Stop poking my computer!

A laptop is a personal item. You want to check your email? Go ahead. Need to Google a fact? Be my guest. However, hospitality stops the moment someone tries to stick foreign objects into my ports.

There is no way to know if that unknown USB drive contains a virus or, even worse, a keystroke grabber to steal you passwords. ThinkGeek believes that, like contraceptives, your notebook will kiss your feet gratefully for providing proper protection to its USB ports. The aptly named USB Security Lock ships worldwide and comes with four blockers stored inside an applicator. As easy to apply and take out as a certain feminine hygiene product. At just US$9.99 (S$14.90), you may as well buy a couple more for your desktops, too.

The cheapest VAIO laptop yet

The VAIO NR popped its head up in Germany a few weeks ago. Now Sony has announced its new budget laptop will make its US debut next month. With a starting price of US$750, it undercuts Sony's current budget model, the VAIO N, by a hefty US$200. Despite its low price, Sony didn't skimp on design, outfitting the 15.4-inch, 2.81kg with a textured chassis it describes as "fabric-like" and "pleasing to the eye and cool to the touch". You'll have your choice of three colors, which Sony calls wenge, silk and granite, and everyone else calls brown, white and silver.

Sony lists four VAIO NR configurations. An Intel Core 2 Duo processor is offered on the highest-end config, the NR160, but the other three units, the NR110, NR120, and NR140, use lower-end Pentium Dual Core processors that operate on a 533MHz frontside bus. The entry-level VAIO NR110 model features a Pentium Dual Core T2310 CPU, 1GB of memory, a surprisingly roomy 120GB hard drive, Intel GMA X3100 graphics, b/g Wi-Fi, and a DVD burner. It all adds up to a good value, but we'd want another gigabyte of memory to ensure a pleasant experience with Vista Home Premium.

When contacted, Sony Singapore told CNET Asia the units will be available but did not commit on when they will arrive.

This post originally appeared in CNET Crave.

MSI notebooks get a touch of color

It seems everyone is jumping on the rainbow bandwagon nowadays. From Dell Inspirons to Sony VAIOs, black, white and gray just don't cut it anymore.

Which is probably why MSI decided that its latest 12-inch portable should go the funky route. Available in pink, blue or green, the MSI PR210 YA Edition looks good enough to bring to your next rave party. But don't look too closely under the hood because it's business-like fingerprint sensor kind of throws off the wild image. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Webcam, Gigabit Ethernet and DVD writer actually make this a respectable corporate machine. A little like a hippy working in a law firm.

No details on pricing or availability yet, but you can find out more details at the product page.

Dell ATG D630 likes it hard and rough

Let's face it. There are definitely times in your life, like when you were stuck in the icy cold mountain caps of Nepal or lost in the scorching hot Gobi desert, that you wish you had a computer with you. Well, most notebooks will turn belly up if you ever take it out of city limits, but not the Dell Latitude ATG D630.

Built to military standards and described as a "stallion of a workhorse" (don't ask, don't tell) by Dell's PR agency, the Latitude ATG D630 builds upon the toughness of the Latitude ATG D620 and adds Santa Rosa to the mix. With a strong magnesium-alloy chassis, scratch-resistant paint, data security features, spill-proof keyboard and shock protection, it is a businessman in a tank.

But be warned. This baby is probably in cahoots with your chiropractor. If you are foolish enough to carry it on a regular basis, it may bend your spine over time. For a 14.1-inch machine, the ATG D630 actually makes a pretty decent 2.84kg dumbbell for the ladies. But one nice trick is the red LED keyboard light which gives you an eerie glow in the night--perfect for Halloween.

Oh, did we also forget to mention that it is not cheap, either? It is now available in Asia Pacific with a starting price of S$3,680 (US$2,462.69). So unless you are a soldier or great adventurer, it'll be cheaper to buy a normal Latitude D630 machine and ramp up the warranty to CompleteCover.

Toshiba clearing Qosmios for a song

Where once this entertainment notebook cost a princely sum of well over S$5,000 (US$3,346.05), lucky sods in Singapore can now get their hands on the Toshiba Qosmio G30 with HD-DVD drive for a low low price of S$3,999 (US$2,676.17). And here is the kicker... during the promotional period (till September 30, 2007), Toshiba will bundle a 32-inch Regza 32A3000E LCD TV worth S$1,399 free. Which means you basically pay only S$2,600 for the laptop. Do note that you need to purchase the unit from Toshiba authorized dealers to enjoy this deal.

According to our resident Home AV reviewer, the Regza is an entry-level LCD TV which offers good value for money, though by now you can certainly get it for less than the quoted price above. Nonetheless, this bundle is one of the better laptop/LCD TV combos we have seen in the sunny island state.

Before CNET Asia starts sounding like Toshiba's advertising arm, remember that the G30 has been superceded by the Qosmio G40 with a more powerful platform and a drive that can actually write to HD-DVDs (the Qosmio G30 can only read these discs). So if you feel that this is Toshiba's method of stock clearance, you may be right. Makes one wonder what other companies do with their obsolete models, doesn't it?

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