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Original kick scooter made of sturdy aircraft-grade aluminum with blue highlights
Patented T-tube and deck design folds conveniently for transport
98 mm inline-style urethane wheels with springless shock system
Patented rear fender brake for quick stops; all-new wheelie bar
Recommended for ages 5 and older; 6-month warranty
The original kick scooter just got a whole lot better, making it even more fun for kids and teens alike. Though it'll never replace the internal combustion engine, the Razor A2 will get your child from point A to point B much quicker than on foot alone, and requires just a few scoots of one's shoes in the process. Plus, it's a blast to use, as your progeny will likely attest. The Razor A2 is built of aircraft-grade aluminum, a sturdy material that holds up to use and abuse through the years.
Razor combined the traditional aluminum construction, however, with a number of recent innovations, including a springless shock system that makes bumpy pavement feel smoother than ever and an all-new wheelie bar that guarantees an extra dollop of fun. Add in the foldable T-tube and deck, which tuck together to create a compact footprint (ideal for carrying when riding isn't appropriate), and you have a great kick scooter for virtually any situation. Other details include an enhanced finger guard, 98 mm inline-style wheels, and a patented rear fender brake for quick stops. This version of the Razor A2, which weighs around 6 pounds and supports up to 143 pounds, sports blue handlebars, a blue deck logo, and blue wheels and is recommended for ages 5 and older. It's also backed by a six-month warranty.
The buyer and rider of the Razor A2 scooter are responsible for knowing and obeying all local, state, and federal regulations regarding the riding and use of scooters.
Product Description The Razor A2 Original Kick Scooter is now better than ever. Features:
If you're looking for the perfect camera to take on your next vacation to the Amazon rainforest or Sahara desert, look no further than Ricoh's upcoming Caplio 500SE; like the 500G that preceded it, this 8 megapixel ruggedized shooter also sports a water-, shock-, and dust-resistant casing, but throws in some sweet wireless action to offload your pics no matter where you are. The high end Model W not only features a WEP- and WAP-secured WiFi radio like several other products on the market, but is one of the first imaging devices to also include Bluetooth 2.0 in the mix. No hotspot? No problem -- just transfer the pics over to your smartphone and release them onto the Internet wherever a cellular connection is available. Besides the dual radios, you're getting a 3x optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, 26MB of internal memory (enhanced via SD), and rather underwhelming QVGA video capture that may not even include sound. Still, this is a hell of a package (both in terms of its feature set and its weight: 482 grams fully loaded) with a price to match -- ¥130,200 ($1,100) for the Model W and ¥115,500 ($990) for the WiFi-less Model B when they ship sometime this winter and September 1st, respectively.
For Expert Gamers. The Logitech® MX™ 518 redefines extreme performance with a 1600-dpi ultra-high resolution optical engine that delivers startling response and mirror-smooth tracking. Driver-less "on-the-fly" access to three sensitivity levels, a contoured grip, and super-slick feet give you unprecedented control for total game domination!
Product Description The Logitech MX 518 Gaming Optical Mouse helps you play at your personal best, as often as possible. With its ultra-high resolution, 1600-dpi MX Optical Engine and adjustable sensitivity, you'll have peak performance and comfort for the most intense gaming sessions. Designed to fit comfortable in your hand Compatible with Windows XP computers
MicroGear Precision scroll wheel operates in two distinct modes, allowing you to scroll faster and with more precision than ever before
SmartShift technology automatically applies the best scrolling mode for the application you're using
Document quick flip lets you move effortlessly between documents and applications
Integrated search button connects instantly to your preferred search engine
Precise laser technology and a rechargeable battery
World´s most advanced mouse.
Smarter, faster, and fully-loaded, the MX Revolution gives you powerful new controls that will streamline the way you work. Logitech´s innovative MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel lets you fly through long documents at hyperspeed, or switch to precise click-to-click scrolling for navigating lists, slides, and image collections. Toggle between open documents with the convenient Quick-Flip thumb wheel, or search the Web by highlighting a word or phrase and pressing the Search button.
New, revolutionary, hyper-fast scroll wheel
A new concept in PC navigation, the MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel operates in two distinct modes, allowing you to scroll faster and with more precision than ever before:
Free-spin mode for hyper-fast, nearly frictionless scrolling. With a single flick, the machined alloy wheel spins for up to seven seconds, scrolling hundreds of pages or thousands of rows. Fly through long documents, and instantly stop wherever you want.
Click-to-click mode for detailed navigation. An ultra-precise ratchet-scrolling mechanism allows users to move line-by-line through complex spreadsheets, step through slideshows, or travel small vertical distances in documents or Web pages.
Hyper-fast scrolling Fly through long documents at hyperspeed. Shift to precise click-to-click scrolling, to navigate lists, slides, and image collections. SmartShift technology MX Revolution detects your current application and automatically applies the scrolling mode that best fits the task at hand. Document quick-flip Move effortlessly between documents. Cut and paste between applications, compare documents, or check email.
Touch to search Highlight a word or phrase and press the search button to instantly display results from your favorite search engine. Rechargeable Li-ion battery Never worry about replacing batteries. A 4-stage battery level meter lets you know when to recharge. Cordless Laser Full-speed USB wireless technology and state-of-the-art laser engine deliver absolute precision and control.
System Requirements
PC
* Windows XP * Windows Vista (requires Internet connection) * Available USB port * CD-ROM drive
Mac
* Mac OSX 10.2.8+ * Available USB port * CD-ROM drive * Internet connection
Package Contents
* Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse * Recharging station * AC power cord * USB micro-receiver * Logitech SetPoint software CD * User's guide * 3-year limited warranty
Product Description The Logitech MX Revolution scrolls through long documents at lightning quick speeds with the nearly frictionless alloy scroll wheel. Shift to precise click-to-click scrolling to navigate lists, slides and image collections. A high-resolution sensor inside this mouse makes it the most sensitive, highest performance mouse on the market. The precision laser tracking works on almost any surface. The Logitech MX Revolution uses advanced technology to detect your current application and automatically apply the scrolling mode that best fits the task at hand. Two conveniently located side buttons let you easily move forward and back through pages on the Internet. The mouse also moves seamlessly between documents. It's never been easier to cut and paste between applications, compare documents or check email. Highlight a word or phrase and click the Search button to display results from a search engine immediately. Have full-speed USB wireless technology with a simple plug and play interface. System requirements - Windows 95, 98, 2000, Me, NT 4.0, XP, Mac OS 8.6 or later, available USB port, CD-ROM drive (for MouseWare software installation) Package Includes - Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse / Recharging station / AC power cord / USB micro-receiver Logitech SetPoint software CD / User's guide / Manufacturer's 3-year limited warranty
The Dell Inspiron E1405 offers up a mobile Core 2 Duo processor and the longest battery life I've seen in a laptop.
When I reviewed the Dell Inspiron E1505 last May, I didn't hesitate to give it the Editors' Choice award for offering incredible value at a budget price. The only thing that could've made it better was a lighter chassis and better battery life. Now, there is a "Mini-Me" version of the E1505, the Dell Inspiron E1405 ($1,156). If its size and 8 hours of battery life do not capture your attention, perhaps the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor will. The E1405 will be one of several Inspirons to get the new processor upgrade, and it's priced with frugality in mind. But the performance gains I had expected from the processor upgrade really didn't come to fruition.
If it weren't for the 85Whr (8-cell) battery sticking out from the back, the E1405 would actually be over a pound lighter than the E1505, instead of just 0.8 pounds lighter. Despite the heavier battery, the 5.8 pound system is still easy to tote around. I think the 14-inch widescreen is the perfect size for work and play, and it's one of few 14-inch displays to sport a 1440-by-900 resolution. Most budget systems with a 14-inch screens (and even budget systems with 15.4-inch screens, like the E1505) usually max out at 1280-by-800(WXGA) resolution. As a matter of fact, except for the weight and the screen, the two systems offer the same features, just at different dimensions.
Like its predecessor, the E1405 also has a 1.6-GHz processor. The main difference, of course, is that while the E1505's chip was an Intel Core Duo T2300, the E1405 has the new Core 2 Duo T5500. (Keep in mind that the E1505 will also get the processor upgrade in the future). On the SYSmark 2004 SE Internet Content Creation tests, I saw an 11% performance increase over that of the E1505. Office Productivity tests, surprisingly, were dead even. This tells you that media related tasks will benefit more than office applications will from an upgrade to a system with the T5500 chip. Photoshop tests were nearly neck and neck, so you won't see much of a performance gain there. Even video encoding tests improvements were minimal. In contrast, systems using the higher-clocked Intel Core 2 Duo processors (such as the Dell XPS M1710 with its Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 mobile processor, and Gateway M465-E with its Intel Core 2 Duo T7400 mobile CPU) saw 20% improvements in performance on the tests over the 1.6-GHz Core Duo mobile processor-equipped E1505.
The E1405 uses integrated graphics, which might have some people yearning for the discrete ATI graphics on the E1505. Discrete graphics is simply better for gaming, and spec-wise, it'll be ready for Windows Vista, Microsoft's next-generation operating system. The advantages of going with integrated graphics, you ask? Well, insanely long battery life for one. The 8 hours and 9 minutes that the E1405 achieved in MobileMark 2005 tests is the most impressive battery score to date on all laptops. The 85Whr (8 Cell) battery was a big factor, and low powered components contributed to the system's score. You also end up with a cooler system because of this. Using an infrared thermometer, temperatures barely climbed to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, as opposed to triple digit temperature readings on systems running higher clocked Core 2 Duo processors. Ultimately, battery life makes the E1405 a better traveling companion than the E1505.
In the end, there are certainly performance gains for the E1405, with its Intel Core 2 Duo mobile processor, over that of the E1505, with its Intel Core Duo mobile CPU, but not as much as I would have hoped. You'll see better gains in systems using higher-clocked mobile Core 2 Duo CPUs. Performance is still top-notch, and if battery life and portability are at the top of your list of priorities, the Dell Inspiron E1405 is a solid notebook for frugal shoppers.
See how the Dell Inspiron E1405 measures up to similar systems in our side-by-side laptop comparison chart.
Benchmark Test Results Check out the Dell Inspiron E1405's test results.
Chip maker Intel is hoping a new high-end chip will help it reclaim market share the company has lost to rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).
Intel Corp. says its eight new dual-core Intel Xeon 7100 series processors, codename d "Tulsa," combine a pair of processing cores on a single chip.
The design performs better than previous Xeon chips, and offers lower power options to help cut energy costs. The chips offer up to "twice the performance and nearly three times better performance per watt over previous Intel Xeon MP processors," according to Intel.
The new Xeon chips are designed for multi-processor servers built for business and e-commerce, such as those running enterprise-resource planning (ERP) software and customer relationship management (CRM) packages.
Intel says servers based on the processors are expected to be available from more than 40 manufacturers beginning Tuesday.
Intel has been under pressure from AMD's Opteron chips in the business market in recent months, and is betting that the new Xeon line will renew the corporate world's interest in its high-end computing products.
However, some industry watchers point out that the new chip is based on Intel's olde r NetBurst architecture. Companies considering a major upgrade using Intel-based hardware may choose to wait until high-end products using the new Core architecture appear on the market next year.
Prices for the Xeon 7100 chips range from $856 US for the 2.6 gigahertz version, to $1,980 for a 3.4 GHz model.
Microsoft Corp has announced that Japan-based Electronics major, Toshiba Corp, will manufacture the company s forthcoming "Zune" portable MP3 player, being hailed by many as the "iPod killer".
A spokesperson for Microsoft said that a filing made by Toshiba with the Federal Communications Commission is for Zune, and that the device will sport a 3-inch liquid crystal display, 30GB hard-disk drive, and wireless connectivity, among other features. Zune is slated for release later this year.
A reference in the user manual section of Toshiba's filing reveals that the upcoming device will allow users to send and receive photos, songs, and albums with a wireless connection; and that it will feature a FM radio tuner, as also allow users to stream music to up to four other devices.
With the growing buzz that Zune might just be Microsoft's answer to Apple Computer s wildly popular iPod, it is still perceived an uphill task for the software giant to bridge the gap with respect to its competitor. What with the iPod reportedly holding sway over more than half the digital media player market world-wide, and iTunes fixedly maintaining crown position across-the-globe.
While the pricing of Zune has not been disclosed, it is learnt that Toshiba s existing 30GB hard-disk player, Gigabeat is available for a price of around $350.
Rechargeable batteries are the brawn behind the brains of portable electronic devices. But unless a cellphone dies in the middle of a call, or you are trying to determine which of your six charging devices to stuff into a suitcase, you might not give batteries much thought.
Dell's recall of batteries for more than four million laptop computers, though, has brought renewed attention to the temperamental nature of this power source.
Rechargeable batteries come in two types. Lithium-ion batteries are generally found in laptops, cellphones and iPods; nickel metal hydride, or NiMH, batteries are used in cordless phones and less-expensive digital cameras, plus a few laptops.
Batteries of both types are usually manufactured specifically for the devices they power, with their own proprietary recharging plugs, leaving the typical consumer with a jumble of chargers to manage. But following a few routines can help make the batteries run longer and more safely. And a variety of gadgets are also emerging to ease the burden of recharging them.
Lithium-ion batteries are particularly sensitive to heat. To avoid the danger of a fire, they should not be stored in direct sunlight. In addition, the connectors should be kept away from metals that could cause a short circuit.
There are ways to increase the life of a rechargeable battery. According to Brian Kimberlin, director of consumer batteries for Panasonic Battery Corp. of America, one of the best strategies to prolong the life of batteries is to use them. Otherwise, "they will lose their capacity to hold a charge," he said.
"Leaving a notebook charged all the time is not a good idea," said Andrew Bradner, senior product manager for APC, a maker of charging devices. To prolong battery life, it is best to use the battery and wall current alternately to run the laptop.
According to Michelle Thatcher, a senior associate editor at CNet.com, if you only use wall current to run the device, you should remove the laptop's battery to prevent it from being constantly charged and from becoming overheated.
A laptop continues to draw battery power when it is put to sleep. To cut back on power consumption, shut down the computer completely. And if your laptop comes equipped with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities, shut them off if you are not using them; otherwise, current is continually drawn as the laptop searches for devices with which to connect.
To reduce battery consumption further, both the Windows and Mac operating systems include control panels that allow users to increase battery life by simultaneously decreasing performance.
The hard disk can be made to spin down whenever possible, and the screen can be dimmed from maximum brightness when battery power is being used.
Other battery-saving strategies including removing a CD or DVD from the laptop's slot when not in use to prevent the disc drive from needlessly spinning, and quitting any applications not currently in use. If you do not plan on using your laptop for several months, Apple Computer recommends that you remove the battery and store it at 50 percent of its charge. Storing it when empty will prevent it from holding a charge later, while storing it when fully charged will reduce its maximum life, the company says.
Reducing the time a backlight is used also helps maximize an iPod's battery life, Apple notes on its Web site.
Cellphone battery life benefits from some of the same conservation strategies as laptops: Use menu options that keep the screen dimmed, turn off Java-based games and disable Bluetooth when not connected to a Bluetooth device.
Of course, there will always be a time when a battery needs to be recharged. To avoid lugging around a suitcase full of chargers, several manufacturers make all-in-one devices: charging bricks that come with a selection of tips to fit different tools.
The Universal Power Adapter ($100 from www.apc.com) comes with 10 adapter tips to recharge laptops, hand-helds and cellphones. The device works with American and European line voltage, car voltage or even with the hard- to-find power outlets on planes. While charging a laptop, two additional devices can be charged simultaneously.
The iGo Juice ($120 from www.igo.com) comes with eight power tips to recharge a range of laptop batteries. An optional iGo dual-power accessory ($25) allows one additional device, like a cellphone, digital camera or MP3 player, to be charged at the same time, using additional $10 adapter tips available on the company's Web site. Less-expensive universal rechargers are available from iGo, starting at $40, but they cannot charge laptops.
For the times when AC power is not available but a charge is needed, several devices can help bridge the power gap. APC's Mobile Power Pack ($70), an external rechargeable battery, can give an additional 10 hours of talk time for cellphones, and up to 55 hours for an iPod Nano. USB connection cables for hand- helds, cellphones and other portable devices can be purchased from mobilecomputing.apc.com.
The tiny SideWinder portable generator ($20 from www.sidewinder.ca) is a useful cellphone recharging option when you are nowhere near wall current. Turning the crank for three minutes gives an additional two to eight minutes of talk time, depending on the model. When not connected to a phone, the crank will charge a small light-emitting diode for up to two and a half minutes, to provide emergency lighting. The company sells a range of phone adapter plugs.
If cranking is not your style, the Soldius1 Universal Solar Charger ($110 from www.mysoldius.com) can power up an iPod, cellphone or PDA in less than three hours, using only the sun's rays.
Available in a variety of colors, the Soldius1, weighing three ounces and about the size of a portable calculator, comes with adapter plugs to fit iPods and other music players, cellphones and BlackBerrys.
If all of these tips seem daunting, the best way to increase battery life, according to Norm England, president of the Portable Rechargeable Battery Association, is "to read the owner's manual of the product." But with so many new portable electronic devices to cope with, that could be a challenge.
Men's Dr. Martens 8267BA 10 Eye Notched Welt Boot - Black Nappa
Product Description Legendary Dr. Martens construction. Classic 10 eye boot with cap toe stitching across forefoot. Leather: Nappa is a super soft leather with a matte finish. Vintage is a full grain rub-off leather that when rub-off and polished gives a luscious bright, two-tone effect. Construction: HBD sole with notched welt.
I like these boots. I've had them for a few months and they still look great. For some reason the yellow thread that's present on most Dr Martens boots isn't here, and I miss it. But I liked this style over the others, so I got them anyway. The part that surrounds the ankle and the leg is made of just leather without any padding, so when you tighten the laces they fit closely and I like that.
Comfort: I had to wear them a couple of weeks to get comfortable. In particular, the part that connects the "tongue" to the boot itself is stiched in a way that when you slide your foot inward, the foot rubs against it and usually turns that little piece of leather outward but not all the way, so it turns perpendicular to the foot and you feel it as you walk. The stiching on the factory should have made it face the direction of the toe instead, so that when you slide your foot in it would be straightened out every time. This is how it's done on all my shoes/boots/sneakers. But over time (maybe two or three weeks) that part of the leather becomes softer so you don't feel it as much (or at all eventually). I think it's a design flaw though, or maybe just an error on the factory. That's the reason I gave 4/5 stars. And also because these boots are not made in England, they're actually made in China (but that's not reflected on the price tag for some reason).
Bottom line: At the time I was buying these, I couldn't find a better style. Well, maybe I should have gotten 8761FH for side-by-side comparison... but those are fairly common, so I'll just get them next time when I wear these out :) Overall, I'm happy with my purchase.
Product Description Looking to cover a lot of miles in a short amount of time? This aerobically-inclined boot is a willing companion. Airmesh and leather uppers and a Gore-Tex® liner make it breathable and comfortable in warm temperatures and under light loads. 2 mm waterproof nubuck leather and airmesh upper with contoured phylon midsole. Vibram® contact outsole with nylon lining and dry tech footbed. Intergration technology with nylon plate.
Original 8 eyelet boot with Airwair loop and flex link comfort technology built into the sole
Haircell leather used in upper for ultimate quality
Product Description When you're looking for a good transition shoe for school or work into an evening out, the Unisex 3 Eye Steel Toe Gibson from Dr. Martens just might be the pair for you. Made with haircell leather--the best, strongest, and most valued layer of hide--this Gibson shoe will take a beating, and yet clean up enough to be your Sunday best. The durable sole has a unique air-cushioned feature that's bound to please the most discerning feet.
Benefits of Goodyear Welt Goodyear welt is a shoe construction in which the upper and sole of the shoe are stitched together for greater durability rather than glued. The resulting seam is visible and runs around the outside of the shoe, where the upper and outsole meet.
About Dr. Martens
Dr. Martens is the stuff of legends. It all began near Munich, Germany in 1945 when Dr. Klaus Maertens injured his foot in a skiing accident in the Bavarian Alps. To make walking easier during the healing process, he designed a shoe with an air-cushioned sole. Using old rubber tires, he constructed soles that had air trapped within closed compartments. He showed his prototype to his engineer/inventor friend, Dr. Herbert Funck, and together they decided to develop and produce the shoes. Not only did the shoe solve the doctor’s immediate problem, but it also started to sell well in Germany.
By 1959 the two decided that they needed a company to produce and distribute the shoes, then called Dr. Maertens, in other parts of the world. At first, many manufacturers rejected the concept of an air cushioned sole as a short-lived gimmick. However, the R. Griggs Group, located in the village of Wollaston in England, decided to go along with the idea by creating the first work boot with the revolutionary sole. On the first of April 1960, the first cherry red eight-eyelet work boot was produced and named 1460 (1/4/60). To sell the brand name better in England, the name was anglicized to Dr. Martens. The range was branded AirWair and the rest is history.
From the Manufacturer Born in England in 1960, Dr. Martens boots and shoes began as a working class standard that has become a world renowned footwear brand. Dr. Martens has earned it 's timeless reputation for making, comfortable and durable footwear through a commitment to manufacturing a quality product.
Enjoy your iTunes music library in virtually any room of your house
Share a single broadband Internet connection and USB printer without inconvenient and obtrusive cables
Create an instant wireless network on the go
Access an AirPort Express wireless network
Compatible with Windows XP or 2000; Mac OS X v10.2.7 or later
From the Manufacturer Enjoy your iTunes music library in virtually any room of your house. Share a single broadband Internet connection and USB printer without inconvenient and obtrusive cables. Create an instant wireless network on the go. Extend the range of your current wireless network. Featuring AirTunes for playing your iTunes music wirelessly on your home stereo or powered speakers, AirPort Express brings not only the Internet but your music to wherever in your home you like to enjoy them most -- whether you use a Mac or Windows PC. Unmatched in its ease of use, it delivers data rates up to 54 megabits per second, fits in the palm of your hand so you can take it wherever you go.
Driving the Wi-Fi Revolution In 1999, Apple sparked the wireless revolution with the introduction of AirPort, the first affordable and easy-to-use solution for accessing the Internet without restrictive cables. In 2003, AirPort Extreme took your unwired connection to the next level by harnessing the superfast 802.11g wireless standard for data rates nearly five times those of the 802.11b standard that the original AirPort used and many current wireless networking devices still use. With AirPort Express, Apple continues to advance wireless, delivering the first device to pack wireless networking, audio, printing and bridging capabilities into a single affordable, portable unit.
AirTunes Unleashes Your Music AirPort Express with AirTunes brings your iTunes music in your Mac or PC into your living room -- or wherever in your home you have a stereo or a set of powered speakers. All you have to do is connect your sound system to the audio port on the AirPort Express Base Station using an audio cable (included in the optional AirPort Express Stereo Connection Kit) and AirTunes lets you play your iTunes music through your stereo or powered speakers -- wirelessly. iTunes automatically detects the connection of your remote speakers, so you just have to select them in the popup list that appears at the bottom of the iTunes window and click play.
Enjoy your playlists, set iTunes to shuffle through your entire library or repeat your favorite songs over and over
Enjoy your playlists, set iTunes to shuffle through your entire library or repeat your favorite songs over and over again -- however you like to enjoy your music on iTunes, you can now enjoy it that way through your stereo speakers, wherever they're located in your house.
Enjoy your iTunes music library in virtually any room of your house Buy more than one AirPort Express Base Station and connect one to every stereo or set of powered speakers in your house -- one to your stereo in your living room and another to a pair of powered speakers in your kitchen, for example. Its small size and affordability make it perfect for having more than one. Imagine being able to play your iTunes music on whichever speakers in your house you prefer.
Because AirPort Express is so compact, you can also easily take it along with your laptop to a friend's house and share your unique musical taste on your friend's stereo.
Add Music to Your Current Wireless Network If you already have a wireless network in place, you can use AirPort Express to add music to its capabilities. Let's say, for example, you have AirPort Extreme set up in your den. There's no need to scrap this setup and create a whole new one with an AirPort Express Base Station, your DSL or cable modem, printer and stereo all in one place. Simply connect AirPort Express to your stereo in your favorite music room and plug it into an electrical outlet -- it wirelessly links to your existing network, letting you play your music in your room of choice without moving anything or connecting anything else.
Easy Setup Listen wirelessly, connect wirelessly, extend your network wirelessly, print wirelessly — no matter what you want to do with AirPort Express or whether you use a Mac or PC, you can bet it’s a breeze to set up. With the AirPort Express Assistant, it’s just a matter of a few clicks. The software automatically detects what you have connected to AirPort Express — whether it’s your stereo, DSL or cable modem or printer — then walks you through the easy steps to complete the setup.
Connect Wirelessly AirPort Express uses the 802.11g wireless standard to deliver blazing data rates -- up to 54 Mbps. It supports both Macs equipped with an AirPort Extreme Card and Wi-Fi-compliant 802.11g Windows PCs, as well as Macs with the older AirPort Card and 802.11b Windows PCs. Everyone in your family can surf the web wire-free because AirPort Express provides simultaneous wireless Internet access via your DSL or cable modem for up to 10 computers.
Extremely portable, AirPort Express weighs less than seven ounces and fits in the palm of your hand
AirPort Express connects you and everyone in your family not only to the Internet but to each other. Since it employs the powerful 802.11g standard, you can wirelessly share photos, movies and other files without having to worry about slow data transmissions. Nor do you have to concern yourself over a difficult network setup procedure. AirPort Express uses the revolutionary Rendezvous technology in Mac OS X to allow your AirPort-equipped Macs running Mac OS X to detect each other with no effort on your part -- they discover each other just by virtue of being within the range of the network.
Extend Your Network If you already have a wireless network in your home and would like to extend its range, AirPort Express is your answer. Suppose you want to connect to the Internet with your PowerBook in an area that lies beyond the 150-foot range of your AirPort Express or AirPort Extreme Base Station. You can use AirPort Express as a wireless bridge to extend the range of your primary base station.
There's no need for extra wires or cables -- serving as a bridge, AirPort Express doesn't have to be physically connected to your primary base station or to your DSL or cable modem. Simply place AirPort Express within the range of your primary base station and near the area where you'd like to enjoy your wireless connection.
Product Description Apple M9470LL/A AirPort Express Base Station - The AirPort Express is a very unique wireless base station. It fits in the palm of your hand, plugs directly into a wall outlet, and allows you to wirelessly connect to the Internet, print, and stream iTunes music to any room in your home. It does this via 3 bult-in ports. A WAN Ethernet port for your cable or DSL modem, a USB port for your printer, and an Audio port for your home stereo. Security - Built-in Firewall, Password Protection, Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) Support, & 128-bit WEP Encryption Supports up to 10 users NOTE - Wireless printing over USB requires Mac OS X v10.2.7 or later or Windows XP or Windows 2000 and a compatible printer NOTE - AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express can extend the range only of an AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express wireless network
Logitech V270 Cordless Optical Bluetooth Mouse- Charcoal
Box Content - Logitech V270 Cordless Optical Notebook Mouse for Bluetooth, Installation guide, 2 AA batteries, CD with software (PC only), Carrying Case
Designed for travel - More comfortable than a touchpad, instant-on performance for maximum productivity on the road
Smart power management - Long battery life, on & off switch, power-saving modes and a low-battery indicator light
Convenient carrying case - Comes with pouch for easy storage
Product Description The Logitech V270 Cordless Optical Notebook Mouse for Bluetooth works without a receiver for the ultimate in hassle-free mobility. It instantly connects to notebooks enabled with Bluetooth wireless technology, providing up to 30 feet of cordless range. Power-saving sleep modes, a low-battery indicator light, and an on & off switch let you manage power wisely. A 1000-dpi optical sensor offers incredibly smooth, precise tracking for maximum productivity while traveling. Instantly connect the Logitech V270 Cordless Optical Notebook Mouse without the hassle of cords or receivers. Travel without clutter - No receiver or cords are required System Requirements - Windows 2000 or XP, Computer enabled with Bluetooth wireless technology, Bluetooth software installed - Broadcom/Widcomm Bluetooth BTW 1.4.2.21 or above, Microsoft XP SP2 or Microsoft XP 64, CD-ROM drive, Mac OS X 10.2.8 or higher Requires Computer with Bluetooth wireless technology enabled
Microsoft Office Student and Teacher Edition 2004 Macintosh
A productivity suite with a host of ground-breaking new features
Full versions of the leading productivity applications from Microsoft
Easily share ideas across platforms and around the globe
Confidently create stunning documents with impressive new tools
Spend less time managing info and more time using it
Graduate to Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Student and Teacher Edition and let your intellect shine. Groundbreaking new features in this release can help you manage, create, and share ideas with ease and confidence. For qualified educational users running Mac OS X version 10.2.8 or later, this is a must-have application suite that offers full compatibility with Windows versions of Microsoft Office applications, plus many new features that are only available to Mac users. When you're ready to get down to business, Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac provides the intuitive, intelligent tools you need to transform your ideas and opportunities into action. Put Office 2004 to work for you, whether you use your Mac for home, school, or business.
The new Project Center.
A handy Toolbox. Work with Tools That Work Like You The new features in Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac aren't constrained by boundaries--in fact, many of them are designed to give you access to your ideas and information from every program in the suite. Thanks to input from thousands of Mac users, Office 2004 contains tools that are more integrated and intuitive than ever. The new Project Center allows you to consolidate all of your project-related details and easily access them from Word, Excel, Entourage, and PowerPoint 2004. Quickly view all of your project-related e-mail messages, files, notes, contacts and schedules in one convenient place. Plus, the new Project Gallery lets you quickly find the documents you've worked on recently while offering the new Learn tab to find instructive sample documents. Meanwhile, the new Compatibility Report tool helps you resolve platform- and version-related compatibility issues before they arise. The tool identifies potential compatibility issues and offers ways to avoid them. Lastly, the Office Toolbox lets you quickly access compatibility Reports, your Scrapbook and the Project Palette from Word, Excel or PowerPoint 2004.
Notebook layout view.
Improved Track Changes functionality. Word 2004 Express your ideas with more brilliance and clarity using the innovative new tools in Microsoft Word 2004 for Mac. The gold standard in word processing works harder than ever for you with improved reference tools, dynamic reviewing capabilities and enhanced views for organizing your thoughts. The new notebook layout view allows you to type right onto ruled notebook "paper." Manage different sections with tabs and quickly search for key ideas using this new view. Plus, with the improved track changes system in Word 2004, you can view changes in comment balloons next to your text, quickly identify the reviewer with color-coded comments and initiate instant message conversations about comments with MSN Messenger for Mac. Access a dictionary, a thesaurus and a link to the Microsoft Encarta online encyclopedia right from the Office Toolbox, or quickly scan and navigate through your document with the improved document map and thumbnail view.
New page layout view.
Major charting improvements. Excel 2004 Organize, analyze and present your data with precision and panache. The new tools in Microsoft Excel 2004 for Mac give you more control over your spreadsheets, and the enhanced charting tools give you more dynamic ways to display your information. The new page layout view lets you review and manipulate on screen what will appear on paper. Now you can easily scale your data to fit the right number of pages, and insert headers and footers by simply double-clicking in the document. Meanwhile, punch up your numbers with vibrant new color schemes. Use the Formatting Palette to quickly update your chart type, options, data, colors, weights, fills and special effects. Smart buttons let you instantly track down and fix spreadsheet formula errors, control how the AutoFill feature applies formatting to your data, and more. And editing and functioning improvements mean that you can view the correct syntax for more than 140 functions to ensure that calculations work every time. You can also now simply click and drag to change ranges with the updated Range Finder. Lastly XML file support is integrated in Excel 2004, so you can share complex data with ease.
Handy new presenter tools.
Cool animations and transitions. Powerpoint 2004 Incorporate rich movies, animations and transitions into your presentations with Microsoft PowerPoint 2004 for Mac. Keep the show running like a pro with features such as the on-screen timer, notes, navigation and more. New presenter tools help you keep your presentation well timed, and make adjustments on the fly as you respond to your audience with the tools in the presenter's view window. You can also experiment with new 3D transitions and vivid custom animations to make your presentations richer and more dynamic. Choose from more that 100 new design templates and quickly set font spacing, size and transparency with the new Format Font dialog box. Plus, the expanded clip gallery helps you get creative with updated illustrations and new clip art.
Efficient new three-column view. Robust management of accounts and contacts. Entourage 2004 If your day revolves around connections and ideas, use Microsoft Entourage 2004 for Mac to pull it all together. Consolidate your e-mail, contacts, calendar, notes and project details in one easy-to-access place. The new three column view option lets you blaze through your inbox with new features such as the preview pane, message threading and improved junk e-mail protection. With new Message Grouping you can easily group, view and search for messages based on project, sender, date or other criteria. Calendar printing has been improved, too and now you can experience more flexibility and control over calendar formatting and printing options. Meanwhile, managing accounts and contacts has never been easier: Access messages and contacts from multiple e-mail accounts and take advantage of integration with MSN Messenger for Mac version 4.0. And now, for the first time ever, Entourage features Exchange server support, so you can easily integrate Macs with an Exchange email system. Another great feature, archiving, allows you to export personal information manager (PIM) data--such as e-mail messages, contacts or schedules--into an Entourage archive package to keep your PIM database clean and secure.
Eligibility To license Office 2004 for Mac Student and Teacher Edition, you must be a Qualified Educational User or the parent or guardian of a Qualified Educational User who is a minor. Qualified Educational Users include full- or part-time students, home schooled students, and full- or part-time faculty or staff of an accredited educational institution.
Product Description Office 2004 Student and Teacher Edition offers a complete set of powerful applications, for better business and information management. Analyze sales data, create important paperwork, design eye-catching presentations and more, with the amazing new features available here.
13.3-inch (diagonal) glossy TFT widescreen display, 1280 x 800 resolution
From the Manufacturer What do you get when you put up to 2 GHz of pure Intel Core Duo power, an iSight camera, Front Row, iLife '06, and a 13-inch glossy widescreen display into a sleek case? More than you thought possible for less than you thought possible. Meet MacBook.
Better bang-to-buck ratio Now the Intel Core Duo is as affordable as it is powerful. With MacBook, you get the world's fastest mobile architecture in a beautifully designed notebook that costs less than slower, clunkier models. That's like getting a sports car for the price of a scooter. Of course, MacBook holds more than your average two-seater: up to 80 GB hard drive, an optional DVD-burning SuperDrive, built-in Bluetooth, wireless-ready (802.11g) AirPort, and up to 2 GB of RAM. And for the first time ever, choose brig ht white or sleek black.
Friends for iLife Every MacBook comes with iLife '06--an amazing suite of applications that make it easy to live the digital life. Use iPhoto to share entire high-res photo albums with anyone who's got an e-mail address. Record your own songs and podcasts with GarageBand. Break into indie filmmaking with iMovie HD and iDVD. Then take all the stuff you made on your MacBook and share it on the web in one click with iWeb. Just turn on your MacBook and you're halfway there.
Take it on tour MacBook features Front Row, so you can navigate your movies, music, photos, and more at the touch of the included Apple Remote--no matter where you roam. Give an impromptu vacation photo slideshow in your favorite café. Screen your latest iMovie on the train. Watch a DVD in bed. MacBook and Front Row give you the best seat in the house (or out of it).
All smiles Look closely. See that little lens in the display bezel? That's the MacBook's built-in iSight camera. Use it to video chat simply by opening iChat AV and clicking on a buddy icon (or three). Or fire up Photo Booth and take a few snapshots with the iSight, play around with sixteen fun effects, then admire your handiwork. That little camera lets you create Web-ready videos, too. Just open up iMovie and start the action. From there, iWeb makes it one-click easy to get your talking head on the Web. Looks like fun.
Positively brilliant Thanks to a 13.3-inch widescreen display that's 79% brighter with 30% more viewing area than the iBook before it, MacBook provides the perfect combination of pixels and portability. Photos feel crisper. Movies play vividly. Even daily tasks like surfing the Web and checking e-mail take on a whole new sheen.
Hit the hotspots The built-in wireless capability of MacBook puts the "world" back in "world wide web." If there's a wireless hotspot nearby, you can get online. No need to burn valuable surfing time configuring your computer. Just open it up. MacBook automatically detects wireless networks within range and asks nicely if you'd like to join any of them. That's it. Catch up on your blog, share this weekend's trip a s a photocast, or just chat with your friends. Anytime, anywhere.
MacBook: the most advanced affordable Mac notebook ever.
What's in the box MacBook, Apple Remote, 60W MagSafe Power Adapter, AC wall plug and power cord, Lithium-polymer battery, install/restore DVDs, and printed and electronic documentation.
Product Description Apple MacBook - The Apple MacBook features the latest in mobile computing technology. At it's heart is an Intel Core Duo processor. A processor with 2 separate cores. In English, that means it's like having 2 processors in one. The MacBook also features a glossy 13.3" widescreen display. It's 79% brighter and has 30% more viewing space than the previous iBook model! You also get a suite of Apple created software titles like Front Row for navigating your computer via the included Apple Remote, and iLife '06, which handles...well, your life. Everything from music, photos, video, calendars, blogs, podcasts, and more. These are some amazing features, but the MacBook has a lot more to offer.... 60GB 5400RPM SATA HDD Slot-Loading DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive Write Speeds - up to 24x CD-R & 16x CD-RW Read Speeds - up to 8x DVD-ROM & 24x CD-ROM Intel GMA 950 Graphics Processor with 64MB of shared memory (memory is taken from the main system's RAM) Built-in iSight Camera 13.3 Glossy Widescreen Display 1280x800 Native Resolution Ports - 10/100/1000 Ethernet, 1 FireWire 400, 2 USB 2.0, Mini-DVI (support for DVI, VGA, S-Video & Composite Video Out via optional adapters), Combined Optical Digital Audio Input/Audio Line Input, Combined Optical Digital Audio Output/Headphone Out Built-in Stereo Speakers Built-in 54Mbps AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (802.11g) Support Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) Module Color - White Unit Dimensions - 1.08 (h) x 12.78 (w) x 8.92 (d) Unit Weight - 5.2 lbs.
Chill… till the next episode. Logitech just launched the ChillStream controller for the PC, a $39.99 controller that circulates up to 3.41 cubic feet of air straight across your sweaty, sweaty palms. It’s also got some fancy system for the D-pad:
The controller features Logitech’s patented floating D-pad, which uses four points of contact instead of a single pivot point – a design that resists side-to-side tipping inherent in other controllers, making the controller more precise.
Whatever… this thing blows all over you, a perfect preventative measure for those who suffer the dreaded Moist Controller Handoff Phobia, an irrational fear that kicks in during multi-player play on a single controller machine. You know the feeling: you and your fellow gamers wince as you grab the single game controller while it’s still warm and, most probably, wet. Comes out in September.
We've featured the work of Kaizo Aho Ichidai before, and it's glad to see he's still pushing out the barriers of hardware idiocy. Latest project is a USB-powered barbecue hotplate, though unfortunately we doubt this is ever going to hit the shelves. Disappointed by his lack of success with USB-powered egg-frying, he wasn't going to do things by halves for his next culinary experiment; his hotplate runs off a desktop with six USB expansion cards in the back, and harnesses the power of 30 USB ports. However, as the video on his site confirms, the result is some bona-fide Korean-style meat-grilling action and, shortly thereafter, dinner.
SanDisk, a manufacturer of memory cards and USB keys, released a new music player Monday that can hold twice as many songs as a similarly priced iPod Nano.
The Sansa e280 has eight gigabytes of memory and can store about 2,000 songs, twice as many as the best-selling version of Apple Computer's iPod Nano.
Both music players cost about $250 US and both use flash memory, but the Sansa e280 also has a memory expansion slot, meaning its capacity can be increased to 10 gigabytes.
Apple's other iPod models use small hard drives for storage and can hold up to 60 gigabytes of music, photos and videos.
SanDisk's player also boasts an FM radio, voice recording and a battery life a few hours longer than the iPod Nano.
SanDisk, based in Milpitas, Calif., also cut the cost of its other e-series music players, which can hold two, four and six gigabytes. All of the models can store music, photos and video clips.
SanDisk is the world's largest manufacturer of flash memory, such as SD cards for digital cameras and PDAs, and USB flash memory keys. It is a distant second in the portable music player market, behind Apple.
Market analysts estimate that Apple has about three-quarters of the market in the U.S., compared to SanDisk with 10 per cent.
Other manufacturers, including Creative Technologies, iRiver, Samsung and Toshiba, are also attempting to chip away at Apple's share of the portable media player market.
Microsoft has announced plans for a wireless media player, called Zune, to be launched later in the year, along with an online music downloading service to challenge Apple's iTunes.
Sunbeam 2349 Heritage Series 12-Speed Stand Mixer, Red
Die-cast metal construction; stainless-steel beaters, whisk, and dough hook included
Comes with 2 stainless-steel bowls, 4-1/2 quarts and 2-1/5 quarts
Product Description Combining modern elegance with utility and performance, this stand mixer offers a selection of features for ease of use and versatility. Designed with a die-cast metal construction and a powerful 450-watt motor, the unit offers three-way mixing action and 12 variable-speed selections for ultimate control over various mixing projects. The unit comes with two stainless-steel bowls; one that holds 4-1/2 quarts and another that holds 2-1/5 quarts. The mixer's tilt-back head provides easy bowl removal, and its sleek design makes for easy cleanup. Attachments include a stainless-steel beater, whisk, and dough hook.
Lightweight, maneuverable, deep carpet cleaner with convenient folding handle
Low-profile hood for hard-to-reach areas; removable, easy-to-fill side-by-side water tanks
Clean Surge; 5 exclusive SpinScrub brushes; removable tool caddy with powered hand tools
Comes fully assembled and ready to use once detergent and water have been added
Measures 13 by 23 by 30 inches; 1-year warranty
For deep carpet cleaning that's as easy as vacuuming, this lightweight, maneuverable unit comes with an array of convenient features. The cleaner gets under furniture and in hard-to-reach areas with its low-profile hood, which is transparent and removable for easy clean up. At the push of a switch, the Clean Surge feature provides heavy-duty cleaning for the worst type of dirt, like high-traffic areas and pet stains, while removable side-by-side tanks are easy to fill, and dirty water and clean water always remain separate. The cleaning solution and carpet are heated by forced air to assist in the cleaning process, to aid in drying, and to save time. Five exclusive SpinScrub brushes, which pop out for easy cleaning, work together, touching carpet fibers on all sides to gently loosen dirt. The cleaner comes with a removable tool caddy with powered hand tools, including a hand tool with SpinScrub brushes, which is ideal for carpeted stairs and upholstery. Due to its convenient folding handle, the unit comes fully assembled and is ready to use once detergent and water have been added. The cleaner measures approximately 13 by 23 by 30 inches and carries a one-year warranty.
Product Description Lightweight, maneuverable and full of convenient features, the Agility SteamVac makes deep cleaning as easy as vacuuming Low-profile hood fits under furniture and into hard-to-reach areas like no other upright deep cleaner. Its convenient, folding handle makes it ready to go out of the box (and easier to store). Just add detergent and water! 5 SpinScrub brushes work together, touching carpet on all sides to loosen dirt. They pop out for easy cleaning. Removable tool caddy, with powered hand tool (great for stairs and upholstery), ensures that tools are there when you need them and not the Heated cleaning --- the cleaning solution and carpet are heated by forced air to assist in the cleaning process to aid in drying and save time. The Clean Surge feature gives heavy-duty cleaning for the worst dirt and pet stains.
Non-chafing finished edges put an end to rub spots
Extra-flexible sole keeps them running all day
Back-strap pad stops Achilles rub
Supportive footbed feels great on little toes
Product Description Put simply, these are great sandals for the price. We sweat all the design details. Like moving the stitch lines off pressure points so they can't rub, and padding the upper so feet feel extra comfy. Rip-grip straps at the forefoot and our saddle-system ankle support give them a great fit without slippage. Plus, the sole is extra flexible and protects their feet whether they're canoeing, beachcombing, or just crossing a hot parking lot from the pool to the car. Spot clean. Imported.
Vicious is back with one of their desktop replacement laptops. Carrying a Core Duo, 2GB of RAM, and a 7900GTX Go, this machine is built to be a gaming powerhouse. Is Core Duo still a major player? If so, what can it do for you?
Introduction
About Our Program
As many of you might know by now, HardOCP doesn’t "review" systems; we evaluate the experiences they facilitate. We order the system the same as you would and evaluate every aspect of the end-user experience. Not only does this give us a better idea of what hardware an end-user actually receives, it also allows us to obtain a more accurate picture of just how each company functions and treats its customers. As fast as PC hardware has become over the years, we think giving a personal computer "5 stars" based on how fast it ran a synthetic benchmark is simply irresponsible. We think service, support, and reliability are much more important factors in today's climate rather than speed. Fast is easily bought, but purchasing and ownership satisfaction can be elusive.
This process allows us to not only evaluate the system, but the OEM that builds it. Our goal is to give you the wide-angle lens view of the computer and the company so that you can make informed and educated decisions as to what you purchase or recommend to clients, friends, and family.
Vicious PC and [H]ardOCP
Article Image
We’ve written one previous article on Vicious PC. Generally, our impressions of Vicious PC were positive when we left that evaluation. We were quite pleased with the hardware we got for the price we paid. We received a very sharp-looking system, complete with cathode lights, and we were impressed with the general build quality. One high point is that our $1500 bought us a water-cooled system. While they skimped a bit on the accessories - such as a branded box, a nice presentation of the system documentation, and an image-based restore solution - we couldn’t argue with the system’s performance.
However, our tech support experiences were less than optimal. At the time, Vicious was using 2Net for their support. We had some problems initially getting 2Net to help us out because of a serial number mix-up. This wouldn’t have been a problem, but for some reason Vicious was totally non-responsive for four business days. If we would have been a normal consumer and had a major hardware issue, we would have been greatly inconvenienced. However, all ended well and our issues were resolved. We had some questions about Vicious PC’s operation because we got a hold of one guy who seemed to be the “Jack-of-all-trades ” at Vicious. Let’s see if they’ve followed ABS’s example and converted to an in-house tech support department.
This will also be the fourth laptop we have evaluated that carries the “desktop replacement” moniker. Our first was from Hypersonic, then we had a Sager 9750-C, and very recently a Gateway NX860X. All of these systems had robust hardware profiles and were short on battery life. We’ve also seen an assortment of processors with the Hypersonic carrying a Pentium M, the Sager carrying an AMD X2, and the Gateway carrying a Core Duo T2300. This time, we took it up a notch and went with a Core Duo T2500. We’ve seen the mobile Core Duo chips in two previous systems: the Gateway mentioned above, and the Lenovo ThinkPad T60. While we were befuddled by the poor performance of the Gateway, the T60 blew us away with its raw horsepower which was beautifully paired with great battery economy.
What We’re Looking For
We know that this machine carries a hefty load of hardware - not to mention it being a physically hefty load itself - so battery economy, portability, and size aren’t of core interest. However, what we get in return for sacrificing those things definitely is. We’re looking for power and performance, as well as thermal and noise control. We’ll also be looking to see if Vicious has given itself a facelift in both presentation and tech support.
With Core 2 Duo hitting the scene and Merom getting closer, does our Core Duo-equipped solution still have a place among power users, or is it on its way out?
Here’s another of our popular Top 10 lists - this time we have looked into beautiful cellphones. If your favorite designer phone didn’t make it into the list, please add it in the comments. Thanks.
10. Hitachi W42H
Hitachi W42H I would prefer a more glossy look, but the W32H from Hitachi is still a beautiful phone. Each phone comes with some snap-on accessories that can change the looks of it. The phone is available in black, white and orange and three different snap-on accessories. Hitachi W42H phone changes with your day [mobilemag.com] W42H Special site [hitachi.co.jp] (Japanese) 9. Samsung SGH-E900
Samsung SGH-E900 The Samsung SGH-E900 was first shown at the CeBIT in Hannover earlier this year and it got quite a lot of attention - especially from the fashion and design oriented media. It’s a true beauty and I guess LG weren’t too happy to see this one only a few months before they introduced their Chocolate model. Samsung SGH-E900 Trandy Phone [mobilewhack.com] 8. KDDI Talby by Marc Newson
KDDI Talby The Talby is a quite old phone. It was first shown as a product concept back in 2003 and garnered a lot of attention during a couple of years. The Tably is available in three colors, hornet green, orange orange and hole black. The Talby is only available in Japan. KDDI Talby [kddi.com] 7. O2 Ice
O2 Ice The O2 Ice was actually the phone that was the inspiration to this article. It’s a small stylish 3G phone that has the usual built-in MP3 player, 1.3 megapixel camera, bluetooth etc. It’ll be out in September in the UK for around $200. O2 Ice [gadgetcandy.com] 6. Samsung SGH-E870
Samsung SGH-E870 The Samsung SGH-E870 is a nice looking clamshell phone coming in three different colors Chic White, Valentine Pink and Chilli blue. It’s primarily aimed towards girly-girls. Nice design, or what do you say? Samsung’s Pink SGH-E870 Clamshell Phone [chipchick.com] 5. KDDI Neon by Naoto Fukasawa
KDDI Neon The Neon is one of the latest phones coming out from the AU Design project at KDDI. It’s available in three colors, light blue, pink and black. It has a built-in 1.3 megapixel camera, miniSD slot, music player, FM tuner and a 320×240 screen. I love the clean front of this phone! KDDI Neon [kddi.com] 4. Black Diamond
Black Diamond Black Diamond is a luxury phone that isn’t out on the market yet. It’s supposed to be launched early 2007 from a company called VIPN. On their site they promote a limited edition of the phone made out of titanium and with real diamonds - only $300 000. Crazy. Black Diamond [jarengoh.com] 3. Helio Kickflip
Helio Kickflip The Helio Kickflip is small and stylish, but it’s still loaded with a 2 megapixel camera, 2.2″ screen (320×240) and 3G capabilities. But most of all - it’s a truly beautiful cellphone! Helio Kickflip [helio.com] 2. LG KG-800 Chocolate
LG KG-800 Chocolate I have the pleasure of owning a LG Chocolate and it’s a pure beauty. I really love the design of it and it’s one of the most stylish phones you can get at the moment. This phone won the 2006 IF Design Award in Germany. LG KG-800 [gadgets.fosfor.se] 1. KDDI Penck by Makoto Saito
KDDI Penck Yeah, this is my kind of phone. Isn’t it absolutely stunning? The PENCK phone designed by Makoto Saito is one and a half years old, but it’s still the most beautful phone ever made. The PENCK is available in three colors, metal, milk (white), and bitter (black). Too bad it’s only available in Japan. KDDI Penck [kddi.com] Honorable mentions Nokia 8800 Scirocco edition
Nokia 8800 Scirocco The Nokia 8800 Scirocco edition hasn’t been officially announced by Nokia yet, so it will only get an honorable mention. It’s expected to have a 2 megapixel camera and all other standard functionality. It will be available in silver and black and will cost around $1000 (!) - quite expensive one. Nokia 8800 Sirocco Edition [techtickerblog.com] White Pearl
White Pearl White Pearl is the little sister of ‘Black Diamond’ featured above. Although it doesn’t look that good in white, it’s worth an honorable mention. White Pearl [esato.com] NEC N908
NEC N908 The NEC N908 was shown by NEC in Hong Kong quite recently. It’s a good looking credit card sized that features a 1.3 megapixel camera, microSD card reader, music player etc. Nice one. It’ll be out on the Asian market any day. Even though I’ve only seen this one on this quite ugly picture you can see that this one looks really awesome. NEC N908 Credit Card Phone [slashphone.com] The brick phones
The brick phones I just wanted to add a bit of perspective to this short article before we round off. It wasn’t that many years ago, well ok 15 years ago, all cellphones looked like the Motorola SUN1660BB featured above. That model is only from 1992… Motorola SUN1660BB 1992 (scroll down) [samhallas.cwc.net]
High-Definition Digital Camcorder (With X 0.7 Wide Angle Converter Lens)
This small, easy-to-carry unit is Kevin’s main camera, producing video as good as the best available TV images. With 3 megapixels top delivery 1080i image resolution in a 16:9 ratio, this is the smallest and lightest true HD camcorder anywhere right now. Kevin likes this consumer model rather than its more professional cousin, the HDR-FX1, because the HC1 is less obtrusive in the field. It’s easy to shoot from hip level while maintaining eye contact with an interview subject, and it doesn’t belie its presence with an obvious microphone or large, rectangular lens shade. But equipped with a 1/3-inch CMOS sensor and 10X Optical/120X Digital Zoom Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T Lens, the HC-1 produces broadcast-quality images on standard mini DV tapes. For work in an armed conflict area, the HC-1 has a Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization System with motion sensors that adjust for the shaking caused by moving hands or rattle of artillery. It even has an infrared setting to shoot HD video in low- to no-light conditions. The HC-1 does its MPEG-encoding on the fly and has some pretty sophisticated on-board editing functions. But Kevin is more likely to hook it up to the Apple PowerBook through a FireWire/IEEE 1394 interface and edit in FinalCut Pro. The whole thing weighs about .7 Kg (1.5 lbs).
Samsung SC-X105L
Digital Camcorder With “Headcam.” A second camera for situations where Kevin needs two free hands, or as a backup.
It weighs just 150 g (0.33 lbs), but the Samsung SC-X105L can be stuffed with enough memory to store anywhere from 22 minutes to more than two hours of video, depending on the resolution. It’s also extremely small and easily held with a pistol-grip style handle. With a 10X optical zoom, it has the ability to record video at 720-by-480 (best resolution) in MPEG4 format. What makes this camcorder so useful to Kevin is its remote lens accessory — its cable end plugs into the SC-X105L body and the lens can then be head mounted using an elastic headband. It may look very geeky at first, but the feature lets Kevin shoot “point of view” video, even when he’s running or needs to have both hands free.
ASSEMBLING THE REPORT Apple 12-inch PowerBook
Laptop Computer. A light, powerful unit that’s the choice of journalists and photographers all over the world.
Kevin’s workbench, typewriter and editing studio is Apple computer’s smallest PowerBook model, weighing in at a bit less than 2.1 Kg (4.6 lbs). Because he’s handling video, he’s equipped his unit with the maximum 100GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM. He uses FinalCut Pro and iMovie HD for video editing, Microsoft Office for writing, Adobe Photoshop for his still images, and Yahoo! (of course) for email. The 12-inch screen is a weight and portability tradeoff for working in an armed conflict area. To facilitate live reports and interactive chat sessions, Kevin is also carrying an Apple iSight Web camera, which mounts to the top of the PowerBook screen and connects to the laptop’s FireWire port.
CALLING HOME Hughes R-BGAN Satellite Modem
How Kevin sends images and computer data back to Yahoo! News.
Kevin’s main data link to the outside world, R-BGAN looks and weighs like a laptop computer but offers a plug-and-play IP (Internet Protocol) or GPRS (mobile phone packet data) link via satellite. It offers Internet connections at speeds of up to 144 kbps over a shared send/receive channel, somewhere between the fastest dial-up and the lowest DSL broadband speeds. It hooks up to Kevin’s Apple PowerBook laptop through a built-in Ethernet port (USB and Bluetooth wireless are available options). It supports anything from simple email to full, secure VPN access to Yahoo! servers. Weighing about 1.6 Kg (3.5 lbs), it uses an internal lithium ion battery to give one hour of fullpower use or 36 hours on standby. Kevin can also plug this sleek, powder blue box into 110V or 220V AC power for a recharge if he happens to be by an outlet (although in the field, he’ll use photovoltaic solar panels to generate his own electricity). About 500,000 R-BGAN units are in use in about 30 countries. The system operates, under most conditions, in a large swath of the earth north of the equator from far western Africa to mainland Europe, the Middle East, and central Asia (as far east as India).
Thuraya/Hughes 7101
Portable Satellite Phone. A sturdy backup phone that works where cell phones can’t.
Operating on the same satellite network as the R-BGAN modem, the 7101 phone gives Kevin another option for voice communication (including when he finds himself in range of a GSM provider, which saves battery life because less transmitting power is required). At 200 g (0.5 lb), it’s the size of a typical handset, with a lithium ion batteries that gives up to 2.4 hours of talk time (satellite) and 34 hours of standby time. The phone can also determine its position using the GPS network and transmit those coordinates, making it easier for Kevin and his U.S. team to keep precise track of him. Again, this is a full-featured phone with a built-in SMS function that can send messages in English as well as Arabic, French, German, Italian, Russian, Turkish, and Farsi.
Palm Treo 650 GSM Mobile “Smart” Phone
A standard mobile phone/organizer combo for calling under normal circumstances.
Many reviewers consider the Treo 650 to be the best “smart” phone on the market. The latest in the Treo line, Kevin carries the GSM model because that’s the standard in most of the world outside the U.S. It’s got a sharp color touch-screen display with 320-by-320 pixel resolution and 65,000 colors that can be seen even in sunlight — which is in abundance in most of the places from which Kevin reports. Although it’s not the best choice for professional work, the Treo 650 does have a built-in camera with 2X zoom, can play MP3 files and comes with a full suite of organizer applications. A small backlit QWERTY keyboard makes it possible to send email with the phone, search with the built-in browser — or, with an extra bit of software, chat with buddies over Yahoo! Messenger. Bluetooth and infrared connections are built in, and it can synchronize contacts and schedules with Kevin’s laptop (even via Bluetooth). It adds 178 g (0.4 lbs) to his backpack, not counting the add-in SD memory card for storing files, photos, or MP3 songs.
Handheld computer and phone maker Palm is to unveil the latest version of its Treo smart phone next month as it attempts to revive sales hit by tough competition and problems with previous models.
"The announcement is going to be made in the U.K. on Sept. 12, and we will give all the details then but at the moment all we are saying is that it will be out before the end of the year," said a Palm spokeswoman.
A September or October release is seen by analysts as vital for any firm hoping to cash in on the all-important Christmas period as they vie for shelf space with rivals' products.
Any later than that and stores and Web sites are likely to have already made decisions about what to stock their shelves with ahead of the key trading period.
The California-based firm said in July the new version will operate on Vodafone's high-speed third-generation (3G) network and be powered by Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system, however details about the handset's functionality remain sketchy.
The current 700p version of the latest Treo has a slot for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth cards, but with the latest Nokia, Sony Ericsson and O2 offerings all boasting the technology in-built, Palm knows it cannot afford to fall further behind as the competition heats up.
Palm is to launch the new handset to Vodafone customers in a number of European countries including the U.K., Germany, Spain, Italy and Netherlands as it attempts to win back the confidence of a market it once dominated with its Palm Pilot device.
The company is hoping the move to the Windows Mobile will help alleviate the concerns of Treo users who have long complained of Palm's own operating system crashing the handsets on a regular basis.
In June, the company stopped shipping its Treo 650 model in Europe because it was not compatible with a newly introduced phone technology standard.
State legislature now allows teens of Colorado who are home schooled to take a home schooled driver education course. Teens that are home schooled can opt to take a State approved Colorado driver education course to obtain their learner's permit and drivers license.
The Driver Education Online web site offers a complete State approved course. The course comes complete with multimedia instruction for the student and a special disk for parents that provides lesson plans for behind-the-wheel training. If you are a home schooled teenager or parent, this course will satisfy the DMV as an approved course.
Dude, just because you're in the Netherlands doesn't give you any reason or excuse not to have traded in your Dell laptop battery for one that isn't so, shall we say, explosive? This unfortunate Latitude (appears to be a D610 D510) met its fate when, like so many others, it was cut down before its time in a violent and easily prevented explosion. We'd tell you more, but unfortunately the article is in a tongue we don't speak (sorry, we took Zulu in high school), but if any of our Dutch pals want to apprise us as to the situation, we'd be most obliged.
Update: Jeroen gave us the skinny on this one. Apparently the unit's owner, Ewout, was on holiday in Hungary with the laptop when it caught fire; of curse it would not be extinguished by mere water, so sand was found and thrown on the machine. Thankfully Dell was, um, gracious enough to replace Ewout's laptop, so there ya go.
You live life in the fast lane and need a mobile that can keep up with trends and manage your busy lifestyle. Meeting your wireless aspirations, the surprisingly slim and artistically designed Motorola L6 delivers a rich, multi-sensory communication experience that keeps you connected. Easily capture and share your adventures with an integrated VGA digital camera, video capture and playback and multimedia photo album creation tools. And when not expressing your artistic side, leverage Bluetooth® wireless technology*, Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC)**, and advanced messaging functionality*. Explore and uncover a new wireless world with the intuitive, sleek, sensorial Motorola L6.
Instantaneous Connectivity With a list of multi-sensorial ways to keep in touch, the Motorola L6 is dedicated to making it extremely convenient and hassle-free to leverage communication versatility. Chat hands-free via Bluetooth wireless technology*, quickly connect with a colleague or workgroup through one-touch PoC**, or send a candid video message using Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)*. It’s easy to manage both work and personal business with an integrated speaker and cable-free information sharing with other compatible Bluetooth-enabled* handsets, PCs and PDAs.
Indulge in Fun Imaging Skillful and creative, the Motorola L6 blends a variety of multimedia features, offering fun and spontaneous imaging capabilities including a 4x zoom VGA digital camera with auto timer, video capture and playback, and the ability to create personal multimedia photo albums. With a generous amount of user memory space for storage and the ability to capture and send photos, video clips and more to others through MMS* and Bluetooth*, this mobile embraces multi-sensory connections.
In Tune to You With a surprisingly slim, avant-garde candybar design and uncompromised features, the Motorola L6 is the communication accessory to showcase your high style and taste. Make it your own by personalizing the screen with downloadable* wallpapers and screensavers or liven up incoming calls with picture caller ID* and unique MP3 vocal ringtones that you can sing along to,
SUMMARY OF FEATURES: • Ultra sleek sliver form with vivid glass color display • Integrated 4x zoom VGA digital camera with auto-timer and multimedia photo album creation • Video capture and playback with support of MPEG4, .3gpp, H.263 files • Hands-free communications via Bluetooth wireless technology* and integrated hands-free speaker • PoC for quick connections to one or many ** • MP3 and polyphonic ringtones with 22 KHz speaker and 24 channels • Messaging via MMS* and Instant Messaging* via IM Wireless Village • Preloaded & downloadable* games, wallpapers, MP3 ringtones, video clips, screensavers and animations • Personal Information Management (PIM) functionality, Picture caller ID* and Internet access*
The Motorola L6 is expected to be available in the second half of 2005. For more information regarding pricing and product availability in your region, please contact your local Motorola representative.
The IBM PC is 25. And here are the top PCs ever, from machines you owned and loved to systems you've never heard of.
IBM's first PC, announced on August 12, 1981, was far from the first personal computer--but when it arrived, there was near-universal agreement that it was likely to be a landmark machine. It was. And 25 years later, it still ranks among the most significant computers ever.
Like the IBM Personal Computer, Model 5150, the greatest systems have always had ambitions to boldly go where no computer has gone before. Without these innovative machines, the PC revolution would have been a lot less...well, revolutionary. So we decided to celebrate the IBM PC's 25th birthday by identifying the 25 PCs that have mattered most--from any manufacturer, and from any era.
No single characteristic makes a computer great. But we managed to boil down an array of winning qualities into four factors, all of which happen to begin with the letter I.
* Innovation: Did the PC do anything that was genuinely new? Did it incorporate the latest technology? * Impact: Was it widely imitated? Did it become part of the cultural zeitgeist? * Industrial design: Was it a looker? Did it have clever features that made using it a pleasure? * Intangibles: Was there anything else about it that set it apart from the same ol' same ol'?
Armed with this scale, we considered dozens of PCs--which meant that we also had to consider the question "What is a PC, exactly?" Ultimately we decided that a PC is anything that's recognizably a desktop or portable computer in design--or, alternatively, anything that runs an operating system originally created for desktops and laptops. After a lot of nostalgic debate, we selected our winners. Which systems we picked--and didn't pick--for our Top 25 may be controversial. If one of your favorites didn't make our roster, check out our list of 25 near-great PCs.
Just to drum up a little suspense, we'll reveal the Top 25 starting with number 25, and then work our way backward to the single greatest PC of all time. (Spoilsports can skip ahead to number 1; we won't be any the wiser. You can also jump to the complete list of our Top 25 picks.)
Ready?IBM's first PC, announced on August 12, 1981, was far from the first personal computer--but when it arrived, there was near-universal agreement that it was likely to be a landmark machine. It was. And 25 years later, it still ranks among the most significant computers ever.
Like the IBM Personal Computer, Model 5150, the greatest systems have always had ambitions to boldly go where no computer has gone before. Without these innovative machines, the PC revolution would have been a lot less...well, revolutionary. So we decided to celebrate the IBM PC's 25th birthday by identifying the 25 PCs that have mattered most--from any manufacturer, and from any era.
No single characteristic makes a computer great. But we managed to boil down an array of winning qualities into four factors, all of which happen to begin with the letter I.
* Innovation: Did the PC do anything that was genuinely new? Did it incorporate the latest technology? * Impact: Was it widely imitated? Did it become part of the cultural zeitgeist? * Industrial design: Was it a looker? Did it have clever features that made using it a pleasure? * Intangibles: Was there anything else about it that set it apart from the same ol' same ol'?
Armed with this scale, we considered dozens of PCs--which meant that we also had to consider the question "What is a PC, exactly?" Ultimately we decided that a PC is anything that's recognizably a desktop or portable computer in design--or, alternatively, anything that runs an operating system originally created for desktops and laptops. After a lot of nostalgic debate, we selected our winners. Which systems we picked--and didn't pick--for our Top 25 may be controversial. If one of your favorites didn't make our roster, check out our list of 25 near-great PCs.
Just to drum up a little suspense, we'll reveal the Top 25 starting with number 25, and then work our way backward to the single greatest PC of all time. (Spoilsports can skip ahead to number 1; we won't be any the wiser. You can also jump to the complete list of our Top 25 picks.)
Ready?
Greatest PCs: Number 1 1. Apple II (1977) Apple II
The Apple II wasn't the first personal computer, or the most advanced one, or even the best-selling model of its age. But in many ways it was The Machine That Changed Everything. On all four of our criteria--Innovation, Impact, Industrial Design, and Intangibles--it was such a huge winner that it ended up as our Greatest PC of All Time.
The 8-bit system came with 4KB of memory, expandable to 48KB. It used a cassette rather than a disk for storage. It cost $1200, about twice the base price of its two biggest competitors, the Tandy TRS-80 Model I and the Commodore PET 2001. It couldn't even display lowercase letters (in the first several years of its existence, anyway). Yet it packed more pure innovation than any other early computer, and was the first PC that deserved to be called a consumer electronics device.
Born out of the Home Brew Computer Club by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs's tiny Apple Computer in 1977, the Apple II was the company's second PC, but it boasted more than its share of firsts: It was the first color PC (you could even use it with a television), the first to be easily expandable by users, and the first to run the VisiCalc spreadsheet--proving that these new boxes had a place in business.
Perhaps its greatest innovation was its design. Jobs wanted the machine to look at home on people's desktops, so he insisted that the Apple II have a sleek look, as opposed to the sheet-metal-and-exposed-w ire appearance of most other early PCs. The machine's coolness factor--an Apple trademark to this day--was as important to its long-term success as Wozniak's inventive engineering was.
And we do mean long-term: From the original Apple II model that debuted at the first West Coast Computer Faire in April 1977 to the discontinuation of the final iteration of the IIe in December 1993 (outlasting the 16-bit IIGS model that was introduced years after it), more than 2 million Apple II-family PCs had been produced. The Apple II line, well documented at Steven Weyhrich's Apple II History site, kept the company going through the Apple Lisa debacle and other turbulent events of the 1980s. By the middle of that decade, though, Apple had turned its attention to that other world-beater, the Macintosh Plus (number 4 on our list). But it was the Apple II that put the personal in the nascent personal computer industry. The rest is history. I didn't own the Apple II; I waited for one of its successors, the Apple IIe, a big, big step up from the very first Apple II. My Apple IIe came with a color screen, a floppy drive, and an 80-column display instead of the original's 40-column display. I have fond memories of using the Apple IIe to index and abstract tech articles, although I could fit only four records on each 5.25-inch floppy, which meant I had to carry stacks and stacks of floppies between home and office. I also remember having a love-hate relationship with the integrated keyboard: Its stiff keys made it a pain to use, sometimes literally. -- Dennis O'Reilly
Greatest PCs: 4-2
4. Apple Macintosh Plus (1986) Macintosh Plus
In 1984 Apple released the original Macintosh, which, while heavily influenced by the Xerox Star, was a breakthrough personal computer. But its 128KB of memory was so skimpy that the machine was virtually unusable. The company really hit the ball out of the park in 1986 with the Macintosh Plus (see the specs of this Apple model and others at Apple-History.com).
The $2599 Mac Plus had the same Motorola 68000 processor as the original Mac, but it came with a roomy 1MB of RAM and was upgradeable to 4MB of RAM. It supported the brand-new 800KB double-sided floppy-disk format, and was the first Mac with a SCSI port for fast data transfer to and from an external hard drive. Like earlier Macs, its cute beige all-in-one case housed a monochrome 512-by-342-pixel display and the 3.5-inch floppy drive. It also came with matching beige input devices: a sturdy keyboard with a numeric keypad connected by a coiled cord, and a boxy, rectangular mouse.
Apple sold the Mac Plus until 1990, making it the longest-selling Mac model ever. By then it had received cult notoriety via a cameo in the movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Today, working Mac Plus models sell on eBay for about $25. Nonworking models have found an entirely different afterlife: They've been reincarnated as fish tanks.
3. Xerox 8010 Information System (1981) Xerox 8010 Information System
As Winston Churchill might have put it, rarely have so many computers owed so much to such a flop. The flop in question is Xerox's 8010 Information System (better known as the Star), the computer that commercialized many of the breakthroughs invented in the company's legendary PARC research labs and first seen in the Alto computer (which was never sold as a commercial product).
Announced in 1981 and shipped in 1982, the Star had a graphical user interface with what-you-see-is-what-you- get graphics and a desktop metaphor (which, as documented at the DigiBarn computing museum, still look impressive today). It used a mouse, a device that was so unfamiliar that Xerox's documentation also called it a "hand-held pointer." It had built-in ethernet networking, and could work with "a 12-ppm laser printer that was three-fourths the size of a washing machine," says Dave Curbow, who joined the Star team as a software engineer in 1983. "There were way too many firsts to enumerate."
It also had a hefty price tag--$16,500 per unit--that was just the beginning, since the whole idea was that a business would outfit itself with multiple networked workstations, servers, and peripherals. "You couldn't buy one machine and do anything," Curbow explains.
Given that the notion of buying even a single small computer was so new at the time, it's not startling that Xerox had trouble selling companies on the Star. A couple of years later, Apple's far cheaper, Xerox-influenced $2495 Macintosh found more success. And over time, virtually every one of Xerox's out-there ideas became a core part of the everyday computing experience.
2. Compaq Deskpro 386 (1986) Compaq Deskpro 386
For the first few years of the IBM PC-compatible era, the industry had one undisputed leader--Big Blue itself. Then an odd thing happened: Intel introduced the powerful 80386 CPU, its first 32-bit processor, and it was Compaq, not IBM, that brought a 386 PC to market before anyone else.
The Deskpro 386's $6499 starting price wasn't as sky-high as it sounds today considering that decent configurations of IBM's AT cost at least $5000 and its high-end RT usually topped $16,000. With a 32-bit bus and 16-MHz clock speed, "on CPU performance alone the Deskpro 386 inhabits another league," PC World wrote at the time.
In 1986 it wasn't a given that a next-generation PC would run previous-generation software out of the box; the IBM RT, which used a RISC CPU, didn't. And so the fact that the Deskpro ran DOS, Windows, Lotus 1-2-3, and other major applications perfectly was as much of a selling point as the fact it did so with blazing speed.
The Deskpro 386 wasn't just one of the most powerful, most popular PCs of its time--it was also compelling proof that the PC platform was far bigger than any one company.
7. Commodore Amiga 1000 (1985) Amiga 1000
The Commodore 64 may have been the best-selling computer of its time, but its follow-up, developed by a Silicon Valley startup that Commodore acquired, was a vastly better computer. Years ahead of its time, the Amiga was the world's first multimedia, multitasking personal computer (see an early commercial for it on YouTube).
The $1500 (sans monitor) Amiga came with the same Motorola 68000 CPU used in the Apple Macintosh. But the most innovative thing about its architecture was its three coprocessors--they helped provide the Amiga's graphics and sound, which were stunning for the time. Its main video processor (dubbed Denise) helped Amigas accomplish feats like 3D animation, full-motion video, and fancy TV processing years before other computers. And the four-voice stereo sound chip (Paula) provided speech synthesis, produced more realistic audio than the Commodore 64's famous SID chip, and helped inspire Soundtracker, the first "tracker-style" music sequencing program.
The original Amiga was rechristened the Amiga 1000 when it was replaced by the Amiga 500 and 2000 in 1987; later Amiga-based products included the Amiga 4000T tower and the CD32, a gaming console. Commodore declared bankruptcy in 1994, and the Amiga name and technologies bounced from owner to owner in subsequent years. Modern iterations of NewTek's Video Toaster and LightWave 3D software continue to be used for major TV and movie productions to this day. In 1987 I had sort of lost interest in PCs--until I got my first real job, which happened to be in an office next to a computer store called The Memory Location. I walked by its window and saw an Amiga 500 showing off everything it could do. And what it could do was astonishing, given that garden-variety IBM PCs often didn't do color at the time. I collected enough paychecks to buy an Amiga and stuck with the platform until the IBM world caught up--which took years. -- Harry McCracken
6. IBM Personal Computer, Model 5150 (1981) IBM 5150
Many key moments in PC history weren't identifiable as such when they happened. (Was there any reason to pay much attention when a couple of young guys named Steve decided to start a microcomputer company and name it after a type of fruit?) But when the company that was synonymous with computers announced its first PC on August 12, 1981, everyone knew it was a great milestone in the history of a very young industry.
Technology-wise, the most interesting thing about IBM's Personal Computer, Model 5150, was its CPU: Intel's 8088, a powerful 16-bit processor in an era when most popular models still used basic 8-bit CPUs. IBM offered the system with several operating systems, including the then-popular CP/M, something called P-System, and a new OS that IBM named PC-DOS but that most people would remember as MS-DOS for versions marketed by publisher Microsoft. (Legendarily, Microsoft's OS was based on QDOS, or "Quick and Dirty Operating System," which it picked up for a song from a small Seattle company.)
Within 18 months IBM's machine sat at the center of a booming PC ecology, with a bevy of hardware add-ons, third-party software, clones, books, and magazines. Some of IBM's later machines were hits and some were flops, but all of them, like the vast majority of computers on the planet today, were direct descendants of the IBM Personal Computer. (Read IBM's take on its own archives.)
5. IBM ThinkPad 700C (1992) Thinkpad 700C
Unveiled at Comdex in 1992, IBM's ThinkPad 700C ushered in a new era for laptop computers: Now, the laptop could be both useful and stylish. The first ThinkPad's distinctive black case and its red TrackPoint pointing device in the middle of the keyboard were striking departures from other notebooks, which tended to be practically interchangeable, chunky, dull gray or beige boxes with trackballs that hung off to the side or sat like a lump below the keyboard.
One of three ThinkPad models at launch, along with the 300 and 500 (the numbering scheme was reportedly inspired by BMW's car lines) the $4350 ThinkPad 700C was IBM's top-of-the-line system. It came with an eye-catching 256-color, 10.4-inch TFT VGA color screen (large by 1992 standards), a removable 120MB hard drive, a 25-MHz 486SLC processor, and a comfortable touch-typist-friendly keyboard. Current ThinkPads--now manufactured by Lenovo--may be radically more powerful than the 700C, but they retain the black case, TrackPoint, and fine keyboard as major selling points. (See the ThinkPad's evolution at Lenovo's archive.)
PC World recognized the ThinkPad's significance right away: The product won a World Class award in 1993. In 2004 it became the first--and to date, only--product inducted into the World Class Hall of Fame.
10. Apple PowerBook 100 (1991) Apple PowerBook 100
If your first portable computer doesn't succeed, try, try again. That's the lesson of the PowerBook 100, Apple's splendid successor to the famously awful Mac Portable, a machine we named to our list of the 25 worst tech products of all time.
Along with the higher-end PowerBook 140 and 170, the $2500 100 sported two features that the rest of the industry quickly cribbed. First,
