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An Apple Store employee whose apartment she was sharing with two roommates was recently victimized by burglars, however they had a happy ending thanks to the help of her stolen Mac’s screen sharing feature and built-in webcam.

After the house was burglarized by thieves, the Apple Store employee received a call from a friend asking if she was online, since it appears that she is online on her friend’s computer. The victim immediately logged on to the Internet and used the Back-to-My-Mac program and found out that her Mac was indeed connected to the Internet. Not wasting any time, the victim quickly activated her Mac’s built-in webcam and the screen sharing feature in order to take a snapshot of the thief who was currently using her notebook. The victim’s friend recognized the man in the picture as someone who had been at her apartment during the recent get together. 

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It turns out that AT&T is making an attempt at keeping their free Wi-Fi offering a secret. Even though its long past the secret part, thanks to the appearance and disappearance act that is has been putting on recently. According to a statement from AT&T they offered up an official “no comment” about the situation, but they also stated that the issues that have come up were nothing more than “human error.” Which based on that it would be pretty safe to say that its just a matter of time before it goes live for real, until then we can only hope the same human that has been making those errors will continue, we love our free Wi-Fi.

Read [New York Times] Via [Gizmodo]

With the release of the Eee PC 900 quickly approaching, we are beginning to see more and more pre-order options opening up. The official release date is this coming Monday, which is May 12, but in case you cannot hold out any longer here are a few online retailers that are giving you the option to get your order in early.

We have already mentioned the listing over at ExcaliberPC, but now joining them are J&R, Buy.com and Amazon, all of which have the notebook listed for $549. For those willing to place their order early, let’s just hope the Eee PC 900 does not experience any shipping delays.

Via [I4U News]

Microsoft has brought back their “Ultimate Steal” promotion, and once again are offering a great deal on Office Ultimate. Microsoft is currently running the promotion for students which will allow them to save $620, which is 91% off the retail price of Microsoft Office Ultimate. The office suite normally retails for $680, however up until May 16 anyone with access to a .edu address can take advantage of this deal.

Based on the website for the promotion, you must be an active student, meaning you are currently enrolled in a class, however the New York Times is reporting that all you need is an active .edu email address. Well, I have a spare $60 lying around, just a shame I don’t still have access to my old .edu address.

Read [The Ultimate Steal] Via [Lifehacker]

Laptop sleeves are becoming more and more popular these days. Not only do they allow a laptop to be carried safely in a bag that doesn’t scream “I have an expensive computer in here!”, they also help users avoid carrying backbreaking amounts of junk. The new Cargo Laptop Sleeve from Built NY is perfect for those who just want to carry the bare minimum. It’s made out of tough, protective neoprene and aside from holding a laptop it offers three pockets that can hold a portable hard drive, a mouse, an iPod, or whatever you can find that will fit. It’s also got special zig zag stitching that gives it extra water resistance. It comes in three sizes: Large (fits laptops up to 17-inch), Medium (fits laptops up to 15.4-inch) and Small (fits laptops up to 13-inch). Prices range from $40-$50.

Product [Built NY] Via [Crave]

The latest to land in what seems like a never ending stream of mini notebooks is the RazorBook 400 from 3K Computers. While the RazorBook 400 seems to have a very similar feature set as the Eee PC 701 it is lacking a little in the power department.

Similar to the Eee PC, the RazorBook 400 offers a 7-inch display, 4GB SSD, 512MB RAM, built-in card reader, Wi-Fi and runs Linux, but the processor is a lowly 400MHz. With people even at times questioning the 900Mhz of the Eee PC, its hard to imagine a similar notebook running at 400MHz and sadly the price is the same $399 that the Eee PC is retailing for.

Product [3K Computers] Via [Gotta Be Mobile]

While rumors about buyouts, mergers and partnerships continue to swirl around them, the number one and number two social network websites are announcing new features and services. MySpace, the top social site, is taking the wraps off of “data availability,” which allows members to easily share public profile information and user-generated content with Yahoo!, Ebay, Flickr and Photobucket.
And Facebook, after hearing complaints from state attorneys general about the threat from child predators and cyberbullies on its website, has agreed to tighten up security to protect its under-18 users. The social network will work with a task force to make sure identities and ages of members can be verified while trying harder to keep inappropriate content - including alcohol and tobacco advertising - from underage eyes. 

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As usual, when it comes to getting new computing machines, our friends from Japan are again ahead of all of us. Our Japanese buddies will have the chance to be the first one to get hold, feel and test the spanking new and ruggedly handsome NEC tablet PC, which is appropriately branded as the ShieldPro FC-N22A. From its name alone, you can immediately deduce that this machine was built for the purpose of sustaining the most severe environmental conditions. True enough, the ShieldPro tablet PC can withstand temperature range of -4 F to 122 F, can sustain falling up to about 35-inches without breaking apart, is dust proof and complies to IP55 requirement for being water proof.

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Toshiba Italy has announced the availability of the Portege M800 notebook in all of Europe sometime in during Q3 of 2008. Sporting a stylish design with white pearl finish, Toshiba is marketing this product towards business professionals who are always mobile, as attested by its light weight, which is a little less than 4.5-pounds.

Like the other Toshiba Satellite laptops, the Portege M800 was also treated with Toshiba’s Fusion design that provides for a smooth and slightly rugged exterior finish. Now, here’s the skinny on the other features of the M800; a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T5750 processor, 1GB RAM, 13.3-inch WXGA display with a 1280 x 800 resolution, 250GB SATA hard drive, Super multi-DVD and running Windows Vista Home Premium.

Product [Notebook Italia]

The MSI Wind, which we just yesterday learned that it was going to be available in multiple colors, is now available for pre-order. Expansys has listed the Wind, available for pre-order in White, Black or Pink. The official details are listing a 10-inch display with a 1024 x 600 resolution, 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, 80GB hard drive, built-in 1.3-megapixel webcam, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The Wind will be running Windows XP and also ship with a 3-cell battery and protective carry bag.

The Wind will set you back $609.95, with discounts available, that is if you want to order five or more. Currently there is not any estimated shipping date.

Product [expansys] Via [UMPC Portal]