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Midnight madness planned for Vista

Dan Ackerman asked, "What happens the day after Vista's launch?" earlier this month, but what happens the night of Vista's launch? If you must have Microsoft's forthcoming OS the second it becomes available (a week from tomorrow, January 30), you have a few midnight-hour options. CompUSA will open its 230 stores next Monday shortly before the clock strikes 12, while Best Buy will do the same thing at about 15 of its stores. Both retailers will have Vista-equipped desktops and laptops priced to move, along with helpful staff on hand to assist you in choosing … Read more

Your very own Vista signed by Bill G.

In technology industry's continuing obsession with special collectors' editions, even Microsoft isn't immune. The "Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate Limited Numbered Signature Edition" (catching breath) bears the signature of Bill Gates himself, though Engadget rightly speculates that we shouldn't expect a real autograph for the $259 price. How much would a Gates autograph fetch on eBay anyway?

AMD has big plans for small computers

At CES 2007, AMD announced a plan to standardize the motherboard, chassis and basic components for those popular "small-form-factor" PCs. The goal of its new DTX standard is to help component and system makers focus on common layouts for motherboard inputs, mounting holes and other design elements to encourage more companies to carry Shuttle-style and even smaller PCs. Motherboard manufacturers Asus and MSI have already committed to producing DTX hardware, and AMD expects to send a reference design to system builders some time this quarter.

If you recall Intel's BTX initiative, you'll remember that it was … Read more

Zune-inspired WinBooks on the way

Putting Ohio State's poor showing last night in the BCS Championship game behind them, Ohio-based Micro Center had a few Vista desktop and laptop prototypes on display at CES. The big news on its PowerSpec desktop line is the addition of a Lian Li chassis for its high-end gaming PCs. The Lian Li chassis is an all-aluminum, tool-free unit that will be used on two highest-end models, the G450 and the G430. Lian Li makes some of the best PC enclosures around, and it should help the PowerSpec name garner some respect among gamers.

Likewise, Micro Center's WinBook … Read more

HP MediaSmart TV marketeer nimble on his flacking toes

I met with HP this morning to hear how its new MediaSmart TVs work with your Media Center PC ecosystem. (Takeaway: the TVs will play your PC-stored digital media, but you have to use Windows Media Player 11, and FairPlay-protected media from the iTunes Store won't work. Also, the built-in 802.11n wireless networking is a much-needed high-bandwidth touch.) The highlight of the meeting, though, was when a member of HP's PR team stepped in to hand the PR manager giving the presentation a write-up of the just-announced Apple TV device.

In a heretofore-unseen display of marketing agility, … Read more

Gateway goes Vista, hones its desktops' already sharp looks

Gateway is holding back most of the details on its new, Vistafied eMachines and Gateway DX430 desktops, but we did get to take a look at two engineering samples today. Highlights include tweaks to both brands' already strong visual appeal, as well as removable faceplates on the bottom half of each desktop, which could open the door for some customizable image options in the future.

You can expect that Gateway will continue to offer AMD and Intel dual-core chips in both systems, as well as Celeron on the lower-end eMachines. Gateway has also added a USB 2.0 media card … Read more

Dell overclocks, flexes its volume muscle

The Dell XPS 710 H2C, to be officially announced at CES tomorrow, isn't fundamentally that different from the old, vanilla XPS 710, but two important factors make it stand out. Thanks in part to an internally developed, hybrid liquid-cooling rig, the XPS 710 H2C will be the first desktop ever from Dell to ship with a factory-overclocked, fully warrantied CPU. The Intel Core 2 Extreme QX6700's stock 2.6GHz will ship to customers at 3.2GHz.

The XPS 710 H2C is also notable for its price. At $5,200 for the core configuration, it's roughly $1,500 … Read more

Velocity Micro revamps its home theater PC

We know that Velocity Micro has been cooking up this CineMagix Grand Theater long before CES. We remember speaking to one of its product managers about his very vague home theater PC plans many months ago over the course of a previous review. The result is not dissimilar to the Sony VAIO XLR3 Digital Living System, which also made its debut at CES, except that Velocity Micro's system will start about $1,000 cheaper.

Core specs will include a fast Intel Core 2 Duo 6700 processor; aggressive, sound-sensitive cooling; and standard-def or Blu-ray optical at launch. The date is … Read more