Toshiba's SCIB Gets 90% Charge In 10 Minutes

Aving.net have released a story about a new battery from Toshiba which can purportedly achieve a 90% charge in around ten minutes. Toshiba unveiled their prototype of the Scib battery (Super Charge ion Battery) during CEATEC 2008.

Acers Gemstones - Blue Ray Dreams

Acer have announced their new media-centric Gemstone notebook computers. These high specification laptops sport Blu-ray drives, high resolution screens and up to two 320GB hard disk drives. The Aspire Gemstone 8920G and 6920G notebooks are the the first in their "Blue" line of notebook computers which have a blue & black color scheme with blue lighting effects. One of the coolest features is the cochleal touch sensitive Cinedash Media Console control which allows you to play your media and adjust the volume. The Blu-ray optical drives are complimented by screens that are capable of displaying true 1080p high-definition media. The Aspire 8920G features either an 18.4" LCD display offering full HD resolution (1,920 by 1,080 pixels), a 2x Blu-ray burner, one or two 320 GB hard drives, an Nvidia GeForce 9650M GS graphics controller with 512 MB of dedicated video memory, and an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The notebook also sports an integrated TV tuner, Dolby home theater audio enhancement with five built-in speakers and an Acer Tuba Cinebass booster for enhanced bass response. The 8920G also features an integral Webcam, 802.11 a/b/g/draft-n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth wireless networking, gigabit Ethernet, ExpressCard/54 slot, four USB 2.0 ports, HDMI with HDCP output, VGA out, headphone and audio input jacks. The Aspire 6930G features a 16" display, which is available in a full HD (1,920 by 1,080) or 1,366 by 768 resolution, a 1x Blu-ray burner, and an Nvidia 9500M GS graphics controller with 512 MB of dedicated video memory. The 6920G also offers two built-in speakers with Acer's Tuba Cinebass low-end reinforcement, an integrated webcam, Bluetooth and 802.11 a/b/g/draft-n Wi-Fi wireless networking, gigabit Ethernet, and the same port and slot configuration as the 8920G. US prices are said to range between $900 and $1700. No idea yet on European prices or availability. For more information, visit the Acer website.

HP Pavilion HDX Laptop

HP have introduced their Pavilion HDX Laptop. This unit isn't so much a laptop as it is more a desktop replacement which will give pretty much any desktop and laptop a serious scare. The HDX is packed with features such as 2GB-4GB ram, a 240GB hard drive, a HD DVD-ROM drive, HDMI output, built-in TV tuner, webcam, a remote control, and a 4 speaker audio system which includes a built-in subwoofer. As a laptop you will most likely need to give your legs a break every few minutes as the thing weighs a whopping 15.5 lbs. The HDX begins at US $2900.

Dell Offers Blu-ray Drive Option On XPS M2010

Dell have added a slot-loading Blu-ray drive as an option for their very cool XPS M2010 notebook unit. This luggable system is very unconventional, and whilst it is certainly something close to a laptop, I wouldn't want to rest one on my lap. Equipped with Core 2 Duo processors, an ATI Mobility Radeon X1800 graphics card, and support for up to 4 GB of RAM with up to 240 GB of storage on two hard drives. It'll give many desktops a real kicking.

Asus C90 - Upgradable Laptop

Most techies consider laptops to be throw away technology because of the way the devices are built. The idea of being able to upgrade a laptop usually doesn't come into the picture. When you are buying one, you get what you get. Asus are trying to change that situation with their new C90 gaming laptop. Everything from the CPU and graphics card through to its optical drive will be upgradeable. The C90 will also include an HDMI port.

Monster 20" Laptops

20" Inch Laptops are becoming more common, with models appearing from Dell (M2010), Acer (Aspire 9800) and Malibal (Veda). However, these monsters (and monsters they are without doubt) are far from practical. They're huge and remind me of the old arm-breaker luggables of the early 80's. They are extremely expensive and heavy as boat anchors. If you want to read more, pop on over to Dell to find out about the 20 pound M2010 and also to Malibal to read more about the Veda.