Post con tag dell
Dell interrompe la produzione dei notebook Adamo
11 Feb
Dell ha ufficialmente interrotto la produzione di Adamo, i portatili destinati ad essere l’alternativa ai portatili Apple. Nell’intento dell’azienda statunitense, i computer Adamo avrebbero dovuto concorrere proprio nel settore in cui i MacBook Air si sono dimostrati i migliori, e per questo aveva puntato ad un design particolarmente efficace ed una configurazione hardware competitiva.
Sotto un involucro di alluminio, Dell aveva inserito nei modelli Adamo dischi a stato solido e processori a basso consumo Intel Core 2 Duo. Sembra, però, che il prezzo elevato, circa 2.000 dollari, abbia condizionato le vendite di questo modello, lanciato a marzo 2009. E probabilmente è stato un vero peccato perché, con alcuni mesi di anticipo rispetto ai tempi, il Dell Adamo presentava caratteristiche decisamente avanzate nel proprio concept: uno schermo da 13.4 pollici capace di una risoluzione di 1.366 x 768 pixel, la disponibilità di uno slot per SIM, quando ancora questa possibilità era solo nei progetti di un tablet o di uno smartphone. Non sono bastati gli sconti che hanno portato Dell ad abbassare il prezzo di Adamo fino a 799 dollari pur di vendere gli ultimi modelli. Dell ha infine interrotto la produzione anche dell’Adamo XPS, dello spessore di soli 0.39 pollici.
L’azienda utilizzerà il design nei prossimi mesi, riciclandone l’idea per nuovi modelli e nuovi device. Bisogna ricordare che era l’unica alternativa al MacBook Air…
Technology and Hack
Dell ha presentato Venue Pro, il suo Windows Phone 7
16 Ott
Anche Dell ha presenta il suo primo Windows Phone 7 denominato Venue Pro e inizialmente sarà disponibile unicamente in USA .
Ben presto saremo invasi da smartphones Windows Phone 7 di tutte le marche. Ora anche Dell ha presenta il suo personalissimo prodotto denominato Venue Pro, il quale include le seguenti caratteristiche:
- touchscreen Amoled da 4.1 pollici e risoluzione 800×480 pixel;
- tastiera QWERTY a comparsa, per chi non ama scrivere SMS e email tramitetouchscreen;
- processore da 1GHz – Snapdragon;
- 512 MB di Ram;
- una memoria interna da 8 GB;
- fotocamere integrata da 5 megapixel, flash-led e registrazione video HD (720p);
- connessione WLAN-n, HSDPA e Bluetooth;
- GPS integrato;
- possibilità di ascoltare la Radio;
- possibilità di visualizzare comodamente video in formto DiVX.
Momentaneamente è stato annunciato unicamente per gli Stati Uniti e non si sa quando dovrebbe arrivare anche in Europa. Il prezzo dovrebbe aggirarsi intorno ai 600 Euro.
Tech&Hack
Presentazione Microsoft Windows Phone 7
11 Ott
In queste ore Microsoft sta tenendo un importante evento per tutto il mondo mobile, nel quale è stato ufficialmente presentato il nuovo sistema operativo Windows Phone 7, pensato anche e soprattutto come trampolino di lancio per spezzare il predominio Apple nel campo mobile.
Steve Ballmer, salito sul palco, ha ufficializzato che Windows Phone 7 sarà lanciato in 30 paesi a partire dal 21 ottobre, con diversi smartphone che monteranno questo sistema operativo.
Lo scopo di Microsoft, con questo sistema operativo, è quello di creare un nuovo modo di intendere gli smartphone, cercando di perfezionare l’interfaccia utente e di offrire servizi innovativi, come l’integrazione con Xbox Live, il Find My Phone (del tutto simile all’omonimo servizio creato da Apple per cercare e controllare in remoto un dispositivo perso o derubato), le ricerche con Bing, Mappe, Windows Live rinnovato, nuova suite Microsoft Office Mobile, nuovo Outlook, possibilità di acquistare musica via Zune Pass, e sopratutto di acquistare applicazioni e giochi (tra i quali molti già annunciati da EA) tramite Market Place.
Tra i vari dispositivi presentati abbiamo:
Dell Venue Pro
Samsung Focus
HTC 7
LG Optimus 7
Di tutti questi smartphone, l’unico che verrà subito lanciato in Italia è proprio il modello LG Optimus 7.
Ecco una completa video recensione in ITALIANO del nuovo sistema operativo Windows Phone 7 su Samsung Omnia 7 (source):
Tech&Hack
Dell abbandona Windows XP a partire dal 22 ottobre
10 Set
Nonostante Windows XP rimanga il sistema operativo più usato al mondo, i produttori stanno cambiando le proprie abitudini, e lentamente stanno pianificando gli aggiornamenti a sistemi più recenti.
È proprio Dell la prima azienda che ha deciso di abbandonare XP, a partire dal 22 ottobre. A partire da questa data, Dell non sarà più fornitore di Windows XP, Home e Professional. Una tendenza che corre parallela a Microsoft, che ha già deciso di non supportare il suo sistema operativo.
E grazie a questa mossa, Dell spera di accelerare la transizione verso Windows 7, già in forte ascesa, ma ancora lontano dal 60% che Windows XP rappresenta ancora.
Dell quindi, rinuncia a supportare e installare Windows XP a partire dal 22 ottobre che, curiosamente, è anche il giorno del primo anniversario di Windows 7. Rimane, tuttavia, il supporto ai driver, che dovrebbe continuare fino a dicembre 2012.
Tech&Hack
Dell Thunder prototype preview
21 Ago
Christmas came early this year, as evidenced by the picture above — you’re looking at two Dell Thunder prototype smartphones, each with some surprising quirks, and hints that they might include global HSPA, AWS for the likes of T-Mobile, and maybe even a dash of CDMA support. We’ll warn you ahead of time that these are labeled EVT1 for "engineering verification test" and date back to the April leak, so they’re about as early as you can get — don’t expect the final handset to arrive without some significant differences. Good? Then peek the gallery below, hit the break, and let’s get on with the show.
Dell Thunder prototype preview
Hardware: When Santa Claus delivered our two units, he forgot to bring the rear cover for either one, but even without it the Thunder’s a sleek, sexy beast. Completely curved chrome sides make it feel like an original iPhone in the hand, but with completely recessed hardware buttons that give the handset a touch of class and a gorgeous curved glass screen. The top houses a full-size 3.5mm headset jack, while the bottom has a pair of tinny but loud speakers and a micro-USB port for charging, and both surfaces are coated in soft-touch plastic, which made for a pleasant single-handed landscape grip by pinching those sides between our forefinger and thumb. Inside the device’s back panel is one of the most logical layouts we’ve seen, with both microSD card and SIM slot completely accessible without removing the easily-swappable 3.7V, 1,400mAh battery. Also, notches at either side show the rear cover is slid, rather than pried off. Last but not least, there’s rear-facing 8 megapixel camera with autofocus and a 4x digital zoom, plus a bright single-LED flash right under the camera module. While the power and camera buttons were stiff and difficult to to press and there were quite a few visible, light-leaking seams, those sorts of things typically get tightened (or loosened, as required) closer to production anyhow.
Screen: There are two things you should know about the Thunder’s curved glass screen: the glass isawesome, and the actual LCD panel underneath is not. Using the glass is like looking through a window into the world of Android, with off-angle views distorted in a manner that’s as useless as is it cool, but in this case the window has a pretty dismal picture on the other side. If these prototypes have the OLED panel we were promised, we’ll eat an Engadget T-shirt, as they appear to be dim, standard LCDs, and though one unit is running at 800 x 480, the other seems to be pushing something more like 1,280 x 768… yet manages to be uncomfortable to read. Honestly, both screens reek of prototype and we expect both to be swapped out for rich, saturated OLED screens — especially considering Dell’s debug app includes a suite of AMOLED-specific tests. Here’s hoping it’s high-res, too, because if the Thunder had a pixel density akin to Apple’s Retina Display, the screen would be unrivaled.
Software: Bone-stock Android 2.1 (Eclair) was loaded on one unit, and a developer version of Android 1.6 (Donut) on the other, with no Froyo tweaks or custom Stage UI to be found, though the latter rig did have have an interesting piece of software loaded: a test suite for Qualcomm CDMA programming. Most compatible apps worked right off the bat, but we couldn’t get the camera or camcorder to launch without a force close, so we weren’t able to tell which resolution the camera uses to record video.
Performance: Debug code and a variety of apps all but confirm what’s under the hood — we’re looking at a 1GHz Snapdragon QSM8250 CPU with Qualcomm Adreno graphics, much like Google’s Nexus One. Without the overhead of custom UI, transitions and programs were pretty snappy throughout, though there was a certain amount of lag when swiping the apps drawer. Raw CPU performance was actually slightly weaker in benchmarks than a pre-Froyo Nexus One, pulling 6.2MFLOPS in Linpack and taking 3600ms to complete a BenchmarkPi run, though graphically the Thunder pulled ahead with a respectable 37.1fps in Neocore and 18.6fps in Nenamark. GPS was missing or completely disabled on both devices, so we couldn’t test how long it took to get a fix, but we reliably pulled down 5Mbps (on an up-to-18Mbps internet connection) over 802.11n WiFi. Though we didn’t test its accuracy, there also appears to be a full set of inertial sensors on board, with a working three-axis magnetometer and a three-axis accelerometer that will hopefully fuel motion-controlled games in months to come.
Educated guesses: There are a number of features referenced in the Thunder’s bootloader and debug software that didn’t actually make into these prototype machines, namely FM radio support, dual microphones, HDMI output and a hardware dock connector. Furthermore, Dell’s debug apps have tests for quad-band GSM plus AT&T / Rogers / Telus / Bell and Europe-compatible 3G data. Meanwhile, the second phone identifies as AWS, suggesting a possible T-Mobile launch, and of course we’re very excited about that CDMA test suite — Verizon or Sprint, anyone? A "Hynix 4G + 4G" label suggests the phone may have 512MB RAM and 512MB ROM, like the Droid 2, and though we didn’t see a spot for it on the device, there are references to a VGA, possibly front-facing camera to accompany the 8 megapixel imager on the back.
These handsets date from April and are obviously pretty far from the finish line, but we like what we’ve seen. Check out the video below, then let us know in comments if there’s anything else you’d like us to test that doesn’t involve disassembly, blenders, or stabbing pens into the expensive prototype screen.
Tech&Hack
Dell Inspiron M101z review
5 Ago
We’ve been having a hard time figuring out what to call the recent influx of 11.6-inch laptops — you know, the ones which are slightly larger and more expensive than netbooks, yet pack more than double the graphics and performance power. But regardless of what we call them – we’re thinking notbooks — the new category certainly has been building steam by the day, and we can’t help but think Dell’s new Inspiron M101z could be our favorite yet. Yes, unfortunately, our review unit was adorned in that bright pink color above that’s most likely causing your eyes to tear, but don’t let its sissy exterior fool you — it’s powered by AMD’s new dual-core Athlon Neo II processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive. Yep, she’s a heartbreaker on paper, but hit the break to find out if the $579 M101z is in fact a worthy companion.
Look and feel
For whatever reason, Dell sent us the "Promise Pink" version of the M101z. While it’s nice that some of the proceeds of the particular model go to the Susan Komen Foundation for breast cancer research, the almost florescent color and matching swirly pink pattern that finds its way onto the palmrest just wasn’t our thing. We tried to call Molly Ringwald and pawn it off on her, but we just couldn’t get in touch. We could make pink laptop jokes all day, but more importantly, in usual Dell fashion it’s available in three other colors: black, red and blue.
The wedge-like or doorstop chassis design of the M101z is very similar to that of the new Inspiron 14R and the Mini 10. It’s thicker than most laptops, but that’s because Dell has integrated the battery into the design so it doesn’t bulge from the back. It’s an interesting move, but it does result in making the rear of the system measure 1.5 inches thick; the 11.6-inch Acer Aspire 721 and Lenovo IdeaPad U160 are .4 inches thinner. Still, at 3.4 pounds it’s not too large of a burden, and it was easy enough to pop into a purse (that’s where a pink laptop belongs, right?). One of the first things we did notice about the M101z was its solid build quality. While it’s made of plastic, it feels noticeably stronger and more durable than the aforementioned Acer Aspire 721. Surrounding the machine are three USB ports, an SD card reader, HDMI, Ethernet, VGA, microphone and headphone jacks. There’s a port for a TV tuner, but Dell actually tells us the unit won’t be sold with this option.
Keyboard, touchpad and screen
In the past we’ve knocked Dell’s keyboard and touchpad designs, but the M101z changes that tradition. Like every other laptop manufacturer, Dell shifted over to a chiclet style keyboard, and the rounded, black matte keys provided a very comfortable home for our fingers. There’s no flex to the panel and the deck was incredibly roomy for a machine of this size.
We’re thinking of treating the Dell employee responsible for the touchpad on the M101z to a steak dinner since it doesn’t have the very uncomfortable and flaky integrated mouse button setup like the Mini 10. The smooth, silver pad is flush with the palmrest, but the material isn’t too slippery and navigating was a pleasant experience. The right and left mouse buttons are ever so mushy, but still comfortable. Also, two-finger scrolling was extremely responsive in Firefox, but pinch-to-zoom was disabled out of the box — we can’t say we were all that tempted to enable it.
Dell’s placed the 11.6-inch display on top of the keyboard, and claims the hinge design brings the screen "closer to you." It’s nice to have the screen propped up a bit, but it means not being able to tilt the screen beyond a 120 degree angle. The glossy, 1,366 x 768-resolution screen itself is bright, and vertical viewing angles were decent when sharing the screen with a friend. On the other hand, horizontal angles weren’t as good, and standing back from the screen caused a bit of color distortion. Firing up La Roux’s "Bulletproof" in iTunes had us surprisingly impressed with the two speakers located on the bottom of the laptop. We could hear the song from across a large room with volume at 50 percent. Dell said it hadmade some enhancements to the audio, so whatever the company did, it paid off.
Performance and battery life
For the first time in a long time Dell’s using AMD parts, and the performance is impressive. Though Dell will offer a $449 version of the M101z with a single-core AMD Althon II Neo K125 processor, 2GB of RAM and a 250GB, 5,400rpm hard drive, we were sent the higher-end $579 model that boasts a dual-core Athon II K325 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 320GB 7,200rpm hard drive. Sure, for $579 you can get faster and larger mainstream laptops, but the M101z is a fast little laptop. The dual-core processor obviously bested the single core version on the benchmarks, but it also felt snappier in everyday use. It kept up with our heavy Firefox use, writing in Microsoft Word, and chatting in Digsby. It also managed to stream a 1080p video amidst that all — even after days of rest, no Atom processor can attempt such a feat.
The lovely 1080p video playback also has ATI’s Mobility Radeon 4225 graphics to thank. The integrated solution not only performs better than the Lenovo IdeaPad U160’s Core i7 / Intel GMA 950 graphics, but also tops some with NVIDIA’s last generation Ion platform. Along with those loud speakers, watching Katie Perry and Snoop’s "California Gurls" music video was eye-pleasing. It played just as well when we hooked up the laptop to a 40-inch HDTV via HDMI. Even when streaming that HD YouTube video, the chassis remained relatively cool – the left fan was working pretty hard, but at no point did our lap get overly hot.
While AMD’s improved the thermals, we still can’t say we’re thrilled with the battery life of the new platform. The 56Wh six-cell battery lasted for 3 hours and 35 minutes on our video rundown test, which loops the same standard definition movie with brightness adjusted to 65 percent. In normal usage – surfing the web and listening to music – we got close to four hours and 15 minutes of endurance. That’s longer than Lenovo’s Core i7-powered U160 and in line with what we saw from the Aspire One 721, but it’s still not great for any ultraportable laptop. We’re still waiting on a mobile platform that provides an all around great blend of graphics, performance and endurance.
Software
The M101z boots a completely barren Windows 7 Home Premium desktop. However, a few seconds later it loads Dell’s dock loads with shortcuts to Internet Explorer and other preloaded Microsoft and third-party applications. Other than that, the preloaded software is really limited to Skype, Cozio and Syncables.
Wrap-up
It took us a while to look beyond the M101z’s pink shell, but when we did we came to really like the little guy. Er, girl. Of all the 11.6-inch machines we’ve reviewed lately, it provides the best combination of build quality, performance and graphics capabilities for the price. (We should note, a similarly configured HP Pavilion dm1 costs about $100 less, but we haven’t reviewed it yet). Sure, it’s a bit thicker than the others (and we still can’t help but be disappointed by AMD’s power-thirsty platforms), but if you can deal with only four or so hours of juice, then the M101z won’t disappoint those looking for a… well, we still don’t know what to call the category.
Tech&Hack
