Buffalo were the first to the 320 GB portable HDD mark, but Verbatim have just announced the release of the world’s first 500 GB portable 2.5 inch HDD. The new drive will be available in Q2 2008 and will be an addition to their SmartDisk portable HDD range. The price tag will be under US$300 - nice! Other bits and pieces on this little puppy include

* Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) technology
* spin speed of 5400 RPM
* powered by USB
* 85.9 x 137 x 16 mm
* 170.1 g
* USB and FireWire 400 connectivity
* 480 MBps via USB 2.0 and 400MBps via FireWire

Buffalo’s 320 GB offering was priced at US$230, so US$300 for Verbatim’s 500 GB version seems pretty good when the Buffalo only came out last November. Nice to see the prices dropping on storage, especially sexy looking storage too. So if you want to carry your zeroes and ones around with one you should probably check out the Verbatim SmartDisk.

Source: Press release

Featured tags: 2.5 inch HDD 500 GB HDD portable HDD smartdisk verbatim

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Today’s the day you can get your mits on a brand new Lenovo IdeaPad U110 ultraportable laptop. This little puppy will set you back around US$1900 and for that you’ll get a unit sporting the following specs

* Intel Core 2 Duo L7500 CPU (1.6GHz)
* Windows Vista Home Premium
* 11.1 inch 1366 x 768 res WXGA display
* 120GB HDD spinning at 4,200 RPM
* 2 GB memory
* External dual-layer DVD burner
* 1.3 MP camera
* WiFi and optional Bluetooth connectivity
* 3 USB 2.0 ports

On the downside is a mere 2 hours of battery life with the standard 4 cell battery, however you can squeeze 8 hours of use out of the 7 cell expansion battery. For an extra US$100 you can also get an extra GB of memory, boosting the unit up to 3 GB of RAM. And for the more fashion conscious amongst us, the Ideapad is available in black and red.

I must admit that the Ideapad doesn’t appeal - I think it’s just a bit too overpriced and with a sad 2 hour battery life as well, Lenovo have missed the target with this one. Let me know if you think different.

Featured tags: ideapad U110 laptop lenovo

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For those of us whose wallets may not have seen the light of day in a while may well want to skip this article. Pioneer have just unleashed the Kuro KRF-9000FD projector - a snip at 8000 Euros (US$12,460). So what do you get for this princely sum?

* 1920 x 1080 res using Liqiuid Crystal on Silicon technology
* 60 to 200 inch picture size range
* supports movie aspect ratio of 2.35:1
* 30,000:1 contrast ratio
* 80% vertical and 34% horizontal lens shift
* 600 lumens brightness
* 2 1.3 HDMI ports, component/composite/S-Video inputs
* 24db noise level
* 280W power consumption
* 11.6 kg
* 455 x 172.5 x 418.5 mm

Well the bells and whistles certainly look good, so if you’re up for recreating a movie theatre in your own home, the Pioneer Kuro KRF-9000FD may just be what you’re looking for. Just in case you’re still not convinced here’s a bit of the marketing spiel from Pioneer

Developed specifically for cinephiles with a dedicated home cinema room, the KURO projector is configured for screen sizes starting from 60 inches. Aside from displaying signature KURO style cosmetics, it supports advanced calibration and is in line with the KURO benchmark of deep black levels and rich colours, resulting in the unmistakable look of film. It incorporates LCOS 1080p technology, producing the highest native contrast ratio. Based on 3 x 0.7 inch D-ILA, it boasts a wide lens shift capacity and dual HDMI 1.3 support.

As with all forms of display, its what works well with your given entertainment area that matters, but if you are looking for a great home cinema experience then the KRF-9000FD is certainly going to help you achieve that.

Source: i4u

Featured tags: KRF 9000FD kuro pioneer projector

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Any residents of the US of A hanging out for the Willcom D4 UMPC? Well make a note of June 20th in your diaries as that’s when GeekStuff4U will be sending out your pre-ordered Willcom D4 aka Sharp WS016SH. The little puppy will set you back US$1526 and here’s what you get for your moola.

* 40 GB HDD
* Windows Vista Premium
* 1 GB memory
* Centrino Atom Z520 1.33 GHz
* 470g
* 5 inch 1024 x 600 res touchscreen display
* 84 x 188 x 25.9 mm
* external display res of 1360 x 768
* 802.11 b/g connectivity
* Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
* mini USB 2.0 port
* 2 MP camera
* microSD slot

Apart from the lack of wisdom in trying to get Vista Premium to run in 1 GB of memory - thank goodness for that microSD slot - the Willcom D4 certainly sports all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a slimline UMPC. Well almost, where’s the cellphone functionality? Huh? So this little sucker will replace none of your current gadgetry unless you’re willing to fore go a decent laptop. So whilst it’s slimline sexiness is very appealing, $1500 seems a touch extravagant for a new toy that doesn’t really replace another. If you’re still interested then waltz on over to GeekStuff4U.

Featured tags: d4 umpc willcom

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The rumour is that the Motorola W755 clamshell will effectively be given away free when you purchase it along with a Verizon two year shackle plan. And judging by the specs we can see why they may well be tossing these out like candy at Halloween

* CDMA dual band (800/1900 MHz)
* 3G Capable
* 1.3 MP camera with video capturing functionality
* plays mp3 and acc audio files with touch-sensitive buttons
* 80MB memory
* microSD slot
* predictive text
* mini USB connectivity
* 1.2 stereo bluetooth connectivity

Yeah, nothing to phone write home about, so if you’re up for a cell phone to just make phone calls on - ooh, how retro - the Motorola W755 at Verizon may just be the deal for you! The phone will be launched in early May and sport either a grey casing or a potentially vomit inducing purple version.

Source: phoneArena

Featured tags: cellphone motorola verizon w755

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Worried about some axe-wielding maniac dealing to your external hard drive? You may find some comfort in LaCie’s latest offering the Rugged Hard Disk. It offers a scratch-protected (note not resistant) aluminium case along with a shock-resistant rubber bumper in a delicious shade of orange. Aside from the usual specs, the maximum drop height is 90cm and that’s in non-operating mode - apparently dropping is not recommended in operating mode. The unit comes in two flavours, a USB 2.0 connection version and a USB 2.0, FireWire 400/800 version. Apparently the encased HDD is Hitachi’s 2.5-inch Travelstar 5K500 with the following specs

* 5,400 rpm
* 480 Mbps transfer rate
* 90 x 25 x 145 mm
* 250 g
* plays nicely with Windows 2000 upwards and Mac OS 9.x upwards

Pricing depends on the capacity required and connectivity option chosen. For USB 2.0 only, 80 GB starts at US$90, going up to US$340 for the 500 GB version, whilst the USB/FireWire model starts out at US$130 for 120 GB increasing up to US$400 for 500 GB’s worth of zeros and ones.

Source: LaCie Rugged Hard Disk

Featured tags: hdd lacie rugged hard disk

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You lucky Europeans, Samsung has decided to launch their ‘flagship product’, the ‘Soul’ mobile phone on your very shores before letting it loose over the rest of the globe. Starting later this month, this little sucker will hit the shelves of cellphone retailers all over the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands and Belgium. Here’s the low-down on the Samsung ‘Soul’

* Quad-band HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
* 5 MP camera with auto-focus and 4x digital zoom
* 2.2 inch QVGA display
* Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity
* Plays mp3 and wma files
* 105.9 x 49.5 x 12.9 mm

The unit is available in three colours, Sterling Steel, Soul Gray and Platinum Silver and will retail for around 400 euros (US$630).

Featured tags: cellphone samsung soul

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