PCs

Packard Bell (!?) Launches Gaming Desktop Line

Packard Bell—previously referred to as Packard Hell and Packard Smell—is diving head-first into the gaming PC market with the ipower X2.0, a gaming rig that features full customization at a decent price. It's aimed squarely at offerings from Acer and Ares. The Intel-based machines give customers their choice of ATI or nVidia graphics, disk drives, audio options, TV tuners and other add-ons. In addition, the PC features advanced cooling, including a silent water cooling system. The boxes are expected for this holiday season at about $2000, and we're hoping they're nothing like the PBs of the past. [Trusted Reviews]

9:12 PM on Tue Jul 8 2008
By Matt Hickey
1,627 views, 19 comments

Latest by jrghoull: i cant believe they are still around...what the hell have they been doing all this time? more »

drobo

New Drobo Arrives, And It's Packing FireWire

The original Drobo was a highly regarded, easily expandable storage "robot" that could be stuffed with a new SATA drive whenever you required more space. But it was slow, even for a USB drive. Today a new Drobo has been announced that's equipped with two FireWire 800 ports and an upgraded processor. What's that mean? They claim it's now fast enough for video editing. The hollow version starts at $499. And if you're willing to settle for an older Drobo, that's on clearance for $349. [Drobo]

10:27 AM on Tue Jul 8 2008
By Mark Wilson
2,067 views, 25 comments

Latest by twilight-arc: Firewire might be dead, but at least its much easier to daisy-chain than ESATA. more »

desktops

Acer Aspire X1200 Series Mini-PCs Stuff HDMI Jack, 9 USB Ports and More in a Tiny Space

If you gotta go the desktop route, Acer's got three mini-PCs packed heavy with ports that don't take up a ton of space. Measuring 10.6" x 4" x 14.4", about the same as a hardcover book, the X1200s have an HDMI port—like Dell's leaked mini, aka the green PC, but unlike the smaller Asus Eee Box, which only has DVI—plus two PCIes, nine(!!) USBs, FireWire, front and back audio jacks, a DVD SuperMulti drive and a 14-in-1 card reader. Under the hood, it comes standard with 4GB RAM, the better to power the AMD dual-core processor with Nvidia GeForce 8200 integrated graphics to run Vista (now with SP1!). The PCs are out now for $450 to $700, a config which includes a 500GB drive and 22" LCD monitor. Check out the press release after the jump. [Acer] More »

12:01 AM on Tue Jul 8 2008
By Benny Goldman
9,512 views, 48 comments

Latest by jsketto: i just tried to post it again for you guys...hope it works more »

averatec

Averatec Makes iMac-Like All-In-One PC For $1249

Averatec's joining the XPS One and HP Touchsmart IQ506—among others—in the all-in-one PC game. What's notable about Averatec's beside its super generic "All-In-One PC" name? It's cheap. At just $1249, you get a 2.4GHz Intel E4600 Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 320GB hard drive, nVidia GeForce 8400, a 22-inch screen and a copy of Vista Home Premium. It's not a performance monster, but it is a fairly affordable all-in-one for the space conscious. On the other hand, [PRNewswire via Digital Trends]

6:20 PM on Mon Jul 7 2008
By Jason Chen
3,200 views, 19 comments

Latest by n/a: On the other hand, more »

acer g24

Acer G24 World's Highest Contrast Gaming Monitor (50,000:1)

Acer's G24 gaming monitor is apparently the only one badass enough for its Predator gaming PC. Besides being slathered in the same hue of rusty orange, according to Acer, this 24-incher is the world's highest contrast monitor, with a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. Stuff should pop big, in other words. More »

2:17 PM on Fri Jul 4 2008
By matt buchanan
7,305 views, 29 comments

Latest by barco: @aquaosx: It isn't meaningless, but you won't see a lot of real-world difference between this and any other comparably-priced monitor these days... ok, maybe it's effectively meaningless. People don't care anyway, they just want stuff that looks flashy (it's orange!). Case more »

mods

Caption Contest: The Poor Leopard PC

My attempt: "Hunting season really needs to start earlier this year."

Surely, you can do better. [MetkuMods via Unplggd]

11:10 AM on Wed Jul 2 2008
By Mark Wilson
4,008 views, 173 comments

Latest by C33: "When Billy asked his parents for 'a computer with Leopard', he didn't realize how far they would go to avoid switching to Mac..." more »

notebooks

Leaked Shots of Asus Eee 904 & 905 Laptops Show Half-Baked Idea

Shots of the rumored Asus Eee 904 and 905 leaked, and they look like we expected—big keyboard and a small screen with way too much plastic around it. (If the screen gets too large, they aren't allowed to use Windows XP.) There's also a 903 model in the shots, but it just looks like a slightly updated 900. I get what they're onto here: The small size of the EeePC is nice, but the keyboard on the 900 is still too tiny for my fat fingers. But honestly, how long before Asus just makes full-sized laptops? Oh that's right, they already do. UPDATE: Asus confirms the 904 HD, with HDD instead of SSD, but not the 903 or 905...yet. [903, 904 & 905 via i4u]

11:23 AM on Tue Jul 1 2008
By Benny Goldman
3,157 views, 21 comments

Latest by Brian Sexton: I'll take a little extra bezel over too little keyboard any day. more »

pcs

Lenovo IdeaCentre K210: Desktops Are Still Cool, Right Guys? Guys?

Lenovo is preparing to release a fancy new desktop, the IdeaCentre K210. Featuring specs up to an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, 3GB of RAM, optional Blu-ray drive, multicard reader, webcam with VeriFace recognition and anti-bacterial keyboard, none of the specs will scream ultimate gaming machine, but the PCs start at just $379 (with the 22-inch monitor costing an extra $299). As for the style, it's pretty much how I picture a sci-fi movie from the early '90s depicting computers of the future—shiny, but with the same basic shape they had when Sandra Bullock could pass as a hacker. Read on for the entire spec rundown. More »

12:00 PM on Mon Jun 30 2008
By Mark Wilson
3,969 views, 27 comments

Latest by n/a: deradfull, thankfully the ThinkCentre line is arround for those who want good design. more »

notebooks

New Eee PCs from Asus Will Have Small Screens, Big Keyboards

Asus is working on a couple of new Eee PCs, the 904 and 905, say sources of DigiTimes. The models take the 8.9" screen from the 900 and 901 and mash it up with the bigger keyboard on the Eee 1000, which doesn't seem like a very good idea to us because the mini-notebook appeal is precisely its compact size. The new models may replace the current 900 series line entirely, but that, along with potentially increased battery life and storage capacity, is still up in the air. The price, however, are expected to remain the same. [DigiTimes]

8:04 AM on Mon Jun 30 2008
By Benny Goldman
3,519 views, 9 comments

Latest by n/a: what a waste, I see nothing cool about EEE PC's. I'm happy with my HP 2133 more »

ati

ATI Radeon Graphics Cards Running Nvidia PhysX Are Faster, Stronger, Awesomer

After Nvidia picked up PhysX, it was obvious ATI would probably get left out of Nvidia's efforts to spread the love to graphics cards and x86 CPUs (hence ATI hooking up with Havok). (Physics engines, for the uninitiated, are what make your body bounce around with aplomb after getting stuck with a grenade in Halo 3.) But some modders have fixed that and ported PhysX to ATI's Radeon 3800 cards, instantly improving benchmarks. More »

7:30 PM on Fri Jun 27 2008
By matt buchanan
13,859 views, 16 comments

question of the day

Question of the Day: Do You Get Stuck Fixing Everyone's Gadget Problems?

The main problem with being tech savvy is that everyone looks to you to solve their gadget-related issues. I mean, I'm happy to help but sometimes I just want to say "go and Google it dammit!" This is especially true with anything computer related. You know what I'm talking about—that frantic call from a friend who says their computer isn't working, so you go over there and find it unplugged. Seriously, I don't know how IT people can stand it. So, my question is: are you one of those people that gets stuck fixing everyone's gadget problems? More »

5:20 PM on Fri Jun 27 2008
By Sean Fallon
17,293 views, 152 comments

Latest by n/a: I'm in the medical field and the most tech savvy in the family and you think you have problems:0 more »

Bill Gates Retirement Party

Things No One Gives Microsoft Credit For (But Should)

Microsoft gets more crap than any other company in tech. That's partly because it's given us garbage like Clippy, Microsoft BOB and Windows Vista. And it's partly because it's arguably the most important company in personal computing. Sure, Apple gets all the fawning press for designing pretty, easy-to-use gadgets. But Microsoft is rarely credited for being why mainstream tech has come this far—a computer on every desk, the explosion of the internet, even the idea of a common UI across applications. Even smarmy Mac and Linux snobs have a lot to thank Microsoft for, even if they don't want to. More »

4:49 PM on Fri Jun 27 2008
By matt buchanan
71,726 views, 143 comments

Latest by n/a: @steve0000: Dear sir (read: Douche) and all other mac fanboys, In the world of consumer electronics there are three types at actually counted, 1)PC (read: Microsoft [Note: the term PC is used because of the simple fact that a Mac is a more »

papercraft

Symantec Papercraft Bots: Must. Resist. Clever. Marketing.

The only thing better than a robot may be a papercraft robot, and computer security software company Symantec clearly totally realizes this. Because to better educate the public on various malware bots that can infect their systems, Symantec has released free thematic papercraft robots. And kudos to their marketing department—they aren't covered in logos for Norton Antivirus or something. Here's a picture of their identity theft bot. Hit the link to collect all two! [Symantec via boingboing]

9:15 AM on Fri Jun 27 2008
By Mark Wilson
6,768 views, 17 comments

Latest by n/a: Junk... Seems that you need A4 size paper to fit this correctly. If you try to print it on 8.5x11 the proportions will get distorted a little. I guess this papercraft isn't American made. more »

peripherals

Sony High End STR-DA4400ES Receiver

The bottom line on the STR-DA4400ES, STR-DA3400ES and STR-DA2400ES is that they are Sony's new high end line of 7.1 receivers, outstanding for low noise, clean power, chassis dampening, 5 year warranty and high price. They all have cross media bar interfaces like the PS3. The HDMI ports also do BRAVIA control for over the wire remote of other Sony devices. The 4400 has 6 HDMI ports, does 2 video zones, 3 audio zones and picture in picture. More »

9:30 AM on Thu Jun 26 2008
By Mark Wilson
3,269 views, 18 comments

HP Touchsmart Review

Review: HP Touchsmart IQ506 PC is NOT Just an Imitation iMac

The Gadget: The Touchsmart IQ506 is HP's second gen, touch-sensitive computer. In addition to its all-in-one design, built-in webcam, TV tuner and wireless keyboard and mouse, the selling point here is the custom touch interface created by frog design. Here's why this is not just an imitation iMac.
More »

12:00 AM on Thu Jun 26 2008
By Adrian Covert
20,509 views, 52 comments

dell dock

Dell Dock Puts a Little Mac OS X Into Vista Studio Laptops

Dell's Studio Laptops will be getting a little touch of the Mac OS when they ship, thanks to the Dell Dock, a launcher that cleans up the Vista desktop in the most charming, albeit derivative, way. Below you can see "Before" and "After" images of the cleanup: More »

12:00 AM on Thu Jun 26 2008
By Wilson Rothman
23,707 views, 71 comments

Latest by n/a: Stardock, who developed the dock, has been making these kinds of things since the early 90s. Those who remember Object Desktop on OS/2 probably remember the LaunchPad. Docks and launchers and the such were old hat by the time OS X more »

Bill Gates Retirement Party

Why I Still Use Windows Despite the Peer Pressure

There are over a dozen people working at our fair Gizmodo, but as a Windows user, I'm in a definite minority. I still rock XP, and I'm pretty happy with that. Why haven't I switched to Macs? Plenty of reasons, not least of which being that I'm just too smart to switch to a Mac. That's right, I'm too smart for Macs. As Bill Gates's retirement rapidly approaches I figured now is a good time to lay out why I'm loyal to his OS. More »

7:30 PM on Wed Jun 25 2008
By Adam Frucci
134,117 views, 361 comments

Latest by Christopher: Okay, so your article basically states I use Windows because -> I'm accustomed to it -> I know it very well. I'm very good with it -> I don't like hipsters -> I don't like Steve Jobs So thoughts -> Way too more »

intel

Dual Core Atoms Delayed, World Weeps

Intel's tiny, cheap, power-efficient Atom chips are performing every bit as well as we could have hoped. So you know what should be even better? Intel's dual core Atom chips. Unfortunately, product shortages on the Atom 220 (original) are delaying production on the 330 (dual core)—Intel's original Atom is simply selling too well to justify releasing a better product yet. So whereas we'd expected to see new chips in July, we could be waiting until September...or later. Damn. [Register Hardware]

11:48 AM on Wed Jun 25 2008
By Mark Wilson
1,999 views, 17 comments

Latest by ogremustcrush: Performing as well as giz expected? I hope it wasn't much, since a 3-year old single core Celeron is considerably faster than an Atom at the same clock speed. Sure its much hotter, but the performance sucks on the Atom more »

Gizmodo

iPhone 3G Reviews Are In

Gizmodo Team

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