The Eee Brand
Image courtesy: Asus
DigiTimes is reporting that Asustek Computer might be making Eee an independent brand. The Eee brand would include the Eee notebook PC and others such as Eee branded TVs (E-TV), desktop PCs (E-DT) and monitors. With or without independence these products are slated for release in Q3′08.
Easy to pay.
Lenovo IdeaPad U110: 11.1″ Ultraportable
Lenovo IdeaPad U110
Display Size: 11.1″
Pixel Format: 1366 x 768
Backlight: LED
GPU: Intel GMA X3100 (VGA Out, 256MB shared)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo L7500 1.6GHz 4MB L2 Cache 800MHz FSB
HDD: 120GB 4200RPM (32GB – 64GB SSD optional)
RAM: 2GB
Optical: External DL DVD
Webcam: 1.3MP
Connectivity: 10/100 Ethernet, WiFi (Intel 4965AGN), Bluetooth (optional)
Input: USB 2.0 (3), FireWire, 6-in-1 Multicard Reader, ExpressCard, Audio In/Out
Weight: 2.4lbs (4-cell battery)
Thickness: 0.72″ to 0.88″
Availability: April 2008
Price: $1899 (base)
Image Courtesy: Notebook Review
$1899. Sounds a bit expensive. Although not an apples-to-apples comparison, Apple’s MacBook Air with a 13.3″ LED backlit LCD goes for $1799. Of course, Lenovo did have to shrink things a bit more to squeeze everything into a box that houses a much smaller LCD at just 11.1″ diagonal. Up to a certain point, smaller is more expensive. But the interesting thing is that Sony’s exceptionally small TZ series notebook PCs also start at $1799.98, which is about $100 cheaper. Does Lenovo think that it’s got something more special than a comparable Sony?
Armani/Samsung Premium LCD TV
Armani/Samsung Premium LCD TV
Sizes: 46″, 52″
Pixel Format: 1920 x 1080
Frequency: 100Hz
Input: HDMI
Availability: Europe, Korea, Russia, mid-summer 2008 (46″), late-summer 2008 (52″)
Inspired by Giorgio Armani’s new 2008/09 Armani/Casa home furnishings collection, the Armani/Samsung Premium LCD TV was designed for “a discriminating consumer” that seeks a “sophisticated design and leading flat screen technology”.
The Armani/Samsung Premium LCD TV does look handsome. The simple and elegant design is something that I like in high-tech products. But there are some problems.
Apple 20″ and 24″ iMac Upgraded
Image courtesy: Apple Inc.
20″ 2.4GHz iMac
RAM: 1GB DDR2
HDD: 250GB 7200RPM SATA
Optical: Slot-load 8x SuperDrive
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT 128MB GDDR3
Price: $1200
Options for 20″ 2.4GHz:
RAM: 4GB DDR2
HDD: 500GB SATA
20″ 2.66GHz iMac
RAM: 2GB DDR2
HDD: 320GB 7200RPM SATA
Optical: Slot-load 8x SuperDrive
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO 256MB GDDR3
Price: $1500
Options for 20″ 2.66GHz:
RAM: 4GB DDR2
HDD: 750GB SATA
24″ 2.8GHz iMac
RAM: 2GB DDR2
HDD: 320GB 7200RPM SATA
Optical: Slot-load 8x SuperDrive
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO 256BM GDDR3
Options for 24″:
CPU: 3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
RAM: 4GB DDR2
HDD: 1TB SATA
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS 512MB
All of these units incorporate new Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs that have a L2 cache of 6MB and a faster 1066MHz FSB. The CPUs are manufactured with state-of-the-art 45-nm process technology that should yield smaller footprints and faster processing.
Samsung LN32A540: 32″ Full HD LCD TV
Samsung LN32A540
Size: 32″
Pixel Format: 1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Contrast Ratio: 35,000:1 (dynamic)
Viewing Angle: 178/178
Response Time: 6ms
Input: HDMI (3), Composite (2), VGA, S-Video, Component (Y/Pb/Pr, 2)
Tuner: ATSC
Sharp was the first to introduce a Full HD 32″ LCD TV with a pixel format of 1920 x 1080. Almost everyone in the display community thought that was overkill. I wonder why. Well, the reasoning was that our visual system couldn’t distinguish the increased resolution at the distances that we would be watching a 32″ LCD TV. That’s probably true. But, there are a lot of folks out there that play Xbox 360, PS3 and PC games on their 1080p-capable LCD TVs. And when they do that, my guess is that they play a bit closer to the box than if they were simply watching video. I think 32″ LCD TVs with a 1920 x 1080 pixel format will be quite popular.
