Filed under: Laptops
NEC’s new
LaVie Light netbook didn’t exactly do much to make itself noticed when it was first announced, but our pals at Engadget Chinese say the pictures of the device are a
tad deceiving, and that it’s actually a pretty solid little number in person. That’s apparently partly due to some solid fit and finish all around, and some fairly unique features like a screen that tilts back a full 180 degrees. They still aren’t sold on that over-sized bezel though, or the device’s thorougly ordinary spec list. Hit up the link below for a closer look.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Displays
Asus is ritzing up its LCD inventory with four new high-end displays this month — the VK266H and VW266H at 25.5 inches (beating out the manufacturer’s current top end) and the VK246H and VW246H at good ol’ 24 inches. They all feature the company’s new Splendid Video Intelligence Technology, run at at 1,920 x 1,200, and have a 20,000:1 contrast ratio, which is a significant improvement over the current Asus flagship‘s 3,000:1, but the max brightness is a bit lower. Why two at each size, you ask? Actual specs are identical across the board, but the VK266H and the VK246H have built-in webcams, while the VW266H and VW246H don’t — unfortunately, pricing info is not yet available, so there’s no telling how much extra you’ll be paying to record cringe-worthy YouTube diaries.
[Via PCLaunches; thanks, Vinit]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Filed under: Robots
If Yujin Robot has its way, cafes the world over will someday replace their waitstaff with
robots like CAFERO (shown above at Robot World 2008 in Seoul). Details are scarce, but apparently the automaton takes orders on a touch screen and fills them with the help of a human operator (though it’s only a matter of time before the carbon-based barista is obsolete). Robot waitresses don’t flirt and they don’t ask for tips: does CAFERO represent food service utopia or a chilling vision of the future? Only time will tell.
[Via Hallyu Tech]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
Who would’ve thought a car show could be so darn green?
Filed under: Storage
Toshiba and SanDisk have been in a number of joint ventures for some time now, but it looks like the two companies are now starting what could be a more drawn out break-up process, with SanDisk announcing today that it’s selling 30% of its manufacturing capacity outright to Toshiba in a $1 billion deal. For the time being at least, the two will remain 50/50 partners in the remaining 70% of the companies’ joint factories, though Toshiba will apparently get 65% of the production capacity at those factories. As MarketWatch points out, this latest move comes just a month after SanDisk rejected a $6 billion buyout offer from Samsung, and some analysts are now speculating that Toshiba’s deal will only make the company a more attractive target for Samsung. Nothing is expected to get wrapped up before August of 2009, however, which is when Samsung’s current royalty arrangement with SanDisk is due to expire.
[Via The Inquirer]
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
