Hardware Archive

OLPC Developing Dual-Boot Windows, Linux OS for Laptops

Submitted by WillM 2008-01-09 Hardware 35 Comments

The One Laptop Per Child Project and Microsoft are working together to develop a dual-boot system to put both Linux and Windows on laptops aimed at kids in developing countries, the head of OLPC said in an interview Tuesday. "We are working with them very closely to make a dual-boot system so that, like on an Apple, you can boot either one up. The version that's up and running of Windows on the XO is very fast, it's very, very successful. We're working very hard to do both," said Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of OLPC.

Review: 32″ Vizio VX32L Widescreen 1080i HDTV LCD

Thom Holwerda 2008-01-09 Hardware 27 Comments

Geeks.com was so kind as to send me the Vizio VX32L for review, a 32" widescreen LCD TV capable of doing 1080i. At USD 469.99, this 32" LCD television is quite affordable, so read on to find out if it is worth your money.

Ars Gets Its Hands on the Optimus Maximus, Begins Payment Plan

Thom Holwerda 2008-01-08 Hardware 21 Comments

"How do you get people interested in a USD 1500 keyboard? Simple, turn each key into an OLED screen. When you hit caps lock, the keys change to show they're upper case. Play a first-person shooter and the WASD keys turn into arrows. The Optimus Maximus keyboard brought this audacious idea to life, although since it was first shown in 2005 the hardware has gone through many delays. So many delays, in fact, that Art. Lebedev was accused of promoting 'vaporware' up until the price was announced, at which point there was a whole new set of sticker-shock-induced complaints."

Remembering the Cray-1

Thom Holwerda 2008-01-06 Hardware 29 Comments

"The Cray-1 is to supercomputers what Sigmund Freud is to psychiatrists. That is to say: it's likely the only one of the bunch that you've heard about, and you can feign cleverness just by dropping the name. So let's take a whack at this computer legend."

Lenovo Has Eyes on Consumer PC Market

Thom Holwerda 2008-01-03 Hardware 23 Comments

Lenovo is undertaking an Olympic-size effort to establish itself as a consumer PC brand. The Chinese PC maker has found great success with the iconic ThinkPad brand of commercial laptops, a business it purchased from IBM. And now it's taking the world stage with a new line of consumer-focused notebooks called IdeaPad. There will also be a desktop line called IdeaCentre.

‘Ultra-Pretty’ Dell Crystal LCD Monitor Now Available

Thom Holwerda 2008-01-03 Hardware 16 Comments

I don't usually do stories like this one, but I love this design so much I wanted to share it with you. "Dell has flaunted this gorgeous monitor for a while in various trade shows and press events, always saying that it's just a design concept and not available yet. That all changes now, because the 22-inch Dell Crystal LCD display is suddenly a real product. Just in time for CES, this beauty is set to ship in the next few days, and even though its spec list isn't as high-end as we had hoped, it's still so pretty, if it were smaller we'd want to wear it as a necklace." On a related note, Dell machines are appearing at Best Buy.

Submitted by RJop 2007-12-11 Hardware 21 Comments

I guess the cat is out of the bag. "Everex has confirmed plans to ship a UMPC with a 7-inch screen, similar to competitor Asus's EEE PC. A source close to the company revealed that the device - codenamed 'Cloudbook' - will ship with the Google Apps-oriented 'gOS' Linux distribution early next year."

Submitted by Bobthearch 2007-12-09 Hardware 76 Comments

Like a first love or a first car, a first computer can hold a special place in people's hearts. For millions of kids who grew up in the 1980s, that first computer was the Commodore 64. Twenty-five years later, that first brush with computer addiction is as strong as ever. "There was something magical about the C64," says Andreas Wallstrom of Stockholm, Sweden."

More on Microsoft’s Effort to Put XP on XO

Thom Holwerda 2007-12-06 Hardware 97 Comments

Microsoft is serious about getting Windows XP to work on OLPC's low-cost laptop, but the company still isn't sure it will be able to make a go of it. In an interview, James Utzschneider, the general manager of Microsoft's emerging market unit, says Microsoft has devoted about 40 employees and contractors to work on its effort. However, there are plenty of technical hurdles, he said. One of the biggest is the fact that the XO has no hard drive and only 1GB of built-in memory. The company concluded it needed at least 2GB of memory just for Windows and Office, so it convinced the OLPC folks to include an SD slot on the laptop's motherboard.

Review: Asus Eee PC 701

Submitted by Steve Emms 2007-12-05 Hardware 57 Comments

A review of the Asus EeePC. It concludes: "The Eee PC may be targeted at children and students, but it should also entice anyone needing a compact, low cost, yet fully functional PC. It is featherweight, far easier to use than a Windows machine, starts up three times faster, and costs about a quarter of anything in its weight class."

Submitted by MissinBeOS 2007-12-04 Hardware 65 Comments

From the WSJ: "The dream of cheap computers in the hands of millions of poor children is becoming a reality, though not exactly as its proponents imagined. For-profit competitors snatched the idea and have run with it."

Asus Releases Source Code to GPL eeePC Software Components

Submitted by Anonymous Coward 2007-11-27 Hardware 71 Comments

Asus has responded to the GPL violation allegations. "The source code found here is complete to the best of Asus's knowledge. If you believe any additional source code files should be provided under the applicable open source license, please contact Asus at [email protected] and provide in detail the product or code module in question. Asus is committed to meeting the requirements of the open source licenses including the GNU General Public License." Additionally, ASUS announced the upcoming SDK for the eeePC. "Asus is also pleased to announce the upcoming release of the Eee PC SDK. This will allow for the development on the Eee PC by the OpenSource community making it easy to develop, easy to port and easy to release software for the Eee PC platform."

Submitted by ZacharyM 2007-11-17 Hardware 11 Comments

ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) is the de facto standard to replace APM. As such, it's becoming increasingly important for full support on newer machines, as legacy support for APM is waning and ACPI-only machines become more common. Recently there was a flurry of commits related to ACPI, which got the attention of some people running -current with ACPI enabled kernels. In this interview we get a peek at what's been happening with ACPI and where it's headed.

Eee PC: ‘Good Things Come in Small Packages’

Thom Holwerda 2007-11-14 Hardware 24 Comments

"The Asus Eee PC challenges many conventional assumptions about mobile computing. The daring, diminutive device combines a svelte subnotebook form factor with a unique Linux software platform and a budget-friendly price - factors that could make this unprecedented product a mainstream marvel. Last week, my colleague Jon described the Eee PC as game-changing: a characterization that we will put to the test in this review."

Submitted by diegocg 2007-11-13 Hardware 19 Comments

The twice-yearly TOP500 list of the world's fastest supercomputers is expected to become an hot topic of discussion as the latest list shows five new entrants in the Top 10, which is a big turnover and shows how active the supercomputer market is. 71% Of the supercomputers now use Intel processors, a big grow from 58% 6 months ago. Linux monopolizes the OS area with 85% of the supercomputers (77% 6 months ago) using Linux-based operative systems.

Asus Eee PC a Win for Intel, Linux, at Microsoft’s Expense

Thom Holwerda 2007-11-05 Hardware 72 Comments

"A little over a week ago, reviews of Asus's Eee PC 701 started to trickle out onto the Internet. Some of the larger publications, like CNet and LAPTOP Magazine got their hands on the unit first, but as it has become more widely available sites like HotHardware and PC Perspective have now put out their own reviews of the Eee PC. The overall verdict is fairly unanimous: the device's keyboard is a bit cramped, but in terms of price, performance, and features the Eee PC hits the trifecta. Indeed, Asus appears to have gotten so many things right with the Eee PC that it could be a game-changer in the mobile market, in terms of both hardware and software."

Press F4 to Bypass Windows with Fast-Boot Technology

Thom Holwerda 2007-11-05 Hardware 38 Comments

There's absolutely no reason you should be waiting the three-plus minutes it takes your computer to boot up Windows, says Woody Hobbs, CEO of Phoenix Technologies. And indeed, if Hobbs has his way, you may not have to endure those waits much longer. Phoenix says its new technology, HyperSpace, will offer mobile PC users the ability to instantly fire up their most used apps - things like e-mail, web browsers and various media players - without using Windows, simply by pressing the F4 button.

Submitted by rx182 2007-11-03 Hardware 84 Comments

"Earlier this week Everex launched the gPC TC2502, which is a sub-USD 200 PC sold at a major US retailer, but what makes this unique is that it runs the gOS. The gOS (GreenOS) is designed to be a conceptual Google Operating System that is based upon Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon. Though this is not the conventional GNOME desktop environment but an Enlightenment E17 desktop is used that is heavily modified and reflects a green Google theme. The gOS provides easy access to Google services such as YouTube, Google Product Search, Google Calendar, and Google Maps. Also a click away are other web services such as Wikipedia and Facebook. This isn't a pure Internet desktop but Xine, Skype, OpenOffice.org, and other applications are available for this Linux LiveCD. We've been trying the gOS out for a while and it's a rather nice slim desktop Linux distribution that would be perfect for Internet cafes and other public places." More screenshots.

Review: Inspiron 1420n with Ubuntu

Thom Holwerda 2007-10-18 Hardware 16 Comments

Ars reviews a Dell Ubuntu laptop, and concludes: "The Dell Inspiron Notebook 1420n with Ubuntu preinstalled delivers software freedom and solid value. For serious Linux enthusiasts who are already comfortable handling the various idiosyncrasies of the platform, Dell's preloaded Ubuntu laptop is a practical and cost-effective choice that eliminates the need to perform a manual installation and provides Linux users with a means of dodging the odious Windows tax. Although I consider this product a strong buy for experienced Linux users, I don't recommend it (yet) for users who aren't already familiar with the operating system. Ubuntu's prodigious ease of use is diminished by a litany of frustrating minor hardware support problems that many average computer users will not be inclined to resolve."

Asus Launches Eee PC

Submitted by Martin Ng 2007-10-16 Hardware 35 Comments

Asus has formally rolled out its Eee PC line of sub-notebook computers, a week after UK supplier RM - formerly Research Machines - spilled the beans on two of the models. The complete line-up comprises four computers. All four models are based around the same 7in display; 900MHz Intel Celeron processor and chipset; 10/100Mbps Ethernet port and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi for internet access; HD audio; three USB ports; SD card slot; stereo speakers and microphone input; and a version of the Linux open source operating system, Xandros. My take: I want one. It has everything I need: small size, Linux, wireless, and email client/browser/IM. I don't need more from a laptop.