Asus has dropped us word of its latest Eee Box, the 1501. The Eee box series are nettops - tiny, cheap, relatively low-power machines that are designed as secondary computers (perhaps for use in a media centre setup) or for those who don't use their machine very much.

The 1501, Asus reckons, is one of the world's smallest computers that features both a dedicated Nvidia ION graphics chip (most nettops have less-powerful integrated graphics) and an optical drive for DVD playback. It can also output full 1080p from an HDMI-out port.

Elsewhere in the spec sheet, there's a dual core Intel Atom 330 processor, 2GB of memory (expandable to 4), a 250GB hard drive, 5.1 speaker support, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and an Ethernet port. It comes with Windows 7, an upscaler and a built in IPTV player, and can be either mounted on the back of a monitor or on its stand.

The device claims to be 50% quieter than most desktop PCs, and has 70% less power consumption to boot. It measures 193 x 193 x 39mm, which is 1.5L of volume. It costs ?340 and is available now.

Tags: Hardware Desktop PCs Asus Asus Eee Box 1501 Eee HD Nettops Video

VIDEO: Asus reveals Eee Box 1501 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:54:17 +0000

PC World has added to is own-brand Advent range with the launch of a new gaming PC, the Centurion, a desktop space-saving PC, the Firefly, and a lightweight laptop, the Verona.

The 13-inch Advent Verona gets Windows 7, an Intel Celeron ULV 743 processor, 250GB hard drive, 3GB RAM, DVD rewriter, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Weighing in at 1.6kg, and available in three colours with a gloss finish, the Verona is priced at ?349.99.

The Centurion ("a stylish and affordable desktop for the budget-conscious gamer") gets a clear side to view the innards, boasts Windows 7 Premium, an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 processor, 6GB memory, 1TB hard drive, DVD rewriter and Wi-Fi. Complete with a monitor, it will cost ?799.99.

The compact Firefly desktop PC measures in just 95 x 300 x 320mm and features Window 7 Home Premium, an Intel Pentium DC E5 300 processor, a 320GB hard drive, 2GB memory, DVD rewriter and Wi-Fi. It's priced at ?379.99.

Tags: Hardware Desktop PCs Laptops PC World Advent Currys Dixons Windows 7

PC World launches three new Advents originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:08:43 +0000

Packard Bell has announced its oneTwo series of all-in-one touchscreen Windows 7 desktop PCs that offer a digital TV tuner built-in.

The all-in-one devices, with a "space-saving design and a single power-cord" combine a PC and a TV in a 20-inch 1600 x 900 resolution or 23-inch 1920 x 1080 resolution display.

Offering Windows 7 and boasting the new OS's multi-touch touchscreen experience, the PCs get Packard Bell's "TouchPortal" interface for all kinds of touchscreen fun and frolics.

The deskops offer up to six USB ports, a 5-in-1 card reader, an integrated webcam, jacks for audio in and out while graphics options comes in with either integrated graphics from Intel or discrete graphics, both supporting Microsoft DirectX10.

The oneTwo L boasts an Intel Core 2 Quad processor, an e-sata port, a slot in ODD, and 5.1-channel surround sound via the integrated 5 Watt stereo speaker system as well as an optional Blu-ray drive.

The oneTwo M is now available starting from ?599, while the oneTwo L - also available now - gets an estimated street price starting from ?899.

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Tags: Hardware Packard Bell Desktop PCs Freeview Windows 7 All-in-one PCs

Packard Bell announces oneTwo touchscreen all-in-one desktop PCs originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:05:34 +0000

Dell's teeny Inspiron Zino HD is about as much of a Mac Mini rival as a Windows-based machine could be - even offering customisable looks for some extra youth market appeal - and we grabbed some hands-on time with it at the Dell CES Unveiled event in New York.?

Measuring just 7.8 x 7.8 x 3.4 inches the diminutive desktop is a space saving solution for the bedroom, lounge or heck, even the kitchen, it's cute with journalists from the glossies clambering over each other to grab a look.

If you like what you see, the Zino can be ordered now. Prices range from ?299 for a bare bones model with no graphics, to a ?744 option that gets 1TB of storage and tons of RAM.

Why opt for this over the Mac Mini? It's got a Blu-ray option if that's your thing, and with the Windows 7 element, a not too shabby media centre interface built in too.?

Tags: Hardware Dell Photos Dell Zino HD Desktop PCs Nettops

PHOTOS: Hands-on with the tiny Dell Inspiron Zino HD originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Valerie Singleton's Discount-age website, which aims to help the elderly save money, has teamed up with Wessex Computers and Vegan Solutions to put together a computer designed for the elderly, called simplicITy.

The company's MD, Nigel Houghton, reckons that people aged 50+ find computers "complicated" and "frightening", claiming that there's a "digital divide" between that age group and younger portions of the population. "Without a simpler computer, the take-up of broadband among older people is likely to remain small", says the company.

simpliciITy, when turned on, will present users with a menu screen that offers email, a web browser, chat, "About Me" page, a documents folder and some video tutorials presented by Valerie Singleton on how to use the machine. The user clicks whichever button they fancy and then the application goes fullscreen.

It's not clear what browser is provided, but the company says it's large-text and supports bookmarks. The email option takes users to another menu, allowing them to read, write or view an addressbook. About Me allows the user to create a profile, chat lets users access a "community" chatroom, and documents lets users create and edit documents and view photographs.

The operating system is constructed from Linux, which should make it a little safer from virus attacks, and comes with a recommendation of Eclipse broadband services.

Barebones desktops are available at ?300 for single-core (the simplicITy Suite 100) and ?390 for dual-core (simplicITy Suite 200) options. If you want a screen, keyboard, mouse and pair of speakers too, that'll pump up the price to ?436 and ?526 respectively. Delivery takes 2 weeks, as each machine is built to order.

UPDATE: We found one of the videos online! Check out Valerie explaining how to use a mouse above.

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Tags: Hardware Desktop PCs Discount-age Wessex Computers Vegan Solutions

simplicITy PC unveiled for the elderly originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:04:26 +0000

Dell has announced a cute'n'colourful small form factor PC, or full-featured nettop, or mini desktop (whichever you'd rather) the Inspiron Zino HD.

A Mac Mini rival from the world of Windows, if you will, the Zino HD offers space-saving measurements of 7.8-inches by 7.8-inches by 3.4-inches.

It's personalisable with 10 optional interchangeable colours and designs and offers a range of AMD Athlon processors, ATI Mobility Radeon graphics, up to 1TB hard disk and up to 8GB RAM.

Features include four USB ports, a headphone connector, a four-in-one-memory card reader, Wi-Fi, VGA, eSATA and HDMI connectors - the latter of which in conjunction with the optional Blu-ray drive will turn the little device into a teeny HD home cinema kit.

Offered with Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Ubuntu Linux 9.04 Dell is offering three options from the get go - a basic ?299 model (the cheapest Mac Mini is ?499), a ?531 effort that comes with a monitor and a ?744 option with bells and whistles.

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Tags: Hardware Dell Desktop PCs Small form factor PCs Mac mini Dell Zino HD Nettops Blu-ray AMD

Dell Zino HD mini desktop PC launches in the UK originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:42:25 +0000

We got invited to look into the future by Ericsson at the Taiwan Broadband show, as the company has done some studies on what the connected world will look like in 2020.

Ericsson was showing off a few concepts of what they expect to see in terms of consumer interactivity with various devices and how people would use these devices in 2020.

One of the concepts which Ericsson has created something of a working prototype of is the Spider Computer. This was initially meant as a computer for third world countries, but was changed to become something more of a portable computer during the study.

The current prototype has a built-in pico projector, a laser keyboard and a memory card reader. Ericsson is working on a clever way to integrate a long lasting battery and of course internet connectivity.

The Spider Computer mock-up looks like something out of a sci-fi movie as it stands on three legs that are meant to fold into the device itself. It’s all black and it almost looks as if it’ll come alive at any moment and start to attack you.

It’s always interesting to see a company’s vision of the future, but the biggest hurdle in this case seems to be how to power the separate devices rather than how to integrate all the technology Ericsson wants to fit into its futuristic concept.

You can read more about Ericsson’s vision of the year 2020 over at http://www.ericsson.com/ericsson/corpinfo/2020/

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Tags: Hardware Desktop PCs Concepts Ericsson

Ericsson reveals futuristic Spider Computer concept originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:46:59 +0000

iFixit has followed up its teardown of the new unibody MacBook with similar treatments for both the new touch Apple Magic Mouse and the 27-inch iMac.

As far as the mouse goes, the guys report no fairy dust, just from the Apple logo and "a lot of capacitive touch sensors".

The new gargantuan iMac is revealed to have the biggest power supply ever seen in an iMac, as well as three large fans and two "huge" heatsinks.

In addition, the Wi-Fi antenna leads into the Apple logo on the rear of the iMac, the only spot on the rear of the machine that isn't solid aluminium. "It's quite a clever design, and while it's an obvious place to put it, we've never seen Apple do this before", says iFixit.

Head over to iFixit now for an in-depth look at the two new Apple products, with tech spec and photos galore...

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Tags: Hardware Mice And Keyboards Apple Magic Mouse iMacs Desktop PCs

Apple Magic Mouse stripped bare naked originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:49:50 +0100

Here's Asus' Eee Top ET2203 desktop PC. Like other Eee Tops, it's a touchscreen computer, but this is the latest in the range. It's being launched in conjunction with Windows 7, which comes with plenty of tools for touchscreen users.

The machine has a Core 2 Duo processor, running at 2.2GHz, a 21.6-inch display, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard disk, an ATI Radeon 4570 graphics card, HDMI-in, b/g/n wireless and an SRS sound card with two 3W speakers. There's also a webcam, Blu-ray drive and wireless keyboard and mouse included.

The Eee Top ET2203 will be released on 22 October ?(the same date as Windows 7 is released) and will cost ?820.

Tags: Hardware Desktop PCs Desktop PCs Asus Asus Eee Top ET2203 Touchscreen

PHOTOS: Asus Eee Top ET2203 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:57:24 +0100

Apple's Mac mini, which the company claims is the world's most energy efficient desktop, has been given a speed bump, more storage and double the memory.

With pricing from ?499, the entry level Mac mini features a faster 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 2GB of DDR3 RAM, a 160GB hard drive, five USB 2.0 ports, FireWire 800, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics and a SuperDrive.

The ?649 Mac mini features a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of memory and a larger 320GB hard drive.

In addition, Apple now offers a ?799 Mac mini that is specially configured with Mac OS X Snow Leopard Server and gets two 500GB hard drives for a total of 1TB of server storage in the 6.5-inch square by 2-inch tall package.

Tags: Hardware Desktop PCs Apple Mac mini

Apple updates the Mac mini range originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:33:19 +0100

Apple has launched an all new iMac line headed up by a 2560 x 1440 resolution 27-inch model with a 1920 x 1080 resolution 21.5-inch model also available.

Both offer LED-backlit widescreen displays in a new edge-to-edge glass design with a "seamless" all aluminium enclosure.

Boasting Intel 2 Core Duo processors starting at 3.06GHz, there's also Core i5 and i7 quad-core options for those with the cash.

The new iMacs ship with a wireless keyboard and the new wireless multi-touch "Magic Mouse".

"The iMac is widely praised as the best desktop computer in the world and today we are making it even better", says Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing.
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Specs include Nvidia GeForce or ATI Radeon graphics, between 4GB and 16GB DDR3 memory, an iSight webcam, stereo speakers, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Ethernet, four USB ports, FireWire 800 and a built-in card slot.

Pricing starts from ?949 - the same as before.

Tags: Hardware Desktop PCs Apple iMacs All-in-one PCs

Apple launches new iMacs originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:25:32 +0100

Lenovo and Skype have announced a new partnership agreement that will see Skype for Windows software preloaded on "millions" of computers.

From now on, every ThinkPad laptop and ThinkCentre desktop PC distributed worldwide will include Skype software.

In a blog post Skype says: "If you buy a ThinkPad or ThinkCentre, you'll be able to get up and running with Skype quickly and easily by locating the Skype icon in the Start menu".

Bloatware or a useful pre-load that will save you time downloading the software? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below...

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Tags: Hardware Lenovo Skype Software Desktop PCs Laptops VoIP Phones

Lenovo to pre-load Skype on "millions" of PCs originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:04:54 +0100

As part of a wider range refresh with the release of Windows 7, HP has also announced two new consumer-aimed PCs and a monitor.

HP's first non-touch consumer all-in-one desktop PC, the HP Pavilion MS200 gets a 18.5-inch, 16:9 widescreen display, an AMD dual-core processor, optional Nvidia discrete graphics and HP Media Smart software.

Features include stereo speakers, a built-in webcam and microphone and Wi-Fi. It will go on sale mid-November for ?499.

The HP Pavilion Elite HPE PC is described as an "affordable, compact desktop PC with the speed and performance needed for power-intensive gaming and multimedia content creation". ?

It boasts Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and Nvidia GTX 260 graphics in a race car red "merlot" chassis. The HPE PC will be in shops from 22 October priced from ?799.99.

A new "high-end" consumer monitor, the HP 2509m, has also been announced. The new monitor features a 25-inch, 16:9 Full HD display with BrightView tech, a 60,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 3ms response time and VGA, DVI-D and HDMI connectivity.

With HP's tilt and swivel "Helium" stand, the HP 2509m will be available from December with a street price of ?249.99.

Tags: Hardware HP Desktop PCs All-in-one PCs Monitors

HP Pavilion MS200, Elite HPE PCs announced originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:20:16 +0100

Sony has unveiled what it calls a new "touch-enabled, multi-media machine" the Windows 7 Vaio L Touch HD PC/TV.

With a 24-inch WUXGA 1920 x 1080 widescreen panel, the unit displays Full HD with some models offering a Blu-ray disc drive.

Some models will also come with a built-in TV tuner while HDMI input is an optional extra to expand the HD entertainment capabilities.

Specs-wise, there's up to 1TB of storage, Intel Core 2 Quad processor, b/g/n Wi-Fi, Nvidia GeForce graphics, "loads" of RAM and a dedicated Vaio button to access Sony's Media Gallery software.

"The L Series is the ultimate multi-media hub - it's your PC, HDTV and DVR in one compact, stylish device", says a Sony bod.

Complete with a wireless keyboard, mouse and remote control, the VAIO L Touch HD PC/TV will start at about $1300 in the US.

Tags: Hardware Sony Desktop PCs Windows 7 Vaio

Sony Touch Vaio L Series PC/TV announced originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:27:09 +0100

An enterprising Russian modder has decided that PCs aren't personable enough and so has installed a small living room in his PC.

There are a couple of sofas, a small table, a lamp, a gumball machine, plant pot, picture frame, bottle of coke and a copy of the New York Times - all rendered in miniature.

The identity of the modder isn't entirely clear - the pictures were posted on a message board with the (auto-Google-translated) words: "Some merely suggest the order of the wires inside your computer case. Others all repaint and light up. And one enthusiast made a miniature room in the case".

If you know the original source of the pictures, don't hesitate to let us know. We'd love to credit them.

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Related links:

• News - PC case modders get creative at IFA

Tags: Hardware Desktop PCs Cases Photos

PHOTOS: Russian casemodder puts living room inside PC originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:49:00 +0100