GottaBeMobile's CES 2009 News Coverage Sponsored By
Recent Articles / Older Entries
Phoenix Technologies Announces HyperSpace
Launching into Hyperspace, Phoenix Technology has announced its new fast-booting environment that allows you to access WiFi and the Internet before booting into Windows on your chosen computer. There will be two different flavors of the downloadable technology for your device, if it is supported.
One version allows you to switch back and forth between they Hyperspace environment and Windows, the other restricts you to one environment or the other. It looks like the cost of this will be $39.95 or $59.95 depending on your choice of the Dual or Hybrid modes you choose. It looks like we’ll be seeing more of this at CES 2009.
UPDATE: Kevin Tofel at jkOnTheRun got his hands on a pre-release version of Hyperspace and has produced a video of it in action.
Press release after the jump.
What’s Apple Doing Today?
While Rob, Truc, and Sierra are on planes to CES 2009 and I prepare to leave tomorrow, focus in the geek world today is on MacWorld and what Apple will or will not offer.
Some of the big news seems to be centered around the fact that Apple will be easing or losing its Digital Rights Management (DRM) on its music, in exchange for letting the studios use variable pricing for new releases and hot songs. We’ll have to see how that occurs and in what form.
HP Mini-Note 2140 Announced
HP has announced a refresh to their Mini-Note with the HP Mini-Note 2140. This refresh has really bumped up the specs to make it a very capable netbook for the mobile warrior. With a full range of OS choices and configurations, this little guy gets pushed almost into the realm of having some laptop specs… Check out the full specs list in an easy to read format thanks to JK
Operating system options:
- Genuine Windows Vista® Business 321
- Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic 321
- Genuine Windows Vista® with downgrade
- to Genuine Windows® XP Professional custom installed1,9
- Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition
- FreeDOS
- SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10
Hardware specs after the jump!
Buffalo NAS Allows Browser Access, Officially Supports iPhone
One of the main complaints about the iPhone is its inability for storage space expansion. Buffalo just released a solution to this problem with their LinkStation Pro NAS at MacWorld. With the LinkStation Pro, iPhone users can access up to 1TB of storage remotely by using the iPhone’s web browser. With AT&T’s 3G network, I can see how this is a wonderful possibility for viewing movies, pictures, music, etc. from almost anywhere. Continue reading…
FreeStyle Features VIA Nano: Outperforms Atom
Engadget is has a few sleek shots of the new FreeStyle Dr. Mobile Netbook which features the VIA Nano Processor, the popular Atom’s new competition. VIA contends that the Nano will outperform comparatively matched Intel Atom machines. While the specs of this machine are nothing too different with what we’ve seen of current netbooks, the design clearly shows that the netbook mold (screen size under 10 inches, cramped keyboard, small trackpad) is starting to change. Can we expect to see underpowered, full-size notebooks later in the year? Look for more details as GBM’s CES coverage continues.
Details on the FreeStyle:
- 1.3 Ghz Via Nano Processor, VX800 Chipset (capable of running at 1.6 Ghz)
- 11.6-inch display, 1366 x 768 resolution
- 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth
- Optional onboard mobile broadband
- Expected price tag of $500 USD, possibly available in February
Click here for the hands-on FreeStyle photos.
MSI To Unveil X-Slim 320 Air Contender
MSI wants to get all Air-like, prepping to release the X-Slim 320. Nope, it isn’t a Netbook, or whatever we are going to call them, but it is light and thin, and according to Engadget will fit into a manila envelope. (Don’t you find it ironic and entertaining that this has become somewhat of a benchmark measurement for light and then notebooks?)
Engadget Chinese has dug up some specs and it looks like we’ll see your now familiar 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor, a 1366x 768 resolution on a 13.4 inch screen, and up to 2GB of RAM (DDR2). Some are suggesting this will run NVidia’s Ion platform as well.
I’m guessing we’ll see this in Las Vegas soon, although I didn’t pack any manila envelopes to test it out with.
Here’s a link to the press release. Crave also has some reporting on this as well (and that’s where we got the pic.)
Palm To Launch New Nova OS At CES
It’s no secret that Palm has been losing market share to RIM, Apple, and HTC year after year. Palm started abandoning their own OS in lieu of various iterations of Windows Mobile on their devices, much to the chagrin of its loyal users who miss the simplicity and stability of the Palm OS. According to Crunchgear, this year’s CES event will be the launching pad for Palm’s renewed efforts into the mobile communications sector with an expected release of a touchscreen device utilizing a slide-down QWERTY keyboard. The OS backbone is named Nova and anticipation is running high. After my WM6.1 meltdown this morning where I magically lost the native messaging app on my T-mo Wing, I’m really looking forward to seeing what Nova is capable of. The hardware is thought to be sourced from HTC like the Treo Pro. Supposedly, the new Nova OS is going to give Apple’s iPhone a run for its money, but I’ll wait until Thursday to see if it holds true, considering everything out recently was touted as an “iPhone Killer” but still left much to be desired.
So, Let’s Decide This Netbook Naming Thing
OK, we’ve got a rare opportunity coming up here to solve one of the deepest, most profound, most critical, most divisive, most contentious, (and if you can’t read the previous list of as hyperbole and irony then move on) issues facing the mobile computing world today.
First the issue: What are we going to call Netbooks? We’ve chronicled the legal kookiness brought about by Psion Teklogix’s attempts to protect their trademark (some cash attempts to cash in). Some see this as a big deal, some as just a kerfluffle. James Kendrick says we should all just start using another name and I largely agree. Although I think this cat is well out of the bag, the horse has left the barn, the dog has long since ceased barking, or pick whatever animal metaphor you want to use to describe the fact that the term Netbook is already well entrenched.
Netbook Fever: Should There Be A Cure?
I’ve largely stayed away from Netbooks, outside of reviewing them and checking them out. My wife is still running an original Asus Eee PC and seems quite content with it for the way she uses it. But there is no doubt that Netbooks, or whatever the heck we are going to call them, are attractive devices for quite a few folks. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the form factor or the concept, they just don’t fit how I work.
Loren Heiny looks to be one of those here lately. He’s using an HP Mini 1000 and has blogged up a nice post about his likes and dislikes. He says he’s got Netbook fever. Given that Rob is toting an HP Mini 1000 along with him to CES 2009 as well, I sure hope this Netbook fever thing isn’t catching. I’m juggling too many devices these days as it is. And besides, if I did get one, I’m sure my wife would quickly call it her own.
EzGear’s ezSpace Wall Mount - Charge Six Items At A Time
This 6 outlet wallmount from ezGear looks like something that would come in useful in our hotel room during CES - three guys, tons of accessories and tablets to charge. You get the idea…
We’ll try to stop by their booth at CES to check them out. No word on pricing. Press release after the break.
HP’s Vivienne Tam Model Photographed
No human models here so if I got your hopes up I apologize. This is just the Vivienne Tam edition of HP’s 10.2″ netbook we reported on back in September featuring a standard run-of-the-mill spec sheet. What sets this unit apart is aesthetic design. Judie Lipsett of GearDiary really likes it and has uploaded a whole gallery of candy-red goodness. I can’t even begin to imagine the questions and comments that will be flying her way at CES. “Tam,” as Judie calls it, is definitely eye catching and unique in a world of bland netbooks. Design does come with a price, however, with the Vivienne Tam edition netbook starting at $699.99.
On The Road 2009: The Connecting Challenges at CES 2009
I’ve been on a wonderful extended family vacation since December 29, visiting friends and family in Chicago. Truly, a great time. But now it is time to hunker down and get ready for CES 2009. I leave before the sun comes up Wednesday morning (a lot of my colleagues will be heading to Vegas on Tuesday) as I have one more important family obligation to take care of, and while I’m looking forward to seeing Rob and the rest of the GBM Gang, I’m going to miss the fun times in Chicago.
But, hey that’s not the point of this post, as I need to start shifting gears. Obviously before I headed out to Chicago I packed what I thought I’d need for the CES trip and this will be my lightest trip yet. I’ve already posted about the gear I’m taking (read it here), and later today I’ll be getting a post up about some of the software that I’ll be relying on as well.
CES 2009 Tablet PC Meetup Being Held at CntrStg
One of the highlights of CES is always the Tablet PC Meetup. This year, the meetup will be held at CntrStg @ the Wynn on Saturday, January 10th from 3 – 6. We hope to see all the Tablet and Touch vendors and enthusiasts there!
Check out CntrStg and the Facebook event for more information.
Lenovo Announces A600 All-In-One, New IdeaPad Series, S10 Instant-On
In a whopper of a press release, Lenovo has announced a stunner of a new all-in-one desktop called the A600, three new IdeaPad Y-Series laptops, and announced instant-on capability and a multi-touch trackpad for their S10 Netbook.
Regarding the new instant-on capability in the S10 Netbook:
Other new features on the IdeaPad S10 netbook include Lenovo Quick Start. With this functionality, users will have the ability to access a number of frequently used applications including a web browser, music player, photo viewer, instant messaging tools and Skype.
Pictures and press release after the break:
Lenovo Officially Announces the ThinkPad W700ds
This is no big secret, as we’ve brought you several exclusive hands-on videos (here and here) on the ThinkPad W700ds and plan more after CES, but Lenovo has officially announced the W700ds and given it a starting price: $3663. The W700ds is available immediately from Lenovo.com.
Here’s the press release: