Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Getting a docking station from the maker of your laptop is expensive.  One way to get around the high price is with this: the Startech.com USB to VGA 4-in-1 Docking Station.  Small and tidy, this simple device requires only you to plug in one USB cable to make all the magic happen.

And what magic is that?  Dual monitor usage is the rage, so why not use the unit’s VGA out which supports 1680x1050 and 1600x1200 displays and has three distinct video operating modes allowing you to easily extend your laptop’s workspace.  There are the 4 USB ports so you can keep your mouse, keyboard and other gadgets waiting for your laptop when you are away.  Upon returning, simply plug in one USB connector and you are up and running.  The unit also has a USB Mini B port, one RJ45 10/100Mbps network port, and two 3.5mm audio (mic, line out) ports that all feed off that one USB input. 

How’d the Startech docking station work?  How much does it cost?  Keep reading.

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Yet another case of the few ruining it for the many.  Due to “at least 40” reports of laptop batteries overheating and causing fires as well as potential property damage, Sony is recalling 35,000 Lithium Ion batteries in the US and another 65,000 in other countries.  In a stroke of genius, none of these batteries were actually put in Sony laptops.  Instead, most of them (32,000) are in HP Pavilion dv model and Compaq laptops, and to a lesser extent Toshiba Satellite and Tecra laptops (3,000) and only 150 Dell Latitude and Inspiron laptops.  The batteries were made way back in October 2004 to June 2005.

More after the break.

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Intel and Asus have just launched a site yesterday that allows everybody and anybody to help them to design a PC.  WebPC is looking for collaborators to work together to help the two companies bring about a “community designed” PC.  Their ultimate goal is to be able to actually market this community designed PC, as it would be the first like it in the world.  With the motto of “You Dream it.  ASUS Builds it.  Intel inside it.“ on the front page, it’s easy to see how you can get lured in to being a part of the vision. Continued after the break.

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This is where we call out by names the actions and companies that seem odd, out of touch or just plain straight up smokin’ crack.  Technology is an odd realm where PR speak doesn’t hold a lot of water if the 1s and 0s don’t line up.  This week sees posturing, positioning and flat out insanity.  Here is what caught my eye this week:

Check out my mockery of:

• Cell phone carriers
• Dell
• Asus
• Motorola (yet again)
• the gaming industry

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While most likely not their only game plan, Intel ponied up to the netbook game by buying netbook.com.  By combining the grim economic outlook with one part of tech that continues to boom, Intel is hedging their bets that netbooks will continue to thrive, perhaps even more so in the run up to the holidays.

But what’s a netbook?

Find out by clicking more

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PC Magazine is reporting that Dell plans to change its laptop displays to mercury-free and energy saving LED backlighting.  Two thirds of their Latitude E-series will ship with the new displays by December 15th, and they plan to have 80% of their laptops include the new LED backlights. The transition is expected to be completed by 2010.

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Dell has announced they have two new laptops joining its Vostro series, the A860 and A840. Sporting almost the same features, the Dell Vostro A860 comes with a 15.6-inch HD LCD while the A840 has a smaller 14.1-inch WXGA LCD, both are sporting anti-glare widescreen features.

A quick rundown of the features and specifications of the basic configurations for both laptops will give us either an Ubuntu Linux or Windows Vista for OS, black color design, a built-in integrated network, modem and wireless connectivity. Bluetooth comes in as an optional connectivity feature. Both laptops also feature an integrated PC Card slot, either a single or dual core Intel Celeron or a Pentium dual core for their processors, up to 1GB of RAM, built-in optical drives, up to 160GB for the A860 and 120GB for the A840, and DVD/CD-RW combo drive or 8x DVD+/-RW with double-layer DVD+/-R write capability.

Other than those features, the Vostro A860 and A840 are pretty much your standard laptops. The Vostro A840 is supposed to come out anytime this week while the Vostro A860 will be out sometime in September. Pricing for these two laptops vary depending on their pre-configurations.

Read [Dell Vostro Press Kit]

• Micro Center’s Black Friday 2008 weekend sales
• Dell Inspiron Mini 9—now with optional 3G
• Dell adds 32GB SSD option on the Inspiron Mini 9

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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I’ve never heard of a company called Maplin before, but they certainly have produced an excellent laptop with their Minibook Ultra Portable Laptop.  (Yes, that is its official drawn-out name.)  Maplin’s Minibook may not be the best laptop to use for doing some gaming on World of Warcraft, but it is certainly enough to check the email or to do a little net surfing. 

The features include a 32-bit processor, a 128MB DDR2 RAM, and 2 GB of flash memory.  It has Wi-Fi Connectivity, and even has an Ethernet port.  There is a seven inch screen with a 800 x 480 display, an SD memory card slot, as well as three USB ports.  As for the battery life, it has a 2200mAh battery that will last about three hours. 

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Just a month after distribution began, the OLPC organization has been hit by theft. Armed robbers in Peru stole 66 XO laptops from a school in the settlement of San Pedro. The motive for the theft is unknown but in poor areas thieves tend to steal anything they believe has resale, and the XO has tremendous value, just check out eBay to see for yourself. Sadly, MIT Media Lab co-founder doesn’t seem to get it. He had this to say when asked about the theft potential of the XO:

“There are thousands of cars in the United States stolen each day, but not one single post office truck has been stolen in the history of the United States. The reason is that there is no secondary market for post office trucks because they look like post office trucks.“

His analogy suggests there is no secondary market for the XO, due to the distinctive looks the unit has, but he is mistaken. The theft in Peru and the listings of XO laptops for sale on eBay are proof of that. See someone other than a child using an XO? Be suspicious.

Read [OLPC News]

• Patriots QB joins forces with OLPC
• Colombia orders up Windows XP based XO laptops
• Believe tech can change the world?  Buy one of these this holiday season.