Toshiba Satellite L515
(Credit: Toshiba)The Satellite L series, Toshiba's student-targeted budget line of laptops, comes in three flavors, all with 16x9 TruBrite LED-backlit displays and a large variety of configurations (AMD Turion, Intel Pentium or Core 2 Duo processors, optional ATI Radeon 3100 graphics, hard drives starting at 250 GB, RAM from 1 to 4 GB).
The Satellite L500/505 (starting at $549.99) - comes with a 15.1-inch screen
The Satellite L510/515 (starting at $649.99) - has a 13.4-inch screen, but a thinner chassis
The Satellite L550/555 (starting at $649.99) - 16.4-inch screen
Other features include:
- 720p screen resolution
- Fusion finish with Breeze pattern in a graphite color (for those who can comprehend stylespeak)
- PC Health monitor and power-saving Eco utitlites
- Numeric keypads for 15.6-inch models and larger
- Recyclable packaging and mercury-free LED displays
OK, now for the other four lines. The Satellite M, U, A and P series all got updates too. Deep breath, and...
While the L series is the pure budget line, consider the M, U, A and P lines to be the more stylish Satellites. The Satellite U500/505 (starting at $849.99) and M500/505 (starting at $699.99) headline the lighter, more mobile Satellite class of '09, while the Satellite A500/505 (starting at $749.99) and P500/505 (starting at $799.99) add harmon/kardon speakers, LED-backlit media touch-keys, slot-loading DVD drives, and edge-to-edge glass displays in 16 and 18.4 inches.
It can all get a little numbing, especially when each line can be customized to order. We've got our eyes on the A and P line as the prettiest of the Q3 Satellite bumper crop, at least in terms of design. More when we get our hands on them ourselves.
All are currently available in the U.S.
(Credit:
Cellwatch)
Well, that was a disappointment. Last year we were intrigued by concept photos of a next-generation watch phone from SMS Technology that looked like an iPhone strapped to a wrist. But now the "Cellwatch M500" is scheduled to launch in March, and it looks pretty much like so many other other watch phones that seem to come out every other month.
The Australian-made M500, however, may be one of the few models that doesn't come from a generic Chinese company, which will undoubtedly give it more credibility among potential consumers. At the same time, its price--about $900--is several times higher.
Even more curious, it remains unclear which market the M500 is aimed for. At the top of its gallery page, for example, was a photo of two adolescent boys wearing the watch--which, in our book, doesn't exactly represent the most lucrative market for a fully loaded gadget that costs almost a grand.
(Credit:
SMS Technology)
If anything can be said of the people at SMS Technology, it's that they don't waste any time. Only two months after the appearance of their "world's smallest phone"--a Dick Tracy-style watch communicator--the Australian company has already filed for a next-generation version that some say looks like an iPhone for the wrist.
Gadgetell reports that plans for the "M500," as it's called, have been filed with the FCC and that it includes "all your basic phone functions plus SMS texting, audio, video and Bluetooth." It also alsos feature a 1.5-inch color OLED touchscreen with a built-in stylus.
Judging by the photos, though, this won't the most petite device in the world. Although the product literature claims it barely weighs 2 ounces, it looks more like a slightly smaller version of the iPhone strapped to a wristband than our idea of a watch-phone. We do, however, know of at least one group who will be thrilled by the news: the writers for SNL.
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