Crave presents the week's laptop news, in digest form.
Intel got mobile gamers talking with the announcement of the first Extreme Edition processor for laptops. The 2.6GHz Core 2 Extreme X7800 features 4MB of L2 cache and an 800MHz front-side bus, plus the overspeed protection has been removed. And you thought the era of flaming laptops was over...
Actually, flaming laptops never left the headlines, as evidenced by reports that Toshiba is recalling 5,100 more Sony laptop batteries due to fire risk. And Mac users need not be smug: the head writer for The Late Show with David Letterman posted video to YouTube showing his PowerBook adapter shooting off sparks and smoke.
When it came to product announcements, it was all about the little guys. Little laptops, that is. Sony made a splash by bringing the 11.1-inch VAIO TZ stateside. (The laptop is such a looker that it inspired our Labs staff to take it home for overnight testing.) In addition, HP announced the new HP Compaq 2710p Tablet PC, a 12.1-inch wide-screen tablet that weighs 3.6 pounds. Both the Sony and the HP feature LED-backlit displays, which allow for thinner lids and longer battery life. We're sensing a trend. A happy, happy trend.
Of course, not everyone can drop two grand (or more) on the VAIO TZ. Those with smaller budgets should check out the $1,300
Elsewhere in the news, the federal government scrambled to come up with a procedure for protecting sensitive personal data on laptops and other computer equipment. Lucky recipients of free OLPClaptops have reportedly been using them to search for porn. And Crave found a model for a laptop with two stacked screens (if only it were portable). On CNET TV, Rich DeMuro showed us how to make our laptop into a hot spot [video link] and Veronica Belmont told new MacBook owners how to get started with a Mac [video link].
Have a great weekend!