Oh! Gizmo

By Luke Anderson

Asus made waves when they launched their tiny (and cheap) Eee PC. Who could resist such a light and mobile laptop for as little as $299? Naturally with the response that was generated, other miniature mobiles would be announced. The first one to make it to the market will be the CloudBook from Everex, which is due to hit stores February 15. What’s interesting is that even with the release still a few days away, Everex is already talking about future revisions.

The $399 machine already has the potential to knock down the Eee PC as the reigning champ of the low-cost laptops with features like a 30GB hard drive, digital video out, high quality webcam and memory card reader. However, Everex is looking to really pull ahead with options like solid state drives, touch screens and a variety of colors sometime after launch. There is even talk about larger screens, all the way up to 22 inches.

The CloudBook will be hitting your local Walmart stores next Friday for just $399. I’m curious to see just how it stacks up against the Eee PC.

[ Everex ] VIA [ Laptopmag ]

By Luke Anderson

Last year we saw a lot of compact PCs that were really overpriced. Take for example the FlipStart which featured a 1.1GHz Pentium processor and 512MB of RAM and a 5.6-inch screen. It ran a full version of Windows XP (now even Vista) which was cool, but the $1,499 price tag was huge turnoff. In a huge surprise move, they have drastically dropped the price down to $699. Now that’s what I’m talking about.

In a world that has the Asus Eee PC, the FlipStart really didn’t have a hope of surviving at its current price, so it was a smart move to bring it down. My favorite feature is the integrated Sprint EV-DO Rev A chipset which lets you get net access almost anywhere (for a fee of course). It might not be as comfortable to type on as the Eee PC, but it may give it a run for its money now.

[ FlipStart ] VIA [ RegHardware ]

By David Ponce

File this under the rumor section, but there’s a very good chance Apple will announce their smallest notebook ever at MacWorld, in January 2008. The rumors are so strong, a price tag is even being tossed around: $1,500.

CNBC show host Jim Goldman has said in a financial TV report broadcast today and observed by AppleInsider. The presenter refers to alleged sources close to Apple’s manufacturing plants in southeast Asia who have seen the 12-inch notebook and appear to confirm earlier details of the computer, which include a design half as thin as today’s systems and the use of slimmer, more efficient flash memory for storage.

No shipping date is suggested, though production has already begun, which could mean availability as soon as it’s announced. Our own Evan is likely to attend MacWorld, so tune in during that week to get first hand reporting on this.

VIA [ Electronista ]

By Luke Anderson

I’m highly protective of my laptop, as it’s my portal to the rest of the digital world when I’m away from home. Rarely does it leave my sight, unless it’s locked away securely somewhere. However, some people will use their notebooks in a more public place such as a cafe, and leave it for short periods where it could be easily taken. That’s why Belkin created this USB Laptop Security Alarm.

Rather than locking the laptop down to a table or desk, this alarm is able to be secured to a sturdy object, and is plugged into an available USB port. If it is unplugged without the key being inserted, it will sound a rather loud alarm. This would stop just about any thief in their tracks. Peace of mind is yours for just $25.

[Belkin] VIA [EverythingUSB]

By Shane McGlaun

Western Digital rolled out its latest 2.5-inch notebook hard drive today that will also see duty in small form factor external storage devices. The 320GB drive uses the SATA 3.0GB/s interface and has a transfer rate of 850Mbits/s maximum.

The Scorpio 320GB drive has a 5400-rpm spindle speed and an average read seek time of 12 ms. The buffer size is 8 MB and average latency is 4.20 ms. The small drive has a profile only 9.5mm thick so it should lend itself well to use in small USB drives. WD also uses proprietary technology to make the drive quiet, it produces only 26dBA in seek mode. Teh MSRP for the 320Gb drive is $199.99.

VIA [ Western Digital ]

By Shane McGlaun

Business travelers that give presentations frequently from their notebook will be pleased to hear that Gyration has announced a smaller version of its Air-Mouse called the M2000 Travel Air-Mouse. The M2000 is sized like a notebook mouse and uses 2.4GHz RF technology that is good for distances of up to 100-feet from the transceiver.

When used on your desk, the M2000 operates like any normal notebook mouse. Pick the mouse up and use it in the air and your hand movements turn in to cursor controls on the screen. Gyration says the M2000 will be available in Q1 of 2008 for $69.95 or you can buy it bundled with a small wireless keyboard for $99.95.

VIA [ Gyration ]

by Shane McGlaun

Toshiba announced today that they have moved into the high-performance 2.5” notebook hard drive segment. The new MK-49GSY series of hard drives uses perpendicular magnetic recording technology to squeeze up to 200GB of storage onto the small notebook size hard drives.

Lots of capacity is only one of the ingredients you need for better notebook performance, the other is fast speeds and the new drive delivers there with 7200rpm. Toshiba promises a media transfer rate from the new 200GB 7200rpm drive of 895.9 Mbps and an average seek time of 12 ms.

The interface used for the drive is 3Gbps SATA. Toshiba made the drives strong as well with an operating shock resistance of 300G and a non-operating shock resistance of 900G. There is no word at this time on the pricing or availability of the new 7200rpm drive family which can be had in capacities from 80GB to 200GB.

VIA [ Toshiba (PDF Link) ]