Windows XP SP3 now available... just kidding

Attention XP'ers -- your wildest fantasies are coming to fruition. Word on the street is that Service Pack 3 is now available for download all over the World Wide Web. When we say "all over" what we really mean is via Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center, though we doubt it will stay in one place for too long. Apparently, the new pack offers 1,100 hotfixes and patches, so maybe your obscure, cheapo soundcard will now function in stereo.

Update: Apparently due to a "glitch" in the latest SP, Microsoft has delayed the release of the update, now aiming for a May 2nd street date. Thanks commenters and tipsters, and no thanks to you, Microsoft.

Dell's XPS M1530 and M1330 now pink like flowers and pigs

Ugh, it's springtime again. So in addition to the pools of human secretions warming into an olfactory howdy-do on city sidewalks, we get these, the pink laptops. The pink XPS M1530 and M1330 now official. Check the late-nite Dell Infomercial after the break; Ron Popeil Productions must be so proud.

OQO hacked to run Leopard, now world's smallest Mac

While greeted with heaps of initial skepticism, forum jockeys over at OQO Talk now seem convinced that a junior member by the name of TRF has successfully hacked the OQO to run OS X Leopard. Adding a video filmed by Mr. Blurry Cam didn't hurt the cause. TRF's OQO is setup in a dual-boot Vista / OS X mode which boots Leopard in about 2 minutes and 30 seconds. WiFi, sound, power management and Bluetooth... it's all there with applications popping with serious snap. The only thing missing at the moment is WWAN access which TRF is now testing. While not yet a "plug and play" hack, it's "definitely doable," he says. Perhaps, but we'll need more details to say the least. Video excerpt posted after the break.

Read -- Forum post
Read -- Full Video

Microsoft says XP is definitely dead in June, Dell says it'll keep installing it

Steve Ballmer kicked up a little dirt last week when he said that Microsoft could "wake up smarter" and keep selling XP after the June 30 cutoff date if customer feedback demanded it, but as you'd expect, the company is busily trying to "clarify" that statement by saying that while it always listens to customers, XP is definitely going to die on the 30th. Well, apart from the ultraportable exception that'll last until 2012 or so. And the backlog of licenses still in reseller's hands. Oh, and a little company called Dell, which, as rumored, is going to take advantage of a Vista licensing loophole that allows it to sell a copy of Vista but preload XP instead. Yep, that's the plan -- Dell's going to report a Vista sale to Microsoft, but deliver an XP box with Vista upgrade DVD to customers. (That sound you just heard was a million accountants sighing in appreciation.) The program will be available for Latitude, OptiPlex, Precision, Vostro, and XPS systems (some with a minor fee), and Dell says it'll keep going as long as Microsoft supports the "downgrade" license option, which could be forever. Looks like June 30 just got a lot less scary for XP fans, no?

Read - Microsoft clarification of Ballmer's comments
Read - Dell to keep selling XP

Asus rumored to be spinning off Eee brand, 11-inch Eee PC coming too

Information doesn't get much more twisted that this so you'd best tread lightly with it. We've got a DigiTimes rumor whose message appears modified in translation. Engadget Chinese tells us that the original DigiTimes article (in Chinese) states that Asus is planning an Eee PC "sub-corporation." In other words, an ASUS spin-off that would include more than just low-cost ultra-portables. The rumor is attributed to DigiTimes' proven ASUS sources. However, DigiTimes' own English translation simply calls the move an Eee "sub-brand" which was already obvious with ASUS' announced plans for additional Eee branded products including the E-DT desktop, E-TV television, and 19- to 21-inch E-Monitor all-in-one said to be due in Q3. DigiTimes' sources also claim that ASUS will slap a 1001 model number on its 10.6-inch Eee PC and then -- perhaps supporting the spin-off claim -- says that there will be a premium 11-inch Eee PC before the end of the year as well. Originally, Jerry Shen, ASUS CEO, said the Eee PC would never exceed 10-inches so that it wouldn't cut into ASUS' laptop offerings. A spinoff would presumably give the Eee brand more freedom to compete.

Read -- DigiTimes (Chinese)
Read -- DigiTimes (English)

Lenovo's IdeaPad U110 showcased on video, available in US on April 29

We already knew Lenovo's 11-inch darling was shipping to eager US-based consumers "soon," but now we've got a definitive date for you to circle on that jam-packed calendar: April 29th. The IdeaPad U110 will indeed be available for order on Tuesday, and it'll be starting a full Benjamin less than we previously heard (down to $1,899, to be exact) directly from Lenovo. We're still waiting on the full list of specifications as well as the slate of retailers that will likely be selling it, but if you're anxious for more right this very moment, you can check out a promotional video of the unit in black and red right after the break.

MSI Wind Notebook : Photo Gallery

MSI Wind Notebook
Processor: Intel Atom 1,6 GHz
Memory: 1GB
Storage: 80GB
Resolution: 1024x600

MSI Wind Notebook : Photo Gallery

Wacom reveals svelte RRFC capacitive touchscreen technology

Hold on to your touch panels, folks, as Wacom has just made known its plans to reveal "a major innovation in capacitive touchscreen technology" at next month's International Society for Information Display Exhibition. The tech, dubbed Reversing Ramped Field Capacitive (RRFC) touch, relies on "reversing ramped electro-static fields" to bring unprecedented precision and "drift-free performance" to touchscreen users. Reportedly, it can be integrated into dual-input applications with the firm's EMR pen-input solution or can operate on its lonesome on devices that require just a finger touch interface. Of course, there's way more pizazz to the whole thing than we can cover in this space, but feel free to don your nerd suit and hit the read link if you're thirsty for more.

Low-cost laptop overload arranged in digestible list

In case you've been camped out under a nearby boulder for the past six months or so, you'd realize that low-cost laptops have swarmed the market. Granted, only a handful are actually available for purchase today, but just in case you're trying to arrange your options in order to make the best purchasing decision in the future, Liliputing has assembled a stunningly comprehensive list of everything that's out there. From now shipping to darn-near-vaporware, all the details you need to know are lined up perfectly in the read link. Wipe that sweat from your brow, vaquero -- the hard work's been done for ya.

Windows XP SP3 final trudges into the torrent

You know the drill. Days before the official consumer release on the 29th, out pops the final version of Windows XP SP3 on torrents, usenet, and warez sites. We haven't confirmed it for ourselves but we've received multiple reports that this final, unmodified version features a legit Volume Licensed Key which handles that pesky WGA check without breaking a sweat. Should you be brave enough to install it then by all means drop us a line in the comments about your experience. Then again, why rush? You'll likely have until 2012 to perform the update.

Dell rumored to be selling XP until 2012, Ballmer says MS can "wake up smarter"

Windows XP has a date with destiny scheduled for June 30, but it looks like the plucky OS just isn't ready to go: Ultraportable OEMs will be able to preload XP until "one year after the general availability of Windows 7," whenever that is, and now we're hearing reports that Dell's telling customers it'll sell XP on professional systems until 2012. The Dell thing is just a rumor for now, but what's Steve Ballmer doing telling reporters that although XP is EOL, "if customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter" and extend XP sales? Um, Steve? Customers have been feeding back like crazy and Microsoft has kind of ignored them, remember? Maybe it's time for a quick nap.

Update: That was pretty funny for a totally unintentional typo, wasn't it?

Read - CNET article quoting Ballmer
Read - Dell rumors

MSI Wind gets Turkish video hands-on

Curious enough about the MSI Wind to sit through a video of a couple of nerds talking about it endlessly in Turkish? Check it out after the break -- and we don't want to hear a word about how you want those three and a half minutes of your life back.

[Via Mike Cane 2008]

Asustek to Launch Eee PC With 10-inch Screen

Asustek plans to launch a new version of the Eee PC with a 10-inch screen, a top executive said Monday.

The company's CEO made the statement at the launch of the new Eee PC 900 with an 8.9-inch screen, in Taiwan. The original Eee PC 701 carries a 7-inch screen.

"The feedback we've received from users has been great. Many have asked us for bigger screens and better usability. That's what made us start developing the Eee PC 900," said Jerry Shen, CEO of Asustek, during a news conference in Taipei. People are asking for bigger keypads and more software as well, issues the company continues to work on.

An Eee PC with a 10-inch screen could be out later this year, and it will be the biggest screen an Eee PC will ever get, Shen said. The company defines anything with a 12-inch screen or larger a classic notebook PC, not an Eee PC.

Asustek believes that screen size makes a difference in sales.

The new Eee PC 900 with the 8.9-inch screen will likely account for 50 percent of overall Eee PC shipments by June, and 60 percent or more of shipments sometime in the second half of the year, said Shen.

He declined to set a firm date for release of a new Eee PC with a 10-inch screen, and would not talk about possible prices. But a 10-inch screen could make a new Eee PC model much more expensive than the 8.9-inch model. Once screen sizes reach 12-inches, they are nearing mainstream sizes, where mass production reduces the price-per-unit. But a 10-inch screen is still a specialty, and therefore more expensive screen size.

The Eee PC 900 went on sale Monday in Taiwan for NT$15,988 (US$528).

ASUS replacing Eee PC 900 batteries with longer lasting versions

Attaboy, ASUS. Not even 24-hours after reports starting flooding in over end users receiving less capacious Eee PC batteries in Hong Kong than expected, the firm is stepping up and doing the right thing. According to an admittedly rough translation of a statement on its website, ASUS is openly thanking its supporters for their business, and while it seems as though it's still chalking the whole mishap up as a simple mistake, every single Hong Kong-based customer will be receiving a free (5800mAh) replacement. 'Tis a shame we'll likely still be griping over the battery life.

[Via jkkmobile]

Thieves use Eee PC in Brazilian ATM scam

Man, that tiny Eee PC can be used for just about anything: surfing the web, blogging, surreptitiously hiding inside an ATM machine and stealing your identity. You know, the usual stuff. Yeah, so three creative Brazilian thieves were recently caught stuffing a black Eee into an ATM, where it replaced the ordinary magical-money-making workings and instead stole unwitting customers' card numbers and PINs. The thieves didn't stop there, however -- they purposefully damaged all the other nearby ATMs so that theirs would be the only one in service. Clever! Of course, that doesn't explain why it was so easy to crack open the target ATM in the first place -- we'd pretty much consider our cash flow problems solved if we could pull that trick. Check out the Brazilian TV report after the break -- any Portuguese speakers care to translate?

Dell unveils tiny bamboo-cased eco-computer concept

Michael Dell spoke at Fortune's Brainstorm:Green conference today, and he took the wraps off this funky bamboo-encased eco-PC concept. Said to be Dell's smallest-ever computer, the machine is 81 percent smaller than a standard desktop and uses 70 percent less power. There's no word on what's inside yet, but Dell says the machine is due to be released later this year, and should cost between $500 and $700. Hit the read link for a couple more shots, and check out a render after the break.

Keepin' it real fake, part CXVII: Kira 100 rides the Eee PC wave (a bit too closely)

It's one thing to bust out your own Eee PC wannabe knowing full well it isn't apt to catch on, but the Airis Kira 100 isn't even different enough to warrant such a label. No, this copycat smells, looks and likely feels just like Asus' darling, packing a 7-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, a 1GHz Via C7 processor, gigabit Ethernet / modem jacks, integrated multicard reader, a pair of USB 2.0 ports, 802.11b/g WiFi, built-in webcam and a battery good for "four hours." Oh please, don't tell us you're seriously considering this €299 ($476) imposter just because of the loud paint jobs. Wait, are you?

[Via GadgetoBlog]

3K Longitude 400 Mini-Notebook -- you'll never guess what this reminds us of

Alright peoples, how many Eee PC knockoffs do we really need? Is 10 enough? How about 100? There seems to be no end in sight, and here comes the relatively unknown 3K Computers to give it a whirl. We'd say the first mistake is the 7-inch screen, gotsa stay ahead of the curve. Pair that with the 400MHz processor and a $400 pricetag and we haven't the slightest idea why we'd go in for this little Linux-based boringbook. Oh, wait... nope, we got nothing.

Dell gets official with Dell 500 laptop for emerging countries

Usually, when a product is officially announced, the veil of mystery surrounding it is lifted, but that's not the case with Dell's new Dell 500 laptop, which the company announced in India today in conjunction with the opening of a new factory in the country. As you may recall, we previously heard that Dell was all but set to introduce a new budget-priced 8.9-inch laptop, and it seems like this could well be it, although we don't have so much as a screen size on this new model to confirm that possibility just yet. Still, the Rs 24,500 price tag (just over $600) is at least in the same ballpark, and the choice of Windows XP Home or Ubuntu Linux only would seem to suggest some Atom-level hardware. Apart from that, the only details the company seems to have deemed fit to announce are an 8-in-1 card reader, some direct media playback buttons, and a "host of wireless access options." Leading us to suspect that it might not be the same 8.9-inch laptop, however, is the fact that this one is apparently intended specifically for emerging countries like India and China, which doesn't exactly match up with Michael Dell's comment that the company was readying an answer to HP's Mini-Note, though we suppose we'll just have to wait and see how things shake out.

Dell's XPS M1530 might be pretty in pink

Dell is busting out a "Flamingo Pink" version of its much-loved XPS M1530 laptop, but unfortunately for any prospective buyers there aren't any pictures of the thing yet. We're sure it's magical. Just like Midnight Blue, pink will cost you $25 extra.