Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Tired of all those chargers for all of your gadgets?  Cameras, cell phones, PSPs, laptops, everything has a power cord even if it’s portable.  In a few years that may be a thing of the past (well, maybe more than a few years).  Intel has been researching wireless charging technology and has shown it off for the first time.

Intel’s system uses two metal rings connected by to a power amplifier.  The two rings transmit power to any device close to it.  Sure, it’s not entirely efficient (the numbers seem to say it’s only about 75 percent efficient when transmitting 60 watts two feet), but it given time that could improve.  The Wired article assures that the technology is safe for humans, so that’s a plus.

Imagining the day when all our gadgets could be charged wirelessly, when laptops aren’t bound to the wall when the battery runs out makes me quite happy.  I doubt that day will come very soon, but it’d be nice if it did.

Read [Wired]

Toshiba is bringing in two new highly-durable laptops into its Tecra series. These are the 15-inch Tecra A10 and the 14-inch Tecra M10. Both laptops come with a well crafted chassis that can withstand drops and shocks. Additionally both feature a fingerprint scanner and Toshiba’s EasyGuard for data security purposes.

These two laptops are both packed with Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology or Intel Centrino with vPro Technology featuring a Core 2 Duo processor, Windows Vista for the operating system, Intel GMA 4500MHD graphics, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G connectivity for the M10, DVD RW super multi drives, as much as 250GB of hard drive space and anywhere from 2GB to 8GB of RAM.

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Not wanting to be outdone by their competitors, Panasonic has upgraded two of its Toughbook models with the new Intel Centrino 2 chipset. These newly updated Toughbooks are the 15.4-inch CF-52 and the 13.3-inch Toughbook CF-74 and in addition to the Centrino 2 chipset they also now have Wi-Fi 802.11n connectivity.

Both machines are packed with 160GB shock-mounted hard drives, full magnesium alloy case, spill resistant keyboard and touchpad, and are mobile broadband ready for AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless networks. The CF-52 also features an integrated fingerprint scanner and a DVD multi-drive, while the CF-72 boasts a durable, spill-resistant touchscreen LCD.

These upgraded Toughbooks will both be available sometime in August with retail prices starting at $1,949 for the CF-52 and $3,199 for the CF-74.

Product [Panasonic] Via [I4U]

Lenovo has just released the new SL400 and SL500 ThinkPads touting a 14- and 15-inch LCD display respectively. Both laptops are loaded with the new Intel Centrino 2 processor. Covered in black-gloss design, these ThinkPads are being geared for small- and medium-size business users. Aside from the Centrino 2 processor, the laptops feature high-speed mobile broadband connectivity, various software for data recovery, Internet connection setup and some optional service package for online data back-up and on-site warranty repair.

Some other noteworthy features of these Lenovo ThinkPads include; high definition audio and video including an optional Blu-ray DVD optical drives and HDMI port, high resolution WXGA widescreen displays, SXGA webcam, and a full-size ergonomic keyboard.

The Lenovo SL400 and SL500 ThinkPads are both available now and are priced starting at $799.

Product [Lenovo] Via [electronista]

Here’s another announcement of new PC’s loaded with Intel’s Centrino 2 processor, this time its from Fujitsu with their new LifeBook tablet PC’s, the LifeBook T5010 and LifeBook T1010. Both models have 13.3-inch widescreen displays and are said to be the lightest convertibles in the market sporting the that size display. The LifeBook T5010 weighs only 4.5 pounds while the LifeBook T1010 weighs 5.3-pounds.

Both of these Tablet PCs have a bi-directional display hinge that would let you turn the screen in both directions for added flexibility. In addition, these notebooks feature the next-generation Intel wireless draft-N or Atheros N which are touted as three times faster than the usual 802.11n-based wireless connectivity. Both notebooks also come with an option to have a Bluetooth v2.1 and optional wireless WAN for additional wireless connectivity features.The T5010 and T1010 both come with spill-resistant keyboards and are equipped with the Fujitsu Shock Sensor for protecting their hard drives from damage due to sudden jolt or drop.

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We’ve all seen it happen time and time again. What was hot and happening even six months ago, is suddenly a dinosaur. It’s the nature of the ever-evolving technology game. Which is why industry giant Intel may just be well served by sitting up and taking note that the maker of cell-phone chips Qualcomm, just may be a major force to be reckoned with these days. 

With a latest innovation, the Snapdragon, Qualcomm packs a rather mighty punch in a tiny package. An engineer for the company demonstrated a palm-sized circuit board capable of displaying high-definition video. While a fairly high quality video image is nothing new to write home about, what did make it pretty special was it’s microprocessor chip, the Snapdragon. This micro-chip drives the display with less than half the power of a similar chip recently introduced by Intel. Qualcomm designers further sweeten the deal by saying that it will also cost less.

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Chip giant Intel Corp. recently announced the company is birthing a new company that will focus on manufacturing photovoltaic cells—the main component in panels that utilizes solar energy.

An internal team from Intel working on solar technology will form SpectraWatt Inc.  Intel will invest $50 million, with Cogentrix Energy LLC, PCG Clean Energy & Technology Fund, and Solon AG.  The company is expected to begin shipments by mid-2009.

The move reflects the recognition of big companies on the growing importance of alternative energy sources in view of skyrocketing costs of hydrocarbon-based energy.  Intel Capital’s President, Arvind Sodhani, quipped, “This is an important investment for Intel Capital in the growing clean-tech sector and we look forward to working with the company to support its expansion.”

Among other companies, IBM has also dabbled in the development of technology to harness solar energy. 

Via [WallStreetJournal]

HP revisited its Pavillion line and came out with guns blazing – now, the entire series boasts of HD tuners, Blu-ray drives, webcams, fingerprint readers and even built-in 3G internet.

Aesthetically, the series also received a makeover with a smooth, liquid-metallic ‘magic chrome’ controls that light up upon touching. An optional BrightView Infinity Widescreen and color-matched keyboards and touchpads also contribute to the elegant design.

But the real story is in the range of choices the Pavillion line offers. First, users can choose between AMD and Intel to power their notebooks. Then, it’s a matter of balancing price and power. From the lightweight dv4 ($800 for AMD or $1000 for Intel) to the flagship dv7 ($950 for AMD or $1230 for Intel), the Pavillion lineup offers user choices starting from processors, high-speed eSATA interfaces, video cards and various other accessories. 

The whole notebook line features the HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection technology, which automatically stops the hard drive from spinning after it detects sudden movement (such as falling) to help prevent data loss. 

Via [Gizmodo]

Whether you are into the recent popularity of the ultra-portable notebooks that have been swamping the market lately, or just sitting back and waiting for it to finish, its hard to deny that some of the pre-loaded operating systems are less than desirable. While the pre-installed OS on the Eee PC from Asus is limited and seems slightly child-like, its very functional, especially when compared the the gOS that comes loaded on the Everex Cloudbook that is slightly painful to use.

Given the options available lots of people have been choosing to install an older, albeit still very functional OS, Windows XP. However in some good news coming from the Linux front, Mark Shuttleworth, the CEO if Canonical has given up some excellent information in a recent interview with The Guardian. Its news that should make any ultra-portable and Ubuntu fan very happy, they are planning on launching a new flavor of Ubuntu, dubbed the “Netbook Remix.” The OS, which is being worked on closely with Intel is expected to be announced during Computex, which takes place during the first week of June. Luckily this is just a short time away, hopefully the Netbook Remix OS will be available shortly after the announcement with drivers to support the wide variety of ultra-portables currently on the market.

Read [The Guardian] Via [Gizmodo]

Care to see what lies under the hood of your preferred WiMAX-running mobile Internet device? Well, look no further, as we have this very interesting 5350 Intel WiMAX / Wi-Fi card up and available for onlookers on the FCC web site. It also comes with its own user manual, as well as a WiMAX manual (for n00bs, I assume). This is the exact same critter that a lot of WiMAX hopefuls have been, er, hoping about, and now that it’s out, I guess it’s time to speculate what kind of device will really carry this first. Will it be a Nokia Internet tablet, a UMPC, or another obscure-brand MID? For now, we can’t say for sure, but feel free to get close and comfortable with the card via the Read link to the FCC web site.

Read [FCC] Via [Engadget]