Technology News & Gadget Reviews

Sony's 13.3-inch VAIO VGN-SZ791N gets reviewed

2008-03-13T12:13:00.001-07:00

Filed under: Laptops

Just glancing at the specifications sheet, you can tell Sony's 13.3-inch VAIO VGN-SZ791N packs quite the punch for its size. After all, who wouldn't be pleased with a 2.5GHz T9300 CPU, discrete GeForce 8400M graphics, 4GB of RAM and a built-in optical drive? Still, what looks good on paper doesn't always translate into perfection on your lap, but according to a glowing review posted over at PC Mag, this is one of those cases in which it does. When benchmarked, this critter bested the highly-praised Asus U6S, Acer Ferrari 1100, Fujitsu P8010 and MacBook Air in the vast majority of tests -- heck, it even cranked out a whopping 2 frames-per-second running Crysis at high quality (seriously, that's an accomplishment). All in all, this beauty managed to impress in basically every category, and with 4.5 out of 5 stars and an Editor's Choice badge, it seems that you'd be hard pressed to find a better ultraportable for $2,500.

[Thanks, Kane]

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Concept Alienware Android phone makes our brain, hands hurt

2008-02-17T03:50:00.001-08:00

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

There's a reason phones don't remotely resemble PC cases, and we think this mockup does a fabulous job demonstrating why that is. Okay, look, we're totally cool with Dell and Alienware producing an Alienware-branded handset -- especially if it runs Android, a platform Dell has been rumored to be very, very interested in -- we just really don't want this (or anything like this) to be it. The morphing keypad and user interface look awesome, but we have a very simple rule when we purchase a new phone: under no circumstances should the slider have physically painful ridges digging into your hands during use. Is that too much to ask?

[Thanks, Julian]

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SATA-IO cranks up Power Over eSATA initiative, not a moment too soon

2008-01-15T09:22:00.001-08:00

The absence of built-in power in eSATA devices has left many scratching their heads in frustration -- not to mention the zanily designed devices that have been created to cope -- but it seems someone up there feels our pain. And by "up there," we mean the SATA-IO, which has finally sparked up a Power Over eSATA initiative in order to "provide power to eSATA devices without the need for a separate power connection." Put simply, the group is hoping to design a specification where power can be passed directly through a Power Over eSATA cable, and yes, they are aiming to "maintain compatibility with the existing eSATA connector form factor." Looking for a date of completion to circle? Try "the second half of 2008" -- and that's just for finalizing the paperwork.

Keepin' it real fake, CES edition: Sony's NW-A800 has a secret admirer

2008-01-12T09:11:00.001-08:00

Sony's been certainly making strides in its DAP lineup this year, and this here is just further proof of its success: a cheap knockoff version of the NW-A800. We've got nothing in the way of specs, other than the "Digital MP4 Player" title, which we're guessing means exactly what it says. Look how convenient that record button is, folks! Another shot (which we spotted at an entirely different distributer) is after the break.

HP's noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones hit the FCC

2008-01-10T06:08:00.001-08:00

We didn't see these noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones hiding anywhere in HP's CES booth, so we can only assume the company is trying to sneak 'em by Uncle Sam while we're in Vegas. Of course, you know we're still on top of everything else that's going down even in the middle of CES, which we'll be rewarding HP for this deception with a full gallery of pictures. There's nothing going on here internally that's super-crazy, but the form factor is nicely classic, and noise-cancellation is always fun. Check it all out in the gallery -- and HP? We're watching, guys.

Gallery: HP noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones

Hands-on with Smartparts' 32-inch digital photo frame

2008-01-07T05:32:00.001-08:00

We had a pretty good idea of just how large a 32-inch digital photo frame would seem, but it's not until you see this thing up close and in person that you realize just how absurd it truly is. Don't believe us? Check it out below and see for yourself.

Get your notifications from the Tux bot

2008-01-06T08:18:00.001-08:00

This bad boy's been floating around for a while, but those of you looking to hop on the secondary information device bandwagon but reluctant to purchase anything that doesn't loudly proclaim your love of Linux might want to check out the Tux Droid. The $99 wireless version of everyone's favorite mascot will alert you to to nearly anything you want via an adorable combination of wing-flapping, dancing, spinning, and light-flashing, and the the open-source codebase means that there's already quite a library of plugins besides the usual email and RSS monitors. Tux snags info from his included (ridiculous) USB fish transmitter, but he can also function as a VOIP phone, wireless speaker, and alarm clock -- and motion sensors mean you're also getting a guard penguin in the deal.

Imation partners with Mtron, tosses its own hat into the SSD ring

2008-01-04T10:58:00.001-08:00

SSD is really going mainstream this year, and while Mtron has been showing up with the goods -- and powering our favorite RAID array ever -- it looks like it took a brand like Imation to take it to the next level. The two companies are teaming up for two new SSD product lines: Imation SSD MOBI 3000 for laptop and mobile use, and Imation SSD PRO 7000 for enterprise purposes. The MOBI 3000 sports 100MBps read times and 80MBps write, with 0.1ms random access times, which supposedly makes it the fastest SSD product on the consumer market -- the drive purportedly cuts boot times in half. The SSD PRO 7000 does 120MBps read and 90MBps write, and has a mean time between failure greater than one million hours. Price and availability will be announced in the "coming months." It can't come soon enough, believe you us.

iPod touch gets microphone for VoIP via modded dongle

2008-01-02T13:18:00.001-08:00

Now that the startling mystery of VoIP has been cracked wide open on the iPod touch, it was only a matter of time before other, related mysteries were broken apart and inspected. One such case involves the process of getting the sound of your voice into the formerly-audio-out-only device, which must be accomplished via the use of some type of audio-in microphone dongle, which now -- thanks to one clever man -- has been hacked for VoIP-on-touch purposes. Using the hideous, yet cheap, Macally iVoiceIII audio recorder add-on for 5G iPods, and the simple soldering of a jumper to the board, you can be chatting away like a madman (provided you've got some WiFi) on your touch. Check the read link for the simple steps, and get ready to stick it to the man (his name is Mr. Steve Jobs, by the way) once again.

iPhone firmware 1.1.3 leaked?

2007-12-29T03:15:00.001-08:00

Looks like there may have been a possible leak of the next version of Apple's iPhone firmware, 1.1.3. According to Gear Live, it can now handle SMS to multiple recipients, the springboard (home screen) supports reordered icons and pagination (as well as web bookmarks), and Google maps gets hybrid view and that nifty cell-based location system. If this is all Steve plans to announce iPhone-wise at Macworld next month, we think there will be more than a few disappointed iPhone users out there. Then again, home screen pagination would kind of imply an SDK to make use of all those slots, so maybe the real news is under the hood.

Nokia E90 meets maker courtesy of 12 gauge shotgun

2007-12-28T03:54:00.001-08:00

We think the emphatic "For Parts ONLY" in the description of this well-loved E90's eBay auction pretty much says it all.

Sony's 1080p VPL-VW40 projector set for January release

2007-12-27T06:01:00.001-08:00

Feeling a bit bummed that Santa didn't deliver that swank new front projector you'd been ~~asking~~ pleading for? Trust us, it's for the best. Apparently, Sony is looking to release its VPL-VW40 to the masses at the end of January, and judging by the specs, it looks an awful lot like the discontinued VPL-VW50 -- save for the price. The BRAVIA SXRD PJ sports a 1080p native resolution, 15,000:1 contrast ratio, a 12-bit Panel Drive Full Digital Chassis and an ARC-F lens. Additionally, you'll find a couple of HDMI ports, VGA, RS-232 and composite / S-Video / component jacks. Granted, there's no little birdie giving us the inside scoop, but we'd bet that Sony gives this thing its fair share of floor space at CES -- particularly the oh-so-tempting $2,999.99 price tag.