Filed under: Laptops
We’ve been struggling to keep awake for the large majority of this year, as netbook after netbook lands in our laps with identical specs, form factors and general shoddiness. No longer. HP is giving the market a shot in the arm with its new “clutch-style” skinny form factors, polished Linux OS and aggressive price points — even if the specs are about as boring as the Mini-Note 2133. As rumored, HP’s new Mini 1000 netbook is ditching VIA and going the Atom route (1.6GHz N270, in case you hadn’t guessed). Also new is an option for a 10.2-inch display, though it’s a mere 1024 x 600 instead of the 1280 x 768 display on the 2133 — for a bit cheaper you can get a 1024 x 600 8.9-inch display, but that would just be boring. HP is offering 512MB, 1GB and 2GB RAM configurations, though the XP option limits you to 1GB (thanks, Microsoft). For storage you can score a 60GB 4200 rpm HDD or your choice of a 8GB or 16GB SSD. If you go the SSD route there’s also room for a 2, 4 or 8GB “HP Mini Mobile Drive,” which is a regular USB drive that inserts all the way into a special slot for added integration. There’s also an SD slot, VGA webcam, 802.11b/g, optional Bluetooth, Ethernet and dual USB plugs. Where things get extra interesting is in choice of OS. You can go the standard XP route, or for $20 less you can go for HP’s brand new Ubuntu-based Linux “experience,” MIE, which reminds us not just a little of HP’s TouchSmart interface. The XP version is available today starting at $399, with a 10.2-inch version costing just a little bit more. The Vivienne Tam Edition, which brings a whole lot of style but little substance to the offering, will go for $699 in mid-December, and the MIE version will land in January for a mere $379.
HP’s new Mini 1000 and MIE Linux make netbooks fun again originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Transportation
Audi confirmed its pure
electric automobile plans earlier this month, and now the automaker’s back with yet another green vehicle based on its A1 hybrid concept. In hybrid mode the five door “sportback” (sporty!) will go from 0-62 MPH in 7.9 seconds, reach a top speed of 124 MPH and squeeze up to 72.4 miles from a gallon of fuel. When in electric mode, however, the vehicle will take you more than 60 miles on a single charge. The adjustable drivetrain / drive shaft / shock absorber system allows drivers to choose between two modes: sport mode (for optimum acceleration) and efficiency mode. The latter not only makes best use of the lithium-ion battery but also ties into the vehicle’s on-board navigation, taking your route (and the car’s altitude) into consideration when computing things like power usage and regeneration phases. The A1 also allows select cellphones to act as a mobile control unit for WLAN access to the vehicle’s navigation, audio and remote monitoring of the security system. For more juicy details — and some pics — hit that read link.
[Via Inhabitat]
Audi’s A1 Sportback hybrid concept surfaces originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 23:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Tablet PCs
If you happen to have a spare MacBook lying around, and you’re at all intrigued by Axiotron’s
ModBook tablets, you’ll probably be stoked to hear that the company is now taking orders on their website to convert personal MacBooks into the devices. Prices start at around $1,300 — far less than buying a new one, which go for a base price of $2,290. Modification kits are being sent out to a network of authorized modders, the nearest of which will contact you once you place your order to set up an appointment for the so-called “transformation.” You’re totally out of luck, however, if you were looking to have your
brand new, aluminum MacBook “transformed” because they’re apparently “too cool” to submit to the keyboard denuding-degradation Axiotron requires. As if.
[Via Notebooks.com]
Axiotron Modservice takes your sad, disused Macbook, converts it into swanky new tablet originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 21:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Marc Andreessen has been invited to join the board at eBay. The online auction company has been struggling of late, never mind CEO John Donahoe’s assertion that what’s bad for the American economy is good for eBay. Andreessen, probably smelling the stink blowing in from the rising tide, stockpiled enough venture capital to last Ning through a “nuclear winter.” Proving his acumen at swindling investors if nothing else — and he does know how to keep employees overworked between stints at eager, young startups like Netscape and Ning and layoff-happy AOL. [San Jose Mercury News]
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