India unveils $20 laptop: What's that in rupees?
India is set to unveil a laptop costing $20 (£14), according to the Financial Times. The unfortunately named Sakshat (it probably will be at that price. Thank you, we're here all week) will be aimed at school and university students who want to take advantage of long-distance learning.
The Sakshat is being developed by a group comprising the Vellore Institute of Technology, the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras and the government-run Semiconductor Complex. India's secretary of secondary and higher education, RP Agrawal, was quoted as saying the $20 price tag was highly achievable, and that it could fall further with mass production. Continue reading...
Sony Mofiria: Taking your identity in vein
GadgetsSony is taking biometrics from the surface of the finger to the inside with a new vein-authentication technology that could show up on mobile devices within the year.
The compact, camera-based system -- called 'Mofiria', though we have no idea why -- uses a CMOS sensor to diagonally capture scattered light inside the finger veins. Data from the pattern is compressed, making it possible for the information to be stored on gadgets such as laptops or mobile phones. Continue reading...
Welcome To Macintosh: The Crave review
Desktops"I've hated Windows for a number of years and I could never figure out why. And about three years ago it finally hit me, that the reason I hated it was because it always makes me feel stupid."
Wayne Wenzlaff has perhaps one of the finest reasons for disliking Windows in favour of the Macintosh -- back in 1977 he was a buyer for the first ever computer store that ordered and sold an Apple computer. It was the Apple II, and he still owns the fifth Apple II ever to roll off the production line. Continue reading...
Western Digital busts out 2TB hard drive
AccessoriesWestern Digital has launched the first 2TB internal hard-disk drive, as the latest addition to its WD Caviar Green series.
The 3.5-inch drive was announced on Tuesday. Caviar Green is Western Digital's range of 'environmentally friendly' disks. The drives use a technology called IntelliPower to fine-tune spin speed, transfer rate and caching algorithms, to reduce power consumption. Western Digital claims this results in a saving of four to five watts over standard desktop drives.
The 2TB drive uses four 500GB platters, each platter with 400Gb-per-square-inch density. It has a transfer rate of 3Gbps and a 32MB cache, and can be installed inside a PC or in an external hard-drive casing. Western Digital claims the drive is cool and quiet enough to be put into a fanless external casing. Continue reading...
Photos: Acer Aspire One gets 10-inch screen 
LaptopsIf there's one thing the world needs, it's another netbook -- or at the very least, a tiny netbook-looking laptop whose manufacturer claims isn't a netbook because the netbook market is so damn cluttered -- Sony, Acer, we're looking at you, and your NETBOOKS.
Acer in particular is under the spotlight today, because it's just released a new 10-inch version of its popular Aspire One. Known in geek circles as the 'AOD150', this model ships in a 1.2kg chassis measuring 260 by 185 by 33mm, making it larger and heavier than the current models' 995g, 249 by 170 by 29mm frame. Continue reading...
Apple: Record profits, new Macbook, no netbooks
LaptopsApple just defied the recession, denied cheap iPhones and decried its copycat competition, as it posted record profits for the first quarter of the fiscal year '08-'09 of $1.6bn.
Jobs 'n' friends shifted 2.5 million Macs, a record 22.7 million iPods and 4.4 million iPhones in the final three months of 2008. True, Nokia today announced it shifted 113 million handsets in Q4 2008 (down 15 per cent year-on-year, FYI, while Apple was up 88 per cent over last year). But when you consider Nokia currently offers over 100 different handsets globally and Apple sells just one, 4.4 million sales is an impressive figure.
But Apple's conference call with interim pseudo-CEO Tim Cook wasn't all about figures. Cook also commented on the company's dismissive position regarding the netbook market, slamming netbooks for having "software that's not good, cramped keyboards and small displays. We don't think people are going to be pleased with those types of products," he snooted. Continue reading...
Sierra Wireless Compass 885 USB Modem packs microSD card slot
AccessoriesMobile broadband is fast becoming a viable alternative to fixed-line and Wi-Fi for laptop-toting travellers. USB modem dongles are cheap, relatively fast, and best of all, they give you the freedom to go online wherever you please.
We've tested our fair share of these devices, including, most recently, the Sierra Wireless Compass 88 -- available via O2 on contract or as a standalone unit that's compatible with a SIM card of your choice.
The Compass 885 looks like any other mobile broadband dongle. It connects to your laptop or PC via USB, but can be tethered to the top of your laptop screen if you use the bundled extension cable and clip. One side of the unit is home to an external aerial antenna port, which comes in handy when 3G reception is weak in your area. Continue reading...
Wozniak: Jobs' absence could be a "great thing for Apple"
LaptopsOffering a unique perspective on Steve Jobs' health, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is speaking out in the media on his old friend's leave of absence and its possible beneficial effect on the company.
In an interview with NBC11 in San Jose, California, Wozniak said investors and the media should be respectful of his privacy.
"What he says, we ought to accept," Wozniak said in response to a question about Jobs' health. Continue reading...
Crave Live: Hands-on Sony Vaio P-series 'not-a-netbook' 
Psst! Want to watch hands-on video of the new Sony netbook Lifestyle PC? Yeah? That's what we thought, so we visited our friends at Sony, nabbed one and gave it a thoroughly good fondling.
Old-school Craver Rory Reid takes you through the P-series' finer points, such as its super-wide 8-inch 1,600x768-pixel display, the small but quite usable keyboard, plus the Wi-Fi, GPS and integrated 3G wireless features. Continue reading...
Archos unveils Archos 10 PC: World asks why
LaptopsArchos, the French PMP maker responsible for making ace media players (and charging separately for key features such as codecs), is joining the ever-more-diluted orgy known as the netbook market. It's bringing out the Archos 10 -- a 10.2-inch Intel Atom-powered netbook, with an LED-backlit screen.
Inside it's got 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard disk, runs Windows XP, and offers Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB connectivity options. Look closer and you'll notice it's also sporting a look on its face that says, "Please, I know I'm both late to the party and essentially pointless, but go easy on me, yeah?" Continue reading...
Intel reveals tablet Classmate PC design
LaptopsIntel has revealed the design for a tablet version of its Classmate PC, a low-powered netbook designed for use in primary schools.
The tablet-format Classmate, which was unveiled on Friday at consumer tradeshow CES in Las Vegas, will let manufacturers build Classmate PCs that can be used either as a standard clamshell laptop or -- with a 180° swivel of the display -- as a touchscreen tablet. As with most netbooks, it will run on Intel's Atom processor. Continue reading...
Photos: Asus S121 brings sexy back -- again
LaptopsWhen we first laid eyes on the Asus S101 netbook, we wept, such was its beauty. When we learned Asus was working on a slightly larger, 12.1-inch, ultraportable version, we began to well up yet again. We're sensitive types.
The S121 is adorned with the same glossy 'brown infusion finish' as its predecessor, and has the added bonus of a wrist rest swathed in genuine leather. The Swarovski crystals seen on the S101 make a reappearance too, except they're set into a redesigned hinge designed to look like a pair of gentleman's cuff links. Continue reading...
Video: Sony Vaio P-series Lifestyle PC hands-on
The legendary Dan Ackerman gets his manly hands on a CES product he's terribly excited about: the Sony Vaio P-series Lifestyle laptop. It's about the size of a pocket diary and it runs Windows Vista. Holy hell!
It's so small it doesn't have a trackpad, but harks back a few years with a control nipple. Otherwise it's pretty upscale: there's GPS and mobile broadband (supplied in the US by Verizon, but it'll obviously it'll be another network here). Dan mentions that US prices start at $899 (£600), but UK pricing and availability hasn't been announced yet.
Continue reading...
Photos: Asus N20 12-inch touchscreen laptop
LaptopsRemember the fantastic Asus M10 -- the 10-inch netbook that could run 3D games and high-definition video? Asus has been working on a successor, with a larger, touch-sensitive display.
The M20, as it is to be known, packs a 12-inch WXGA screen, which unlike most machines of its type, responds to touch inputs from a stylus or your own fingers. There's no multi-touch capability, so you can't do any fancy iPhone-style pinching or stroking, but the system does make it easier to scroll through documents, switch between applications and -- more importantly -- show off to others when you're on the train to work. Continue reading...
Video: Asus Eee PC T91 transforms into 'netbook tablet'
At consumer tradeshow CES, Asus unveiled the Eee PC T91.
Although it looks like a standard netbook, the device features a swivelling, foldable, touch-sensitive screen that also transforms it into a 'netbook tablet'. Continue reading...
Photos: Asus M50 packs touchscreen trackpad
LaptopsIt's raining Asus products here at CES 2009. The latest -- and potentially most awesome -- to fall from the skies is a new version of the Asus M50. It's the first laptop we've seen that uses a touchscreen display in place of a mouse trackpad.
While the original M50 used a dual-mode mouse trackpad that let you switch from mouse mode to multimedia playback mode, this new model comes with a fully featured PDA-type device that occupies the space where the mouse trackpad used to be. Continue reading...
Dell Mini 10 netbook revealed with built-in GPS
Dell has announced the Inspiron Mini 10 -- it's latest foray into the plasticky world of netbooks. It's a 10-inch deal powered by an Intel Atom Z530 processor running at 1.6GHz, with a glass screen, a multi-touch trackpad with gesture support, built-in GPS, 802.11n Wi-Fi, mobile broadband and even an integrated TV tuner.
That glossy 10-inch display can show 720p high-definition content, and the screen itself is a widescreen 16:9 model. An edge-to-edge keyboard helps take advantage of what little typing space is available on a laptop this size, so all being well the Mini 10 won't be out of the question for speed typists. Continue reading...
Hands-on with the Sony Vaio Lifestyle PC
LaptopsOur US colleagues managed to be among the very first to snag a coveted Sony Vaio Lifestyle PC, which we covered earlier in the week, so here are a couple of in-the-wild photos, plus some first hands-on impressions.
Despite the small overall size, we found the keyboard fairly eay to use. At first, the lack of a touchpad worried us, but the trackpoint was fast and responsive, and after 15 minutes or so, we got used to navigating with it -- a very light tap on the pointing stick will give you a left mouse click. Continue reading...
Sony P-series: A netbook in all but name
LaptopsSony's entry into the very hot netbook category shares a lot with netbooks such as the Dell Mini 9 or Asus Eee PC, but clearly goes out of its way to avoid being lumped in with them.
The P-series Lifestyle PC is one of the smallest laptops we've seen; it is almost similar to a UMPC, but with a traditional clamshell laptop design. The widescreen 8-inch 1600x768 display and tiny keyboard form a shape that has roughly the same footprint as a standard white business envelope, and is less than 1-inch thick, weighing 638g. Continue reading...
Photos: Asus shared computing concept laptop
LaptopsWe've always known the guys and girls at Asus are a little strange. Not in a bad way -- they don't need medication or anything -- but some of the products they design are clear proof they're one herring short of the full smorgasbord.
Take their latest concept 'laptop', for example. It draws its inspiration from Japanese origami -- bear with us here -- in that it can be folded into a variety of shapes to suit your individual needs. In one example we were shown, the product had two keyboards and two screens and was being used by two people on opposite sides of the same table. In another, it had a single display -- laid flat against a table -- and two keyboards. Continue reading...
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