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As you may have read, we are impressed by Intel’s Core i7 965 Extreme Edition desktop processor. It’s fast not only because of the chip itself, but also because of the changes Intel made to the way it interacts with your system memory. Such chip-specific information is great for the DIY crowd, but what about those of you less inclined to build your own PC?

Dell’s Core i7-based Studio XPS.

(Credit: CNET)

We’ve spent the better part of November reviewing Core i7-equipped desktops, five to be exact. The highest-end model, the $8,000 Falcon Northwest Mach V, set records on every desktop benchmark in our arsenal. The surprisingly affordable Dell Studio XPS and Gateway FX6800-01e also impressed us, not only with their relative speed, but by allowing up to six system memory sticks, in the case of the Dell, or by allowing you to add two 3D cards in an sub-$1,500 desktop with the Gateway. Both of those upgrade options speak well of the flexibility afforded by Intel’s new Core i7-supporting X58 chipset. We also loved the Gateway’s tricked-out chassis.

Gateway’s FX6800-01e has a slick removable hard drive array.

(Credit: CNET)

In between, we saw a Core i7-based Alienware Area-51 X58 with 2TB of traditional hard drive storage, as well as a pair of Samsung solid-state hard drives. That’s a truly impressive amount of hardware, even for its $6,500 price tag. We just wish there was an overclocking option with that system. And finally, Velocity Micro’s upper-midrange Edge Z55 impressed us as PCs from that company often do, with its workman-like design and superior performance for the dollar.

…

Acer’s netbooks are set to get bigger and cheaper in the new year, according to Acer Taiwan boss Scott Lin. The company will be launching a 10” version of its Aspire One in February or March of 2009, clearly taking aim at the sweet spot for size and portability already covered by the Eee PC, the Wind and Dell’s Minispiron.

Lin also says that he expects prices to keep dropping, although netbooks won’t see the big reductions of the mid range (US$900-1200) models.

It’s actually pretty hard to see where things are going in the netbok world. They obviously can’t get any smaller without being useless, and they can’t get that much cheaper. In fact, until Intel starts shipping its dual-core Atom processor, these things are going to have to differentiate themselves on the one thing almost no netbook has yet got right — the keyboard and trackpad.

Acer to launch 10-inch Aspire One as early as February next year [DigiTimes]

See Also:

• These Mites Be Giants: We Test and Rate 6 Netbooks
• Acer Drops Aspire One Prices, Adds Bigger Battery
• Review: Lenovo S10 — The Best Netbook We've Seen All Year

Adobe has updated its Camera Raw software to version 5.2. It adds a few features that Lightroom users already enjoy (output sharpening and targeted adjustment tools for adjusting images by clicking and dragging) but the most interesting part for us gadgeteers is the support for the Panasonic DMC-LX3.

Up until now, users of this camera have been stuck with the bundled RAW converter software, Silkypix. Worse, Silkypix doesn’t then allow conversion to the more open dng, or digital negative, format. This was because of some internal jiggery-pokery by Panasonic.

The wide angle (24mm) Leica lens apparently suffers from extreme barrel distortion (straight lines at the edge of an image bow outwards) which Panasonic has been correcting in software. This is fine with jpeg images, which are often heavily processed in camera anyway. But with RAW files, it has been a problem.

RAW files are like the negatives of film, and should not be messed around with. RAW data is the data direct from the sensor, delivered to the memory card without any modification. But the Silkypix software has had its RAW decoder tweaked to apply correction to this lens distortion.

Adobe has managed to work around this non-standard behaviour with the new Camera Raw update, but at some cost. If you keep the files as they come from the camera, all is well. But if you convert them to dng files, they’ll be tripled in size:

In this release the native, proprietary files from these cameras can only be converted to linear DNG files. A linear DNG file has gone through a demosaic process that converts a single mosaic layer of red, green and blue channel information into three distinct layers , one for each channel. The resulting linear DNG file is approximately three times the size of a mosaic DNG file or the original proprietary file format.

This should be fixed in the future, but for now it seems that Panasonic has messed up, at least from the point of view of the advanced amateurs at whom this camera is targeted. Lightroom will be updated to include support in December.

The full list of newly supported cameras:

Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Canon PowerShot G10

Panasonic DMC-G1

Panasonic DMC-FX150

Panasonic DMC-FZ28

Panasonic DMC-LX3

Leica D-LUX 4

Camera Raw 5.2 and DNG Converter Available [Lightroom Journal]

See Also:

• Why You Should be Shooting RAW
• Adobe Releases Lightroom 2.0: Localized Edits, Dual Monitors and …
• Lightroom and Aperture Updated

Harsh economic times? Just lost your job? 401K worth about as much as a space heater in the Sahara? It’s time to do the responsible thing. No, that doesn’t mean scrimping your savings and looking for a job! It means investing that severance package into a $6K gaming rig. Alienware’s latest desktop mothership, the M151X, has touched down and it is warp speed fast. Posting some of the fastest benchmarks we’ve ever seen on Crysis, the monstrosity is infused with some of the finest components out there. From the mind of reviewer, Christopher Null:

The centerpiece here is the new Core i7, Intel’s latest CPU. The i7-965
Extreme installed here is the fastest and most-powerful chip that Intel
currently makes, with four cores operating at 3.2GHz. Running the
64-bit version of Vista, Alienware has taken advantage of the lack of
the 32-bit 3-GB RAM cap and wedged 12 gigs of DDR3 RAM into the rig.

$6,373 (as tested), alienware.com

Read the full review of the Alienware Area-51 X-58 right here.

Intel and Micron’s subsidiary IM Flash Technologies first announced its first-of-its-kind 34nm NAND Flash memory back in May of this year and, as promised, it’s now finally followed through on things pushed ‘em into mass production. The chip’s themselves are 32 gigabit multi-level cell chips, and can hold 4GB of memory on their own, or be stacked on top of each other in a standard 48-lead thin small-outline package (TSOP) to hold up to 64GB. That, the companies say, will not only allow for increased storage in small form factor devices, but less expensive solid state drives as well, given the reduced manufacturing costs. They’re apparently still a little ways away from finding their way into some actual products, however, with the companies only going so far as to say that the first samples are on track for early 2009

[Via Electronista]

Filed under: Storage

Intel, Micron start churning out 34nm, 32Gb NAND Flash chips originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 13:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Americans have been waiting with bated breath for months on end for Clarion’s MiND mobile internet device to launch, and just as we were promised in September, said device is finally on sale in the month of November. Available in black, red or white hues, the MID boasts a 4.8-inch WVGA (800 x 480) touchscreen, preloaded maps of the entire US and Canada, built-in RealPlayer, Linux OS, an Intel Atom CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 4GB SSD, Firefox browser, Bluetooth 2.0 / WiFi, a microSD card slot, 2 USB ports and a battery good for around 1.5-hours of usage. Pop one under the tree for that someone special in your life for just $649.99. Or get them a full-fledged netbook for less, your call.

[Via Pocketables]

Filed under: GPS

ClarionMiND MID on sale in the US for $649.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Although the third-generation Classmate PC looked completely unprepared for the real world comin’ out of IFA, Intel has clearly hit the books during the fall term. Now, the convertible Classmate has graduated to the FCC, where we’re shown a user’s manual, label ID and a smattering of pathetic images. If you’re thinking this bugger’s just on cruise control until diploma day, you’ve got another thing coming, but we have heard that it’s taking a job on US soil right after the holiday break.

Filed under: Laptops

Intel’s convertible Classmate PC barely makes it to FCC class originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Laptops

Hello Kitty C1 netbook packs a lotta ‘tude into a small package originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The second version of the popular MSI Wind netbook is due to hit U.S. stores for the holiday season.

The specifications are as follows:

• CPU: 1.6GHZ Intel Atom
• Graphics:  Intel GMA950
• Memory: 1GB DDR2 RAM
• Display: 10 inches (1,024 x 600) LCD
• Hard drive: 160 GB
• Multimedia: 4-in-1 (SD/MMC/MS/XD) card reader
• Connections: USB 2.0 (three ports), Mic-in, headphone
• Battery:  6-Cell (about five hours)
• Wireless: 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth V2.0EDR
• Modem: Intel WiMAX Technology / 3.5G (HSDPA) Solution
• Camera: 1.3-megapixel webcam
• Dimensions: 10.23 x 7.08 x 0.38 ~ 1.29 inches
• Weight: 3 pounds (with battery)

Not much has changed from the previous model. The main difference is that the standard configuration ships with 160GB (as opposed to 80GB in the older Wind), and there’s an option to add a 3.5G modem. Other than that, MSI slightly altered the appearance of the netbook: The older Wind was all white or all black with rounded corners; the new one has straight edges and is all white with black accents.

The company hasn’t announced an official price yet, but a spokesman said the Wind U120 will be "significantly under $600." The current U100 model is selling for roughly $400, and I think we can expect to see a similar price tag. There isn’t an official release date, either, but MSI said the netbook will hit stores sometime mid-December.

See Also:

• MSI Wind 2 Netbook Set for November Release
• Early Photos: MSI Wind 2 Netbook
• MSI Announces Wind 2, Says Customers Hate Linux
• These Mites Be Giants: We Test and Rate 6 Netbooks

Photo: MSI