Recently in Computer Hardware Category

Thinking about all the gadgets I've owned over the years and the ones I really liked (easy to remember) and the ones I didn' t like (those are much harder to remember).

Quickly coming to mind was the Compaq Contura Aero, a snappy subnotebook that had its trackball at the right edge of the wrist rest -- great for righties, but must have been impossible for lefties!

This was a great notebook for word processing and commuting -- which when I had it was exactly what I used it for -- made my train rides super productive!  I had both the mono and color versions of this thing, but actually liked the mono better.

Check out these representative stats (on the super high-end model):
Intel 486SX, 33 MHz. 12 MB RAM (4 MB on the motherboard plus 8 MB module in expansion slot).Up to 500 MB hard drive. Screen: Color, 640 by 480 pixels. AC adapter. External floppy drive.

Need more?  Check out ZenSpider for a lot of information. (Thanks for the photo.)

Remember when writing about computer hardware -- actual PCs and desktops -- was the heart and soul of writing about gadgets.

Well, we're getting a bit of that back now, with Dell's introduction of Studio, a new consumer product line "designed for self-expression and creative living."

Here's what Dell had to say: "People seeking stunning design, brilliant colors, and innovative new technology find inspiration in Dell's new Studio brand. These products are built for today's digital nomad based on the millions of conversations we have every year on dell.com, Ideastorm and community forums. With Dell Studio we're answering the call for personalization, connectivity and simplicity."

The first Dell Studio products are two distinctively styled laptops, the Dell Studio 15 and Dell Studio 17. These laptops combine sleek designs and striking visual color elements (according to Dell -- but let the people tell it how it really is!) with personalization options and such features as standard built-in webcam, capacitive touch media control buttons, slot load drives and optional mercury-free LED displays and built-in mobile broadband.

MSRP: $799 (Studio 15) and $999 (Studio 17)

Available now at www.dell.com and also at Best Buy and Staples (but the retailers will have these in a few days)

UK-based MrModchips was cleared of all 26 counts against him for his role in importing and selling gaming console modchips. You know, the kind that lets you play [cough] backup copies of your video games. The Court of Appeal Criminal Division ruled that modchips do not circumvent copyright protection.

The icing on the cake is that the defendant was "awarded full costs as a result of his successful appeal," Sweet! Can you imagine the look on high-priced lawyers faces representing the multi-billion dollar video gaming industry? Poor Sony. Poor Microsoft. Have to pay the lawyers AND the guy selling modchips that allow pirated, I mean backup copies of your DVD gaming collection to play. Now if only the U.S. had such a policy maybe frivolous lawsuits wouldn't be so bad.

[Via TeamXecuter]

Samsung recently announced its one terabyte EcoGreen F1 hard drive with low power features for less than $200. Yes! Yes, you are reading correctly! 1TB <$200!!

According to the company, the eco-friendly drive can be adopted as an external hard drive or internal drive for desktop PCs.

It offers a 15% power savings compared to other low-powered 1TB hard drives and a 50% power reduction against traditional 1TB drives.

Slated to launch Q2 2008 (like now), it will carry an MSRP of $199.00.

Read all about here on the official Samsung press release.

Always loved the smallest of the small laptop PCs, but seems they never really took off for a number of reasons -- form factor is limited by keyboard size (chiclets anyone), features tend to not be pushing the envelope and price is high (smaller means pricier -- MacBook Air anyone).

Now Acer and Dell seem to both be getting into the act. Read more about Acer's latest offering (with photos) here on the UMPC Portal.

Ah, if we could only carry one gadget that could do it all ... will it be phone, computer or wrist radio (Dick Tracy, anyone) ...

That's one of my favorites pictured above -- Compaq's Contura Aero -- note the trackball location (thanks to the Home Computer Museum)!

The New York Attorney General's Office has won a major suit against Dell, with the court ruling that Dell engaged in fraud, false advertising and deceptive business practices. Read more about it here.

Now are we going to see any money (Show Me the Money) or is it going to be the typical case (no pun intended) where the lawyers clean up and we get a $25 credit toward the next purchase of a Dell product???

The company to pay restitution and forfeit unlawfully earned profits -- Show Me the Money!

Everybody knows that Apple is kicking butt, and now research force NPD has reported huge growth in Apple's share of the so-called “premium” computer market — machines that cost more than $1,000.

Less than 18% in January 2006, by September 2007 it had grown to more than 57%, and in the first quarter of 2008 it hit a record 66%.

To some extent, this is growth by default as HP, Dell and Lenovo ship beaucoup quantities of PCs at price points between $500 and $750, whereas the only Macintosh that sells for less than $1,000 is the $599 Mini.

Read more about it here from Fortune.

OCZ Technology has announced a new spin on an old product: the build-it-yourself notebook PC. Yes, you really do build it yourself ...

According to a report in ExtremeTech, OCZ's DIY Gaming Notebook (part number OCZNBIAS15DIYA on the company's Web site) includes the basics: a 15.4-inch WXGA display, an Intel PM965 chipset, an Nvidia GeForce 8600MGT/512 Mbyte video card and an 8X DVD±R/RW combo drive capable of reading and writing four-layer discs.

However, buyers have to buy and install the CPU, memory, hard drive and operating system themselves, either from OCZ or somebody else.

However, "building" the notebook consists of four steps: installing the hard drive, installing the memory, installing the CPU and attaching the bezel. (Some easy, some a bit hard, unless you've been under the hood of a desktop PC.

The new notebook will be the first of a family of products, the company said, but pricing has not yet been determined.

Surprising to some, but Dell is abandoning several of its most popular models to focus on its premium line of specialty gaming personal computers.

Not too surprising to some, Dell had to do something to juice up its chances after falling to the No. 2 spot in PC sales behind HP. (Doesn't No. 2 always try harder?)

Looks like Alienware may be invading a home near you sometime soon ... And we all know those higher-end innovations do participate in the "trickle down" effect that we've all come to know and love.

Read more about it in the Wall Street Journal here.

The steady pace of computer technology marches on ...

According to a report on Engadget (here), Dell is set to launch a series of new Inspiron notebooks.

Having had an Inspiron 700m for what sees like ages now, feel good that Dell is coming off of its battery woes, but only time (and the gadget-buying public) will prove that right ...

And that may be soon, with the first one apparently coming right around Memorial Day.