boring

Is it OK to have a boring laptop?

Here's a question for you: Are laptops becoming the ultimate commodity products? And, as such, does sexiness simply not matter anymore?

I say this because of the overwhelming response I got to a piece I wrote on why the 13-inch MacBook Pro needs to go away. I argued in favor of the Air's sleek design and equivalent everyday performance; many readers argued fiercely that the 13-inch Pro has features and functionality--more hard-drive capacity and more robust RAM, not to mention an Ethernet jack--that still make it a strong favorite.

I also say this because, at CES 2012, sexed-up laptops--aka "ultrabooks"--were the Theme of the Day. Everyone seems quick to come up with a New, Cool Laptop.

I've been encouraging forward-thinking laptop design, and yet I understand that laptops, in an age of ever-smaller, ever-cooler smart devices, just might for many be destined for a role as a reliable commodity device. Yes, I've been bored by laptops...and yet, maybe boring laptops are just what many people need. … Read more

DOE gives $8.5 million to grid infrastructure projects

While not a very sexy topic in realm of politics or green tech news, electrical grid infrastructure is a critical, maybe the critical, component that could make or break a successful U.S. switch to using more renewable energy sources.

Perhaps that's why the Department of Energy announced Tuesday it's giving $8.5 million to four electric grid projects in the final stages of completion.

As part of the Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems (SEGIS) program, from which the money comes, the DOE funds will be matched by private funds from contractors for four chosen projects.

Including the … Read more

Photos: On-site CES advertising turns somber

Literal signs of the times, CES 2009's on-site banners and advertisements look distinctly more staid than in years past. Perhaps out of respect for the national mood, out of cutbacks in ad agency budgets, or maybe even because fewer exhibitors are buying ads at all, this year's creative focuses on practical and simple messages.

Want to make your own interpretation of the state of ads at CES? See for yourself in our slide show:

LG's latest slider looks like a snore

Does LG ever take a break? We could practically devote this entire blog to tracking its latest mobile phones alone.

Like the much-hyped Chocolate, its newest model is another slider handset, but we're not sure what this one has to offer over its popular cousins. Akihabara News calls the SB190 a "small phone," but its photos indicate a thicker handset with such fairly standard features as a 1.3-megapixel camera and an MP3 player.

Maybe it's designed for a particular submarket of South Korea, where SK Telecom is introducing it. Or maybe LG just had some … Read more

Monochromatic speakers try to blend

Note to Intempo: There's a concept known as too much of a good thing. That idea is apparently a foreign one to the company, which just began shipping its new monochromatic "I-Series" speakers apparently to match the iPod Nano's color spectrum, though it will work with other MP3 players.

This reminds us of the matching shirt-tie combos that were popular in the '60s and made a comeback in the '90s (as did everything else). You can mix and match, but that would kind of defeat the purpose. Once again, originality eludes designers in consumer technology.