laptops

Solid state, solid price

Futurist types have been talking about SSD drives for years--solid state hard drives with no spinning platters or other moving parts to slow you down on the road to rapid computing. It's not totally crazy--after all, that's pretty much how your iPod Nano works--but for desktop and laptop computers, the high price and low capacity of these little drives have kept them from being more than an amusing proof-of-concept.

SanDisk has got a new Solid State Disk for all the naysayers out there, upping the capacity to a reasonable 32GB (still small for a hard drive, but not … Read more

LED laptops: Thinner, lighter, longer, better

From the Tech Report yesterday comes the news that Apple and HP will release laptops in Q2 that will feature new LCD screen technology. Instead of the regular fluorescent lamps that serve as backlights for your typical LCD screen, the new displays will use LEDs. The Tech Report's story mentions that the effect will be a brighter image with better contrast. What it doesn't mention is that LED-backlit displays will allow for thinner laptop designs and longer battery life.

Apple and HP may be readying their designs, but Sony is already selling such a laptop. The Sony VAIO VGN-TXN15P/W … Read more

USB Webcam key does double duty

As much as it pains us to admit it, some of us at Crave don't have the latest personal technologies in our personal possession. One such glaring omission, for example, is a laptop with a built-in Webcam.

As shameful as this is, we hope to still be able to partly make up for this shortcoming with something like the diminutive "Volvex," a USB stick with built-in camera from Sunyang DNT. Unfortunately, PClaunches says this little combo gadget will be available only in South Korea until further notice, starting at $59 for a model with 512MB storage. But … Read more

Dell offers Blu-ray with the XPS M1710

As more and more manufacturers get accustomed to working with Blu-ray technology, prices will eventually drop for the everyday consumer. Until then, prices will remain on the premium side. Dell became the second manufacturer, after Sony, to offer a Blu-ray optical drive option in a laptop by now offering it with their XPS M1710 system. This model is available in red or black and is sure to be popular with users.

If your MacBook is into leather

As part of our charitable holiday wishes, we've asked that people not neglect the MacBooks in the family while their iPod siblings get all the attention. The response, we're happy to say, has been admirable.

If you're looking for one more accessory to stuff in your laptop's stocking, the ever-fashionable Chip Chick has just the item: a "form-fitting leather wrap." The line of "Signature Suits" from Case-Mate come in various designs of black, white and red with contrasting accents.

The case covers are a bit on the high side at $149, but … Read more

Toughbooks get tougher to resist with mobile broadband

These days, if you're not rocking some mobile broadband on your laptop, you might as well not even leave the house. The latest notebooks to jump on the EV-DO Rev. A bandwagon (for those speedy 800KBps downloads) are the Panasonic Toughbook W5 and the T5, originally released in September. The provider of choice in this case is Sprint.

Our enthusiasm is only somewhat dampened by the fact that those two models are what Panasonic calls "business-rugged." That means these laptops have a magnesium-alloy case designed to withstand a 1-foot drop, and shock-mounted hard drives rated for a … Read more

New laptop accessory: The nonexploding battery!

There's plenty of blame to be passed around for 2006's spate of exploding laptop-battery incidents and the accompanying mass battery recalls. After all, anytime major PC vendors have to recall more than 10 million batteries, it might be time to rethink your portable power strategy.

Rather than play the old blame game, Matsushita--parent company of the Panasonic brand, among others--has decided to get out in front of the problem and start mass-producing a newer, safer form of lithium-ion battery. The company has been putting out a few batteries with a new heat-resistance layer since April, but is now … Read more

A very portable holiday season

If there's anything I hate more than the mole people who are, even now, planning our destruction, it's laptops of shoulder-breaking proportions. That's why I've decided to ask Santa (Hi Mom!) for something in the ultraportable range. The Sony VAIO VGN-TXN15P/W is the king of the ultraportable laptops, with a bevy of features and an amazing battery life to boot. If, however, you're looking for something a bit more stylish, the Acer Ferrari 1004WTMi might be right up your alley. It's an excellent combination of speed and style that manages to avoid being … Read more

Superthin MacBook in the works?

Could this be the headliner at next month's MacWorld? Or perhaps share the stage with an iPhone or an iTV? The volume is increasing about the rumored return of a 12-inch Apple laptop, the likes of which have not been seen since the now-defunct 12-inch PowerBook. This time around, Apple's version of an ultraportable laptop, which Mac OS Rumors is calling the "MacBook Thin," reportedly will feature a 12-inch wide-screen display and similar specs as current MacBook Pro models, including Core 2 Duo processors, 667MHz DDR2 memory, 120GB (or bigger) hard drive, and ATI Radeon Mobility … Read more