ie8 fix

Laptops

Swarovski laptop is no diamond, just rough

Remember when practically every computer maker's product line sported such stunning colors as putty or battleship gray? What morons. Until Apple came along with the iMac, you'd think that they all lived in the monochromatic half of Pleasantville.

All that has changed, of course, but one name had been noticeably absent from the peacocking of the PC landscape: Swarovski. That's right, as in the crystals. In case you hadn't noticed, Swarovski has been making its way into all manner of hardware, ranging from Paris Hilton's cell phone to wireless mice and refrigerators.

Apparently Swarovski has … Read more

Repeat: Daddy's DVD player is not a toy

A lot of portable DVD players look like they were made for kids--probably because they were. With DVD drives standard in so many laptops these days, adults have fewer reasons than ever to lug around a separate player.

But for those special occasions when you actually want to leave your computer at home (gasp) and don't plan on watching Spongebob or Dora, this player from Amadana may be just the ticket. It reminds us of a gutted and renovated San Francisco Victorian: Inside its beautiful bamboo exterior all the modern amenities you need. It has a 10-inch LCD, flat-touch … Read more

A Webcam goes on sale, incognito

The most noticeable feature about this item is that, by looking at it, you can't tell what it is. When we first saw a photo of Microsoft's LifeCam NX-6000, we thought it was a USB drive. (On second thought, it's not gold or bejeweled, so it's obviously our mistake.) Then when we found out it was a camera, we thought it was one of those 007-vintage spy gadgets we always wanted as a kid.

But it's a Webcam, and one made for a notebook at that, so it doesn't look anything like its more … Read more

The price of an energy sleuth

I was psyched when a reader said this little box can show in dollars and kilowatt-hours just how much every last lightbulb, TV, and forgotten camera charger in your house costs you. The Energy Detective, or TED, will flash an alarm when your hourly or monthly power consumption reaches painfully expensive levels, and when spells of high or low voltage might damage connected gear.

At $150, TED costs the same as the Kill-a-Watt and its ilk, which can measure only one gadget's power hunger at a time. You could recoup that cost in a tax refund and then some, … Read more

A USB with oomph

While slightly larger than the usual USBs, Chip Chick points out, the Pexagon Store-It portable USB 2.0 hard drives pack in a lot.

The 1.8-inch Store-It comes in a 60GB version for $199, or 20GB for $139, and the 2.5-inch Store-It comes in up to 120GB for $179. They all include an EZ-Touch One Button that instantly backs-up your stuff. The idea is that in age where more and more applications are tied to the Web, you no longer need to carry them with you.

Instead of carrying personal laptops for trips, you can take the more … Read more

A laptop to match your Lamborghini

Looking for that perfect accessory to go with your new Versace Lamborghini? You're in luck, Sparky: ASUS, maker of the rumored Prada laptop, is rolling out a new Lamborghini notebook in head-turning bright yellow with black interior and suede-trimmed black case. I4U News says the machine has some go as well as show, with a 2GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive to go with its 15.4-inch LCD screen.

Is that enough to justify a $2,800 sticker price? Remember, it is a Lamborghini. But be warned: If your neighbor pulls up … Read more

Will the laptop wear Prada?

Fancy that--another pink product. It must be one of only, say, 500 released in the last week or so. To be fair, though, there are a few things about this one that do set it apart.

One, it's a computer. Not too many pink ones of those around. Narrowing its field even further, it's reported to be partnering with Prada. So there.

The ASUS S6F will be on the Singapore market in December. But even if you're planning a trip to the island nation, don't expect to just drop by and pick one up: Only 50 … Read more

Dell lists AMD notebook on site

Dell is getting ready to hit the Advanced Micro Devices trifecta with a new notebook bearing AMD's Turion 64 X2 processors. An ordering page, spotted by the ever-cheeky Inquirer, lists three Dell AMD notebooks for sale.

Three different configurations of a 15.4-inch widescreen Inspiron 1501 notebook were listed on Dell's site. Two of the notebooks use a Turion processor that doesn't appear on AMD's pricing page at the moment, the single-core MK-36 processor. You can upgrade to faster dual-core versions for either $50 or $100, depending on the size of your wallet. The base price … Read more

Sony laptop breaks the 2-pound barrier

Sony has always been obsessed about its weight, going back to the days of its tiniest transistor radios, and that self-consciousness persisted as it got into the computer business. And in its crowning anorexic achievement to date, the company just announced the first laptop of its kind to break the 2-pound barrier.

Sony has dropped poundage with full-featured notebooks in the past, most notably with its 505 series, but those first machines had only 10-inch screens and smaller keyboards that were often difficult to use. The new Vaio G series, however, sports a 12.1-inch LCD while dropping about a … Read more

A fabric keyboard? Sure, why not

The idea of a fabric keyboard sounded kind of nutty to us until we saw the photos of this one on Engadget. jkOnTheRun reports that Glen Evans of PocketPC Solutions has tried out this working model from Eleksen, which doubles as protective case, and found it "very usable on a daily basis"--despite its decidedly weird look. It's not that we have anything against this concept, but what's with that electric lime color?

(Photo: jkOnTheRun)