Archive for the 'PCs' Category

You know who you are. You're constantly trashing your Mac-toting friends, claiming they're all brainwashed for hanging on every product that comes from the House of Jobs. Well, here's your chance to one-up their snobbish attitude with one of these catwalk-worthy PCs. Yeah, that's right, PCs.

Asus U1
Fatties be gone. Asus' U1 ultraportable weighs in at a freakishly thin 2.2 pounds (and that's with the 3 cell battery attached). Granted, there's no optical drive built-in, but otherwise, this Vista-ready lappie has a nice 11.1-inch WXGA screen, a built-in fingerprint scanner, and a Core Duo U2400. You've got two flavors of wireless (Wi-FI and Bluetooth), but sadly no WWAN. It'll be out next month for $1999. So how's that MacBook Pro Lite working for ya?

Sony's TP1
As you guys have noted, Sony's TP1 is one cute PC. It's circular shape helps it stand out from the crowd of towers and since it's got an HDMI input (with HDCP support), it can double as your do-it-all media center.

Alienware Hangar 18
Alienware's new Hangar 18 is a component style PC with enough panache to make your grandma's living room look like a high-tech paradise. The system will run off an Athlon 64 X2 dual-core CPU and feature 1.5TB of storage space for all that HD content you'll be recording via the four built-in TV tuners (two analog, two digital). Not to mention this PC also comes with a built-in 1000W amp and subwoofer. Can your Mac Mini do that? We didn't think so. – Louis Ramirez

Looks like we can finally see what was behind all those Black Ice rumors. This morning Dell unveiled their new XPS 710 H2C desktop with Black Ice technology. Essentially, Black Ice is Dell's new dual-stage cooling solution that relies on solid state refrigeration to keep your CPU from breaking a sweat. There are no fans involved so it's quiet compared to everything else that's out there. So why the Black Ice?

Well, just take a look at what was inside our system....

CPU: Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad QX6700 (3.2 GHz) Memory: 4GB 667MHz HDD: 2x160GB 10K RPM (RAID 0) + one 750GB Video: Dual Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX cards Optical 1: 16X DVD-ROM Optical 2: 16X DVD+/-RW Audio: Creative X-Fi Card Display: 3007WFP-H2C OS: Microsoft Windows MCE 2005 Update (Emerald) Keyboard: Razer Tarantula Gaming Keyboard Mouse: Razer Copperhead Gaming Mouse Media Bay: 13-in-1 Media Card Reader

We were lucky enough to get a hands-on with the system just before CES. First thing we noticed about this PC was its size. The 710 H2C is Godzilla-like so if you're pressed for space, don't bother. But despite its monstrosity, the system flies regardless of what program or game you throw it's way.

The base price for the system is $5,199. Our config above (which came with the 30-inch 3007WFP-HC, an additional 750GB HDD, and a pair of Dell wireless speakers) came in at an absurd $7,118. A lot of PC for a lot of dough. – Louis Ramirez

Dell XPS 710 H2C [Gizmodo]

In this video, take a look at Steve Jobs making his triumphant return to Apple, announcing a partnership with Microsoft. After that, a string of Macworld announcements rocked the Mac world each year. Here's a top ten list, counting down in order of importance:

10. 2004: Final Cut Express 2, XServe G5 machines, Office 2004, iLife '04

9. 2001: Powerbook Titanium announced

8. 1998: Interim CEO Steve Jobs introduces the iMac and the PowerBook G3

7. 2005: iLife05, iWork, MacMini, iPod shuffle

6. 2000: Announces March 24 ship date for OS X, shows iTunes, G4 laptop with 15.2-inch screen

The top 5:

5. 2006: iPod Radio Remote, iLife '06, iWork '06, iMac Core Duo, MacBook Pro

4. 2003: 12- and 17-inch PowerBooks rolled out, Safari public beta

3. 2002: OS X Software, Second-gen iMac

2. 1999: Jobs drops "Interim CEO" from his title, shows Aqua interface for OS X

1. 2007: iPhone, AppleTV (formerly iTV), Beatles on iTunes

– Charlie White

From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...

The first woman Speaker of the House is off to a rough start, judging by the public tut-tuts from the proprietors of high society. To be fair, Madam Pelosi is still adjusting to her position, so it would only seem proper to extend a brief grace period during which such unladylike behavior as a "catfight" might be overlooked. However, such conduct is, of course, beneath the dignity of the traditionally male speakership position, and cannot long be tolerated by the American people (not to mention citizens of the world, who are watching with at least one eyebrow acock).

In the interest of making this civics "experiment" work, C&J offers a reminder that the boundaries of civility are breeched at our nation’s peril. Further, we offer Madam Pelosi some tips she would be well-advised to tuck in her ample bosom for easy reference when conducting the nation’s business:

Always...

Graciously accept gentlemanly offers of assistance.

Wear gloves on the street, at church and other formal occasions, except when eating or drinking.

When crossing the street, one must lift her dress a bit above the ankle while holding the folds of her gown together in her right hand and drawing them toward the right.

When introduced to a man a lady never offers her hand, she merely bows politely and says, "I am happy to make your acquaintance."

-

Never...

Grab your hoops or lift your skirts higher than is absolutely necessary to go up stairs.

Sit with your legs crossed (except at the ankles if necessary for comfort or habit).

Lift your skirts up onto the seat of your chair when sitting down. (Wait for, or if necessary, ask for assistance when sitting down at a table or on a small light chair).

Speak in a loud, coarse voice.

(From, oddly, "The Gentleman’s Page: A Practical Guide for the 19th Century American Man")

Update: We have just been informed that the catfight between Madam Pelosi and Lady Harman took place in a vat of Jell-O. So never mind. Anyone got pics or a YouTube link??

It rubs the weekend on its skin or it gets the hose. Your West Coast-friendly edition of Cheers and Jeers starts in There’s Moreville... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]

Though we've already seen a few drives that are capable of writing to BD-R media, Toshiba's SD-H903A is the first drive that can read and write to single and dual-layer HD DVD-R discs, albeit at an "I'd rather watch paint dry" speed of 1x. The drive, which will debut next week at CES, can also tackle all types of DVD and CD media. Pricing hasn't been disclosed, so chances are you may not be able to afford it anyways.

Press Release [Toshiba]

Though we've already seen a few drives that are capable of writing to BD-R media, Toshiba's SD-H903A is the first drive that can read and write to single- and dual-layer HD DVD-R discs, albeit at 1x speeds (which is equivalent to 3x DVD). The drive, which will debut next week at CES, can also tackle all of your DVD and CD media. Pricing hasn't been disclosed, but we think you're better off waiting till more HD DVD write drives flood the market as I'm sure they'll top the 1x speed in no time.

Press Release [Toshiba]