Sony VAIO Z: The Engadget Review

Here’s the thing: Sony’s VAIO Z series of ultraportables doesn’t get to be a part of the X300 / Envy 133 / MacBook Air / X360 club. We like it, it’s a great laptop, but it’s just too chubby to count as a cake cutter. So that said, there’s really little point in comparing this thing to that sort of computer — we’ll just have to judge it on its own merits.

The VAIO Z is the latest in Sony’s long heritage of ultraportable computers, but lands itself decidedly on the beefy end of that spectrum. With discreet NVIDIA 9300M graphics and a Blu-ray drive, this is a full-fledged laptop (we’ve been testing out the $3,600-ish VGN-Z591U SKU). There’s WWAN, SD and Memory Stick card readers, ExpressCard and an HDMI plug, and even the 16:9 13.1-inch screen is on the upper limit of Sony’s ultraportable heritage. There’s plenty of SSD inside, with dual SSD RAID option that makes no bones about this being a performer.

Gallery: Sony VAIO Z: The Engadget Review

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IOGEAR’s USB to VGA transmitter gets USB-IF approval, October release

Just in time for CEDIA, IOGEAR’s Wireless USB to VGA Kit has received passing marks from the USB Implementer’s Forum, so you can rest assured that the $230 kit will play nicely with any other USB gear you have now or may get in the future. You can expect to see the wireless duo on shelves in October, so Windows XP and Vista users with a free USB port can cut the cord, clean up the rat’s nest of cabling and start beaming 720p signals around the living room or conference room — just mind the 30-foot limit. Full release after the break.

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Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 pops official — Ubuntu starts at $349 (Update: $99 with purchase of 2nd Dell)

Dell doesn’t take its site down when it introduces product unlike some laptop peddlers. The result, however, is shots like this of early pre-release gear like the Inspiron Mini 9 netbook as Dell spins the product up for retail. $449 fully spec’d just like we heard with 8GB SSD, 1GB memory, Bluetooth 2.1, Windows XP, and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. We still expect to see a lesser spec’d $349 model running Ubuntu. Shipping on the 16th of September in your choice of white or black though white will cost you a $25 premium. Dell hasn’t officially announced the product yet but we’re sure they’ll get that sorted out in a few hours. For now, happy URL hacking as we dig for more details.

Update: Here’s the $349 model running Ubuntu — the Inspiron 910u. The top-end $449 XP configuration pictured after the break.

Update 2: Starts at £299 in UK and €369 in Germany.

Update 3: Oops, looks like someone broke a press release embargo making all the specs and prices listed above extra, super official and in sync with the exclusive we had back in June. In addition, the take home price also includes a free, basic Box.net plan offering 2GB of remote storage. See the full release after the break all you tweens and tweeters.

Update 4: Direct2Dell — Dell’s official blog — says you can get the Mini for just $99 with the purchase of a Studio 15, XPS M1530 or XPS M1330. Offer ends Tuesday, September 9th. Not bad if you’re already gearing up for a back-to-school Dell anyway.

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[Thanks, Shon]

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LG’s KC910

LG’s cover was blown late last month with the early unveiling of the KC910, but it’s hard to ignore that warm, fuzzy feeling one gets when any outfit doles out the official verbiage as confirmation. The self-proclaimed Viewtysuccessor (formally dubbed the LG-KC910) looks mighty fine on paper, with a 3-inch WQVGA touchscreen, 8-megapixel camera (with Schneider-Kreuznach certified optics and a Xenon flash), geotagging support, Dolby Mobile, video recording, A-GPS, 7.2Mbps HSDPA and integrated WiFi. Regrettably, LG failed to pass along the most pressing morsel of news (read: the price), but at least we know it’ll be available somewhere in the world this October.

[Via MobileBurn]
from engadget
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Panasonic introduces SA-BX500 AV receiver

Panasonic is using this week’s CEDIA show to debut its new AV receiver, the SA-BX500, and even though we doubt the nameplate will get much attention from the audiophile crowd, this unit does have a bit of audio-geekery with its bi-amplification/bi-wiring feature. Other stuff that will appeal to a wider audience includes 7×130-Watt amplification, HDMI connectivity (3 inputs, 1 output) that’s ready for your 1080p content, HDMI-CEC in VIERA Link form, support for Dobly TrueHD and DTS-HD MA, and the ability to simulate 7.1-channels of surround in 5.1-channel systems, so you can hear what you’re not missing. Available in October for $799, but you can grab a peek at the front and back right now.

From engadget

Logitech’s Illuminated Keyboard: its thinnest keyboard ever

Sony introduces $2,000 BD-Live-capable BDP-S5000ES Blu-ray player

While some other manufacturers are churning out Blu-ray decks with price tags closer to the magical $200 mark, Sony’s bucking that trend by aiming squarely at those with bulging wallets and even fatter egos. The November-bound BDP-S5000ES one-ups the BDP-S350 by being BD-Live-capable (as opposed to BD-Live-ready) and boasts an Ethernet jack, external flash memory port, a 1GB Sony Micro Vault Tiny (gee, thanks!), Quick Start mode for getting those BDs spinning quicker and an ultra-special 14-bit HD video processor, which “improves standard-definition and high-definition picture quality with the help of HD Reality Enhancer and Super Bit Mapping technologies.” Infringing on Toshiba’s latest playground is the highly-touted Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology, which unsurprisingly upconverts DVDs to 1080p in order to make the most of your splendid DVD collection. You’ll also find niceties such as an RS-232C / IR input, BRAVIA Sync and an XMB-inspired user interface — now, if only we could find the secret sauce that makes this package worth the $2,000 asking price. (Psst… full release after the cut.)

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Sony’s STR-DA6400ES and STR-DA5400ES receivers do HD streaming over CAT5e

Sony’s got a smorgasbord of new kit comin’ atcha from the heart of Denver, so we’ll get things started with two new ES-series receivers. Just when you thought you’d seen the last of Sony’s 2008 ES lineup, along comes two more making their US debut. Both the STR-DA6400ES and STR-DA5400ES offer up second room high-def video / audio distribution via CAT5e wiring, meaning that you can zip along HD content over your existing home network. Additionally, the former unit packs two CAT5e inputs and is DLNA-compliant. Wondering what that means for you? It means that Sony now has an AVR that can stream music, photos and video from a DLNA-compliant PC while accessing online music content from Rhapsody and Shoutcast sans a PC. Beyond that, there’s the Faroudja DCDi Cinema chips, support for x.v.Color / Deep Color, Direct Stream Digital decoding, BRAVIA Sync and a 120-watt x 7 internal amplifier in each device. Catch the full release after the jump, and catch whichever unit suits your fancy within the next month for $2,500 / $2,000.

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Hands-on with LG’s X110 netbook: HSDPA, GPS and a price to match

A USB shuffle here, a logo swap there and here’s what you get, the MSI, uh hem, LG X110. Sporting a fairly obvious MSI Wind base, LG’s X110 is making its first appearance in Berlin. Prices will range from €399 to €499 (about $590 to $738) which takes home an 8.9-inch display, 120GB disk (6GB SSD option), 1GB of RAM, and choice of built-in 3G HSDPA and GPS modules. Yes, XP running atop a 1.6GHz Atom processor, too. On sale in Europe at the end of September.

Gallery: Hands-on with LG’s X110 netbook: HSDPA, GPS and a price to match

From engadget

Samsung debuts X360 ultraportable

Newsflash, Samsung: your (previously rumored) new X360 laptop isn’t actually lighter than air. Also newsflash: it’s still pretty special. Samsung shouted a resounding “me too!” today with its new X360 13.3-inch ultraslim / ultralight / ultraportable laptop. Weighing in at 2.8 pounds and measuring as thin as 0.66-inches (1.2-inches on the fatter end), the laptop is based on a Centrino 2 ULV processor and is built to compete. 1GB of RAM is standard — there’s room for up to 4GB — and you can pick a 64GB or 128GB SSD, or opt for a 5400RPM 120GB HDD if you’re feeling boring. Graphics come from X4500 integrated graphics, and the screen runs at 1280 x 800. The best and worst news comes with the inputs and outputs; Samsung didn’t integrate an optical drive, but did find room for a 7-in-1 card reader, three USB ports, PCI ExpressCard/34, HDMI, VGA, LAN and a docking port. There’s naturally WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+ EDR and a 1.3 megapixel camera. Battery life is specced at 6 to 10 hours, but we’re guessing the upper end of that spectrum will add considerably to the weight. No word on price or availability, but as far as we know Samsung hasn’t gone backsies on its “no computers for those dirty Americans” policy, so it looks like we’re stuck with the other dozen or so similarly specced laptops out there.

Gallery: Samsung X360 press shots

From engadget