Posts in Notebooks
Total 2 pages : [1] 2
ThinkPad goes for a Wii
Darius Chang | Feb 21, 2007
Think only the Wii uses motion sensing to its advantage? Some enterprising chaps have made the ThinkPad into an all-in-one motion-sensitive gaming machine.
Turns out the Active Protection System, which detects unnatural acceleration during a fall and protects the harddisk from damage, is more fun then we first thought. Like an expensive pinball machine, tilting and shaking one of these ThinkPads will actually affect and control gameplay.
So what does it entail to convert your notebook into a Wii wannabe? According to instructions by Lenovo "Inside the Box" blog, all you need is to replace one of the files in a compatible gaming title with a hacked one. Once it's done, be prepared to play using your entire notebook as a motion-sensing controller. The image on the left shows CNET Crave working the slopes in the game Tux Racer.
Warning: Serious wrist warmup is needed to prevent permanent harm whacking away with a 2kg controller.
VAIO sings the blues
Darius Chang | Feb 15, 2007
The latest addition to the Sony C series is a garish little blue number wrapped around a 13.3-inch form factor machine.
The choice of blue for the Sony VAIO VGN-C25 is such that you will either like it hate it. However, it does impart a sense of uniqueness to the portable and makes it easy to identify from afar.
Specifications-wise, the Sony VAIO is not expected to beat any track records. The 1.66GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of memory and 120GB of harddisk space put it squarely in the basic computing category. It comes complete with Windows Vista Home Premium and should be hitting our shores some time soon, though prices and launch date are still pending.
ASUS Lamborghini VX2 speeds out of the gate
Darius Chang | Feb 07, 2007
With top-of-the-line components and next-generation wireless radio, the ASUS Lamborghini VX2 looks ready to set new speed records.
Based on the high-end T7400 Core 2 Duo processor, which pumps out 2.16GHz of raw computing power, the latest race car-inspired 15.4-inch laptop uses the gaming standard 512MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7700 graphics card, previously seen in the ASUS G1, for pure visual pleasure. It also uses a draft-N Wi-Fi radio, the fastest wireless standard currently in use.
Other notable features include a swivel Webcam, 160GB harddisk, DVI connectivity and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition operating system. Too bad it's rather stingy with USB ports, offering a mere three slots to plug your peripherals in.
The ASUS Lamborghini VX2 should be seeing daylight some time in early Q2, with a retail price set at a whopping S$4,888 (US$3,271.10). Still, at least there is no road tax needed for this little baby.
Be careful who your Vista PC talks to
Darius Chang | Feb 02, 2007
Unlike plants, having someone talk to your Vista PC may not be good for your system's health as you might just find yourself missing a few files.
Due to the new operating system's voice recognition technology, some people have discovered that an MP3 playback could be used to command the PC to delete files and empty the recycle bin. These malicious commands can be embedded in emails or tagged to Web sites, resulting in unrecoverable data.
The defense, it seems, would be to place the microphone away from the speakers so the resulting audio will not be clear enough to trigger the commands. Alternatively, one could disable the voice recognition function to prevent such attacks. To date, there have been no major incidences resulting from this quirk, though some Vista users were able to intentionally replicate the effect on their PCs.
Vista upgrade edition cracked
Darius Chang | Feb 02, 2007
According to several forums, users have found that they could install upgrade versions of Vista without a prior installation of Windows XP. But be warned that this workaround runs afoul of the end user license.
The trick, its seems, is that one can install a 30-day trial on the upgrade DVD, then reinstall the fully-registered Vista off the same disc. This bypasses the need to have a valid copy of Windows XP pre-installed in your system before using the upgrade CD. Hence, this method makes the upgrade edition behave exactly like the full retail pack, with a savings of almost 40 percent.
However, this runs afoul of acceptable use of the product. When contacted by CNET Asia, a Microsoft spokesperson emailed: "We are well aware of the workaround. People without a licensed copy of XP that use this workaround are violating the terms of use agreed to when they purchased the upgrade version of Windows Vista."
Monetary savings or peace of mind? The choice is yours.
Total 2 pages : [1] 2
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