Filed under: Laptops

Epson‘s busted out a new laptop for the low end set, loading up its Endeavor NJ1000 with yesterday’s specs to keep the price down — and offering a few upgrade options for those wanting something a tad more respectable. Opting for the base model, however, will net you the most basic of basic laptops, with 15-inch XGA display, Celeron M 410 processor, 256MB of RAM, a 40GB hard drive, and a plain old CD-ROM drive — all for just 64,890 Yen (about $550). If you’re in an upgrading mood, you can max out the system (for a price) with a Core 2 Duo T5500 processor, 160GB hard drive, 2GB of RAM, and a DVD burner. A white model is also available although, and reversing the trend, it’s the one that’ll cost you a few extra Yen in this case.

[Via Akihabara News]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Laptops

So, right you are again AppleInsider. Hot on the silvery heels of the Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro, comes this fancy fresh Core 2 Duo bump for the MacBook sibs. Previously maxing out with a 2GHz Core Duo proc, the 13.3-inch MacBook can now boast of a 2GHz Core 2 Duo processor under the hood. $1099 remains the entry fee, only now that buys a 1.83GHz C2D and same 512MB DDR2 SDRAM, 60GB 5400RPM SATA disk, combo optical drive, GMA950 graphics, and 802.11g WiFi — though we wonder if they snuck in some 802.11n support as well. Optionally, a new 200GB 4200RPM SATA disk is available. Size and weight all remain the same as does the battery, apparently. The 2.33GHz C2D proc is still only available on the 17-inch MacBook Pro. So really, besides the new processor, nothing else has really changed. Now hurry on over to the Apple Store kids for a 25 10ish percent performance bump (likely) of your very own.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Laptops

Well, that didn’t take long. Shortly after a shiny new Core 2 Duo-equipped MacBook Pro arrived on their doorstep, the folks at iFixit lovingly cracked it open so you don’t have to. There aren’t a whole lot of surprises under the hood — unless you haven’t already heard about a certain undisclosed bonus — but if you want to see where all your hard-earned money went up close, they’ve got the pics to satisfy you.

[Via Digg]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Laptops

No model number here or anything, that would be way to convenient, and we’re pretty sure we’ve seen this OEM look before, but Korea’s Wolf-N-Fox is busting out a new Core 2 Duo lapster, and we though we’d let you know all the same. The 15.4-inch laptop sports a WSXGA+ resolution (1,680 x 1,050), and runs a 1.66Ghz C2D T5500 processor, with 1GB of RAM, an 80GB HDD, CD-R/DVD combo drive and Intel 945GM graphics to round out the specs. It’s a reasonably sized unit, at 1.3 inches thick and 5.7 pounds, especially considering the disc drive is swappable for an extra HDD if it strikes your fancy. Price isn’t too bad either, at around $1150 US.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Laptops

We thought that Acer was all done for the time being with announcing its latest Core 2 Duo lappies, and boy are we pleasantly surprised to be wrong — the company has just paraded out two swanky new models for us to enjoy: the TravelMate 6460 and 6410. Sadly, deets on the TravelMates are few for the time being, but we do know that they’ll come with the latest Merom action (no word on what speed), “omnipotent communication” (WiFi, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, 1.3 megapixel integrated webcam), DVI-D out with HDCP support (on the 6460 only), fingerprint-based login, and a 15.4-inch display. Yo Acer, how about some pricing and availability info to go along with your spec sheets, hrm?

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Desktops

If you’re still fence sitting on whether or not the 24-inch iMac would appropriately fill the gaping expanse on your desk, and the unboxing photos, impressive Core 2 Duo benchmarks, and promise of “upgradable graphics” haven’t convinced you just yet, maybe a full-fledged review will relieve the hemming and the hawing. PCMag has given Apple’s biggest all-in-one about as much praise as any glossy white device can handle, while finding little to harp negatively upon; reviewers were quick to espouse the machine’s prowess in nearly every aspect imaginable, calling it “a system that photo, video, music and even graphics enthusiasts could love.” More specifically, they admired the brightly lit LCD, “zippy” performance in OS X, better than expected gaming performance (in Windows XP, of course), and tight Front Row integration. The only notable digs were it’s sluggish 3D results in OS X (surprise, surprise) and the disappointing lack of a built-in flash card reader or TV tuner. Regardless, PCMag handed out a 4.5 out of 5 rating (along with an Editor’s Choice award), and proudly stated that returning their test unit would be tough — so if you still aren’t swayed, hit the read link for the full rundown.

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Laptops

The funny thing that happened when Apple decided to make the switch to Intel was they couldn’t any longer espouse the merits of their typically non-standard processor architectures as, um, apples and oranges with PCs. In other words, Apple had to start keeping up with the jonses in a very flat, discernible, and easily quantifiable way: PC speed benchmarks (which were made even easier with Boot Camp). So yeah, you could say we find it a little odd that since being announced in late July (i.e. two months in real-life time, or six years in Engadget time) and shipping in August, we’ve yet to see only one prominent manufacturer neglect to launch some Core 2 Duo laptops of their own. So it’s on shaky faith we tell you that the latest in an already irritatingly long line of C2D MacBook (Pro) rumors has Cupertino’s entire line of laptops done with the damned upgrades, and company just waiting on the marketing department to line ‘em up and knock ‘em out. Of course, it would be market-suicide if they didn’t launch these before the holiday season (unless they wanted to bundle them with Vista that is — we kid!), so don’t be surprised if you wake up to some new Apple laptops any day now.

[Thanks, Chris]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Laptops

Japanese manufacturer Sotec is feeding the Core 2 Duo frenzy, releasing a lightweight laptop available in a range of configuration options. Weighing in at 3.5 pounds with a 12-inch 1024 x 768 screen, the WinBook WS5000′s can come loaded with your choice of Core 2 Duo T5500, T7200, or T7400 processors, with 40 to 120GB hard drives (all just 5,400 rpm), 512MB to 1.5GB RAM, DVD / CD-RW combo or DVD burner drivers, and built-in WiFi, with basic white the only color option. Battery is promised to be 4.2 hours, with a “long haul” battery also available to give you over six hours. Spec’d out with the bare minimum, the WinBook will set you back ¥119,800, or just over $1,000, though we’re guessing few will be completely satisfied without at least a couple of upgrades.

[Via Akihabara News]

 

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SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Desktops

Dell sure dragged it out long enough, but they’ve finally gone official on four new desktops, two of which hold those elusive — at least for Dell — AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core chips. Privy to the Athlon action are two new Dimension models, the E521 and C521 (pictured), while the new XPS 210 and Dimension E520 fight for truth, justice and the American way, Intel Core 2 Duo style. The E520 and E521 sport all the usual options, including ATI and NVIDIA graphics, dual TV tuners and dual HDDs. As for processors, the E521 can handle anything from AMD Sempron to Athlon 64 X2, while the E520 covers Pentium D and Core 2 Duo processors. Oddly, the E521 only sports one PCI slot, compared to the E520′s two, but matches its Intel brother for slots otherwise, with room for a x16 PCIe and a x1 PCIe card. The C521 slims things down to about half the size of the E521, and lacks multiple disc drive and HDD bays, but still manages to match the E521 for PCIe/PCI action. Similarly, the XPS 210 keeps things small, with even less expandability, but measures a mere 1 foot tall. In other news, Dell is moving ahead with their retail strategy, and has plans for opening a New York store in early 2007.

Read – Dell launches AMD desktops
Read – Dell plans NYC store

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Filed under: Desktops

It’s been barely a few days since Apple released the new Core 2 Duo iMacs, but already the benchmarks are coming out. As usual, Macworld is among the first to spar with the new hardware. The lab concluded that compared to the previous iMac Core Duo models, the new models hit a 10 percent improvement over previous models in Macworld Lab’s comprehensive Speedmark Test over the previous models. As he explains, part of the advantage is also likely to come via the doubling of the iMacs’ L2 Cache to 4MB, which is, of course, contained within the new processor. We feel for the thousands of people who’ve already bought their Core Duo iMacs — only to have been surpassed by a 10 percent increase. Really.

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Filed under: Laptops

Somehow those good ol’ boys down in Texas got sneaky on us — while we were busy getting ready for Labor Day, Dell went and updated the Latitude, Inspiron, and XPS series with Core 2 Duo chips. Laptop took the new bumped Dell Latitude D820 for a spin and wasn’t dissappointed. This spiffy new laptop topped the charts on the magazine’s MobileMark 2005 test with an all-time high score of 308. Further tests showed that the Core 2 Duo scored high marks when processing more information at a time, such as running a virus scan while ripping a CD: the Core 2 Duo machine scanned 15,446 items and ripped the CD in 8 minutes 32 seconds while the Core Duo scanned 2,579 items and ripped the same CD in 6 minutes 36 seconds. We’re still waiting to see if Apple will follow Dell’s lead — maybe that’s what’s happening next week in San Francisco?

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

If you woke up this morning craving a bit of Merom juice in a 12.1-inch tablet then check the TravelMate C210 from Acer. Like the C200, the “Vista Premium Ready” C210 features a sliding-track to easily move from slate-style tablet to keyboard mode. Inside you’ll get a range of Intel’s new Core 2 Duo procs, 256MB GeForce Go 7300 graphics, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, up to 4GB of DDR2 memory and 160GB “or higher” (whatever that means) disk, and fingerprint reader for a bit of security when left behind at happy hour. Slap in an optical drive and 6-cell battery and you’re looking at a 5.5-pound tablet. Sorry, no ship date or price yet but you can expect this to cost about the same as the C200 it’s replacing, or about $1900.

[Via laptoping]

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Filed under: Laptops

No surprises here, but Dell is fleshing out their Core 2 Duo processor upgrades with two more Inspiron laptops, the E1505 and E1405. The cheapest of the cheap is a E1505 running a 1.66GHz T5500 processor for a mere $729 — after the $100 instant rebate — but speeds scale all the way up to the 2.16GHz T7400. The E1405 starts at $779 — again, with a $100 instant rebate — with the same range of processors. Other specs include a 60 or 120GB HDD, combo drive or DVD burner, and your pick of Intel 950 integrated graphics all the way up to a NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 card with 256MB of memory. Both laptops also have an option for an 802.11n card, along with Bluetooth, and both still have a Core Duo option if you’ve got a hankerin’ for Yonah. All configurations should be available now or soon from the Dell store.

Read – Inspiron E1505
Read – Inspiron E1405

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Filed under: Desktops

You know how the industry loves a good Apple rumor or two (or ten, or a thousand), but when you start getting some synchronicity between the menagerie of rumor sites out there, it’s bound to rise to the top. Today’s hit: September will see the entry of a 23-inch iMac, as well as a line revamp for the all-in-ones over to Merom Core 2 Duo mobile (i.e. not desktop) processors. (Our staff of twelve interns gave it a quick mock right upstairs there.) We’ve seen our fair share of Merom launches this week, so it stands to reason that if the spec bump is on target, then the MacBook Pro may get that upgrade as well — certainly Apple wouldn’t want to feel left behind now that they’re competing mano-a-mano with all those PC manufacturers, now would they? Oh, and while we’re at it, we’ll tack on one more for ya: at the same time, reports are starting to come in regarding sly Mac mini upgrades from Core Solo to Core Duo processors, perhaps in anticipation of bumping those specs up a little, too. Apple has indeed been known to upgrade to their customers’ pleasant surprise (see: MacBook Pros going up with nary a word, for example), but then again perhaps they’re just out of the Core Solo parts, and needed to get those units out the door.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read – 23-inch Merom iMacs (via MacRumors)
Read – Mac mini

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Filed under: Laptops

You probably thought we were done with this latest volley of Merom-powered laptops. Ha — you were wrong. Next up to board the Core 2 Duo train is Velocity Micro’s 15.4-inch NoteMagix L80 “Ultra Notebook Computer,” which adds T5500, T5600, T7200, T7400, and T7600 options (ranging from 1.66GHz to 2.33GHz) to the already available suite of regular Core Duo and Celeron M configurations. So besides the latest processors, what makes this model so “ultra”? Well first of all, it ships with a 256MB nVIDIA GeForce Go 7600GS card standard — a refreshing change-up from the usual integrated graphics we see around here — plus an option to bump the LCD resolution up to 1,680 x 1,050 from a ho-hum 1,280 x 800. You can also cram in as much as 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 7,200 RPM 100GB hard drive, and dual-layer DVD burner, with WiFi, a card reader, and three USB 2.0 ports part and parcel of any configuration. Available immediately, you can pick up a decently-speced L80 for about $1,655, but of course for the one we’d want, pricing is a little closer to $2,600.

[Via laptoping]

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Filed under: Laptops

So, now that you’re totally and completely freaking sick of hearing about the Core 2 Duo mobile (aka Merom) laptops that were launched today, perhaps it’ll interest you to find out exactly how well these machines perform compared to their original Core Duo counterparts? Well, without taking away too much of the reason to hit the PC Perspective benchmark bonanza that pitted the Core 2 Duo T7600 against the Core Duo T6700 — both today’s and yesterday’s 2.33GHz Intel Core chips — we can tell you that the performance was in all cases better, though not typically much more than marginally so. Under heavy load Core 2 Duo was only 2 to 6 degrees cooler (and even in some cases hotter) than the Core Duo, though in one test it did score an entire half hour more battery life. So what have we learned? Well, you can walk — don’t run — to pick up your Merom laptop, if at all. Us? We’ll be fine with our Core Duo (even our Pentium M) machines a while longer yet, thanks; somehow we don’t think that 2 or 3 degrees of heat shaved off the top is really going to finally help us conceive.

[Thanks, Mark W.]

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Filed under: Laptops

Mmmm, that tasty Samsung Q35 just went Core 2 Duo. And from the looks of things, that’s the only change you’re gonna see; same 12.1-inch widescreen display, 80GB SATA disk, up to 1GB memory, and integrated Intel graphics swaddled in a sleek, 4-pound ultra-porable. Still, while the new proc won’t be any more efficient with the juice than the Q35′s former Core Duo, that promised 20% boost in performance ain’t chicken feed. Most of all, kudos to you Sammy for not calling this the World’s Smallest Core 2 Duo laptop held by a prostrate, shoeless waif. Nice to see a bit of restraint on this one. Also announced is the less interesting 15.4-inch, R55 with that same 1.8GHz T5600 Core 2 Duo proc, disk, and RAM but with GeForce Go 7600 graphics for that extra bit of oomph. Stay tuned for the deluge of Core 2 Duo lappies to come dear readers.

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Filed under: Laptops

Well, it’s officially late August, meaning that the bit of buffer between Intel’s Core 2 Duo desktop and mobile launches should be over any day now. Word on the street is Monday’s locked and loaded for a barrage laptop releases with their latest powerhouse dual core mobile processor — the one some may still know as Merom — on board. (And thus, we ask for your forgiveness in advance when we have a slew of laptop write ups early next week.) In other words, if you were considering snatching up a laptop this weekend — PC or Mac — you’d probably be best off waiting until at least next weekend to do it; who knows what kinds of goodies we’ll see in a couple days, right?

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Filed under: Desktops, Home Entertainment, Media PCs

It was only a matter of time before we could stuff a shiny new Intel Core 2 Duo processor into an SFF box, and although its a little late to the party, Shuttle has unveiled the SD37P2 barebones case and labeled it the “world’s fastest SFF PC,” even though it doesn’t actually come with a CPU. Nevertheless, the relatively standard looking black case rocks the Intel 975x Express chipset supporting the Core 2 Duo, Core 2 Duo Extreme, Pentium Extreme, and Pentium D. With a FSB of 1,066MHz, support for 8GB of DDR2 RAM, and dual PCIe (x16) slots sporting ATI CrossFire technology , you could actually make a halfway decent gaming machine out of this. The obligatory built-in Gigabit Ethernet and 7.1 channel HD audio is included, and the design engineers gave you plenty of reasons to utilize all your off-the-wall USB-powered toys by tossing in 10 USB ports. The SilentX 400 watt PSU, dual FireWire connectors, and support for three internal hard drives rounds out the fairly solid offering — but as usual, Shuttle likes to throw a premium on their little boxes, and by slapping a €419 ($537) pricetag on this barebones kit, we’d probably suggest finding a less costly destination for your Core 2 Duo.

[Via RegHardware]

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

The fine folks at Asus are dropping three new portable series to serve professionals with Core 2 Duo speeds and snazzy design. For starters we have the V1 widescreen laptop, with a 15.4-inch display and the full range of Core 2 Duo processors, from the 1.67GHz T5500 to the 2.33GHz T7600. Graphics are provided by ATI’s Mobility Radeon X1600, with 256 or 512MB of RAM. Hard drives range from 80 to 120GB, with a dual HDD option, and the V1 features gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 for connectivity. There’s also an ExpressCard slot, fingerprint reader, S/PDIF audio and a card reader to round out the 0.98-inch thick, 6 pound laptop. The F2 series is only slightly more modest, with processors from Core Solo all the way to the Core 2 Duo T7400, and a 15-inch XGA or SXGA+ display. There’s no digital audio, but the F2 does have TV-out and an optional 1.3 megapixel webcam. Graphics are a Radeon X1400 card running 128MB or 512MB of memory, and specs are otherwise similar to the V1. The R1F Tablet PC keeps the trend going, keeping pace with its siblings on specs for the most part, but featuring a 13.3-inch WXGA LCD and most likely integrated Intel graphics. There’s no word on price or availability for any of these models, but we’re liking where Asus is headed with ‘em so far.

[Via Laptoping]

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Filed under: Laptops

If there’s anything we’ve learned about Apple, it’s that when Stevie J. takes the stage, expect the unexpected. This time, unfortunately, the unexpected took the form of significantly fewer real announcements than had previously been prognosticated by man; still no iPhone (figures), still no iTunes movie support (same); neither were very surprising, but we were really taken aback when Apple didn’t give their MacBook Pros some Core 2 Duo processor upgrades, being that every other laptop manufacturer has either done it or is lining it up. So, be that as it may, it should come as no surprise that the Commercial Times is supposedly reporting Asustek and Quanta are prepping to ship somewhere to the tune of 200,000-300,000 MacBook Pros and MacBooks with Core 2 Duo as of next month. Will it happen? Well, Apple is due for fall consumer product announcements (last year’s was in October), so this is one we’re not counting out.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Media PCs

Trailing only slightly behind the onslaught of Core 2 Duo machines we’ve seen recently, Okoro Media Systems is following suit by offering Intel’s latest processors in their home theater computers. Okoro has shown it likes to keep pace in the HTPC race, and by tossing the Core 2 Duo in three of their PCs, it hopes to take advantage of the extra speed and efficiency the chips offer. The OMS-TH540 will sport the Intel 1.8GHz E6300, while the OMS-TH550 gets the 2.13GHz E6400, and still holding tight to its “fastest HTPC available” claim, the OMS-GX300 rocks the Intel Core 2 Extreme 2.93GHz X6800. While it doesn’t look like they’ve removed any fans, the company states that the Core 2 Duo was chosen because of its efficient nature, allowing the creation of “high performance, ultra-quiet, and low power” entertainment systems. This new trio runs “up to 40 percent faster and quieter” than the previous generation of Okoros, and these fresh releases also rock “DTS Connect” technology, which provides 7.1 “HD audio,” HDCP compliant video playback, and ATSC recording capabilities. The revamped lineup — Core 2 Duo and all — is available immediately, but with prices starting at $2,095 and reaching way past our credit limit, the bleeding-edge technology comes at a painful premium.

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Filed under: Laptops

A few spicy tidbits have been showing up on Dell’s websites pointing to some Core 2 Duo releases sooner rather than later. Their UK website lists Core 2 Duo versions of their XPS M1210, M1710, M2010 and Inspiron e1705 and e1505 laptops, while the US support site mentions a BIOS update to allow current owners of those laptops to upgrade to Merom processors. So far there isn’t any official word from Dell on any such upgrades, and you’ll have to call up Dell in the UK to try and finagle those Core 2 Duo models, but it seems like Dell fans aren’t going to have to wait too long to get some of that next-gen Intel action.

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Filed under: Desktops

Dell’s giving that sweet Core 2 love to more than just the XPS 410 and XPS 700 desktops; even workstations are getting into the game. As part of the continuing onslaught of spec-bumped machines, the company announced that its Precision 390 tower is now available with four Core 2 Duo options (1.86GHz E6300, 2.13GHz E6400, 2.40GHz E6660, or 2.66GHz E6700) or even the blazing 2.93GHz Core 2 Extreme X6800, along with a seemingly-ancient 3.0GHz Pentium 4. The new rig can handle up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM, up to a 7,200RPM, 500GB hard drive, and comes with a number of graphics options from either nVIDIA (the Quadro series) or ATI (either a FireGL V7200 or V3400). If you act now, you can pick up a base configuration (which includes the E6300) for just $800, though going high-end will cost significantly more: a Core 2 Extreme–equipped setup more than doubles the price to $1,790.

[Thanks, Michael]

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Filed under: Desktops

The flood of Core 2 desktops continues with Velocity Micro being the latest to get in on on the party, announcing that both Core 2 Duo and Core 2 Extreme options are now available in a whole slew of its systems. The basic Core 2 Duo processor gets slotted in Velocity Micro’s lower-end ProMagix and Vector lines of desktops, while the beefier Raptor DCX, Gamers’ Edge PCX, and ProMagix systems get the high-end Core 2 Extreme as an option. You can get any of ‘em pre-built or customized to your liking from Velocity Micro or from Best Buy online, both of whom are now taking pre-orders. Or if you can wait a bit, you can grab one off the shelf when they hit Best Buy retail stores on August 7th. Five bucks to the first person to ride theirs home like a skateboard.

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