Handy Computer Guide

The Register Hardware have published a review of the Chillblast Fusion Juggernaut gaming PC. 'At the heart of the Fusion Juggernaut sits one of Intel’s latest 45nm CPUs, the Core 2 Quad Q9450 with a 1333MHz frontside bus (FSB) speed, a standard clock speed of 2.66GHz and 12MB of L2 cache. So even out of the box it doesn’t hang about. But Chillblast isn't in the ‘out of the box’ game, so it's tweaked the 9450 so the processor runs stably at an impressive 3.4GHz. Keeping things cool is the name of the game when it comes to over-the-top overclocking, and Chillblast has ditched the standard Intel fan for a more efficient Artic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro cooler.'

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CNET have published their review of the new Windows Vista Home Premium OS which is available to consumers as of today. 'Windows Vista is Microsoft's first new operating system in more than five years and the successor to Windows XP. However, it is not worth rushing out to purchase. If you desperately need to buy a new PC (if your old one died or you've been waiting and waiting for Vista to be released), then by all means do so; there's nothing wrong with Windows Vista. But there's no one compelling feature within Windows Vista that cries out to switch over, neither the enhanced graphic capabilities (Aero) nor the improved system performance features (truthfully, our Windows XP doesn't crash). As for security, Microsoft's biggest improvements in Windows Vista are within the Enterprise or 64-bit editions, editions most home users will not be running.

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Ed Bott writing over at ZDNet provides an insight into the soon-to-be launched Windows Vista operating software which is set to be retailed for $399. 'It's been a long and winding road, but Windows Vista is finally released to manufacturing. That means the final stage of the waiting game has begun. According to Microsoft, Volume Licensing customers will receive media containing Business and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista by the end of this month, with Ultimate edition available via download. Giant PC makers will get those bits as well, and retail customers will be able to buy Windows Vista on new PCs or in retail boxes by the end of January. (Those rumors that Vista will be publicly unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January? No way, say my sources.)'

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Rob Pegoraro writing over at The Washington Post.com highlights some key pointers potential laptop buyers should consider before plunking down the cash. 'If you just need a semi-portable machine to move from room to room in your house, without ever untethering it from an electrical outlet, you can't go too wrong with shopping by price alone or some obvious factor such as screen size. But if your laptop will exit home on any regular basis -- say, if you're a student looking at years of toting the machine from dorm to classroom -- you have far more things to contemplate. And the two most important factors among them, a laptop's weight and battery life, are either routinely hidden in marketing materials or not published at all.'

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The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has reported the news of a Dell laptop battery recall which was precipitated by at least six recent incidents of significant battery-malfunction. 'The world's largest manufacturer of personal computers, Dell, is to recall 4.1 million of its notebook computer batteries because of a fire risk. Most batteries are in computers sold in the US but more than 1 million are thought to be elsewhere. Dell says it knows of six instances since December when the batteries, made by Sony, overheated or caught fire. The US body responsible for consumer safety says it is the biggest recall of electrical products in its history.'

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Oh Gizmo reports on the news of a new computing device for users with disabilities however with a price tag of $17,000 attached, this tool will likely be available only to a minority of the community. 'Tobii is a Swedish company that bills itself as the world leader in eye-tracking hardware and software. The P10 is particularly interesting as it does not require the use of any specialized equipment: simply sit in front of the computer, look at a calibrating dot for 30 seconds, and you’re on your way. The device works in many lighting conditions, and does not get confused by large head movements. Hell, it’ll even work if you wear glasses'

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Bios Magazine previews the new Bluetooth Laser Notebook Mouse from Targus. '“Targus is responding to the needs of consumers by adding in-use charging to its wireless laptop mice, thus ensuring no more dead batteries,” said Michael Greco, director, US product marketing, for Targus. “The Bluetooth and laser-enabled mice currently on the market consume more power than their optical counterparts. By offering a rechargeable solution, Targus meets the increasing demand for Bluetooth enabled peripherals that solve a critical power issue for consumers.”

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CNET reviews Apple's cordless mouse which also works in Windows (Boot Camp enabled). 'We suspect that for many of you, the simple fact that Apple's Mighty Mouse has shed its cord will be reason enough to buy it. You won't care that your mouse now requires batteries, nor will you balk at its $69 price tag. And you probably won't find the new laser sensor that big a selling point. Macs call out for wireless peripherals, however, for reasons of both form and function. Plus, who wants to carry a corded mouse around when you're on the road with a laptop? We wish Apple had gone the extra mile and fixed some issues that linger from the original corded model, but our gripes don't amount to enough to prevent a recommendation. It doesn't revolutionize mice, but simply because it's now wireless, Apple's Mighty Mouse will be hard for Mac users to resist.

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If you may have been pondering on the meaning and significance of "Core 2 Duo" to computers and computing , Tom Krazit writing for CNET 's News.com provides some useful insights into just how the technological landscape is about to be reordered as a result of the advent of Intel's latest chip. "This is not just an incremental change; this is a revolutionary leap," Intel CEO Paul Otellini said at a launch event here, held in a heavily air-conditioned tent. The last time the company held such an event at its headquarters was when it introduced the Pentium processor in 1993, a similarly important milestone in its history. Back then, the PC market was a fraction of its current size, Otellini said. Pentium quickly became one of the computer industry's most recognized brands, albeit in a much different competitive environment.

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Irrespective of whichever argument is put in favor of one device against the other, there can be no getting away from the salient point that the notebook and the desktop versions have their specific uses. If there is one realization which strikes home from the Gartner research reported by News.com, it is that PC manufacturers face ever increasing challenges in their efforts to fit ever more features in increasingly smaller devices. 'There has been a 25 percent decrease in annual failure rates for PC hardware over the last two years, the research firm said in a report published last week. It also found that notebooks have seen a significant improvement, even if they haven't caught up in reliability with desktops. A hardware failure was considered by Gartner researchers to be any problem that meant a hardware component would have to be replaced, whether a broken latch or a motherboard meltdown.'

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If you are one of those computer users who are picky about the type of mouse you use with your machine, check out CNET's review of the features [or lack thereof] of the the new Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000. 'The Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 offers basic mousing functionality at a cheap $29.95 price. Unfortunately, it's a little too basic for our tastes: it doesn't come with software, there are no extra buttons, and the receiver has a very short, 3-foot range. For users who won't stray far from their notebooks, this mouse could be a good fit, but we prefer the slightly more expensive, but much more functional Logitech V400, which boasts included software, five programmable buttons, and a 30-foot range.'

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Rob Farren reviews the Falcon Northwest FragBook TL-2 powerful notebook computer for Laptop Mag. 'The Falcon Northwest FragBook TL-2 is an eye-catching portable from the gaming specialists. Its most distinguishing features are a custom paint job and ATI graphics. Other companies are catching up on color options, but if you’re a hardcore gamer on the go, only a specialty system like this one will do. At first glance, your eyes go directly to the distinctive falcon’s head logo on the front cover. Beyond that, it’s a basic box design. At 6.5 pounds and 15.5 x 11.8 x 2 inches, the FragBook TL-2 is completely manageable for occasional travel'

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Jessie Shen reports on DigiTimes.com of the price cuts on two of Dells high quality notebook computers. 'Dell recently cut prices of its dual-core notebook series, the Inspiron E1705 and Latitude D620, to less than US$1,000, according to the company's website. The price-cut could herald a price war in the brand-new dual-core notebook market worldwide and accelerate migration of the mainstream notebook platform from single-core to dual-core. Dell has lowered the price of its Inspiron E1705 series, a consumer notebook that features Intel’s Core Duo T2600 processor and 17-inch widescreen display, to US$999. Meanwhile, the Latitude D620 line, which is based on Intel’s Core Duo T2300 processor and has a 14.1-inch widescreen display, is also available from US$899.'

Continue reading "DigiTimes.com: Dell Inspiron E1705 and Latitude D620 Selling For Under US$1,000" »

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Rob Pegoraro pens a rather unflattering preview of the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet for the Washingtonpost.com. 'The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet ought to possess all the ingredients necessary for tech success. This thin, light device -- essentially, a touch-sensitive color screen framed by a few buttons -- looks like an artifact from science fiction. It comes from a company with a long history of innovation in mobile devices. And it runs on the tinkering-friendly, open-source Linux operating system. But while this $360 gadget might fit in great on "Star Trek," in the real world it competes with a galaxy of other handheld devices -- most of which do more than the Nokia 770, and do it far more reliably and gracefully.'

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Gizmag reports on the launch of a range of computers from Lenovo, the Chinese company that bought over the IBM's PC division a while ago. 'February 24, 2006 Lenovo has unveiled the first-ever Lenovo-branded PCs to be offered worldwide, the Lenovo 3000 product family, one of the first truly international PC brands. Researchers, scientists and product design teams from China, Japan and the U.S. combined Lenovo's heritage in enterprise and consumer PC technology to design an optimal computing experience for small businesses.'

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CNET's staff writer, Michael Kanellos, reflects on the historic debut of the first computer called the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer [ENIAC], which was unveiled some sixty years ago. 'In February 1946, J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly were about to unveil, for the first time, an electronic computer to the world. Their ENIAC, or Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, could churn 5,000 addition problems in one second, far faster than any device yet invented.'

Continue reading "CNET News: A Computer is Born" »

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