August 2009

Review: Blackberry 8520 with Optical Trackpad

BlackBerryCurve8520_FrontsmThere comes a time in every gadgets life when its ball drops and a more mature model comes to market. Never has this been truer than with the Blackberry Curve 8520 which is now available on T-Mobile. The new Curve looks similar to the other phones in the Curve lineup and shares many of the same features but its optical trackpad is what makes it stand out and say, "Look at me." By ditching the traditional rollerball for a smooth trackpad and throwing in a 2G radio RIM was able to create a very functional phone at an attractive price point; $50 at Walmart with a 2 year agreement.

Dell Inspiron 11z now available for $399

It seems like just last week Dell dropped the Dell Mini 12 but Dell is already offering the Inspiron 11z to fill the ~12" notebook market. The Inspiron 11z starts at $399 and made a favorable impression on the PC World staff when they had hands on time last week.

Lenovo adds 14″ IdeaPad U450p to its notebook lineup

As part of a new rollout of products, including a new media server and products aimed at the home theater market, Lenovo added a new notebook to the IdeaPad lineup. The IdeaPad U450p builds on the popularity of Lenovo's slim 13" IdeaPad U350 adding an optical drive and better ability to handle graphically intense applications such as HD video thanks to a discrete graphics card.

Airline In-Flight WiFi Offerings Compared

Even though I'm no road warrior, I am a connection junkie. That's why I've been following the inclusion of in-flight WiFi on more and more airlines over the last year pretty closely. Thanks in large part to a push by Virgin, eight airlines now offer in-flight WiFi on at least some of their planes which means it's easier than ever to find a flight that will hook you up to your twitter page at 30,000 feet. While there are eight airlines offering WiFi, there are actually 3 different companies that provide the rather expensive service to airlines and their speeds and abilities vary greatly which prompted dvice to assemble a handy comparison chart for in Flight WiFi.
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Next iPod Touch Will Have Camera? (video)

There's a lot of rumors flying around about what Apple will release next. The company is holding apparently holding a press conference in September to announce a new product. The iPod Touch is one Apple product that's ready to be refreshed and today someone claiming to have a prototype of the next-generation iPod Touch posted several pictures and a video of the device.
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Help Choose MIDStories Giveaway Winners

We received several compelling stories from current MID users and people who think a tiny computer would improve their digital lives. Students, pilots, a doctor...

Dell Inspiron Z Series Coming Soon

Gizmodo's posted a photo gallery of Dell's upcoming Inspiron Z series of notebooks, which will most likely be announced just before Windows 7 becomes available in October. Dell's Inspiron Z series will There aren't a whole lot of details available quite yet, but these notebooks will be thinner and lighter than Dell's existing Inspiron lineup.

Tip: Develop a Solid Backup Strategy for Your Notebooks Before It’s Too Late

Backing up notebooks is easier and more affordable than ever. At the minimum, you should have two copies of every photo, video and document that really matters to them. Ideally, you should have several copies of your files stored locally and offsite. How aggressive you are about backing up your data depends can depend on your budget, amount of data and how much time you have to put into it all.

Sony Ericsson W518a: Meet AT&T’s New Facebook Phone

brittany_w518a_front_openFacebook, Facebook, Facebook! Things are really heating up for the social network especially on the news that it acquired Friendfeed which could provide it a leg up on its competitor Twitter. Why am I starting out a phone review with a news update for Facebook? Well because the Sony Ericsson W518a, which runs on AT&T’s network, is all but called a Facebook phone.

Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition Netbook Announced

Dell's teamed up to offer netbooks that feature Nickelodeon's slime motif and characters from its popular shows. Based on Dell’s Inspiron Mini 10v netbook, the Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition netbook can be personalized with characters from iCarly and SpongeBob SquarePants.
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MacBook Air SSD Upgrade Demo

Solid sate drives (SSD) can really speed things up compared to hard drives. Nicole Scott from Netbooknews.com recorded a demo of what popping a Runcore SSD into a MacBook Air can do.

New Laptop Sleeve Deserves Props

kensingtonsleeveWhen it comes to mobile technology we all love things that can pull double duty, especially if it means we won't pull our back out hauling something accessory around. That's what makes the new TwoFold Notebook Stand and Sleeve from Kensington so attractive.