. But it hasn’t been as easy as Darren Lee, Averatec’s director of marketing, had hoped.

Even with a spiffy new lineup, Averatec has not been able to get its computers into stores easily. Retail has always been a tough market to crack and few second-tier PC companies make it onto store shelves, according to Richard Shim, who tracks PCs for market researcher IDC. The only name to recently crack the top 10 computer sellers at retail? Dell.

“In order to get into consumer retail, it’s a long-term term relationship. You’ve got to prove you can push brands in the channel. It’s not the place where an unstable company can just show up one day and get in,” Shim said. “It’s not a flea market, it’s Best Buy.”

But Averatec did it back around 2003 when its low-priced 12-inch notebooks got picked up by Best Buy and Staples stores.

“Our biggest asset is that we still have relationships with retailers,” Lee told me when I stopped by his office last week.

Averatec's Darren Lee

Averatec's Darren Lee setting up the new netbook twist, an all-in-one PC based on a netbook computer.

The local office, which didn’t think it would be affected by TriGem’s bankruptcy, was severely gutted. Its staff of 50 dwindled to six as they pulled out of retail to focus on small contracts. Thanks to Celrun’s recapitalization of Averatec last year, the local group is now up to 15 employees.

This year, Averatec already released its signature product, a no-frills 12-inch laptop for under $1,000.  But I, of course, was more interested in the other stuff.

Averatec’s Netbook

Averatec’s upcoming netbook computer

Let’s start with the company’s netbook, which I mentioned in a post last month. Netbooks are the lighter, cheaper but less powerful alternatives to laptops. Most of them have Intel’s tiniest chip, the Atom. There already are a slew of netbooks available or on the way from big names like Dell and HP to the small guys like Hannspree and MSI.

Averatec’s netbook has the guts of competitor MSI, which was one of the first with a netbook, the MSI Wind. It’s one of the better reviewed netbooks out there.

“MSI is hands down the best in class, but you can’t find them,” Lee said. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Computers • news • • • • • • • • • • • • | 1 Comment »

Get tech help in your home from AT&T

August 21st, 2008, 2:00 pm by

AT&T’s ConnecTech in-home supportAT&T has become the latest big-name company to offer tech support in your house with the launch of its Connectech, at  www.att.com/connectech.

This service is available nationwide and staff will do anything from setting up your brand new computer to installing your home-entertainment center.

(Wow! I should really get into this. For $119, AT&T will unbox your brand new computer, register it, set up Windows to get Microsoft updates, configure Windows’ security and connect a printer, scanner, camera — your choice of two gadgets, otherwise the price goes up. I could probably do this in 10 minutes, although driving to your house could be a pain.)

This in-home help is already a competitive market with Best Buy’s Geek Squad, Circuit City’s FireDog service and lots of other smaller companies. But Matt Davis, an analyst at market researcher IDC Corp., says it’s inevitable that companies like AT&T jump in.

“We’ve been anticipating that providers like AT&T are going to (offer in-home support) simply because they’re going to get the call anyway,” Davis said. “The service provider is going to have to take more and more responsibility or else a) the service doesn’t work or b) they’ll get the calls to their customer support anyway.”

Jumping on the Geek Squad bandwagon? Not so, says Davis.  “I see it more that this is in anticipation of having the capability of what they need because without it, they won’t be able to keep their subscribers happy.”

Davis believes enough consumers are willing to pay for this and at these prices — installing a mounted TV and surround-sound system will cost $549. Plus, after your $119 PC installation is up and running, further remote support starts at $69. Prices are similar to Geek Squad and others.

An AT&T’s media spokesman says that ConnecTech will use AT&T technicians and contractors and AT&T branded vehicles.

Related: Nerds on the run in OC (Oct. 11, 2005)

Posted in: news • • • • • | 1 Comment »

Eee PC, MSI Wind: Smaller doesn’t always mean cheaper

July 9th, 2008, 3:20 pm by

At least two new laptops are now available with the new Intel Atom, Intel’s smallest chip ever.

The under-$550 computers from ASUS Computer and MSI Computer Corp. are both selling at Amazon, NewEgg and other online stores (see list after the jump). ASUS added the Eee PC 901 to its lineup of low-priced PCs that start at $299, while MSI  began selling its Wind NB U100 series (pictured below).

MSI Win NB U100 has Intel’s new Atom chip

Eee PC blackThese mini machines are also called Nettops, net books, mini computers or mobile Internet devices (or MIDs). Intel had said it expected such machines to be in the $200 to $250 range. But, apparently, not these two. MSI’s  is $480 while the Eee PC 901 (on right) is $549. Then again, these nettops are more loaded than some of the $299 desktop computers available from eMachines, Dell and HP.

Debby Lee, with ASUS, says its Atom PCs include Bluetooth, the more expensive and durable Solid State Drives of 12 GB to 80 GBs, plus a new scratch-resistant case. Comparably, the company’s $299 Eee PC has a mere 2 GB of storage, 512 MB of memory, Wi-Fi and not much else.

“From our point of view,” Lee said, “it is a mobile internet gadget.  It will not replace your desktop or laptops at home.”

Expect to see more of these smaller, cheaper laptops thanks to the Atom chip. I mentioned the Atom last April, when Intel stopped by to show it to me in person. Intel’s tiny new Atom chipIn the photo on right, the Atom is the little green and black square.

At the time, Intel said Lenovo’s IdeaPad U8, the Eee PC, a brand called “Thinno,” and a computer from Compal will also include the chip. Since then, I’ve also learned that TV maker Hannspree is planning an Atom-based computer. Read about “TV maker Hannspree to start selling low-priced laptops.”

Even more companies are coming out with nettops. According to the Intel Mobility blog, other MIDs spotted at the recent Computex tradeshow included BenQ, Clarion and Gigabyte. Check out the photos at the MIDs photo shoot. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Computers • • • • • • • • • • | 8 Comments »

TV maker Hannspree to start selling low-priced laptops

June 10th, 2008, 3:00 am by

French fry TV by HannspreeRemember Hannspree? The cute little TV company that burst on the scene around 2005 with TVs shaped like baseballs, stuffed animals and … french fries?

The company is back in a big way for Orange County. First, it moved its U.S. headquarters from Fremont to Irvine in April. Next month, it will launch a whole new line of affordable 28-inch TVs that will target college students, RV’ers and other folks who don’t need a huge screen. And later this year, it will join the ultraportable laptop gang and launch its first computer.

I visited the Hannspree’s local headquarters this week to get the scoop of where it’s been, what it’s doing and where it’s going. Erin Rippee, director of marketing & business development of Hannspree North America, was happy to oblige.

The cute little TVs don’t sell well at the mainstream electronics stores. Too nichey. But they’re still available at Hannspree’s two boutique stores — one in Beverly Hills, the other in San Francisco. The company has been concentrating on PC monitors for the past few years. But sluggish sales have forced the company to try new markets.

Next month, it adds digital photo frames and rejoins the TV scene. Its “Destination TV” is a 28-inch set offering full 1080p resolution and two HDMI inputs. I got to see a model in person but wasn’t allowed to take a photo. Hannspree is hoping to get this new-sized TV into college campus stores. Prices will probably be around $599, which could ultimately drop to $499 by the end of the year.

But expanding into new TV sizes and photo frames should be expected from a company whose parent is a massive manufacturer of glass for TVs and monitors. My eyes perked up when Rippee showed me what’s coming later this year: Hannspree laptops.

TV maker Hannspree will start selling laptops Pictured are conceptual designs, so the actual product may look a little different.

It’s difficult to tell from the photos, but the laptops are really small with screens of just 7 to 10 inches. They’re part of the newish ‘ultraportable’ or ‘nettop‘ category of computers, like Asus’ Eee PC.

Rippee shared more specifics: They’ll have Intel’s Atom chip, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a hard drive — essentially, the usual laptop components. The battery should last longer. And since this is a Hannspree product, design is important and will be available in multiple colors. Rippee estimated that prices will start at $299. The laptops should launch by the end of the year.

The sudden move to OC was for a variety of reasons, said Rippee, who previously worked at monitor-seller Proview in Garden Grove.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Computers • • • • • • • • • • | Comments Off

Peek at Toshiba laptop with PlayStation 3′s Cell chip

May 9th, 2008, 7:09 am by

With Toshiba just around the corner in Irvine, I’m lucky to get sneak peeks at what’s next. My last visit got me very excited because of what the company is doing inside its next Qosmio notebook: It’s adding the Cell.

Toshiba’s new Satellite laptops will have the Cell chipGamers may remember the Cell as the chip inside the Sony PlayStation 3. What I didn’t remember was that Toshiba and IBM worked with Sony on the chip. Then last fall, Sony sold its Cell-chip production factory to Toshiba. Should it surprise anyone that the Cell will be in certain Toshiba laptops by summer?

That’s the chip on the right, held by Dave McFarland, Toshiba’s product guy. It’s a quad-core HD cell processor that specializes in multimedia. Beyond the PlayStation 3, it’s also supposed to show up in Toshiba TVs and IBM supercomputers. And now… a Toshiba laptop.

The chip, now called the SpursEngine , won’t replace the Intel chip in the laptop. Rather, it’s a supplement that will handle video or other multimedia processing while Intel’s chip can concentrate on the usual computer duties. In useful language, Dave explained that a high-definition video that took him one hour to process now takes 10 minutes — a definite time saver.

And here’s a photo of a prototype of the new Qosmio:

Toshiba’s new Qosmio will have the Cell chip

Toshiba’s new Qosmio will have the Cell chipIf you’re a gaming enthusiast, you may be wondering, ‘Why is the Qosmio — the multimedia laptop — getting the chip first and not Toshiba’s gaming machines?’ He explained that games must be built to take advantage of the new chip. Playstation 3 games are. Computer games? Not at all. Game companies are currently working on such games but until then, it’s a waste.

“Our long-term goal is to work with companies like Adobe. Like, if you’re using Adobe Premier (video editing software), we could work with them to utilize the Cell engine,” he said.

Toshiba’s Qosmio gets the CellWhile the Cell was the exciting news, the new Qosmio also will have some other great features, including an 18.4-inch screen even though the laptop’s size won’t be bigger than its 17-inch predecessor…

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in: Computers • • • • • • • • • • • | 3 Comments »

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