Posts in Notebooks
Dell Latitude XT Tablet gets multitouch feature
Darius Chang | Jul 15, 2008
It's all about the fingers, baby. Forget those lame multitouch trackpads on MacBooks and Eee PCs. Dell is bringing this feature to the big time (and the big screen) by incorporating touch features directly on the Latitude XT main display.
Zooming, scrolling and even tilting will all be possible once the Texan company releases the firmware upgrade (which is rumored to be tomorrow). There is even a cool power-saving mode--just double-tap with two fingers on the screen and the LCD will go blank. To whet your appetite, Dell has released a short clip on YouTube to demo how this new function will work. View it below.
Dell adding 128GB SSD option to notebook lines
Erica Ogg | Jul 15, 2008
The Round Rock, Texas, PC maker is offering a 128GB solid-state drive as an option on its Latitude, XPS, Alienware, and Precision laptop models beginning Tuesday. Though Dell isn't usually the first to jump into the fray when it comes to tech trends, the company says it's planning to further push innovation in the next couple of months.
Though solid state isn't new technology, it isn't exactly mainstream yet at the 128GB size. Only Toshiba has shipped a consumer notebook with an SSD that big. But the prices have been dropping significantly, so expect more PC makers to start shipping 128GB notebooks in the next few months.
Dell says the 128GB options will include just a US$600 premium over the same version of a notebook with a traditional hard drive. That's the same premium the company was charging a year ago for a 32GB SSD.
In other Dell laptop news, owners of the Latitude XT Tablet PC can actually start using the multitouch feature that the company showed off last year.
The driver, which will unlock the capability, can be downloaded from Dell's support page starting now, the company said.
Via CNET Crave
MTI Micro partners for fuel cell ultra-mobile PC
Martin LaMonica | Jul 14, 2008
The two companies said they will develop digital devices that use MTI Micro's Mobion fuel cells, which use liquid methanol cartridges as a fuel.
The development could lead to external chargers, snap-on attachments or devices with the Mobion fuel cell embedded in them, the companies said.
Fuel cells are being developed for a wide range of applications, from back-up electricity in buildings and data centers to transportation.
Rather drawing on tanks of hydrogen to make electricity in a fuel cell, MTI Micro's Mobion uses methanol. The advantage is that it's a liquid fuel that can be easily transported and store, say backers. The byproduct of using the fuel is water and carbon dioxide, in relatively small amounts.
MTI has signed on a partners to develop GPS devices and digital cameras that use its fuel cells.
Other consumer electronics manufacturers, including Sharp, are also developing direct methanol to fuel cell chargers.
Via CNET Crave
Fujitsu Siemens to launch Atom-based Amilo Netbook? 
Reuben Lee | Jul 14, 2008
Apparently, the Apple iPhone 3G isn't the only product getting all the attention this weekend. A German Web site has unveiled pictures and details of what it claims is the upcoming Netbook from Fujitsu Siemens (more commonly know as Fujitsu in Asia).
Based on the supposed picture of the Fujitsu Netbook, it looks fairly simple in terms of design, with a black-and-white color theme that's reminiscent of the Fujitsu Lifebook U1010. The keyboard looks awfully tiny (also like the U1010), though that's only to be expected for most Netbooks. The Fujitsu Netbook will also come with an 8.9-inch display, Windows OS (XP most probably) and an Atom processor, according to various reports.
The rumored Netbook will be part of the Fujitsu Siemens' Amilo line. It is expected to retail for about 300 to 400 euros (US$477 to US$636), though no launch dates were given. We are still awaiting Fujitsu Singapore's response to this report. More details to follow.
Update: A Fujitsu Singapore representative told CNET Asia that the company does not have any Netbooks in its radar at press time and will not comment on rumors of upcoming notebooks. It seems that we'll just have to wait till more information is available before we'll know if the Fujitsu Siemens Netbook actually exists.
Via Lilliputing
Picture credit: Netbux.de
Newspaper of future or yesterday's headlines?
Mike Yamamoto | Jul 14, 2008
The concept from the Italian design house raised the possibility of a portable device that might come close to replicating the experience of reading an open-broadsheet newspaper. European newspapers have already been experimenting with single-page e-readers that get hourly updates from wireless connections.
Now V12 is reportedly planning to go forward with a real product, complete with a multitouch screen and built-in microphone for voice navigation, but it isn't expected to be ready for 16 months. That's an eternity, especially considering that other dual-screen prototypes are on the horizon, not to mention the recent proliferation of single-page e-book readers on the market.
What's worse is that V12 apparently developed the concept four years ago, according to Gizmodo. Unfortunately, it seems that the company has adopted the pace of the old media it's trying to bring into the digital world.
Via CNET Crave
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