“You don’t need to invent anything, you just have to do traditional research where you look at history and then compliment that with scientific research where you’re trying to do something new. That can lead to a lot in the business and technology sectors these days” – Bill Buxton
A chat with Microsoft Principal Researcher Bill Buxton, Part I
“Another one bites the dust”
There are rumors today that LG is stopping producing plasma screen TVs and focus solely on LCD production. Again, these are not good news for TV manufacturer. If this is true, then LG will be joining Pioneer and Vizio.
Via Techradar.com
There has been some buzz for quite long around the Dell mini netbooks. Even more now when Dell has launched the new Dell mini 10″ with tons of new features and at a decent price.
I had the chance to test one of these babies. Paid $289 for a Dell mini 8.9″ at BestBuy (Canada).
Quick Review:
Pros:
- Aesthetics: These “little creatures” are unbelievable nice. The finish and details are top notch
- The screen is one of the best. I could say that they are at an Apple level. No dead pixels or defects whatsoever. The view angles are really good.
- The netbook is super quiet. You cannot even tell if it’s on.
- The ones I got came with XP. They were white (only top cover)
- Boot up was super fast
- Wireless, SD and USB slots work flawless.
- VGA and Ethernet ports
- Everything works under OSX from the beginning.
- All packaging was perfectly designed.
- It is “really” a mini Dell (mini laptop from dell)
- Traditional Trackpad (buttons at the bottom)
Cons:
- No Webcam (these is supposed to be standard now)
- 8Gb SSD is insufficient. If you want to install Windows 7 or OSX, you will need to spent some time figuring it out. IT is not as straight forward as it should be.
- No HDD led. Sometimes, you don’t know if it is doing something
- Battery tops 3 hours max (4 cells)
- Keyboard is not as good as HP or Asus.
- Some glare outdoors – bearable.
That pretty much sums it all. Hope it helps on your decision.
Detailed Specs from Dell:
Processors
- Intel® AtomTM Processor (1.6GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)
Operating System
- Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition SP3
Memory
- Up to 1GB 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM.
Chipset
- Intel® 945PM / GS Express Chipset
Graphics
- Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950
LCD Display
- Glossy 8.9 inch LED display (1024X600)
Audio and Speakers
- One external speaker
Hard Drives
- Up to 16GB configured with a Solid State drive.
Optical Drives
- None
Ports
- USB 2.0 (3)
- Integrated 10/100 LAN (RJ45)
- 15-pin VGA video connector
- Audio jacks (1-line out, 1 mic-in)
- 4-in-1 Media Card Reader
- AC adapter connector
Power
- 4-cell 32WHr Li-Ion Battery
Camera
- Optional 0.3MP or 1.3MP webcams
Wireless
- 802.11g mini-card
Bluetooth Options:
- Bluetooth® Internal (2.0) mini-card
Ports, Slots, Chassis
- USB 2.0 (3)
- Integrated 10/100 LAN (RJ45)
- 15-pin VGA video connector
- Audio jacks (1-line out, 1 Mic-in)
- 3-in-1 Media Card Reader
- AC adapter connector Dimensions & Weight
- Width: 9.13″ (232mm)
- Height: 1.07″ (16.8mm) front / 1.25″ (31.7mm) back
- Depth: 6.77″ (172mm)
- Weight: Starting weight of 2.28 lbs. (1.035 kg)3(8.9″ display, 4 cell battery). Weights will vary depending on configurations and manufacturing variability.
Sure you have heard the sad news regarding Pioneer dropping out the production of Plasma TVs (including top of the line Kuro TVs). Additionally to this, Vizio just announced a couple of days ago that will be concentrating all production efforts on LCDs only, exiting the Plasma business.
If we take into consideration that these two big players are on the same path, it seems inevitable that others could soon follow the same direction.
I know that it is too early to make this assumption but considering:
- Plasmas production and manufacturing costs (higher that LCDs counterpart)
- Popularity of LCD due to improvements in picture quality, and different prices for all audiences
- New LCD/LED technologies on par with Plasma image quality
- We now find LCDs on big sizes (over 46″) and in some cases, super affordable
- Only two big players still menufacturing Plasma TVs (Samsung and Panasonic)
All these looks like a premonition. But at the end, it’s on consumers hands to decide which way to go.
Read more information here:
Samsung today ushered in new high-end models to its LCD TV line-up: the Series 8 and Series 9 flat-panel LCD HDTVs. They’re the step-ups to the Series 6 and Series 7 models, both of which garnered high marks when reviewed by CNET earlier this year (the LN52A650 scored an Editors’ Choice). Full details follow.
Samsung Series 8 LCD HDTVs
Key features of the Samsung Series 8 line:
At first glance, the Series 8 line doesn’t look too terribly different than the Series 7. The main step-ups here are the thinner bezel (1.9 inches at its widest point) and the fact that you can opt for the midnight blue color, which a lot of folks will likely prefer to the rose red accent. One note on the so-called DLNA compliance: in the Series 7 model, we found that the TV only recognized digital media from a PC running Samsung’s own server software. That’s fine, but that doesn’t measure up to our understanding of the DLNA standard, which is supposed to provide for streaming from any DLNA-certified device, such as network hard drives.
Samsung Series 9 LCD HDTVs
Models
Key step-up features of the Samsung Series 9 line:
The big step-up for the Series 9 is the LED backlighting (as opposed to the compact fluorescent backlights on standard LCD models). It’ll be interesting to see if Samsung has improved its LED backlight technology beyond the level we saw implemented in 2007′s LN-T81F line.
All of the above models are equipped with an Ethernet port for accessing the Internet or network-based digital media and information. However, the $35 Wireless LinkStick accessory will add Wi-Fi access as well (to the Series 8 models, at least).
CNET will strive to review these latest Samsung TVs as soon as they’re available. In the meantime, for those who don’t need the streaming media features, thinner bezels, or LED backlight, the Series 6 models continue to deliver the best bang for the buck in the Samsung 2008 LCD line-up.
Source: Samsung press releases (Series 8, Series 9) via Engad
getHD and Crave.cnet.com
Just noticed this posting from an Australian site (gadgetzone.com.au) mentioning the new line up of LED TVs from Sony:
The XBR8 range consists of the Full-HD 55-inch KDL-55XBR8 and the 46-inch KDL-46XBR8, boosting Sony’s already significant range of panels.
These new models feature Sony’s mythical sounding TRILUMINOS three color LED backlight technology that expands the TV’s colour reproduction by aligning the red, green and blue backlight LED. This improves colour reproduction when compared with models with single white LED backlights.
The TVs will also be great for sports fans everywhere. Motionflow 100Hz technology has been replaced with Motionflow 120Hz providing for a clearer, judder-free picture. Sixty unique frames are created by the Bravia for every 60 regular frames for the clearest picture possible.
Another fancy new technology that Sony has added is its Advanced Contrast Enhancer PRO (or ACE PRO as we like to say) technology. ACE PRO enhances contrast and dynamic range by controlling the LED backlight level depending on the area, so that dark areas are given more detail while other areas are given more brightness. By reducing unnecessary light emission better blacks are achieved, which has always been a weakness of LCD TVs when compared to Plasma displays. This reduction of light also saves on your power bill.
