Lifestyle

Mini-notebooks, such as the Eee PC 900 and the HP Mini-Note, could be the hottest things around since those nude pictures of Lindsay Lohan. But how about the real temperature of these little guys? Do they toast your legs while sitting in bed? Do your fingertips get warm while typing on the keyboard?

After some heated time with the HP Mini-Note, I took it upon myself to do some scientific testing of the small systems. Using a Raytek Mini Temp Non-Contact Thermometer Gun—our new favorite toy in the office—I’ve been testing the heat on four of the most popular mini-notebook models: the Eee PC 900, the Eee PC 701, the Everex CloudBook, and the HP Mini-Note. I also threw in a normal Dell Latitude D630 notebook as a standard laptop variable.

Since laptops have a few different heat-sensitive regions, I took readings on the the underside of the notebook, on the keyboard between the G and H key, and on the touchpad. Each of the readings on the system were taken after the same usage pattern. Our extended usage patterns consisted of three different tasks with the system running on battery power: transferring of 2GB of files from an external USB drive, surfing the Web and playing the same House episode on Hulu.com, and making a Skype video call.

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As it happens, we have access to a few different Eee PC models here at LAPTOP. So, when we started examining the Pearl White Eee PC 900 we received last week, we plunked it right down next to our original Eee PC 701 (in white) and our Galaxy Black Eee PC 4G Surf. After we peered at its 8.9-inch screen, we compared the Eee PC 900’s keyboard with prior Eee PCs.

Touching the different keyboards, we found that the two white keyboards (on the 701 and the 900) were identical in size and feel. It seems like nothing has changed keyboard-wise between the 700 series and the 900 series. However, when we touched the keyboard on our black 4G surf, we had a startling revelation: the black keyboard feels different than the white keyboard!

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It seems that our interview with MSI’s Andy Tung still leaves many wondering about the detailed specs of the MSI Wind. Here are the complete specs for the system, courtesy of MSI. We hope this will answer any and all questions about the Wind, that is until we get our review unit in and we report back on how it runs.

Editors note: This post has been updated with the correct weights of the system.

Linux Version ($399)
CPU:1.6GHz Intel Atom
Operating System: Linux Novell SUSE
Chipset: 945GMS+ ICH7-M
Display: 10-inch/ 1024×600
Hard Disk Drive: 80GB / 2.5” SATA
VGA: UMA
Memory: 512MB DDR2/ 667MHz
Card Reader: 4-in-1 (SD,MMC,MS, MS Pro)
USB Ports: 3
Mic-in/Headphone
Webcam: 1.3 MP
WLAN: 802.11b/g
Bluetooth: No
Battery: Three Cells / 2.5 hrs
Dimension: 10.23 x 7.08 x 0.748 inches
Weight 2.3 lbs Read the rest of this entry »

In our mini-review of the Acer Aspire 8920G a few days ago, we mentioned we were impressed with the machine’s gorgeous Gemstone Blue design, Media Console touch controls, and powerful 5.1 CineSurround audio, but many wondered how it would fare under more rigorous testing.

The results are in. We put the Acer Aspire 8920 through the paces, and it emerged as one of the best notebooks of 2008. Drooling yet? Check out the full review of the Acer Aspsire 8920G.

This morning AT&T confirmed our sneaking suspicions that it would be the first U.S. carrier to sell the BlackBerry Bold, the latest handset from RIM that was announced this morning.

AT&T is touting itself as the first carrier to offer a BlackBerry with international 3G support, likely because the 3G Curves announced on Verizon Wireless and Sprint last week don’t support HSDPA data connections.

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Back when we reviewed Eye-Fi, the SD card that allows any digital camera with that slot to wirelessly upload pictures using a home router, we were impressed by its speed and ingenuity, but wished we could use it while on the go. Looks like the folks over at Eye-Fi heard our complaints (and others’). Today, Eye-Fi announced that it will sell its popular card in three forms, starting June 6th (sorry, no upgrades for early adopters).

Eye-Fi Home ($79) costs less than the current version, but offers less features; it syncs with your PC, but not the usual  host of Web services. I’m not sure this is different enough from a regular SD card to warrant the $79 price.

Eye-Fi Share ($99) is essentially the current model with a new name; it syncs with both your PC and photo sharing sites, such as Facebook and Flickr.

Eye-Fi Explore ($129) is the real news. Thanks to a partnership with Wayport, users can upload photos at more than 10,000 hotspots nationwide. The Explore also has geotagging capabilities, using Skyhook’s Wi-Fi triangulation.

Up next on our Eye-Fi wish list: More hotspot partnerships, and the ability to upload video clips.

All morning we’ve heard nothing but muffled growling from two fresh boxes that just landed in our office. The new BlackBerry 8330 Curves from Sprint ($179 with two-year contract and rebates) and Verizon Wireless ($169 with two-year contract and rebates) are finally here and they are eager to do battle.

Each 8330 has its own unique features, and both offer EV-DO connectivity and GPS, but only one will emerge as the winner. We’ll be bringing you our full reviews soon, but here are our first hands-on impressions of these eagerly awaited smart phones. Check out how the Curves fare, round by round…

Update: The full review of the Sprint Curve has been posted.

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Like many other Sprint customers, I have been anxiously awaiting the release of the BlackBerry Curve 8330. Today it finally became available. However, I just purchased a new phone with a two-year contract from Sprint last year, long before the original Curve for AT&T was even released. As a result, I was only eligible for $75 off a new device when I signed up for another two-year contract, which makes the Curve an unattractive $524.

If I was a new Sprint customer, I could purchase it with multiple discounts and rebates for $179.99, but by staying loyal to Sprint for the last eight years, I was screwed. Or was I?

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This past week, my favorite five-year-old, Paige, was in town, so I decided to give her the ol’ Pepsi/Coke Challenge with the ASUS Eee PC running Xandros and the CTL 2go PC running Windows XP. Both are touted as computers for children and both feature educational software. Based on our typing tests last week, both mini-notebooks also have keyboards that are best suited for children’s hands.

Paige is already familiar with video iChat on Macs and enjoys the games and videos on iCarly.com, Zoey101.com and Starfall.com. But which laptop better held the kindergartener’s attention?

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Virtually everyone who’s had the pleasure of holding the push e-mail sweetness that is the BlackBerry has wasted away a good portion of their lives playing the mobile phone’s preinstalled video game, BrickBreaker. While it’s quite the fun diversion, there are numerous other quality titles for the BlackBerry that may have slid under your radar. Here are some of our favorite BrickBreaker alternatives that’ll keep you busy (in a fun way) during downtime.

Connect4

This mobile version of the classic childhood strategy game lets you take on a surprisingly sharp CPU opponent (or other flesh-and-blood Connect4 fiends) in a battle of wits. Additionally, you can send text messages and chat with your opponents, but who wants to do that with all of the checker battling going on?

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