Dell's Inspiron Zino HD

It seems that European countries always get things us Americans want before we do, especially in the technological market. That is certainly the case with Dell's new Inspiron Zino HD mini PC. This mini PC is available already over in Ireland and even in the UK, which is driving us Americans just a little bit crazy with envy.

Now when we say that this is a mini PC, we actually mean it is a mini PC. The thing is small coming in perfectly square at 7.8" by 7.8". But just because it looks small doesn't mean it doesn't come with some incredible hardware. You can customize the heck out of this little guy and there are a ton of options. You can choose from either an AMD Athlon Neo X2 6850e, AMD Athlon X2 3250e, AMD Athlon 2850e or AMD Athlon 2650e processor to start off with. Then choose an operating system from either Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit or Professional 64-bit, Windows Vista Home Basic 32-bit or Home Premium 64-bit or Ubuntu Linux 9.04. Upgrade your memory to as much as 8GB of 800MHz DDR2 SODIMM with either 160 GB, 250 GB, 320 GB, 500 GB, 750 GB or 1 TB of 7200 rpm SATA II hard disk space.

Among this is the optional 8x DVD +/- RW and DVDRW/BD-ROM disc drives and the choice of an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3200 or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330 graphics card. All mini PCs come with the Conexant CX20561 2.1 Channel sound card and Broadcom BCM57780 10/100/1000 or Mini PCle WLAN card(802.11 b/g or 802.11 a/b/g/n). The Inspiron Zino HD comes with a plethora of ports as well. On the front of the PC are two USB 2.0 connectors, one headphone connector and one 4-in-1 memory card reader. On the back there is one microphone connector, one line-out connector, one VGA connector, one RJ45 connector(10/100/1000), two USB 2.0-compliant connectors, two eSATA connectors and one HDMI connector. In addition to all of these ports there is on Mini PCle WLAN Card(802.11 b/g or 802.11 a/b/g/n) expansion slot.

The Inspiron Zino HD as a USFF form factor with dimensions measuring 7.8 inches(197mm) tall, 7.8 inches(197mm) wide, 3.4 inches(89mm) deep and weighs 3.35 pounds(1.6kg). It has either a 65 watt with UMA or 75 watt with MXM Graphics card power source and Kensington Lock security. The Zino HD also has one 3.5" HDD drive bay, one 12.7 mm trayload ODD drive bay and two available Memory DIMM slots.

While this mini PC is completely customizable, Dell has already gone and created three different models for you already on their website. The first model has an AMD A64 2650E 1.6GHz 512k processor, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit operating system, 2048MB dual Channel DDR2 800MHz [2x1024] memory and 320GB (7200rpm) SATA hard drive. This model will run you around $433. The next model has an AMD X2 3250E 1.5 GHz 512k processor, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit operating system, 3072MB Dual Channel DDR2 800MHz [1x2048 + 1x1024] memory and 500GB (7200rpm) serial ATA hard drive with a $785 price tag. The final model comes with an AMD X2 6850E 1.8 GHz 512k processor, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit operating system, 6144MB Dual channel DDR2 800MHz [1x2048 = 1x4096] memory and 1TB (7200rpm) SATA hard drive with a $1,124 price tag.

What is going to catch people's eyes first is the colorful customization options you have for the shell of the PC. The Inspiron Zino HD mini PC comes with 10 interchangeable color and design shells to further your customization desires allowing you to make a truly unique piece of equipment. Despite which way you decide to take your Inspiron Zino HD mini PC you are sure to have an amazing computer. It's small size allows you to easily store it anywhere you want and still have tremendous amounts of spare space on your desk and its specs are enough to make anybody happy. But you are going to have to wait a little bit until it actually comes out in america, unless you want to go to Ireland or the UK to get one that is.

New Trends: Computers Give Up CD Drives for Touch-Screens

A recent Associated Press report points out that personal computers are changing rapidly. It has definitely been a year of "out with the old and in with the new" as far as computers go. Laptops and Desktops are missing familiar components, slimming down and gaining lots of cool, new, unique features. Despite the popularity of gadgets such as the iPhone, PCs are still at the heart of the digital world and will likely stay that way for a while to come...even if they look and act a little differently.

One noticable change in the world of new computers is the lack of drives. Optical drives that play CDs and DVDs have been an important part of computers for over a decade. Whether you're watching a movie, listening to music, or installing software, the drives have been part of almost everyone's daily computer usage. Apple started getting rid of drives about two years ago when it first introduced the MacBook Air. Even though that wasn't a mainstream computer, due to its $1,800 pricetag, it was the start of what looks to be a popular trend. Netbooks, which are used mostly for web-browsing, start at $250 and are growing in popularity.

People are using their little laptops to download software, music and movies, while enjoying the convenience and price. The availability of Wi-Fi and cellular internet service combined with services that let you store files online are making the need for drives almost obsolete. Of course, there are the die-hard DVD watchers and CD burners who are not yet ready to give up those drives, but the lack of drives in many computers, particularly laptops does often lead to a lighter price and a much lighter load.

These days, people are also tending to purchase less powerful computers and this is another reason netbooks are becoming more popular. Everyone's been inside a retail establishment and listened to a salesperson rattle off a list of processors, graphics cards, gigabytes of memory and sizes of hard drives, but unless you're a hard-core gmer or a professional video editor, all of that stuff isn't really necessary. People are looking for computers that let them browse the web, email and use word processing applications more than anything right now.

Computer manufacturers aren't just competing with each other these days, they're also having to stand up to smartphone manufacturers, as well. People want to be connected 24/7 it seems and it's easier for that to be possible via a cell phone. "Smarbooks" are being created - think a smartphone-like device that is closer to the size of your laptop than your cell phone, and computer companies are starting to focus on laptop appearanes. Colors, patterns, themes, designs, shapes, and materials are all considered to be an important part of computer manufacturing lately, allowing users to treat their computers more like fashion accessories than tools. People also want thin and light computers that are easier to carry.

And finally, touch-screens are becoming a popular computer trend. Ever since the iPhone was developed in 2007, multi-touch has become more prominent in today's technology. The recently released Windows 7 includes support for a number of multi-touch applications and companies such as Dell and HP are designing software that allow you to browse everything from the web to your music library with your fingers instead of a mouse. And while experts say the touch-screen won't replace the mouse and keyboard, it will most likely become just as important.

It's a Great Time to Buy a Mac

People are generally pretty defensive when it comes to whether they prefer a Mac or PC, but still, there are some people on the fence, debating making the jump to a new Apple product. Well, according to some experts, there's no time like present to invest in a new Mac. Last week, Apple released several new products, as well as updating several of the old ones.

So, which Macs got updates? Well, the Mac Mini got a little refresher. Now you have a new option to choose two hard drives with no optical drive. And the MacBook is now built out of a durable unibody enclosure. It also now features a new non-removable, long-lasting battery (7 hours of estimated life). The bottom is also now made out of a non-slip material.

As far as new products go, the new Magic Mouse is hot. It's an average Apple desktop mouse combined with a trackpad like you would find in a laptop. It allows desktop users to perform the same finger gestures as laptop users can and for that reason, Apple calls it the "world's first Multi-Touch mouse."

The new iMacs have new, bigger screens (21.5" and 27" models) but they are also IPS panels, which are considered by many to be the top LCD panels. But it's little luxuries like this that have allowed Apple to become such a computer giant. And while the new monitor size, alone, is reason enough to get excited, it's got new upgrade options including including a Quad Core CPU, up to 16 GB of RAM and up to 2 TB of disk space.

TV Could Come to iTunes

So the big question here is…would you pay $30 a month to watch TV through iTunes?

This is Apple’s most recent endeavor to further expand their world-wide utilized program iTunes. They have been pitching this new idea to a variety of TV networks during the past few weeks. The company is trying to rally support for a service that would provide a monthly subscription that would bring users a variety of TV programs via the easy to use iTunes multimedia program that over a 100 million customers already use.

Apple has said that they would like to be able to offer this service sometime early next year, but as of right now, there is no news of any programmer that has made a definite commitment to the company. It is suspected that if anyone commits to Apple the first would most likely be Disney. In the past, Disney has been ready and willing to support Apple and iTunes in their endeavors. In 2005, Disney CEO Bob Iger was the first to sell their programming via a la carte downloads through iTunes. Also, Apple CEO Steve Jobs is the largest shareholder in Disney stock.

Now there are several reasons as to why this may be difficult for Apple to work out. Different cable networks are not going to want to jeopardize their relationships and subscription fees with cable providers such as Comcast. Programmers are also afraid that the iTunes TV subscription could affect the advertising revenue. Even if iTunes didn’t offer TV programs until after their initial air date, there is still the risk that ratings would drop.

Past these factors, I’m sure that Apple is looking at how TV and movies over the Web is definitely on the rise. Netflix already offers a service with streaming movies and TV shows while also continuing disc-by-mail subscription service. iTunes and Amazon offer movie rental services, and YouTube is attempting to start up the same thing. Hulu is also trying to work out the details of a paid service that would offer rentals, downloads, or subscriptions.

So when considering all the facts, what Apple is trying to do is simply keep up with the times. TV and movies over the Web is a growing field that I would be shocked if Apple does not become involved with in the very near future. The question of the matter is…how quickly can they get the service set up and will it really take off like Apple believes? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see, and for now we’ll have to depend on our other sources to watch our favorite shows.

Lenovo Unveils Six New Windows 7-Friendly Computers

Lenovo's new computers aren't just Windows 7-friendly, they also include Enhanced Experience software that improves system boot and shutdown times. Three new laptops, the IdeaPad U150, U550 and Y550P, and three new desktops, the IdeaCentre B500, K300 and H230, were introduced by the company last week. Each one runs Intel processors ranging from the Core 2 Duo hips to the Core i7 PC processor.

The Enhanced Experience software comes from a Lenovo collaboration with Microsoft. It includes multimedia tools that produce quality graphics and maintenance tools that improve data recovery and back-up, as well as anti-virus protection. It boots Windows 7 up to 56% faster than Windows XP and Vista and shuts down in as little as five seconds.

The new laptops range from high performance to slim and light. The Y550P features the Intel Core i7 processor and Nvidia discrete graphics. The 15.6 inch screen is Lenovo's most powerful laptop and it will set you back $1,149. The U150 is only half an inch thick and weighs under three pounds, with a 11.6 inch, high definition display. Its only $585, supports up to 8 GB of system memory and features an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The U550 is considered the most mainstream of the laptops. For $650, you get a 15.6 inch display that runs the Core 2 Duo chip, a built-in DVD drive, and an integrated fingerprint reader.

As for desktops, the IdeaCentre B500 is an all-in-one system that features an Inteo Core 2 quad-core processor, discrete graphics, up to 8 GB of system memory and and 1 terabyte of storage. For $649, the computer comes with a 23 inch screen, JBL-brand integrated speakers, and a remote. The K300 is a tower desktop. It features a Core 2 quad-core processor, RAID-configured hard drives, and Lenovos power control switch that makes it possible to adjust power level for energy efficiency for maximum power. This one starts at $499. The H230 starts at $449 and is meant to appeal to customers looking for customization.

Lenovo isn't the only company releasing new Windows 7-compatible computers just in time for the holiday season. Acer, Gateway, Sony, and Hewlett-Packard also have new PCs on the market.

Computers for Windows 7

The long awaited Windows 7 operating system is here and rumor has it, Microsoft will soon announce several new computers that are designed specifically to run the new OS. However, several computer manufacturers have beat Microsoft to the punch by releasing information about their own new models that will feature Windows 7. Several of them are specially designed to use the OS's touch-screen features.

Hewlett-Packard has four new computers, all with touch-screens. The cheapest of the bunch is the TouchSmart 300, a 20 inch screen desktop that will retail around $900. Next is the TouchSmart 600, also a desktop, sporting a 23-inch screen, and that will sell for about $1,100 (though for $500 more, you can get the version that is able to show video at 1080p resolution). For those not looking for a desktop, there is the TouchSmart tx2 - a tablet computer that will start around $800. And if you happen to be looking for 42-inch touch screen, the $2,800 LD4200tm is your computer.

If you're looking for super-cheap, Compaq (owned by Hewlett-Packard) will be releasing the CQ61z laptop, a 15-inch screen notebook. It doesn't have a touchscreen but it will sell for $399 until right around Christmastime when the price is expected to rise to $499.

Toshiba will release two new Satellite laptops, both with touch-screens. The M505 has a 14-inch screen and should sell for around $950, while the U505 13-inch screen with a "textured finish" will sell for about $1,050.

Microsoft opens first retail store.

If you've been to any mall in the United States you've probably seen the Apple Store. A store full of every Apple product you can imagine. Well imagine that store only filled with Microsoft Products and color and you'll know what its like inside the new Microsoft Store in Scottsdale, AZ.

Microsoft feels the new store is giving customers a chance to "experience the best of Microsoft and its partners, the store offers customers a select line of laptops, netbooks, all-in-one PCs, Xbox consoles, Windows Mobile phones and one of the largest selections of third-party software titles in any store." A second store will be opening October 29, in Mission Viejo, California.

Microsoft decided a store dedicated to its products is what its customers were looking for and needed. Each store will have various sections and departments focusing on various Microsoft products and needs. You will be able to play with the technology and see how its uses can be utilized for maximum benefit.

The Scottsdale Microsoft Store has tables full of laptops, large screen tv's on the walls, and a vast collection of software and the design has been planned to maximize interaction between the customer, technology and the highly trained staff.

It will also feature a place to customize your products,“If you want to have Disney characters on your laptop or an NFL team on your Xbox, we’ll build a nice library of licensed products that you can use, or you also can bring in a picture of your dog or your family and make it custom,” said store manager, Cheryl Hibbard.

More customization features include a table to create your own ringtone for your Microsoft phone. A place to compare cell phone rates. More than just outer customization the customers can also customize their products from the inside. "Once a PC is purchased, store employees will offer a 15-minute session to help customers set up their passwords and networks, and tailor their browser, e-mail and other applications to their personal preferences. Customers can launch their computer from hibernate the minute they take it home,” she says. “With this set-up session, we’re taking the typical ‘ready to assemble’ PC ownership experience to ‘ready to run’.”

While its still fairly new and only one store, Microsoft feels confident that the stores will help with sales and customer experience with the products Microsoft and its partners have to offer. If it will compete with Apple in this arena, we will just have to wait and see.