Crave

Dying for a new desktop or laptop with a fresh, factory-installed copy of Windows 7 on it? We all know the official start date for the Win 7 era is October 22, but some small custom PC makers are claiming they'll start shipping systems with the new OS as early as October 13.

Puget Systems, a custom PC maker in Seattle, says the following on its Web site:

Customers who place orders for a full personal computer system, and who select Microsoft Windows 7 as their OS of choice, will be immediately placed in queue for shipment which will begin in earnest on October 13, 2009.

According to tech news site Ars Technica, Puget was told by Microsoft that "the earlier date only applies to system builders that buy the operating system through distribution channels," meaning small PC makers, and not the big OEMs like Dell and HP.

However, Puget and other custom PC makers may be a bit too optimistic. A Microsoft spokesperson explains, "October 12 is the date that Microsoft enables our Authorized Replicators to begin shipping Windows 7 to Microsoft OEM Authorized Distributors... So, while in theory a System Builder could get Windows 7 product pre-GA (general availability), based on supply chain analysis, the intended timing for customers to receive Windows 7 PCs from System Builders should be close to GA, on October 22nd."

That means the copy of Windows 7 on your system from a custom PC maker would leave the DVD replicating facility on October 12 and get shipped to a distributor, which would then send it to a company like Puget. After that, your system still has to get built, tested, and shipped. If one is very optimistic, this could get you hooked up a few days early, but realistically, this puts you in the same general October 22 ballpark as everyone else.

But if you're determined to be the first person on your block with a Windows 7 PC, all is not lost. While the official release date of October 22 is a Thursday, we've heard from several sources that certain big brick-and-mortar retail stores are going to start advertising Windows 7 systems in the weekend newspaper circulars that hit on Sunday, October 18.

The implication is, if you drop by a retail store that Sunday, there's a good chance they'll have Windows 7 versions of some laptops and desktops in the store already, and there's a good chance you'll be able to walk out with one.

Maybe we should have used "So bad, but so good" as our show motto instead of "High Tech, Low Brow!" Today's show is a good example of that, and we kick it off with Wilson's brief and spoiler-free review of Bruno. We also talk about the rise of the Twitterns, Apple breaking the Pre-iTunes lovefest, and Jeff meeting Tony Hawk!

Tony Hawk plays his new game, Ride.

(Credit: Jeff Bakalar/The 404)

Check it out! Jeff was invited to an Activision event last night to preview Tony Hawk's new game, but he was pretty surprised when Tony Hawk himself showed up to show him around! As you can see, the game comes with an actual "skateboard" controller to jump, ride, and pop up to do tricks within the game. Jeff tells us that the game is very realistic, but popping up the board feels more like a snowboard than skating. Check it out for yourself when it comes out on October 13 for $120.

In other news, The 404 has decided to hire a young Twittern to update our Twitter. Social media, whether it's in short or long form, is super time-consuming...anyone out there want to be our Twittern? We're only half-joking...

In more important news, Apple has finally broken up the love affair between iTunes and the Palm Pre: the smartphone no longer works with the popular desktop software. Jeff owns a Pre and figures that the only thing to do now is to refrain from upgrading to the latest software, lest some savvy developer use the latest SDK to somehow crack Apple's padlock.

Also, start getting amped for tomorrow's episode where I, Justin Yu, will debut yet another band in a segment we like to call...deep breath..."The 404 Semi-Weekly Audio Draft Sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.FM, a subsidiary of CBS Interactive and CNET News and Reviews." Jeez.

We've spent the last eight weeks testing and reviewing almost two dozen retail fixed-configuration laptops. Those are the specific models you'll find listed in Sunday newspaper sales circulars and boxed up and ready to go at big brick-and-mortar outlets.

The HP G60-235DX.

In the entry level category, which refers to laptops under $599, you're going to find systems that are functional, but not particularly exciting. Faster dual-core processors and bigger screens are the main reasons to trade up from a similarly priced Netbook. As long as you keep your expectations modest, an entry level laptop can be good for either cash-strapped students or those with modest computing needs.

The majority have AMD processors, but we found two with Intel Core Duo CPUs (the cheaper cousin of Intel's mainstream Core 2 Duo). Those two Intel laptops were faster than the competition, and of the pair, we preferred the HP G60-235DX for its 16:9 wide-screen display, separate number pad, and better-than-expected battery life.

The Gateway MD7818u.

Stepping up to the budget category, which includes laptops from $600 to $899, we found a wider range of features, screen sizes, and components. The majority of the systems in this category had Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs (the 2.0GHz T6400, to be exact), though there were a pair of AMD-powered laptops that lagged behind in our benchmark tests.

The Gateway MD7818u was our overall favorite in the category, thanks to its large 500GB hard drive, 16:9 wide-screen display, and generally upscale look and feel. Also notable was the Toshiba Satellite A305-S6916, which costs a little more and loses a bit of hard drive space, but adds a 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 graphics card, which is about as good as you're going to do for graphics in this price range.

The Gateway P-7805u FX.

Finally, we looked at a handful of mainstream laptops, running from $900-$1,200. Our overall favorite is the latest version of Gateway's FX-series 17-inch, the Gateway P-7805u FX. Gamers on a budget will love the 1GB Nvidia GeForce 9800 GPU, but the 17-inch display deserves a higher screen resolution (which the previous model had). A rare entry in the 15-inch gaming laptop category, we also liked the Asus G50VT, which packed in a 512MB version of the GeForce 9800.

While ordering a laptop direct from a PC maker such as Dell or HP gives one an opportunity to custom-build a machine from scratch, there's clearly a big demand out there for boxed-up, ready to go systems. If you're looking for that kind of instant-gratification retail therapy, there are some good deals out there--just make sure to check the component list carefully, making sure you're getting what you need, and are not paying for too many features you don't want.

Editor's Note: Yes, we love MacBooks just as much as you do (check out our review of the current 13-inch model here), but the retail versions are exactly the same as you'd get online, so we've saved some space for laptops that don't normally get any attention.

This time via a Chinese Web site (which is now timing out, perhaps due to heavy traffic), and reposted on MacRumors.com, Engadget, and others. Just what this photo purports to show seems a little unclear to us, but it may very well be the left side and keyboard tray (minus the actual keys) of a new MacBook Pro.

This does seem to fit in with recent rumors that the new MacBooks will be made from, if not one, then a very small number of aluminum sheets, bent into shape using a process referred to as the "brick." (Although whether that refers to the manufacturing process, the initial block of aluminum, or something else entirely, is not clear.)

As always, take all so-called spy shots with a large grain of salt.

Think wishful: concept dream designs of the mysterious Apple Brick have surfaced on blogs.

(Credit: Yves Behar/OLPC)

By now you've probably heard the rumors that Apple is having an event on October 14, where Steve Jobs will introduce new Apple laptops to the world. At this point, it's unclear whether the lines will be refreshed with new processors and configurations, or whether we'll see a more substantial redesign to the MacBook and MacBook Pro. Then there's the big secondary question of what's going on with the MacBook Air.

Read the full column here.

(Credit: BrickHouse Security)

Competition is fierce on the golf course even for amateur duffers, and some will go to practically any lengths to acquire the slightest advantage. And now there's a gadget that can give you a covert peek into your opponent's practice sessions if you can sneak it into his bag.

BrickHouse Security--the crazy outfit that's responsible for such gizmos as the "GPS Mail Logger"--has done it again with the "Micro Orb Spy Camera," a device that it says is the same size as a golf ball. This surveilling sphere records audio as well as video, so you can delight in all the expletives that will accompany every shank.

It records up to six hours of video at a time at 30 frames per second, but its battery lasts for only three hours at a time so plan accordingly. The incriminating evidence can be transferred with a 2GB microSD card. If you don't golf, BrickHouse offers some alternative uses--as a helmet mount, nanny-cam, and our personal favorite, a mannequin eyeball.

(Thanks for the tip, Bob)

An Evincii in-store search kiosk.

(Credit: Evincii)

OK, so Google dominates the market for online search and accompanying advertisements. But what about people trying to find what they need in a store, not online?

A start-up called Evincii, which announced its technology this week, hopes to capitalize on the idea. It offers in-store computer kiosks that can help customers figure out what products to buy and where in a crowded aisle to find them.

The kiosks present choices to the customer, gradually refining search results and displaying ads of relevant products. The kiosks are installed in 135 Longs Drugs stores with the plan to expand to 200 by the end of the year. Major national retailers "will sign up soon," the company said.

Chief Executive Charlie Koo gives the example of a customer who wants to grapple with the unpleasantness of finding cold medicine. "There are 800 different products out there," he said. Exactly 13 of them deal just with cough and a fever. "I guarantee you that when you get through this process, every one of those 13 are the right ones," he said.

The kiosk directs people toward a product's shelf location.

(Credit: Evincii)

Installing the kiosks is free to the stores. Evincii charges advertisers to show off their products--the kiosk screens can show videos as well as a full view of the box, including the fine print--and splits revenue with the retailers.

The company, newly emerged from stealth mode this week, was founded in 2005 and now has 21 employees. We'll see how well the business scales as the company spreads beyond the pharmacy area.

But it's an interesting idea. It's relatively easy to track how well ads tied to Web searches convert into sales leads or purchases for some big-ticket items sold over Web sites, but inexpensive consumer packaged goods are another matter. Who clicks on an online ad to buy beef jerky?

With consumer products, advertising techniques tend toward "impressions" from display ads that are designed to generate interest in a particular brand. It's hard to track the financial payback of impression-based advertisements, but retailers can more directly measure the value of their advertising with the Evincii approach.

Thought you could get rid of those incriminating text messages with a simple Delete? Not so fast, Tex. Gadget blogs are all abuzz over a little device that purports to enable users to recover and view deleted data stored on almost any cell phone SIM card.

(Credit: BrickHouse Security)

"Have you ever wished you can spy on your wife, husband, teens, or colleague's phone to see what they are up to? Are they being suspicious when on their cell phone?" asks New York-based BrickHouse Security, which also sells marijuana identification kits and all manner of spy cameras. It says it has the answer to your worst fears in the form of the $149 Cell Phone Sim Card Spy.

Simply place a SIM card into the tiny USB reader, and instantly save the data, including last numbers dialed and deleted SMS messages, to your PC. Sure, the device is also good for more benign applications like backing up cell phone contacts. But really, why use it for such boring pursuits when you can hack into your unsuspecting loved ones' secrets?

(Credit: Ideative)

OK, so a power strip might not seem very crushworthy, but how many of us have cursed conventional versions over not providing adequate space for a multitude of bricks? In fact, some of us at Crave are on the fire marshal's watchlist for maintaining masses of under-desk cords, adapters, and extensions.

Enter the "Socket Sense Surge Strip," which claims to be "the first and only surge strip with six fully adjustable sockets that expand and contract to fit any power adapter." It's not cheap--the strip retails for $40, according to Popgadget--but the manufacturer says it can "do the job of two ordinary surge strips." Even if it doesn't, it's still a lot cheaper than repairing damage from an electrical fire. We were going to inquire about a bulk discount, but that might just raise more red flags.