Filed under: Desktops

Dell didn’t exactly have a high design bar to hurdle in order to top its existing OptiPlex desktops, but it’s done a pretty admirable job with its new OptiPlex 960 model, which is available in the usual mini tower, slimline desktop (pictured above), and small form factor versions. Those each sport base configurations that include a 3.0GHz Core 2 Duo processor, 1GB of RAM, and an 80GB hard drive, and they’ll run you $902, $892, and $912 for the tower, slim desktop and small form factor PC, respectively — or considerably more if you opt for some of the higher end options like a Core 2 Quad processor or a discrete graphics card. For less demanding folks, Dell has also rolled out the $399 OptiPlex FX160 thin client PC, and updated versions of its OptiPlex 760 and OptiPlex 360 desktops, which now pack a 2.0GHz Celeron processor in their base configurations to help keep prices down to $630 and $478. Head on past the break for a glimpse at the complete line-up.

[Via Electronista]

Continue reading Dell goes industrial with new OptiPlex desktops

Dell goes industrial with new OptiPlex desktops originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Microsoft’s Windows 7 announcement earlier today was followed up by an extensive demo of the new features during the PDC keynote, and since then even more info about the new OS has flooded out, so we thought we’d try to wrap up some of the more important bits here for you. Microsoft seems to have done an impressive job at this early pre-beta stage, folding in next-gen interface ideas like multitouch into the same OS that apparently runs fine on a 1GHz netbook with 1GB of RAM, but we’ll see how development goes — there’s still a ways to go. Some notes:

• Obviously, the big news is the new taskbar, which forgoes text for icons and has new “jump lists” of app controls and options you can access with a right-click. You can select playlists in Media Player, for example. Super cool: when you scrub over the icons, all the other app windows go transparent so you can “peek” at the windows you’re pointing at.
• Gadgets now appear on the desktop — the sidebar has been killed. That makes more sense for all those laptop owners out there with limited screen space, and you can still see gadgets anytime by peeking at the desktop, rendering all other windows transparent.
• Window resizing and management now happens semi-automatically: dragging a window to the top of the screen maximizes it, pulling it down restores; dragging a window to the edges auto-resizes it to 50% for quick tiling. Nifty.
• The system tray now only displays what you explicitly say it should — everything else is hidden, and the controls have been streamlined.
• User Account Control settings are now much more fine-grained — you can set them by app and by level of access.
• They demoed multitouch features on an HP TouchSmart PC — it was pretty cool, although the usual nagging “what is this good for / that’ll get old fast” concerns weren’t really addressed. The Start menu gets 25 percent bigger when using touch to make it easier to handle, and apps will all get scroll support automatically. There’s also a giant on-screen predictive keyboard. Again — could be amazing, but we won’t know until it’s out in the wild.
• We’ve always known Microsoft intends Windows 7 to run on netbooks, and we got a small taste during the PDC keynote: Windows SVP Steve Sinofsky held up his “personal” laptop running Windows 7, an unnamed 1GHz netbook with 1GB of RAM that looked a lot like an Eee PC, and said that it still had about half its memory free after boot. (We’re guessing it was running a VIA Nano, since most Atoms run at 1.6GHz.)
• At the other end of the scale, Windows 7 supports machines with up to 256 CPUs.
• Multiple-monitor management is much-improved, as is setting up projectors — it’s a hotkey away. Remote Desktop now works with multiple monitors as well.
• Media Center has been tweaked as well — it looks a lot more like the Zune interface. There’s also a new Mini Guide when watching video, and a new Music Wall album artwork screensaver that kicks in when you’re playing music.
• Devs got a pre-beta today; a “pretty good” feature complete beta is due early next year. No word at all on when it’ll be released to market apart from that “three years from Vista” date we’ve known forever.

That’s just the good bits — hit the read links for piles of more info and screenshots, and we’ll keep our eyes out for anything else interesting. Exciting times!

Read - Keynote videos on the PDC site
Read - Technologizer Windows 7 hands-on
Read - Ars Technica Windows 7 interface walkthrough
Read - Laptop Windows 7 hands-on
Read - Windows 7 Media Center revealed

Windows 7 details galore: interface tweaks, netbook builds, Media Center enhancements originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gaming

The Arduino-based, DIY GamePack is sort of like the Mignon Game Kit we saw in 2005, but it definitely looks much, much radder. For a mere $249.93, all the necessary parts — CPU, “Inputshield” customizable, vibrating controller / button component (say, for right or left-handed configurations), “TouchShield Stealth” OLED display unit, and “MeCap” lithium battery pack — can be yours. Once you’ve cobbled it together, of course, the real fun begins — it’s pretty much a blank slate with little more than code for a color-changing dot to start with, so if you want to play any “games” on that new “Game Boy” of yours, you’re going to have to write them yourself. See a video of the device in action after the break.

[Via technabob]

Continue reading Open source “Game Boy” has five awesome parts, zero games

Open source “Game Boy” has five awesome parts, zero games originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Displays

E Ink’s AM300 developer’s kit (made with the help of Epson) certainly seemed impressive enough when it was first announced, but there’s nothing quite like a video to bring our newspapers of the future to life, and one courtesy of E Ink itself has now thankfully turned up on YouTube. While the display’s 16 levels of gray and pen-based input capabilities aren’t entirely unique to E Ink, its ability to display speedy animation does seem to be a step above most other similar displays and, naturally, it’s being touted as ideal for advertisements. Head on past the break to check it out for yourself.

Continue reading E Ink’s AM300 developer’s kit gets shown off on video

E Ink’s AM300 developer’s kit gets shown off on video originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Just in time for your holiday wish list, Mitsubishi has announced that its stunning 65-inch LaserVue HDTV is now on sale at select specialty retailers nationwide. From what we’ve personally seen and from what we’ve gathered from those lucky enough to critique it in detail, this here set is a real winner. Of course, coming up with the $6,999 in order to bring one home is another matter entirely, but those who feel like stimulating the economy and their retinas can absolutely do so starting today.

Mitsubishi’s $6,999 65-inch LaserVue HDTV now hitting retailers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

We knew good and well Microsoft was gearing up to drop a pre-beta release of Windows 7 in developers’ laps at its Professional Developers Conference, but now we’re being treated to a host of details from Redmond itself. For starters, it’s showing off (for the first time, mind you) its new Web applications for Office. As you’d expect, said apps are “lightweight versions of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that are used from within standard web browsers.” According to Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft, it’s aiming to bring “the best of the web to Windows, and the best of Windows to the web.” ‘Course, we’re also told about improved navigation, a new taskbar (preview shown), support for multi-touch gestures, Device Stage and enhanced AV integration — all things that have our interest decidedly piqued. Hit the read link for the full spill direct from the horse’s mouth.

Microsoft details pre-beta release of Windows 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Well, now isn’t this something? Best Buy has its fancy little iPhone 3G, but it’ll be Wally World offering up the G1 outside of official T-Mobile outlets. As we’d heard yesterday, 550 Walmart stores across the country will begin selling the Android-powered handset beginning tomorrow, and folks who opt to pick one up here versus a traditional T-Mob store will save $31.11. Yep — according to company spokeswoman Melissa O’Brien, the new / upgrade-eligible customer price for a Walmart-sourced G1 will be just $148.88 with a 2-year agreement. Wait, what? You already purchased your G1 at the full price? They always said the early bird pays the premium… or something along those lines.

T-Mobile G1 coming to Walmart for $148.88 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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