News Blog

Sorry little guy, but your days are numbered.

(Credit: Wal-Mart Stores)

Editors' note: Since the publication of this story, a battery-powered DTV converter box has been released, the Winegard RCDT09A. While we'd still hold off on buying a new portable TV this year--it's better to wait for portable TVs with new digital tuners--older analog portable TVs can be used with the RCDT09A if they have a composite or RF input. For more information, read our full review of the Winegard RCDT09A.

Portable TVs can be great for camping or in case of emergency, but you're probably going to be getting ripped off if you buy one in 2008. That's because almost all portable TVs use standard analog TV signals, and those signals are going to get turned off on February 17, 2009. And even though these TVs are just about obsolete, you can still buy them at places like Target, Wal-mart Stores, and Amazon. Some of the pages have warnings about the impending DTV transition, but some of them don't.

While it is possible that someone will come out with a battery-powered DTV converter--which could work with a portable TV that has inputs--we wouldn't hold our breath. The FCC's DTV FAQ page already explicitly says, "it is not anticipated that battery powered digital-to-analog converter boxes will be produced," ... Read more

(Credit: DTV2009.gov)

The DTV transition is less than a year away and as of January 1, 2008, Americans have been eligible to sign up for a $40 coupon to help purchase DTV converter boxes needed to receive new digital TV signals. While your instincts may tell you to sign up as quickly as possible, there's a strong argument to be made to hold off for a little while. Here's why:

1. The coupon expires in three months
If you carefully read you the FAQ on the government's Web site, the program clearly states that the $40 coupons expire three months after they're shipped. That's unfortunate because we're guessing many people don't think much of it, and are just trying to sign up before they forget. Now you're forced into getting whatever DTV boxes that are currently on the market, even though...

2. Better, cheaper boxes are coming
... Read more

Tablet computing is a very small pond, and it's now home to a very big fish: Dell.

The Round Rock, Texas-based PC maker on Tuesday is introducing the Latitude XT Tablet PC, its first product in the category.

Though it's just one notebook, Dell's entry is sure to cause a stir. It's a modest niche of computing that hasn't really gotten off the ground yet. And the interest of the second-largest PC maker in the world can't help but have an impact on the market.

"It puts the product in limelight," said Richard Shim, PC industry analyst with IDC. "It has potential to bring down pricing on key components that are being priced at a premium."

The Latitude XT at work.

(Credit: Erica Ogg/CNET News.com)

Currently tablet PCs comprise just 2.4 percent of the worldwide notebook market, according to IDC. That's about 2.5 million units shipped total. But as Dell joins other high-profile tablet makers like Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, Gateway, and others, the category is expected to grow to 12.3 million units and 6.3 percent of the notebook market by 2011, IDC said. And as volumes go up, prices are sure to go down.

That Dell would delve into tablets was one of the worst-kept secrets in the PC industry over the last year. The company confirmed the rumors in May and then briefly showed the product during Michael Dell's keynote speech at Oracle Open World in November.

The Latitude XT is aimed chiefly at commercial markets, and Dell says it initially tried to address several of the key complaints expressed by typical tablet users: that they're too bulky, the screen isn't viewable in direct sun, poor handwriting recognition, and inadequate battery life.

Although tablets in general are not marketed toward consumers right now, Dell's entrance could bring component prices down enough to make building and buying tablets affordable for, say, students one day, noted Shim. "Lately we've been seeing manufacturers start to look at the consumer market as an audience for this type of tablet," he said. Particularly because the profit margins are much higher for consumer devices.

For now, the price is not what you would call friendly to the mainstream notebook buyer. At the starting price of $2,499, the Latitude XT has a 12.1-inch LED-backlit screen, a 1.06-gigahertz Intel Core 2 Solo processor, 1GB of memory, and a 40GB hard drive. It comes with Windows Vista Business edition or XP Tablet Edition. The whole device weighs 3.57 pounds, and has about 5 hours of battery life. It uses capacitive touch input, which recognizes both fingers and an included pen for inputting data. The pen also comes with a right-click button.

The Latitude XT at rest.

(Credit: Dell)

To target outdoor, all-day commercial users, the Latitude XT comes with upgrade options of an extra bright outdoor-viewable LCD display (which adds to the thickness of the notebook), an extended battery, which clips on the bottom of the device, as well as the option of an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a 32 or 64 GB solid-state drive.

Dell calls its capacitive touch technology, which picks up on the electrical current in a person's hand, the "breakthrough" in the device. It also recognizes the difference between the touch of an errant palm or a purposeful press of a fingertip on the screen.

Touchscreen interfaces are a technology area with huge potential, and mainstream interest in multitouch technology skyrocketed this year with Apple's iPhone and Microsoft's demonstrations of its Surface PC technology. Dell has its cooking up its own multitouch technology, which it showed at Oracle Open World, in which all five fingers can be picked up by screen sensors. That won't be available until at least next year, said Glenn Keels, director of Dell's commercial product group.

The biggest delay is the availability of software applications that take advantage of touchscreen technologies. And it's not just Dell, but all makers of tablets. "The (manufacturers) making progress are the ones getting closer to customers, like Motion Computing," Shim said. Dell, HP, Toshiba, and Gateway "have to come up with applications that are a little more mainstream or mass market. The hard part is they're not used to thinking that way, in terms of applications, as (tablet computing) is less and less about speeds and feeds, and more about the experience."

Dell says it will begin to take orders and ship the Latitude XT by the end of the year.

Though beaten to the punch by the FCC, Dell introduced the world to its forthcoming all-in-one PC at Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco Wednesday.

Well, it wasn't a formal introduction as much as an all-too-brief glimpse of the XPS One A2010, which resembles a wide-screen TV with separate keyboard. Chief Executive Michael Dell drew the crowd's attention to the all-in-one during his keynote when he asked Chief Technology Officer Kevin Kettler, who joined him on stage, what "that" device was. Playing along, Kettler "guessed" that it looked like a TV, since it had a remote and was playing a Blu-ray disc.

The Dell XPS One leaked on the FCC site last month.

(Credit: Dell)

"It looks like an all-in-one machine. But I probably shouldn't say anymore about that," Kettler concluded, tongue firmly in cheek. He did mention that it will be announced "next week."

Though an enterprise software conference might seem an odd place to introduce a firmly consumer-oriented product, Dell certainly wasn't the only one to deviate from standard OOW content. And it didn't stop with the XPS One. While on stage, Dell took the opportunity to demonstrate its forthcoming convertible tablet PC, the Latitude XT (click here for video), which Kettler said is on track to ship in the next few months. And for good measure, Kettler briefly noted how the XPS M1330 laptop he was holding would be a great holiday gift for the whole family.

It wasn't all a consumer hardware commercial, however. Dell also talked up on-demand desktop streaming as an alternative to thin-client computing. On-demand streaming features a desktop client with its own CPU and graphics processor. Saying it had comparable security and costs to thin clients, and the performance of traditional clients, Dell said desktop streaming would allow IT departments to push software updates instantly to all stations and allow for better video playback.

And it wouldn't be a Dell keynote for the company's green initiative. Dell again challenged the industry to join his efforts in the greening of the IT industry. Citing a Gartner report predicting widespread data center brownouts several years from now, Dell called it "absolutely unacceptable."

Without revealing many details, he said that Dell will soon roll out a program called Greenprint, which allows companies to check their power efficiency and then enable them to find ways to make themselves even more "green."

He ended on the note challenging other companies to "consider the impact green technologies can have on (return on investment) and on our planet."

Plus Deck 2c

(Credit: BTO: Beyond the ordinary)

All those mix tapes your friends made you, all the wistful nostalgia of Iron Maiden and proto-emo early Smiths can be at your fingertips again with the magic of tape-to-MP3 technology. And today, we found you a converter on sale at almost a 30 percent reduction in price.

Keeping in mind that sales tax varies from state to state, this is a pretty good deal--a little more than a hundred smackers to save you the time and hassle of finding all your old Hüsker Dü and Wham! favorites on CD. Be sure to check the seller's site for hardware and system requirements before buying.

If you want the high-end, higher-price big sister of this machine, with more features and updated design, check out Crave's review of the Plus Deck EX.

What: Plusdeck2c tape-to-MP3 cassette deck
How much: $108
Shipping: $8, varies
Where: X-treme Geek
When: Through unknown date

2008 smart fortwo

(Credit: smart USA)

Pricing is out for the new, admittedly odd-looking smart fortwo. The compact vehicle, manufactured by Mercedes, features a 1-liter, 3-cylinder engine that puts out a maximum of 71 horsepower. Cars are expected to ship the first quarter of 2008.

The base model starts at $11,590 and includes a 5-speed transmission that switches from automatic to manual mode with the touch of a button. The "passion coupe," which includes features found in more expensive luxury cars like a panorama roof, alloy wheels, paddle shifters and heated side mirrors, starts at $13,590. The convertible will be $16,590 and up, with an optional premium sound system that includes an in-dash MP3 compatible 6-CD changer. Smart claims its cabriolet will be the lowest priced convertible offered in the U.S.

Smart is hinging much of its sales on fuel efficiency numbers. The fortwos can achieve more than 40 miles per gallon under normal driving conditions.

Smart executives earlier this year hinted at plans to open several smart car dealerships across the country; many will be attached to Mercedes-Benz dealerships, much the way Mini Coopers are sold at dealerships alongside BMWs. The smart dealer network will be officially announced this fall. Smart cars are currently sold in 36 countries, and more than 800,000 smart fortwos have been sold since 1998.

Fujitsu U810 mini-notebook

(Credit: Fujitsu)

You'd be forgiven for classifying Fujitsu's U810 notebook as a slightly clunky ultramobile PC.

After all, it weighs a pound and a half, has the Intel A110 processor used in Samsung's UMPC, and allows for fairly easy and accurate thumb typing. But you'd be wrong. Fujitsu prefers to call it a mini-notebook, mostly because it's essentially a scaled-down version of its other convertible notebooks.

It opens like a notebook, but has a rotating screen, which can be swiveled and locked down like Fujitsu's other Lifebook products. The U810 has a lot of features--biometric security, Webcam, keyboard light, stylus and a touch-screen interface, and some decently sized keys for such a small keyboard. It's equipped with slots for SD cards, compact flash, USB, and has a port for an included Ethernet dongle and can connect to a docking station. It's 802.11 a/b/g and Bluetooth capable, with Wireless WAN (wide-area network) coming in February, courtesy of AT&T.

Fujitsu T2010

(Credit: Fujitsu)

There's also not a lot of choice here. The tiny notebook will only be available in black, and will come with a standard 5.5-hour battery, 40GB hard drive and 1GB of memory. Buyers will have a choice of Windows Vista Home Premium, Vista Business or XP Tablet PC. The U810 starts at $999 and ships September 18.

Fujitsu has also updated its T series line of convertible notebooks. The T2010 is 3.5 pounds with a 12-inch, LED-backlit wide screen. It's designed specifically for tablet use, so the 9-hour battery stays in the front, but the latch is moved nearer to the notebook's swivel hinge.

Fujitsu has scrapped the optical drive so it weighs less. It includes an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, has PC and smart card slots, is Bluetooth-ready, and also will have Wireless WAN in February. The T2010 is slightly more customizable than the U810. Buyers can choose between a wireless chipset from Intel (802.11 a/b/g/n) or Atheros (802.11 a/b/g), and Vista or XP Tablet PC.

The T2010 goes on sale Tuesday, starting at $1,599.

Dell confirmed Friday that it will sell a tablet PC before the end of year.

Jeff Clarke, senior vice president and general manager of Dell's business product group, made the announcement in a short video posted to the company's Direct2Dell blog.

"I'm here to end much speculation in the industry about our plans in the tablet marketplace," says a casually attired Clarke, while holding the tablet. The device will be a Latitude tablet PC designed specifically for the education, health care and corporate markets, he said.

On the video, Clarke gives a brief demo and offers a few details. It will be one of the lightest tablets on the market and will have a pen and touch-screen interface. He demonstrates how it will open like a notebook, and will have a screen that twists and shuts to become a tablet.

Intel and Motion Computing recently announced a slate-style tablet PC specifically for the health care field. It will be priced at just over $2,000.