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Posts Tagged ‘Bezel’

Acer unveils its thin and light Aspire TimelineX 1830T (update: other models too!)

We’ve heard plenty of chatter about something thin and sexy being added to Acer’s laptop lineup, and finally the company has unveiled the Aspire TimelineX 1830T. It’s under an inch thick and weighs 3lbs, with an 11.6-inch screen offering 1366 x 768 pixels and driven by integrated graphics. Acer simply lists an Intel Core 2 Solo processor, but others are reporting that it will feature a Core i5 520UM processor which can range from 1 to 1.8GHz to offer decent performance along with great battery life — eight hours worth according to Acer, but we’ll believe that when we see it. Wireless is over 801.11a/b/g/n WiFi, there’s a VGA webcam in the bezel, three USB ports, and even HDMI output, making it a relatively port-heavy ultralight. What Acer is not saying is how much it will cost or when we’ll be able to get our meaty paws on the thing, but we hope to learn those details soon.

Update: Acer sneaked in a bunch of other TimelineX models as well: the 13.3-inch 3820T, 14-inch 4820T, and 15.6-inch 5820T, each with your choice of Core i3, i5, or i7 processors, all under an inch thick, and again offering eight hours of battery life for frugal computers. No prices on any of ‘em, though!

Acer unveils its thin and light Aspire TimelineX 1830T (update: other models too!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pixel Qi DIY kits will be out in Q2, ’slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb’
We’re going to assume that Mary Lou’s bravado-filled “It’s only slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb” is in reference to working with OLPC. In fact, in Mary Lou Jepsen’s most recent Pixel Qi blog post she makes quick reference of the fact that there will be DIY kits for replacing your own laptop screen (most likely a 10-inch module) with the sunlight-friendly, switchable magic of Pixel Qi, but she spends the rest of the post talking about how in Nigeria some schoolgirls started up a laptop hospital where they’d repair their XOs by swapping out parts or reseating cables. We doubt most of our laptops will be so resilient when it comes to ripping off the bezel and swapping in the Pixel Qi part, but we’re dying to void our warranty and find out.

Pixel Qi DIY kits will be out in Q2, ’slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb’ originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ATI’s six-screen Eyefinity madness reviewed, fatal flaw found

Along with its introduction of the HD 5830, ATI announced the HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 card yesterday, which predictably comes with six DisplayPort outputs and enables that hallowed six-screen gaming overload that the Eyefinity branding has been about since the beginning. Some lucky scribes over at PC Pro have been treated to a live demonstration of what gaming at 5,760 x 2,160 feels like, and their understated response was to describe it as “far more immersive.” No kidding. They did raise the spectral figure of those monitor bezels, however, pointing out that bezel correction — where the image “behind the bezel” is rendered but hidden making the overall display look like a window unto the game world — habitually obscured text and game HUD elements. In their view, the sweet spot remains a triple-screen setup, and we’re inclined to agree (particularly if they look like this). For those interested in getting their multi-monitor gaming up and running, we’ve linked an invaluable guide from HardOCP below, which breaks down how much you can expect from ATI’s current HD 5000 series of cards, and also provides a video guide to setting your rig up.

ATI’s six-screen Eyefinity madness reviewed, fatal flaw found originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Feb 2010 04:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple gets a patent on smart screen bezels

Apple might have finally released the iPad, but the rumor mill is already on to prognosticating about the next rev — and as usual, Apple’s patents and patent applications are everyone’s favorite place to start. (And for good reason, really — that very first design patent we inititally noticed way back in 2004 is exactly what the iPad looks like, down to the bezel and Dock connector.) The latest tidbit is a patent granted earlier this week on an intelligent touch-sensitive bezel, which would essentially extend the touchpanel beyoned the edges of the screen to create an entire border of context-specific soft buttons — the iPod app might have playback controls at the bottom, while Safari could put the navigation bar down there and Pages could do formatting stuff at the top. It’s sort of interesting — Palm similarly extends the touch area beyond the screen on the Pre and the Pixi, but not quite like this — but we can’t see how touching the bezel next to an on-screen label is much better than just pressing the screen. Of course, there’s no guaranteeing Apple’s actually going to use any of this in any future products whatsoever, but we’re sure that won’t stop some analyst from waving their magic analyst wand and saying their “supply checks” have indicated a major ODM is already producing these. It’s nice that the world is so predictable sometimes, isn’t it?

Apple gets a patent on smart screen bezels originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In praise of the iPad: A contrarian view

Filed under: iPod Family, iPhone

If there has been an editorial theme about the iPad over the last few days, it’s been this: it disappoints. Pundits and consumers alike have been underwhelmed by the name (I mean, seriously, does anyone in the product naming department use feminine hygiene products? How many of these devices are going to be named “Max”?), by the physical design (Can you say “Un-Ives-like Bezel” three times fast?), by the missing features (no camera, no multitasking, still no Flash), and so forth. And yet, despite these seeming flaws, I’m wildly enthusiastic about the tablet. I think part of that enthusiasm is attributable to the fact that I’m a dyed-in-the-wool netbook user… and we are the actual target audience for the device.

Steve Jobs laid out the raison d’etre for the tablet right at the start of his presentation. Apple was going after the part of the market that wanted light computing: more than a phone could deliver and less involved than a laptop demanded. Ergo, the netbook. The list of things in the middle column of his main slide reflected the exact way that netbook users operate: checking the mail, surfing the web, enjoying some media. That’s exactly how my parents use their netbook, how my friends do, how I do. We’re coffee-shop, hotel, and passenger-seat netbook users. To that, you can add city commuters and airline passengers among those who have driven the netbook craze.

Netbooks are great. They are small, they are insanely cheap, and they offer just enough functionality to get a few things done without jumping into serious work that would demand a full-sized screen and keyboard. I know approximately three badzillion netbook users, and with very few exceptions, they are all Windows users.
I emphasize the Windows users part because nearly everyone filling that auditorium on Wednesday and nearly every blog author writing about the tablet is not, in fact, a primary Windows user. Apple events tend to draw Apple people. And for many reasons, I think that the Apple netpad (Isn’t that a much better name than “iPad”?) is a better match for Windows users deciding between an Asus or an Eee or an HP or an Apple unit than it is for people who are living and loving the Apple laptop life.

That’s because the new Apple nettop (and there you have another alternative that they could have considered) is not a laptop and it’s not meant to be one. It doesn’t multitask. It doesn’t run Adobe’s Creative Suite. Hell, it doesn’t even do Flash video. It is, in fact, an oversized iPod touch. And for those of us who love the touch, who really feel that iPhoneOS had brought near-netbook mobility, the iPad takes that promise even closer to where it could be.

The win for netbooks isn’t full computing power. Even though nearly every netbook on the market delivers that power, it’s rarely if ever used except when the netbook is docked to a display and keyboard; to be frank, that’s not the normal way most people use their netbooks. No, it’s about convenience. Users pull them out, use them for a few minutes, and then put them away as they sip their venti mocha lattes. Netbooks are second computers for nearly everyone I know, not primary ones.

When you need to get real, serious work done, there are laptops and there are desktop units. And Apple makes some of the best and sells them at a premium. But the netbook isn’t about providing the same solutions as a laptop. It’s about affordable convenience and mobility.

Almost two years ago, I wrote the following on TUAW:

The computing world is changing. We’re no longer tied to desktops. We move around, we take our computing with us. Holding a computer in the crook of our arms isn’t just a nice idea, it’s practical. When you’re walking through hospital halls, sitting in on a University lecture, attending business meetings, or spec’ing out a project at a construction site, the tablet computer makes sense. If anything, the iPhone which has been pushed far beyond its original design specs, has proven that people want truly mobile computing. No keyboard, no standard screen — true portability.

The iPad, with its larger screen, improved multitouch interface, and expanded software delivers on that promise: better movie screen space (especially on the train, in the car, or on the treadmill), better web browsing and e-mail reading, better viewing of photos, charts, and other data. And on top of that, it plays games and offers an eBook reader, not to mention you can use it for business presentations, either on the device itself or by sending video out to component, composite, or VGA-ready screens. And, not for nothing, a four-year-old can use it as easily as an octogenarian can. Literally as well as figuratively.

In comparison to a laptop, anyone who wanted the tablet to be an Air mini is going to be disappointed. But in comparison to a netbook? The iPad is made of win. The iPad delivers enough functionality to make it a a strong competitor to traditional netbooks. There is, however, that missing Flash thing. It’s a big issue for most Windows users I know (possibly because they’re used to the relatively smooth Flash performance on the Windows side, as opposed to the doggedly awful performance on the Mac side), as is the relative dearth of enterprise-ready solutions — problems the iPhone has already weathered for two years. But somehow the iPhone has managed to find its market despite those potential pitfalls. The iPad can as well.

As I wrote in 2008, “Cell phones and tablet computers are all about freeing ourselves.” Free yourself from the table, from the desk, and from the power cord. That’s what the iPad delivers.

TUAWIn praise of the iPad: A contrarian view originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Phone makes first Twitter appearance?

Look familiar? For a story that broke on Twitter it’s only fitting that the first reported picture of the mythical, magical “Google Phone” would appear there as well. The tweeted image above appears courtesy of one Cory O’Brien, an account manager at a San Francisco Bay Area marketing agency that does not list Google as a client. That note of caution aside, the image above is an exact match to that leaked HTC Passion / Bravo image from October, only this time lacking the HTC logo on the top-side bezel. Besides the pic, O’Brien tweets that the “Google Phone = iPhone + a little extra screen and a scroll wheel. Great touch screen, and Android.” Granted, none of this is confirmed yet, but with Google releasing so many of the devices as part of its “mobile lab” concept, well, we expect to see plenty more sightings in the run up to the rumored January launch.

[Thanks, Alberto]

Google Phone makes first Twitter appearance? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG first to hit mass production with Full HD 3D LCD monitors

The 3D revolution, whether you like it or not, is gathering steam. LG has just announced the world’s first mass produced Full HD 3D-capable monitor, which spans 23 inches diagonally and looks to sport a pleasingly minimal bezel. The company hasn’t spilled much in the way of further info yet, though the PR blurb (after the break) makes mention of Korea’s plans to introduce Full HD 3D broadcasts, as well as satellite 3D broadcasting trials set to take place in the UK and Japan. Based on shutter glasses tech — which seems likely to be the way forward — this panel benefits from such great buzzwords as a “copper bus line” and a “high performance 3D exclusive controller,” the benefits of which we’ll have to wait a little while longer to discover. CES 2010, here we come.

Continue reading LG first to hit mass production with Full HD 3D LCD monitors

LG first to hit mass production with Full HD 3D LCD monitors originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Purported Motorola Droid prototype turns up on eBay

Purported Motorola Droid prototype turns up on eBay originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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