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Dell's two new thin laptops: Inspiron 14z and 15z

Dell's ubiquitous Inspiron line of laptops is getting a few new additions today, with the announcement of the Inspiron 14z and 15z. According to Dell, the "Z" designation for these new systems indicates, "thinner, lighter bodies, and long-lasting power-sipping batteries."

They also both feature 16:9 1,366x768 widescreen displays, and Intel's Core 2 Solo processors -- which offer much of the battery saving advantages found in low-power chips such as Intel's Atom, but with better performance more suited for a mainstream system.

Specs, according to Dell, include:

Both 14-inch (14z) and 15.… Read more

More Casio cameras for less money

Casio's going full force after consumers shopping for digital cameras in the $100-$200 price range. First, the company announces the Exilim EX-Z450 and EX-Z90, $199.99 and $149.99, respectively. And then Monday, it announces the $179.99 EX-Z280 and $119.99 EX-Z33.

The Z280 (pictured right) is a 12-megapixel ultracompact with an f2.6-5.9 26-104mm-equivalent wide-angle lens with a 4x zoom, sensor-shift image stabilization, 2.7-inch LCD, and Casio's newest image processing engine featuring a dual-processor design for lower power consumption and better photo results. It also gives you 720p HD-quality video capture and the … Read more

Time to drop the Netbook label

Can we all agree on something? There's no longer a difference between a Netbook and a notebook. Thanks to Netbooks' move to more features and larger-size screens, the distinction between the two can now be considered little more than marketing speak.

We recently wrote about the fall's coming battle between Netbooks--a category now 2 years old--and thin and light notebooks with consumer ultra-low voltage (CULV) processors. In theory, the value of a Netbook--with its small keyboard, small screen, and lack of an optical drive--vs. an ultralight laptop with a long battery life and a full-size keyboard for roughly the same price was very low.

But now that we're actually seeing how PC makers are packaging and selling CULV notebooks (take Dell's recent introduction of its Inspiron 11z notebook) it's obvious: Netbooks are nothing more than smaller, cheaper notebooks.

The distinction made some sense early on. The first Netbooks were very small, around 7 or 8 inches, and were used for little more than getting online. They were marketed by smaller brands such as Asus and MSI as super portable, inexpensive notebooks that ran Linux, cutting out much of the cost tacked on with a Windows license. But they didn't really take off until Microsoft began offering Windows XP specifically for Netbooks, long after it was no longer available on new laptops and desktops.

The big PC makers, understandably, wanted a piece of the action too, but not at the expense of cannibalizing their budget-conscious traditional notebook lines. So Netbooks were sold as a "companion device." As in, if you keep some of your data "in the cloud" as with e-mail on Yahoo or Gmail or pictures on Facebook or Picasa, and you stream music on a service like Pandora or Last.fm, you can use your regular notebook at home and use something smaller on the road that still affords access to a lot of your stuff.… Read more

Dell gets thin: Inspiron 11z debuts for only $399

While much was made of Dell killing off its Mini 12 Netbook recently, one question raised was: what might fill that 11-to-12-inch void in the future? That question is answered, in part, with today's announcement of the Dell Inspiron 11z, an 11.6-inch thin-and-light weighing only 3 pounds. How thin? At its thickest point: 1.02 inches, according to Dell's specs. This is Dell's first real entry into thin-and-light, a category that's been gaining momentum recently (the Acer Aspire Timeline 3810T, MSI X340, and Lenovo IdeaPad U350 to name a few).

Inside, there's no Atom processor, but instead a single-core 1.2 GHz Intel ULV Celeron 723. Equipped with a three-cell battery, Dell promises long battery life in a chassis that's "24 percent smaller than 14-inch laptops" (but this is an 11.6-inch laptop, so how is that fair?). Unfortunately, that "long battery life" equates to 3 hours in the press release, but we'll remain optimistic. The keyboard is 92 percent standard-size, close to a regular laptop experience (although sometimes we've found that small differences in ergonomics can be disorienting). Like a Netbook and most thin-and-lights, the 11z has no optical drive.

One of the best features is the price: Dell's Web site lists the Inspiron 11z as $399, the same cost as a Netbook.

So, you might ask, why get this over a Netbook? For one, it runs Windows Vista SP1 Home Premium--while Windows 7 is just around the corner, this OS qualifies for a free upgrade. And the 11z also breaks through the XP Netbook barrier of RAM/hard drive space, with 2GB and 250GB respectively. Other notable features include HDMI-out and a 1.3-megapixel Webcam. The Inspiron 11z comes in Obsidian black with silver tones.

Full specs below, as well as more product shots after the break.… Read more

Casio's Intelligent AF goes beyond face detection

If you've got a point-and-shoot with face detection, you may have noticed that the feature's handy if you're shooting faces, but if left on when shooting other subjects the autofocus system is less than accurate. Casio's apparently fixed this with a new Intelligent AF found in its 12-megapixel Exilim EX-Z450 and EX-Z90 ultracompact cameras announced Tuesday.

The AF will detect faces, as well as "non-human photo subjects," so that an animal, flower, or alien invader will be in focus and properly exposed.

Also tweaked in these models is Casio's Dynamic Photo feature, which … Read more

Dell's "Z" series combines budget Inspiron line with Intel CULV CPUs, according to online chatter

We popped by to see our pals at Dell earlier and get a behind-closed-doors sneak peek at some interesting upcoming holiday systems. Coincidentally, the folks over at Gizmodo say they've stumbled across some new upcoming Dell products for the holiday season, and have posted some pics and details about the Inspiron Z series of laptops, of which they say: "It's the "thin and light" take on Dell's budget Inspiron line using Intel ULV chips."

The Gizmodo post specifically mentions a system called the 11z, which is described as looking, "more like a … Read more

130: Obama boosts the Guzzler's program, and we burn a bunch of gas in a Z4

Obama extends the Guzzler's program--how long will it last? Nissan prepares to get its first EV to market ahead of schedule. California makes new rules about car insurance company snooping. And we take a ride in the stunning BMW Z4.

Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | RSS (audio) SHOW NOTES

• CNET's BMW Z4 review

• CNET's Kia Soul Exclaim review

• Nissan Leaf electric car coming to market soon

• Take a look at a Smart car with three seats

• Replace your GM head unit but keep the DIC

Nissan's Z takes on Porsche's finest

Folks are always talking about Nissan and Porsche's Nurburgring rivalry between their heavyweights: the GT-R and 911. But the automakers may have another rivalry on their hands a short way down their respective product lines.

When the Nissan 370Z first hit the streets late last year, many automotive journalists compared the smaller, lighter Z car's performance to the midengined Porsche Cayman S. One thing these cars do have in common is that they both live in the shadow of their more exotic siblings.

Check out this video from Best Motoring that pits the 370Z (also known as the … Read more