Lenovo has officially launched IdeaPad U8 at the Olympics games in Beijing and so far this will be just Asia only release. The U8 sports 4.8 inch touchscreen, Intel’s sub-3 watt processor with 2GB memory and 6GB flash storage, dual cameras, support for China Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting (CMMB) digital television via USB dongle and 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, EDGE data and China-specific TD-SCDMA 3G. The IdeaPad U8 measures 21 x 173 x 84 mm and weights just 350 grams. Rumors says that European and North American release will sport WiMAX.
After PhysX and CUDA-powered GeForce Power Pack, NVIDIA has updated Quadro Plex workstation series. New model Quadro Plex 2200 D2 sport two Quadro FX 5800 GPUs and 8GB of RAM, while the Quadro Plex 2100 D2 is optimized for large multidisplay rigs with four Quadro FX 4700 GPUs and support for up to eight monitors. Now, if you really need such machines the $10,500 starting price won’t be the problem.
AMD continues to work on new ATI graphics and this time we have a chance to see two new models HD Radeon 4850 X2 and 4870 X2. Both GPUs are designed as top level models and feature two GPU chips on a 625 or 750MHz bus, respectively, with up to 2GB of 900MHz GDDR5 RAM. With paired processors achieved speed is over 20% better that competitive NVIDIA GTX 280 and able to match with dual 280 setup. Expected release date is somewhere in September and prices are $399 for 4850 X2 and $599 for 4870 X2.
Folks at HotHardware had a chance to review the Asus Eee Box B202 and first impressions says that it might be new hit at the mini desktop market. The Eee Box is based on the Intel Atom N270 processor clocked at 1.6GHz with a 533MHz FSB. The system also packs 1GB of DDR2-400 RAM memory, the Intel 945GSE Express mobile chipset and integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics as well as the 80GB hard disk, ICH7 companion Southbridge I/O controller hub for enabling SATA, USB, Gig-E LAN and 802.11n WiFi connections. Sound quality is provided by Realtek’s Azalia ALC888 audio chip with single stereo audio output jack. On the front side you will find two USB ports, Card Reader, Headphone-out jack and Mic while on the rear side are two USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit LAN, DVI out, Line-Out (L/R) with S/PDIF and WiFi antenna. The US package for $349 dollars ships with USB keyboard and mouse, Windows XP Home Edition and preinstalled StarOffice and MS Works.
NVIDA has launched two new GPUs with mid range quality. The GeForce 9800 GT and 9800 GTX+ sport 112 or 128 stream processors and support for HybridPower and PhysX as well as 512MB of RAM. You can get them right now for $149.99 and $199.99 respectively.
Guys at Tom’s Hardware has tested and overclocked 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Quad 6600 processor and managed it to work at 5.1GHz using cryogenic cooling system. They says it is a world record but we are not sure because there were P4 CPUs at 8.1GHz and Core 2 Extreme QX9775 on a Skulltrail board at 6GHz. So, close but not the cigar! Check out the video demonstration too!
NVIDIA has introduced new PCIe 2.0 compatible graphic card, the GeForce 9500 GT. Targeting the mid-range quality and price this sub $100 GPU sports 550MHz core clock, 1,400MHz shader clock, 32 stream processors, 800MHz memory clock, 256MB / 512MB of RAM and twin dual-link DVI ports. First reviews says that 9500 GT is faster than Radeon HD 3650, and pretty much on par with the GeForce 8600 GTS. Considering the price this card is perfect if you are not looking for top end performance and average use with low power consumption.
Dell has prepared new Inspirion configuration for end of summer and kids who are ready for school. The Inspirion 13 laptops is 13 incher that sport 8-in-1 card reader and slot-loading DVD drive and optional WiFi, Bluetooth and webcam. Will be available at Walmart from August 3rd for $699. Also, Dell has a new desktop configuration Inspirion 518 with DirectX 10 integrated graphics, gigabit Ethernet and easy-access USB ports on top of the case, there is option to ass a 500GB hard drive and quad core processors. Should be available right now for $349 starting price.
If you remember our story from April about Dell’s Studio Hybrid desktop eco-friendly lineup, finally the new PCs are being released. The mini desktops are your for starting price of $499 dollars and option to choose from various design Bamboo, Emerald, Quartz, Ruby, Sapphire, Slate and Topaz. Still Dell didn’t published any specifications but so far we know it features WiFi, HDMI, wireless keyboard and mouse, Blu-ray drive and a TV tuner.
Korean Ripple has released Atom based mini desktop named simply “Mini Chocolate” desktop. In very cute design you can find 1.6GHz Atom processor in Mini-ITX form, up to 2GB of RAM, four USB ports, two SATA sockets, one IDE socket, there is option for optical drive but you will have to get it yourself. Available in three colors and right now you can find in only in Korea for about $200 dollars.
