Techspot v2.0 » Dell

Daily Round-up Issue IX

Vivek — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 03:50:04 +0000

The Dell XPS One will hit retail on November 19 according to this teaser on Dell.com. Apparently no one told Dell that everyone and their grandmother has already seen what the XPS One looks like, both inside and out. Still, we’re with Engadget in pretending to be totally surprised. [Via Engadget]Sony Ericsson’s much-anticipated announcement today turned out to be an utter disappointment. Only three phones were announced, all of which were leaked well before the announcement. You can read all the specs and details at GSMArena although we don’t see anything “new” or “special” about these devices. SE is recycling designs and new phones within a product class carry identical feature sets. The only bright spot is the revelation that the W890i will come with version 3 of their Walkman software. Oh and the K660 and W890 actually come with both EDGE and 3G. Amazing!

In SE-related news that is interesting however, we’re hearing rumors about a successor to the P990i and P1i in the form of the P5i. For all we know, this device could be in the fantasies of those SE-fans on eSato but we’re hoping for the best!

If you’ve always wanted an email address ending with @live.com, then boy are you in luck. Microsoft has opened up registration for @live.com email IDs for good and you can snag yours at http://get.live.com [Via CNET News]

Apple updated Quicktime to version 7.3, fixing seven bugs in the process. Six of these bugs can allow hackers to gain access to a PC as they can bypass QT’s security layer altogether. Recommended update if you use Quicktime. [Via TG Daily]

Daily Round-up Issue II

Vivek — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 04:02:56 +0000

See? We really are back for good! Two posts in two days is an achievement if you look at the past month! Lets look at some of the big news now, shall we?

Popular private BitTorrent tracker OiNK.cd was shut down today after officials confiscated their servers and arrested the administrator. The website was home to several music torrents and was well-known for getting leaked albums and new music before other public trackers. The entire operation was handled by the Interpol and was done at the behest of the IFPI and the BPI. Ironically enough, this comes two weeks after English band Radiohead practically gave away digital copies of their new album and still made boatloads of money. The record labels and anti-piracy organizations still don’t seem to get it. [Via TorrentFreak]

In gaming news, Microsoft finally outed the Arcade edition of the Xbox 360. It has been in stores for a few days now and people already knew what was in the box. It’s basically a Core version with a 256MB memory card, HDMI port, wireless controller, and a disc with 5 (!) arcade-type games to get you gaming right out of the box. Since it costs the same as the price-reduced Core ($279), this definitely represents a much better deal. It’s also a good competitor to the Wii, albeit more expensive. But then again, the holiday bundle coming out for Christmas is much sweeter – the Pro with two games for just $350! [Via TeamXbox]

Dell today announced availability of their new XPS desktop, the XPS 420 featuring aggressive multimedia options. As is usual with XPS systems, this one offers up a variety of high-end components and costs a bomb. We’re talking $1500 and up for this bad boy!

In more Dell news, Engadget has found information on an as yet unannounced XPS all-in-one desktop. FCC documents reveal a 22″ LCD with a 1680×1050 resolution, slot-loading blu-ray burner, built-in webcam, and other goodies. Engadget leaks are generally reliable so keep an eye out for this XPS!

The flash-based MP3-player market might just get a bit of a shake-up as DAPReview.net found info on a 32GB SanDisk Sansa View coming up. Both Creative and Apple offer 16GB devices but neither has gone beyond that. SanDisk has the advantage of being a flash-manufacturer will can help keep prices down. Although, judging from the picture, it looks like the 32GB version will cost $330.

Daily Round-up Issue I

Vivek — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 04:10:02 +0000

Hello readers! Did you miss us? We went on a pretty long leave there, didn’t we? Sorry about that. Starting with this post, we’ll be giving you a daily dose of news. Like everyday. Each day’s post will summarize all the major technology news in the past 24 hours. We’ll also have external links for you to read the full stories! And we also promise to stay away from iPhone stories as much as possible! It’s freaky how iPhone stories still cause a big stir on a near-daily basis. But let’s get started with this new format.

One-by-one, all the phones announced on August 29 by Nokia are starting to ship. The N95 started shipping last week and today it was the turn of it’s younger Nseries sibling, the N81. The phone comes in two flavors, one with a whopping 8GB internal flash and another one with a microSD slot. The two versions cost 430 euros and 360 euros respectively.

Alienware computers will now be available for less, as long as you are willing to trade in your old hardware. Under a new program, Alienware will give you money for your old computer or hardware which will automatically mean a lower price on any Alienware computer. While still ridiculously expensive, $300-400 price reductions will entice a lot of customers. My 3-year-old Dell Inspiron 9100 will apparently fetch $364. If your old computer is an Alienware, you get an extra $200!

Dell is looking to expand its presence in brick-and-mortar stores and recently signed a deal with Staples, a major retail chain for office supplies in the United States. Customers will now be able to buy Dell laptops at retail outlets. Dell had already begun selling computers via Wal-Mart and this move is clearly a push to regain market share lost to rivals. [Via ArsTechnica]

HD DVD backers received a major shot in the arm recently when it was revealed today that the HD DVD version of Michael Bay’s Transformers sold about 100,000 copies in its first week in North America alone. While a drop in the ocean compared to the 4.5 million DVDs sold on day one alone, this is still a significant victory for the HD DVD camp. This is the record for high-definition video sales for either format. [Via TG Daily]

Finally, it seems that Microsoft finally decided to throw in the proverbial towel in its decade-long legal battle with the EU over antitrust issues. Microsoft has agreed to the demands of the EU which represents a major shift in attitude. The news of the move bumped Microsoft share prices. Open source developers and enthusiasts are still treading with caution. [Via Yahoo! News]

Dell’s consumer laptop sales dip 20 percent

Vivek — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 03:24:08 +0000

All the trouble Dell has been having with its new XPS M1330 and Inspiron laptops is taking a heavy toll on the PC maker. The company’s consumer laptop sales fell by 20 percent in Q2 2007 to just 887,000 laptops as compared to 1.1 million in Q2 2006. On the contrary, HP continues to enjoy booming sales and outsold Dell 3-1 in Q2 by selling 2.4 million laptops.

The good news for Apple fans is that MacBook and MacBook Pro sales totaled 1.1 million which means Dell was outsold by Apple too. Yeah, we’re in shock too. How fortunes change! Not long ago, Dell was the top dog. Now, it’s scrounging for market share.

ComputerWorld

Dell to sell Linux PCs in Europe and China

Vivek — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:19:51 +0000

Obviously, Dell seems to be happy with the response it has been getting from consumers regarding Linux-based computers and so they’ve decided to expand. Linux-based computers went on sale in Europe from Tuesday. Dell didn’t say when these computers will go on sale in China.

Interestingly, Dell will stick with Ubuntu for Europe while China will get Suse Linux. In any case, this is great news for Linux fans!

REUTERS

Weekly WTF: Dell can’t paint its M1330 laptops

Vivek — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 09:56:32 +0000

In Pearl White and Crimson Red that is. The latest post on the Direct2Dell blog explains why some people have been getting their M1330s while others are still twiddling their thumbs. The Tuxedo Black color is giving Dell no problems so those who ordered their M1330 in black are getting their laptops. Those who wanted white or red will have to wait because Dell can’t achieve satisfactory paint jobs on those models. In fact, it has discontinued the Pearl White color entirely. Only those who’ve already ordered theirs will be getting it. So depending on how you look at it, those guys will either have collectors’ items or they’ll have laptops with lousy paint jobs.

The entire incident proves one thing: black is THE color to have when you’re buying gadgets. Getting fancy-schmancy with white and red is only going to lead to despair. But in any case, Dell cannot be excused for not catching this problem during testing and before they decided to start selling these systems.

Direct2Dell

Is this the Dell XPS M1730?

Vivek — Sun, 05 Aug 2007 09:50:02 +0000

Notebook Italia are generally reliable when it comes to upcoming products. Remember their story about the new, colorful Inspirons? Well, this time it’s another Dell laptop they’ve leaked. The long awaited follow-up to the XPS M1710 is called the M1730 and looks quite fugly, to say the least. But like they say, don’t judge a book by its cover.

The specs on this thing are impressive. 17″ screen, upto Core 2 Extreme X7800, max 4GB DDR2 667 RAM, and an additional 512MB or 1GB of Intel Turbo Memory for those looking for more. On the graphics side, you can choose between the 8600M GS 256MB or the 8700M GT 512MB. All this power doesn’t come lightly. The laptop will weigh almost 5kg and will need a 230W power adapter.

But really, that paint job is horrendous. Looks like they wanted to ape the Acer Ferrari carbon-fiber design but also wanted a splash of red. Either way, we sincerely hope that there are other design choices available.

Notebook Italia [Google Translation]

Dell’s XPS M1330 laptops begin shipping this week after delays

Vivek — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:26:34 +0000

The Dell XPS M1330 was launched a while back but Dell had problems ramping up production which meant that a lot of people who ordered the laptops were left twiddling their thumbs until this recent update on the Direct2Dell blog. Customers are rightly angry at Dell for not informing them of production delays and also at customer service reps who were apparently never informed about the delays. The reps kept telling irate customers that their laptops would begin ship soon.

The comments posted on the site are not of the kind variety and some users are reporting that the recent order status website is not working!

Direct2Dell

More Linux offerings coming from Dell

Vivek — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:08:33 +0000

Mark Shuttleworth says that Dell will soon expand its Linux PC line-up as they’re pleased with the consumer response so far. Canonical Inc., founded by Shuttleworth, provides Ubuntu support to Dell and hence his claims should be taken seriously.

Of course, Dell refused to comment on “products in the pipeline.”

REUTERS

Dell to sell computers at Asian retail stores

Vivek — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:27:21 +0000

After Wal-Mart in the US of A, Dell has decided it likes the idea enough to start offering computers through retail outlets in Asia. There’s no word on which countries will get these sales or even when they’ll start. But they’re looking at several regions in Asia so hang on tight! Unless of course you hate Dell.

REUTERS