Lenovo ThinkPads to freeze when texted, deter thieves from getting the goods

We've seen some pretty sophisticated laptop security measures out here in the volatile civilian world, but Lenovo's taking things all top secret with its new Constant Secure Remote Disable feature. Slated to hit select ThinkPads in Q1 2009, the Phoenix Technologies, um, technology enables specially equipped notebooks to become utterly worthless if stolen -- so long as the owner remembers to text in the emergency code, that is. You see, with the Remote Disable function, proper owners can send an SMS to their missing WWAN-enabled machine in order to make it inoperable; the lappie then sends a message back to confirm that it's currently irritating the daylights out of a wannabe data thief. 'Course, said thief can track you down and implement all manners of torture to get you to reactivate it, but we suppose that's the risk you take with that sort of lifestyle.

It's takes a -- how do you say? -- special type of person to get all jazzed about an 18-inch laptop, but given that there's a solid chance you're one of those folks, we figured it prudent to pass along PC World's review of HP's beastly HDX18. Obviously designed with multimedia in mind and to possibly take the place of your desktop, this sucker performed satisfactorily in all the basic, everyday tasks as well as those media playing duties. It's not meant for hardcore gamers, but you probably already knew that. Amazingly, the included battery lasted nearly three hours before petering out, which is pretty astounding for an 8.9-pound energy destroyer. At the end of the day, critics found enough to love to slap down a 90 out of 100 rating, noting that anyone crazy enough to want a "laptop" this big (save for FPS freaks) would likely find lots to love. In more ways than one.

Acer readies 10-inch Aspire One for Q1 launch

Acer's top-selling Aspire One is set to break into 10-inch territory as early as February or March. This according to Scott Lin, Acer Taiwan president. Also on the books are 12.1-, 13.3-, and 15.6-inch LED-backlit laptops for 2009 -- a 14.1-incher should hit this year with a price of NT$40,000 or about $1,200 of the green, presidential stuff.

Lenovo S10 with six-cell battery gets pictured, priced

Lenovo's S10 netbook has been relatively well received since its introduction earlier this year, but the battery life has always been a bit of a sticking point, with the included 3-cell battery simply not meeting some folks' netbook demands. It looks like that situation has now been rectified, in Germany, where a new model equipped with a six-cell battery has just gone on sale for the fairly reasonable price of €329 (or roughly $425).

Gateway's 16-inch MC7803u laptop reviewed: great rig for the price

We can't explain the sudden onslaught of 16-inch laptops hitting the scene, but if neither the R610 nor the Aspire 6930 suited your fancy, maybe Gateway's MC7803u will. The multimedia-minded rig recently hit CNET's review bench, and generally speaking, critics were pleased with what they saw. The expansive display was found to be quite useful, the recessed touch pad was a nice touch and the "minimalist" design was thoroughly lauded. Reviewers did find time to bash the shallow key travel, the omission of a Blu-ray drive and somewhat sluggish performance in a few of the benchmarks, though. Evidently those negatives weren't enough to put a damper on the system as a whole, as it still managed to snag a 3.5 out of 5 golden star rating -- still not quite high enough to buy blind, but it's probably solid enough that you don't need to refuse shipment on the one that's already halfway to your doorstep.

Apple's completely unsurprising Black Friday deals appear on Australian site

Apple's Black Friday sales have appeared on their Australian site, giving us a little insight into the 'deals' we in the US can possibly expect tomorrow. It looks like the biggest cut will be on the new MacBooks and iMacs -- up to $100 off, with some smaller discounts on iPods and the Apple TV. Everything else falls pretty much in line with what we've seen in previous years. It's nothing terribly exciting or unexpected for sure, so if you were thinking about busting down the doors in search of a $7 iPhone tomorrow morning, you might want to cuddle in for a few extra winks instead.

ASUS' 12-inch bamboo laptop gets a price

ASUS may have been beaten to the punch by a few other companies and their bamboo-ensconced offerings, but it looks like it's now getting its first bamboo laptop out the door at long last, and it's taken the opportunity to finally get official with a price. Apparently, the first few 12-inch models will go on sale at Taiwan's IT Month exhibition on Saturday, where they'll run NT$59,900, or just over $1,800. Unfortunately, it's not clear exactly which configuration that'll get you, but, judging from the last word out of ASUS, even the base config seems to be pretty capable.

Samsung's X360 ultraportable reviewed: cheaper than competition, but not as good

If Apple's Macbook Air is the poster-child for "form-over-function," and Lenovo's X300 its utilitarian cousin, Samsung's X360 falls somewhere in between on the 13.3-inch wafter-thin ultraportable family tree, serving as another solid, though somewhat underwhelming choice according to TrustedReviews' full write-up. It's not as thin as the Air, but is slightly lighter while still feeling reasonably durable, and with a full complement of ports certainly has the edge in terms of utility. It also manages to be a bit more visually appealing than the X300, is blessed with a "superb" keyboard (which we liked, too), and the five hours of battery life in real-world usage impresses as well. But, it's hampered by a disappointing 1280 x 800 glossy screen and an under-performing 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo CPU. The thing is popping up at online retailers a bit cheaper than we'd expected (we found one for about $150 lower than Samsung's indicated $1,899 MSRP), but, in the US at least, might just be priced a little too close to its proven competitors to make it a serious contender over here.

Fujitsu-Siemens offers Lifebook4Life laptop replacement warranty, has some land in Florida it would like to sell you

Fujistu-Siemens in the UK has recently announced their Lifebooks4Life program, which at first sounds a bit like some sort of gang tattoo, but turns out to be a new program that entitles you to a new laptop of the same value (adjusted 10 percent for inflation) every three years for the rest of your life. Granted, you'll be obliged to purchase a three year warranty with each new machine, and the machine must remain in warranty (you know what that means -- no cheap, off-brand RAM upgrades and absolutely no mods). But still -- a new notebook every three years for the price of a warranty? This doesn't sound like a disaster waiting to happen. Not at all. And one more caveat: you can't pass this contract on to your next of kin. Those of you in high-risk professions -- Dare Devils, Soldiers of Fortune, and contributing editors at Engadget -- might want to pass this one up.

Buffalo unveils 16GB and 32GB SSDs for Inspiron Mini 9

It looks like the kids at Buffalo are hard at work making sure that all of you netbook-lovin' Engadget readers aren't stuck with the minimal storage that has plagued early adopters of the solid state drive. In addition to their recent Eee PC-compatible SSDs, the company is now offering 16GB and 32GB drives for Dell's Inspiron Mini 9. Due out sometime this month, the 16GB should set you back ¥5,300 ($57), or you can shell out ¥9,400 ($101) for the 32GB.

BenQ Joybook U101 launches, gives almost no joy

The BenQ Joybook Lite U101 we spied back when it was announced in September has just launched, and though there's nothing incredibly exciting here, we thought we'd give you a quick rundown, because we're just cool like that. The U101 boasts completely standard netbook fair -- an Atom N270 CPU, Intel 945GSE chipset, 1GB of DDR2 memory, with 80-160GB mechanical drives and 4-16GB SSD options. It's also got a 16:9 display with a 1024 x 576 resolution (rare for a netbook), a 1.3 megapixel webcam, and three USB 2.0 ports. The sassy little number comes in blue, pink, white and black, and it can be yours for €398 ($503) in Taiwan right now, but we've got no word on when it will be available elsewhere. Dip this puppy in gold or something and then maybe, just maybe we'll bite.

Dell opens doors on Design Studio for jazzing up Studio 15 / 17 laptops

It was HP who made the PC "personal again," but don't think Dell isn't doing its darnedest to make it ultra-personal... again. After seeing a number of Dell laptops get unorthodox paint jobs and hearing that it would make Art House machines CTO in 2009, we've now learned that Dell has swung open the doors to its all new Design Studio. Naturally, said studio was built to customize the outfit's Studio 15 and Studio 17 lappies, and it features an interactive gallery of original artwork commissioned exclusively for this initiative. Available for browsing right now, each unique image costs $75 to have "permanently tattooed into the laptop lid," meaning that you better heart that design a whole lot before pulling the final trigger.

Fujitsu Siemens rolls out AMILO Sa 3650 laptop, GraphicBooster add-on

Fujitsu Siemens has been showing off its AMILO Sa 3650 and AMILO GraphicBooster add-on for a few months now, and we even recently saw the combo put to the Crysis test, but it looks like both are now finally, actually rolling out to the general public. In case you missed it, the laptop itself is a 13-inch, AMD-based number (your choice of Turion X2 or Athlon X2 processors), with an ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics card, up to 4GB of RAM, and either and either a 250GB or 320GB hard drive. The GraphicBooster add-on, which currently only works with the Sa 3650, is based around an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3870 graphics card, and promises a 470% increase in graphics performance over the laptop's built-in graphics. No word on prices just yet, unfortunately but both the laptop and the GraphicBooster add-on will apparently be available at some "specialist retailers" this month.

MSI ships $999 13.3-inch EX300 laptop

If MSI's suite of Winds are just too cramped for your gorilla-sized hands, maybe the marginally larger EX300 will do the trick. The 13.3-inch laptop tips the scales at 4.5-pounds and includes a Core 2 Duo P7350 CPU, ATI's 256MB Mobility Radeon HD3450 GPU, WiFi / Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, a 3-in-1 card reader and a 2.0-megapixel webcam. You can claim one now at a variety of fine e-tailers for $999.

Novatech's X50MV Pro gaming laptop reviewed, SideShow makes surprise appearance

Man, remember when everyone thought their next laptop would have a minuscule SideShow display baked in the lid? Yeah, whatever happened to that fantasy? Apparently the engineers over at Novatech never got the memo that said technology was doomed for failure, as they certainly included a 2.5-inch color display on the lid of the X50MV Pro gaming laptop. That nifty inclusion aside, the unit also packed some pretty stout internals, though reviewers did lament the GeForce 9600M GT graphics chip. Still, the LCD was deemed gorgeous to look at, the inbuilt TV tuner was a welcome extra and performance was highly lauded in every area except hardcore gaming -- which is obviously odd given the nature of the beast. In the end, critics couldn't wholeheartedly recommend this machine over a litany of others for close to the same price, but there just might be a few unique features here that push you over the edge.

ASUS Eee PC 1002HA reviewed: looks cool but the battery stinks

Laptop Magazine's reviewed the ASUS Eee PC 1002HA we've been hearing so much about lately, and they're pretty impressed with what they're seeing. They gush over its looks, design and slimness, noting the similarity to the more expensive S101, and think the keyboard's decently comfortable. The reviewer found the 10-inch screen to be pretty cool for watching My Best Friend's Wedding on, though viewing at an angle was not necessarily awesome by any means. The 1002HA is a fast booter, and pretty speedy in general, with a strong WiFi connection. Where it really fails, however is in the fact that the two-cell battery (which ASUS claimed would last for five hours) made it only a sad 3 hours and 39 minutes, and the company isn't planning on offering an extended life model either, apparently. So much for watching My Best Friend's Wedding and Notting Hill back to back, huh?

HP Vivienne Tam Edition Mini 1000 Digital Clutch now available

Well, we heard that the Vivienne Tam-designed Mini 1000 was coming in December, and here it is, available to order on HP's site. The custom 10-inch netbook is, as expected, sporting a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom with 1GB of RAM, plus an up to 60GB hard drive -- a little smaller than the 80GB we initially heard about. The fashion-conscious laptop is less than an inch thick and has a starting weight of 2.45 pounds, and though it's not exactly an example of "understated elegance," those who want to start (loudly) classing up their act can do just that for a starting price of $699.

Axiotron tweaks Modbook for better, stronger, faster performance

Axiotron has the upgrade bug again, and it's making a litany of small, useful improvements to its Modbook that add up to a seriously improved machine. For starters, the rig now has a new hardware controller board for improved sleep, battery and system performance. Moreover, a fresh bonding process for the AnyView LCD panel and paper-emulating ForceGlass screen cover results in a "better contrast ratio, a firmer etched drawing surface, and decreased parallax between pen tip and cursor." Also of note, the updated beast incorporates the company's QuadCoat process, which protects the top shell with a liquid metallic coating and decreases the weight to 5.3-pounds. The Modbook starts at $2,249 by itself, or users can convert their non-aluminum Core 2 Duo-based Macbook into one starting at $1,299.

Medion rolls out 18-inch Akoya P8610 media center laptop

Medion's netbooks and GPS units may have been garnering the company the most attention as of late, but it's also still in the traditional laptop business, and it looks like it's new 18-inch Akoya P8610 model should turn at least a few heads, and not just for its sheer size. This one is aimed squarely at those looking for a media center in laptop form, with it boasting a 1,680 x 945, 18.4-inch display, a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T5800 processor, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a 512MB GeForce 9600M GS graphics card that can operate on its own or in hybrid mode, a Blu-ray drive, and a 5.1 Dolby audio system, among other media-friendly features. This being Medion, it also won't completely break the bank, with it setting you back a fairly reasonable £800, or just over $1,100.

Qualcomm shows off Snapdragon-based netbook / tablet concept

It's already doubled the power of its SnapDragon platform with a new dual-core processor, but it looks like Qualcomm is now really making a push to take on Intel in the netbook / MID space, with it recently showing off a seemingly fully-functional concept device.

Lenovo's IdeaPad U330 reviewed: nice for the price

After launching this summer, we're heard way more about netbooks than Lenovo's shiny IdeaPad U330. For those who've refused to forget about it, the aforesaid rig has been reviewed by the kind souls over at Laptop Mag, and impressions were fairly positive overall. The biggest boon here is likely the price -- we mean, $1,199 for a 13-inch lappie of this stature isn't half bad. As with most of the other IdeaPads, the design was applauded, the mix of features and performance was satisfactory and the size (4.4-pounds) was just right. Critics did slam the mushy touch buttons and the below-average battery life, but even so, the U330 was deemed a "a compelling thin-and-light notebook that offered plenty of style and strong performance" for the price.

The $280 Eee PC 900A can make a dead president smile

If you thought that a $300 Eee PC 900A price was tempting then how about this: $280. Best Buy just dropped the price of this bare-bones Eee PC by a full Jackson. No catch, no limited time offer, just an 8.9-inch, Atom N270-based netbook with 4GB of flash SSD storage ready for the gift giving season.

[Thanks, Matt]

AMD to release Atom killer netbook CPUs tomorrow?

We've been hearing rumors of AMD's Atom killer CPUs for over a year now. Unfortunately, vapor doesn't help the bottom line -- it does however explain AMD's conspicuous absence from the deluge of netbooks now trumping laptops for shelf-space. AMD's CEO, Dirk Meyer, has promised on a few occasions (as recently as the Q3 earnings call) to unveil "Bobcat" in November. So seeing the chips on display at tomorrow's analyst conference is pretty much a given. Check back then for all the details.

UMID's "super mini laptop" is small, shiny, super

Netbooks too big for you? MIDs too cramped? What you need is a super mini laptop from Korean company UMID, one of the sexiest entrants into what seems to be a burgeoning sub-netbook category (or subnet-books for the network admins out there).

Qualcomm begs for Snapdragon attention, doubles processor power

After last year's CES fiasco and the non-launch of a Snapdragon device in June, this is what it's come to: the no really, manufacturers love our platform press release. According to Qualcomm, HTC, LG, ASUS, Samsung and other leading device manufacturers have created more than 30 device designs based on Snapdragon chipsets. No word on when these will come to market though. Sigh. In a more meaningful announcement, Qualcomm claims to have doubled the power of Snapdragon with its new dual-CPU, single chip, QSD8672 running up to 1.5GHz. The chip is designed for low-power pocketable or netbook-style devices and should be out the door for sampling sometime in the first half of 2009. Hear that Intel? AMD's not the only cat looking to soil your Atom sandbox.

Dell's Mini 12 netbook is ready for US orders, ships in December

It was bound to happen sooner or later. We received the birth announcement, we read the reviews, and it looks like Dell is finally set to unleash the Mini 12 upon us lowly North Americans. The 12-inch netbook is pretty much what we expected specs-wise, starting at $549 for a 1.33GHz Atom processor, 1GB of memory, 40GB hard drive and standard 3 cell battery. Perhaps $758 is a little steep for a netbook, but if you're game the top-end machine sports a 1.6GHz Atom processor, 80GB hard drive and a 6 cell battery. All configurations should be shipping with Windows Vista Home Basic starting sometime in early December.

Dell taking Art House laptops made-to-order in 2009

Dell's been taking its design new directions for a while now, but it looks the company's war on boring is about to get personal. Ed Boyd, Dell's new Industrial Design Director, told BusinessWeek that Dell also plans on launching customizable computers with "scores of colors, patterns, and textures," and options that will "go far beyond the handful of choices available" from most rivals. We assume he just means the exterior, though that's unclear, so we'll keep our fingers crossed for that hot pink keyboard. There are also no details yet on which models will be up for customization or their pricing, but the other Art House models range from $649 to $800, so our uncle probably won't have to break the bank to unveil his edgy laptop graffiti when these hit sometime next year. Can't hardly wait.

Dell's Vostro A860 yours for a song (and $379)

The Dell Vostro A860 we've heard so much about has finally hit the Stateside scene, and it looks like we'll be able to get our hands on the laptop that those lucky folk in the "emerging markets" of Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America have been into since before it was cool (that is, late August). Starting at $379 with Dell's instant savings, the 15.6-inch, 5.4 pound laptop comes with either a Celeron or Pentium Dual Core processor, GMA X3100+ integrated graphics, up to 2GB of memory, up to 160GB storage, 1366 x 768 display resolution, WiFi and optional Bluetooth. This "speed demon" comes preloaded with Vista Home Basic or Vista Business and is available now at Dell's website.

AMD says it's "ignoring" netbooks, will focus on ultraportables

It seemed earlier this week that AMD's new Conesus chips would take on Intel's dominant Atom platform in the netbook market, but it sounds like that was just wishful thinking -- according to CEO Dirk Meyer, the chipmaker is "ignoring the netbook platform" in favor machines "above that form factor." AMD says that it's seeing high return rates on netbooks, a phenomenon it's chalking up to an unsatisfactory user experience on smaller machines.

MacBook innards crammed into makeshift mini Mac Pro tower

When we first laid eyes upon the slick box pictured above, we were struck with an eerie feeling of déjà vu. Now, it all makes sense. After receiving an all-but-completely-dead MacBook, one particular modder decided to rip the motherboard out, break out the soldering iron, throw in a few replacement parts and shove everything into a Macally G-S350SUA aluminum hard drive enclosure. Wanna know why? Because he had a peek at this -- a Mac Pro Mini mod that popped up here in March. Talk about taking inspiration and improving upon it.

Canonical bringing Ubuntu to ARM-powered devices

It was inevitable, really -- now that ARM processors are bound for netbooks and the like, it follows logic that ARM would tag team with Canonical to bring along Ubuntu support. The two firms have collaborated in order to "bring the full Ubuntu Desktop operating system to the ARMv7 processor architecture (targeting the Cortex-A8 and Cortex -A9 in particular) to address demand from device manufacturers." They even go out of their way to assert that this is all about bringing Ubuntu to "new netbooks and hybrid computers," though we're still hopeful that the OS will find its way into even more diminutive ARM-powered devices in the future. Sadly, you'll have to wait until April of 2009 to see the fruits of this so-very-special relationship.

Samsung's Q310-34P laptop reviewed: not bad for a first try

Okay, so maybe Samsung isn't entirely new to the laptop game here in the USA, but for its first line of self-branded lappies, the Q310 ultraportable didn't fare half bad in its first review. Critics over at Laptop Mag found the design of the 13.3-incher to be "handsome," the performance "smooth" and the endurance to be satisfactory enough.

Celio's new REDFLY C7 and C8N answer questions no one is asking

What if you took the REDFLY -- you know, that Foleo-like thing for Windows Mobile phones -- and cheapened it up a bit? Maybe knock the luxurious 8.3-inch display down to a more reasonable 7 inches, lose three hours of battery life, and add $30 to the asking price, for starters? That's the indecent proposal Celio has put together with its new C7 model, trading endurance and screen size for an eight-ounce drop in the original's two-pound frame. Not what you had in mind, you say? Okay, okay, try this, then: the C8N carries over the 8.3-inch display and adds a "REDFLY Media Port" for connecting an iPod, iPhone, Zune, digicam, or pretty much anything else with a composite TV-out for viewing on the 800 x 480 screen -- but the catch is that you'll also need the $20 "REDFLY Media Cable" (sorry, but that really does belong in quotes) to complete the package on top of the cost of the C8N itself. Either way, the new models are still dumb terminals that need juice from a WinMo-based device to function -- so yeah, if your Treo 750's looking a little lonely over there in the corner, the C7 and C8N should fill the bill nicely when they hit in the first week of December for $229 and $299, respectively.

Mobile Edge 'fashion-inspired' TSA-friendly laptop bags for her are not very inspiring

We've seen Mobile Edge's ScanFast line of TSA-approved laptop bags before, so it was only a matter of time, we suppose, until there was a spate of the cases specifically for women. What does it mean, then, to be a laptop bag that is "designed for women by women?" Well, it helps to be pink or have faux alligator skin (or is that croc?) detailing, we can tell you that much. Regardless, the company is announcing three "fabulous" products: the Onyx Briefcase, the Onyx Backpack and the Element Briefcase, each coming in the three different color / style schemes. They're going to be available later this month, and sell for $99.99 each -- Chihuahua named Princess Sparklepants wearing a ballerina costume not included.

Celio's REDFLY C8N hands-on and video not terribly exciting

We just got the official announcement of Celio's REDFLY C8N a few hours ago, and Laptop magazine's already had a chance to touch it and make a video! Their initial impressions? That $20 REDFLY Media Cable you have to buy to hook the C8N up to your phone is a tangled mess! This is exciting stuff, folks -- that is if you are just dying to shell out $299 for a buddy for your Windows Mobile device. Check out the terrifically brief video of the terminal after the break.

HP reveals multitouch TouchSmart tx2 convertible tablet

While HP mistakenly claims that its sparkly new (but previously rumored) TouchSmart tx2 is the world's first multitouch consumer notebook, we're still decidedly stoked about this here convertible tablet. Boasting a 12.1-inch swivel display (LED-backlit) that's just dying to have your prints all over it, the tx2 will come loaded with Windows Vista, a bezel-mounted fingerprint reader, integrated webcam with microphone, Bluetooth / WiFi, stereo speakers, a 5-in-1 multicard reader and a LightScribe SuperMulti DVD burner. HP's also delivering the oh-so-stylish Reaction Imprint exterior, an AMD Turion X2 dual-core processor, the firm's own MediaSmart 2.0 software, a VGA output, Ethernet and at least one USB port from the looks of things. You're supposed to be able to add one of these to your digital shopping cart right now via HP's own webstore or Amazon.com, but both links currently lead to sections of the intarwebz you don't ever, ever want to see. Hold tight -- we've a feeling HP will be getting really official with this one momentarily.

Dospara doles out Atom-powered Prime Note Cartina UM netbook

It's been forever and a day since we heard from Dospara, but as it typically does, it's just hanging around and waiting to see what catches on before it dives in. Case in point: here we have the Prime Note Cartina UM, an 8.9-inch netbook that's hitting alongside the second and third iteration of everyone else's. You could likely guess the specifications in your sleep, but we'll humor you anyway; we've got a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 120GB hard drive, a 1,024 x 600 panel, 802.11b/g WiFi, a battery good for two hours and a mysterious Linux build pre-installed. You won't find an optical drive bundled in, but you will find a ¥39,980 ($413) price tag should you venture over to Japan.

Epson's Endeavor Na01 mini is a netbook

Not much to say here, just an Atom N270 1.6Ghz processor, 10.2-inch 1024 x 600 LCD, 1GB of RAM, 160GB HDD and a dash of Windows XP, doing what they always do. There's a nice complement of completely standard interfaces, like three USB 2.0 plugs, 802.11b/g WiFi, Ethernet, mini VGA out and a multicard reader, all stuffed into a slightly frumpy 1.5-inch thick enclosure, but let's not get off message: Epson's new Endeavor Na01 mini is all Microsoft-proscribed netbook and nothing more. The Japan-only computer is available today for the completely palatable price of 46,800 Yen (about $484).

HP's TouchSmart tx2z multitouch convertible tablet starts at $1,149

Oh sure, you could select Dell's multitouch-enabled Latitude XT over HP's latest, but given the $1,829 starting price of the former, we'd say the TouchSmart tx2z is looking a lot more delectable these days. Hailed as the first multitouch "consumer" convertible tablet (a claim that's certainly open for debate), the 12.1-inch tx2 gets going at just $1,149.99, though HP's "recommended" configuration starts at $1,223.99. The baseline setup includes Vista Home Premium, a 2.1GHz AMD Turion X2, 3GB of DDR2 RAM, an ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics set, 250GB of HDD space and a built-in webcam. As of now, the estimated build date shows December 8th, so we'd get that order in five minutes ago if you're looking to ensure a holiday delivery.

MSI Wind U120 gets spotted, examined in the wild

We've already seen a few shots of MSI's forthcoming Wind U120 netbook, but our pals at Engadget Chinese have now taken in one of its first public appearances and, naturally, they've provided plenty of pics for folks to dive into. That includes some close-up shots of the netbook's slightly revised port situation, some comparison shots with the non-two tone U100, and even another glimpse of that 9-cell battery we've already seen floating about. MSI also had it's full-fledged Bravo EX620 laptop on display, though it's a pretty safe bet that we won't be seeing it 'round these parts anytime soon.

Sony's 17-inch VAIO AR with Blu-ray meets Penryn

Check it Blu-ray on-the-go fans. Sony just gave the Penryn bump to their VAIO AR series of media laptops. Sweet, powerful, 2.5GHz of cool running, long lasting, Core 2 Duo T9300 processing and 512MB of NVIDIA GeForce Go 8600M GT graphics now at the heart of this 17-inch, 1,920 x 1,200 resolution lappie. Your $3,300 pre-order should be greeted by a Jan 29th ship date if you're lucky.

Dell's XPS M1330 with Ubuntu pre-load in Germany, only

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jan 24th 2008 at 7:56AM

Whoa Dell, what's this? An exclusive, XPS M1330 in Germany sporting an Ubuntu 7.10 pre-load with full DVD and webcam support? Where's the Stateside love, yo?

Update: Dell tells us it's also available in the UK, France, and Spain. Headed to the US in "a week or so."

[Thanks, Roland K. and Andrew M.]

Asus rolls out Eee PC in Japan, Windows XP standard

It's taken a while, but it looks like folks in Japan can now finally get their hands on Asus's diminutive and eminently-hackable Eee PC, although not exactly the same models we have 'round these parts. Dubbed the Eee PC 4G-X, the Japan-centric laptop is apparently identical to the regular 4G model, with the notable exception that it now comes pre-loaded with Windows XP Home Edition as standard instead of the usual Linux OS. That, of course, takes up a hefty chunk of the 4GB of internal storage, so Asus has thoughtfully 4GB SDHC card with the laptop as well. Look for it to be available in your choice of black or white for ¥50,000 (or about $468), with free access to NTT's WiFine hotspot network thrown in for good measure.

Confirmed: MacBook Air SuperDrive does NOT work with other machines

One obvious and debated question on a lot of potential buyers' minds: okay, I'm dropping nearly two large on this here machine, but will the external optical drive even work with one of my other laptops and/or desktops? The answer: no. Regular USB simply doesn't support the power draw an optical drive needs, which was evidenced as plugged the SuperDrive into a stock MacBook Pro and it came up bupkis. It wouldn't even let us insert a disk without forcing it down the drive's maw. Of course, it worked just fine on the Air. Seriously though, how many machines do you have that need an external optical drive, anyway?

Dell and Microsoft get official with (PRODUCT) RED gear

We knew Dell and Microsoft would be giving some of their gear the Bono treatment this week, but the two companies and the AIDS-in-Africa relief project unveiled their partnership in style today at Davos. Just like we'd heard, the XPS m1530, m1330, and XPS One machines are all going crimson, as well as the 948 AIO printer. Microsoft's kicking in a special (PRODUCT) RED-themed edition of Vista Ultimate to keep things special on the OS tip, and obviously you'll feel better about things with donations of $50 - $80 of each machine's purchase price going to RED, and $5 on the printer (hey, those margins are low enough as it is). All the new stuff should be available by the end of the week in the States, and by January 31 in 30 additional countries -- or right now for your viewing pleasure in the gallery.

Adding insult to injury: USB 3G modems won't fit in the MacBook Air

Ouch, we just tested and confirmed that one of the smallest (and thus likeliest to fit) USB EV-DO modems around, the Sprint / Novatel U727, won't even come close to fitting in the cramped, foldaway USB port on the MacBook Air. Most flash drives will probably be okay, but it looks like 3G users might need powered USB hubs or a USB extension cable to get online where WiFi isn't available (read: most places). Of course, your mileage may vary -- we recommend testing your modem of choice on a live machine in an Apple store before dropping any coin.

Don't hold your breath for OLED key alternative: United Keys guy has a history

It all looks innocent and feasible on the surface, but behind the scenes we have no idea how realistic this gaming keyboard from United Keys is ever going to get. Sure, word of a manufacturing deal with FoxConn is good news, but it turns out a key employee has a bit of a history with false product launches. The man is Valdi Ivancic, of Medison fame -- that $150 laptop that never was.

Everex's Cloudbook postponed for "tweaks"

Remember how we told you Everex's little gOS-sporting Cloudbook was headed to Wal-Mart this month (today, to be specific)? Well hold your check book, friend-o -- they ain't done with it. According to the company's director of marketing, Paul Kim, the system requires, "

First VIA Nano-based netbook spotted

Stop the presses, UMPC Portal (AVING really) spotted the first netbook pumping VIA's Atom-hating Nano processor at its core. The 10.2-inch Imini S1 Mini-Note from TongFang is just a customized VIA OpenBook reference design. Still, it does our Intel-weary, competitive hearts good to see a 1.2GHz VIA Nano CPU listed in the specs.

Dell Latitude XT displays compared: daylight viewable vs. LED

When Dell's long-awaited Latitude XT finally hit the scenes, many were captivated by the idea of a daylight viewable screen on such a portable rig. Up until now, however, there's been little analysis over which was actually superior. Granted, we aren't saying that you can't disagree firmly with GottaBeMobile's assessment, but after checking each out for an extended period of time, Rob Bushway actually concluded that the LED-based machine was preferable.