Well, it looks like it’s time to start drooling. Intel’s mobile Core 2 Duos (codenamed Merom) could be launching alongside their desktop brethren when the Conroe chips become available on July 23rd. Merom had originally been scheduled to debut in August, with general availability occuring at the end of that month. However, this new schedule means that we could easily see Merom chips ship by mid-August, getting the processors to consumers faster than anticipated.
If you’ve ever had a computer of yours used when you’re not around, you might want to take a look at this nifty little gadget. This two-piece USB Wireless PC Lock activates anytime you move out of range of your computer; the large USB section hooks up to your machine while the smaller tramsmitter is kept in your pocket. Once out of range, the receiver locks your computer until you return within 2 meters of the receiver or until you unlock the machine with your password. Either way, it’s a good way to keep those nosey co-workers away from your work.
Product Page [via Coolest Gadgets]
In keeping with our ever-expanding coverage on the future of Apple’s little music player, speculation has arisen (in the form of yet-another patent filing) that the next-generation Apple music machines will speak to you, announcing the song’s title and artist in a variety of celebrity voices. While it’s sort of creepy to consider having your iPod talk to you (is it really so difficult to just look at the song title, people?), this might be a great step forward in allowing iPods to be used by vision-impaired customers who can’t read the text on the iPod’s admittedly tiny screen.
The Tecra M6 offers an Intel Core Duo T2400 processor, 1GB of memory, 100GB HDD, Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR, a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive, 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi, and a 12.1-inch widescreen XGA display with TruBrite technolgy. Security features include TPM (trusted platform module), a fingerprint reader, hard drive protection, spill-resistant keyboard, and a Security Assist Console. Priced around $1600.
Skype customers could call other Skype customers anywhere in the world for free, or to make calls worldwide for very cheap. Hot on the heels of AOL’s AIM Phoneline Plan which gives you a free phone number to recieve calls (to your computer), Skype has gone one step further and is now allowing customers within the US & Canada to call to landlines within Canada and the US for Free!!! (via their original Skypeout feature)
Windows Media Player 11 Beta is available for download. It has a little more graphic side to it and easy drop down nav bars for you to rip, burn, and sync. You can also manage your pictures, videos, and recorded TV shows.
Dell is finally using AMD’s processors in a small segment of their offering. While it is true that the number of units shipped will be small the processors will be used in two of the most profitable segments: servers and high end gaming (via Alienware). Before this, Dell made a point of using a single provider for all their processors. It is fair to think that Intel was giving good discounts to Dell, but using a single provider can also have tremendous operational benefits because it simplifies the qualifications and testing process. What has fundamentally changed is that AMD is now a technology leader that simply produces processors with a very good value that even Dell can’t ignore.
The Macbook is recently launched and it comes in black. The specifications are not bad at all, and at similar configuration (1GB RAM, 100GB HDD, faster CPU), the MacBook actually costs less than a Sony Vaio SZ, the ultimate 13.3” reference on the PC side.
The Toshiba Tecra M6 is available with either Celeron or Core Solo processors, the M6 seems like a slimmed-down version of the 14.1-inch M5 we spotted earlier this year, as the $1,059 base configuration only gives you 256MB of RAM, no WiFi, a 40GB hard drive, and that pokey 1.6GHz Celeron M. It costs a little over $1,600 to put together a decent system, which includes a 1.83GHz T2400 Core Duo chip, 1GB of RAM, 100GB HDD, 802.11a/b/g, and Bluetooth, but only integrated graphics and no DVD burner.
AMD is jumping into the game with their new Turion 64 X2 chips. The chips range from 1.6GHz to 2.0GHz, and range in price from $184 to $354 in bulk purchases. Of course, it’s just not nice these days to call a chip by its clock speed, so the models go by names like TL-50 (1.6GHz), TL-56 (1.8GHz) and TL-60 (2.0GHz).
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