Buy a notebook with its very own IT department

With laptop prices dropping faster than ever, there is a growing number of owners who have no idea how to keep their systems in tip-top shape. Sure, they have heard about the dangers of viruses, spyware, trojan horses, etc., and the more informed ones do practice safe surfing habits. But there are times when despite using protection accidents do happen.

So when our US counterparts reported on the launch of the US$279 Zonbu laptop, we got excited. Not because it's cheap, but that this notebook comes with its very own support staff. For US$15 a month, Zonbu will take charge of the 20 software applications, automatically update the machine, provide online storage, remote file access and file sharing, perform automated backups, as well as offer online tech support and hardware replacement in case of damage.

The downside: Besides the monthly subscription costs, the unit runs on Zonbu's proprietary OS. This means no Windows applications can be installed. This laptop and the Zonbu service are currently available only in the US, though we hope this concept will make its way to Asia. This will finally relieve an entire generation of techies from having to provide free PC support for clueless relatives.

Dell XPS 1530 makes an appearance in US

For a manufacturer whose bottom line focus gave us low-cost but boring portables, Dell surprised us with the XPS M1330. It not only looks good, it's one of the slimmest 13.3-inch notebooks in the market. However, despite belonging to the gaming XPS line, the M1330 is not exactly a blazing-fast machine and has only a midrange Nvidia GeForce 8400M graphics card.

So when the US maker announced the availability of the new XPS M1530, we got excited all over again. Not only is the larger 15.4-inch screen more comfortable for endless hours of shooting and looting (virtually, of course), the high-end 256MB GeForce 8600M GT video card should make short work of most gaming titles (though the XPS M1730 still retains the throne as a premium gaming desktop replacement). If 15.4-inch is not enough to make you happy, hook up to an external display using the HDMI port. A built-in Webcam is also included for face-to-face confrontations. It even has a fingerprint sensor for those who take data security seriously.

The tapered design makes the unit look very slim for a midsize machine. In addition, the XPS M1530 could also be the first notebook to use brushed aluminum material for the palm rest, which gives it a rugged, no-nonsense look. However, we worry that prolonged gaming could make this area as uncomfortable to touch as a steering wheel on a hot afternoon. Dell has confirmed that the XPS M1530 will be available in Asia Pacific soon, though no launch date was given. Dell US' Web site lists this XPS with a starting cost of US$999, though at this price you are looking at a rather weak Nvidia GeForce 8400M video card.

Fujitsu bumps 5,400rpm mobile drives to 320GB

Fujitsu has squeezed a notch more capacity into its 2.5-inch, 5,400rpm mobile drives, announcing its MHZ2 BH family with a maximum capacity of 320GB.

The family is designed for use in mobile or compact PCs and in consumer electronics products. It also features 8MB of buffer, a 3 gigabit-per-second SATA interface, and power consumption of 1.9 watts when reading or writing data.

The new drive will be available in February in the US, though its Asian appearance has yet to be confirmed at time of going to press. The earlier MHY2 BH line topped out at 250GB and had a slower 1.5Gbps SATA (serial ATA) interface.

Via CNET Crave

Apple acknowledges some MacBook hard drive problems

Apple is investigating whether or not faulty Seagate hard drives are to blame for data loss on some MacBooks.

Retrodata, a UK data recovery firm, reported earlier this year that certain 2.5-inch Seagate drives used in MacBooks had a manufacturing flaw that causes the drive heads to scratch the surface of the drive and results in major problems.

InformationWeek contacted Apple about the problem, and a company representative said: "We've received a few reports that some MacBook consumer notebooks may have hard drive issues, and we're looking into it." An email to the same representative checking on whether or not that meant Apple was looking into the specific issue identified by Retrodata, or just MacBook hard drive issues in general, was not immediately returned. CNET Asia also contacted Apple Asia to determine if this issue affects units in this region, but received no response as at time of going to press.

You can check if your MacBook has one of the scarlet drives by looking up the firmware revision number in System Profiler. If you scored a 7.01, Retrodata advises backing up your data and to consider replacing the drive. It's not clear if Apple owners are the only ones using the Seagate 2.5-inch drives in their laptops, although Retrodata said it hadn't seen similar problems with other drives. It's also not clear how many varieties of Seagate hard drives Apple is using in its MacBooks.

Via Crave CNET

Packard Bell joins the UMPC fight

If people are wondering whether the UMPC concept will catch on, the growing list of manufacturers pumping out ultra-mobile devices should silence the critics. Packard Bell is the latest to produce a 7-inch portable--christened the EasyNote XS20.

Available at the upcoming SITEX show in Singapore, it will have to contend with the ASUS Eee PC which will be making a maiden appearance at the same time. At S$1,298 (US$868.63), it is twice as costly as its ASUS rival. So the EasyNote XS20 will have to rely on its impressive hardware to make a good showing.

The design is not exactly awe-inspiring. In fact, the Eee PC looks a lot better. However, like the Gigabyte U60, the X20 is based on the VIA chipset with a blazing-fast (for a UMPC) 1.2GHz processor and 1GB of memory. The default operating system is Windows XP Home, though it should have no issues going for Vista. The screen, unfortunately, is a 7-inch display with a native resolution of only 800 x 480 pixels, which means side-scrolling for some of the wider Web pages which you may visit.

An interesting addition is a DVI port in place of a common VGA output. We are a little skeptical at this decision. On the one hand, DVI is certainly the way of the future. On the other, the frequent traveler is more likely to encounter a VGA display than a DVI one. Other features include an integrated Webcam, two USB 2.0 ports, memory card reader, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios as well as an Ethernet slot. The battery is also quite impressive, as it is rated for 3 hours with wireless turned on and 5 hours without.

For now, the X20 will be available only in Singapore for S$1,298 (US$868.63).

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