Toshiba adds five new models to their Satellite Pro range – the L300, L300D, M300, U400 and L350

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Rolling out the Satellite Pro laptops like they’re going out of fashion (which all laptops are, really), Toshiba has announced five new models.

Priced from $699 upwards, all models feature DVD SuperMulti drives, TruBrite widescreens, 1.3-megapixel webcams and microphones, plus the choice of Windows XP or Windows Vista….

HP Mini-Note 2133 jumps on the Eee PC Bandwagon, aims at students

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With the Asus Eee PC shredding up laptop charts (yes, apparently there are laptop charts now) and shooting to near overnight success thanks to its light weight and low price tag, other laptop manufacturers are practically falling over themselves to join in.

So it’s not really a huge surprise that HP, one of the largest PC manufacturers in the world, would want a piece of that market. This is the Mini-note – it weighs in at just 1.18kg, has an 8.9″, 1280 x 768 screen, runs on a VIA processor and offers either a 64GB solid state drive running SUSE Linux or Windows XP / Vista on a 160GB HDD. It is set to cost $500 for the Linux model or $600 for the Windows one…

Opinion: Toshiba laptop face-recognition is a waste of tech time!

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Jonathan Weinberg writes…

So you’re buying a new laptop. Large hard disk, check! Fast processor, check! Windows Vista, well if I must! Face-recognition to stop unauthorised people from logging into it, blimey – what is this, Star Trek?

Well, that could be the newest addition to your techno-arsenal if you snap up one of
Toshiba’s latest notebooks, the Satellite U300, A300 or P300.

Not only are they full spec’d up to the nines, the most interesting bit of gadgetry inside
has to be the camera that matches your face to the one stored in the memory, before it’ll let you into the desktop.

And it’s also the most useless bit of gadgetry I’ve seen in a while…

MSI Wind challenges Asus Eee PC – bigger screen, longer battery life, lower price

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We’re all big fans of those little Asus Eee PCs here at Tech Digest, but that doesn’t mean that our allegiance could’nt change as soon as something smaller, cheaper or with a bigger screen comes along. Few companies have stepped up to challenge the Eee PC’s neatly carved niche so far, but that’s now beginning to change

These are the first glimpses of the MSI Wind – it boasts a 10″ display, an Intel Shelton 08 processor that varies from 1.0 – 1.6GHz. 1GB RAM and 2.5″ HDD or SSD. Prices are apparently going to start from 299 Euros and head upwards to 699 Euros, which should see it compare well to Asus’ recently unveiled 399 Euros, 8.9″ model. The Wind might also have an edge in terms of its battery life, which is a reported 7 hours although it seems unlikely that this is set in stone at this early stage.

Toshiba aims on saving the environment with their Carbon Zero offset scheme

toshiba-carbon-offset.jpgA few weeks back I criticised Sony for donating just 1% of the profits made on their Vaio FZ Graphic Splash Eco Edition laptops to green charities, of which I got lampooned by a reader for doing so. He probably thought I am a Microsoft/Toshiba/HD-DVD fangirl, which is obviously why I spoke negatively of Sony (typical Sony fanboy mentality).

Well, admittedly I am the aforementioned fangirl, but had it been any company, I still would’ve pulled them up on being stingy. And I’m going to prove so, by slagging Toshiba off for just the same reasons.

From today, Tosh is now offering customers the option to offset the carbon dioxide produced when making their laptops, by asking for £1.18 which will go…

Alienware Area 51 m15x and m17x laptops confirmed

alienware-area-51.jpgGamer? Got space for 17″ of pure power and testosterone? Slightly obsessed with government conspiracies involving aliens? All these human traits marks you as the perfect candidate for handing over several thousand to Alienware, who’ve done it again with their new Area-51 m15x and m17x laptops.

Aimed at gamers who like laptops with a bit of braun, these two models won’t disappoint with their specs. The…

Dell shoot their mouths off by claiming to become carbon neutral

dell-laptops.jpgDell is really overhauling their fuddy-duddy image, not just by painting their latest XPS notebooks in bright colours, but by recently pledging to become carbon neutral.

If they succeed, they’ll be the the ”first major computer manufacturer” to do so, and plan on neutralising ‘the carbon impact of its worldwide operations’ by introducing a new ‘Plant a Forest for Me’ scheme where…

Opinion: Free laptop deal looks good

Jon_smal.gifJonathan Weinberg writes…

Let’s face it, who among us is ever going to turn down a free gift – especially when it’s worth up to £500. Well, that’s the prospect facing techno shoppers at Carphone Warehouse, Currys and PC World this week.

You couldn’t have failed to see the ads in the newspapers over the weekend proclaiming the gratis machines in return for signing up to broadband with the likes of Orange and AOL. ‘So where’s the catch?’ I hear you ask. ‘There’s always a catch!’

Well, you’re right, to get the free laptop you are tied into a contract with the firms for two years and yes, the machines aren’t super-spec’d enough to suit most Tech Digest readers. But in terms of getting people interested in technology and onto the interweb superhighway, it has to be good news…