Archive for January, 2008
« Previous EntriesAcer gobbles up 75% of Packard Bell
Thursday, January 31st, 2008Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Just like expected, Acer has formally bought into Packard Bell, snapping up 75% of PB Holdings, Packard Bell’s parent company. Things got a bit hairy for a bit there when Packard Bell started speaking with Lenovo as well, since Acer fears losing its strength in Europe to the Chinese giant. Luckily for Acer, Gateway was the real clincher here, since Gateway started talks with Packard Bell before getting bought by Acer itself, and had nabbed the right to counter any offers Packard Bell might get from other companies. The deal officially went through on Wednesday for $45.8 million.
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Eazo desktops offer ultra-luxe style at merely super-luxe prices
Thursday, January 31st, 2008Filed under: Desktops
For those of you too cheap to pony up for that $700,000 diamond-encrusted Jupiter desktop we saw yesterday, China’s Eazo is willing to throw down the luxe for less than a tenth of the price — which still means the X70, pictured here, stil costs $45,500, but hey. The distinctive machine features a 3GHz Q9550 Core 2 Quad, two NVIDIA 8800GTX graphics cards, 4GB of RAM, light-up liquid cooling, a 10,000rpm 150GB drive backed up by a 7,200rpm 500GB drive, 7.1-channel sound, and Vista Ultimate, all wrapped up in an easy-access case with pneumatic door hinges. Of course, you can custom-configure systems well past the $70K mark (and down to just $9K), but if you’re not happy with this stock config, you might want to try yoga or something, Mr. Power Hungry. Check a bunch more shots in the gallery.
Gallery: Eazo X70
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Microsoft’s antitrust activities to be monitored for another two years
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Sure, most of the Microsoft antitrust action is going down in Europe nowadays, but Uncle Sam’s lingering judgment against Redmond is still kicking around — Judge Colleen Kollar Kotelly (remember her?) just issued a ruling extending the consent decree against Microsoft for another two years. The judge said that the company has been extremely cooperative with the government thus far, but that “the extreme and unforeseen delay” in acquiring technical documentation from Bill and the boys requires that monitoring continue. That pretty much leaves things at the status quo, although we’re not exactly holding our breath for anything to change once the consent judgment actually does expire.
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It’s a done deal: Dell puts an end to all 140 US mall kiosks
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Just as we feared, Dell will indeed be axing 100-percent of its US mall kiosks — 140 in total. Unsurprisingly, the official word attributes the move to Dell’s shift into big box retail stores, but we’re sure that’s not the least bit consoling to the fine folks who were pushing Round Rock’s machines to mall-goers just yesterday. According to Tony Weiss, vice president for Dell’s Global Consumer business, the move “fits in with how its broad global retail strategy is evolving,” and for whatever it’s worth, kiosks outside of US borders are still safe for now. You may still be getting a Dell, but dude, it won’t be from the mall.
[Image courtesy of NotebookReview]
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Gateway’s new GM5664 desktop does Blu-ray and HD DVD, has kid brother that doesn’t
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008Filed under: Desktops
Gateway is releasing two new desktops today, both sporting some features we’ve grown accustomed to, but also introducing some new hotness into the typically stale market. The new models — the GM5664 and GT5662 — share a slew of the same features, like the ATI Radeon HD 2400XT graphics card, 3GB of RAM, and 8-channel 7.1 audio, but they also have some notable differences. The GM5664 comes equipped with a Hybrid-SuperMulti optical drive, which gives you the ability to play Blu-ray or HD DVDs to your heart’s content, while also handling typical DVD-RW functions. The system is also packed with a 2.3GHz AMD Phenom 9600 CPU, 1TB hard drive array, and an analog / digital TV tuner. The GT5662 includes a 2.2GHz AMD Phenom 9500 CPU, does away with the dual format drive, halves the storage space, and axes the TV tuner. Both are available now for $1,149.99 and $749.99, respectively.
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eMachines’ new T5246 and T3642 desktops make you go “Eh.”
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008Filed under: Desktops
eMachines, long known for dropping mediocre, middle of the road, inoffensive desktops, has once again busted out of the gate with two new defiantly tame PCs that will make you say “Hello.” The latest entries — confusingly named the T5246 and T3642 — share similar guts, including NVIDIA GeForce 6100 GPUs, DVD DVD±R / RW SuperMulti drives, and 6-channel 5.1 audio. The differences are more apparent where it counts, with the T5246 utilizing a 2.2GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ dual core CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 400GB hard drive, while the T3642 uses a 2.6GHz Athlon 64 4000+ CPU, carries 1GB of RAM, and downsizes the hard drive to 250GB. Both systems are available now, with the T5246 clocking in at $429.99, and the T3642 listed at $349.99.
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Dell shuttering mall kiosks?
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
Sad news brewing in Round Rock this morning. After slashing “dozens” of call center employees in Ottawa yesterday (and scrapping plans for 1,200 more), it looks like Dell is taking its cost cutting initiatives retail. Unfortunately, we’re not talking lower prices here. We have word from a number of sources that Dell’s 150+ Dell Direct Stores are about to meet the business end of the corporate axe. Whether that be in full or a partial reduction we don’t know. Nevertheless, with Dell now firmly entrenched in Wal-mart, Staples, and Best Buy, the mall kiosks sure seem redundant. Expect more on this later in the AM after Michael Dell’s had a chance to address the troops.
Read — Dell Ottawa closures
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ASUS extending Eee brand to desktops, TVs, and all-in-one PCs — axes Eee PC with touch-screen
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008Filed under: Desktops, Home Entertainment, Laptops
Just as we feared, Asus is getting ready to dilute their Eee branding until it’s RAZRed down to a hint of its former panache. The new family of low-cost, Eee products will include the E-DT (desktop), E-TV, and E-Monitor. The $200 - $300 E-DT will initially sport a Celeron processor when it ships without a monitor sometime in April or May. The E-Monitor is more than just a display — it’s a 19- to 21-inch all-in-one PC with built-in TV tuner and a remarkable $499 price tag. It’ll be based on Intel’s Shelton platform when the AIO launches in September. The 42-inch E-TV will also launch in September and feature a Linux PC integrated into the LCD. It’s expected to list for a $200 premium over the low-cost 42-inch sets it will compete with. Just don’t get too hung up on those prices, kid. The Eee PC was only supposed to cost $200 when it was announced.
Now for the bad news. ASUS will not be offering a touch-panel in their next generation Eee PC after all — their market research shows limited demand. Not avid Engadget readers, are we ASUS?
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Diamond and gold PCs class up the floor under your desk
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008Filed under: Desktops
Most of the questionably-ostentatious gear we see is designed for use on the go — why else spark out your kit if not to blind your frenemies at the club? — but at some point even Diddy runs out of handhelds to ice up, which is where Japan’s Zeus Computer steps in. The company is offering two different glam desktops for your wallet’s delight: an ¥80,000,000 ($747,768) diamond-studded model, or (for cheapskates) a ¥60,000,000 ($560,826) gold version. Both offer a 3GHz E6850 Core 2 Duo on an Asus board with 2GB of RAM, a 256MB GeForce 8400GS, 1TB drive, Blu-ray + HD DVD combo drive, and Vista Ultimate — but that’s not at all what matters here, is it?
[Via F******gaijin, warning: sitename may be NSFW]
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Slew of Sony VAIO products get minor spec bumps
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008Filed under: Desktops, Laptops
It’s that time again boys and girls — the time when Sony pours out enough VAIO updates all at once that your head starts throbbing uncontrollably. Without further ado, we’ll start by tackling the Type T (pictured), which gets upgraded to a 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo U7600, goes from 1GB to 2GB of RAM and now comes in a bevy of swank designs. Moving on, we’ve got the 17-inch Type A, which now sports one of those speedy new Penryn chips (exact model apparently depends on how you CTO it) but otherwise remains similar to the prior iteration. Lastly, we find that the outfit’s adorable TP1 now houses a Core 2 Duo T8100 CPU, a 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400M and a Blu-ray burner to boot. For all the nitty-gritty, put on your patience cap and wade through the links below, but be forewarned, it’s a jungle down there.
[Via AkihabaraNews]
Read - VAIO Type T / F / N updates
Read - VAIO Type A, TP1 and Type R Master updates
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