There’s no denying it: Lenovo’s ultrathin X300 grabbed its fair share of attention earlier this year, due in large part to its estranged rivalry with the MacBook Air. Now that a few months have passed since the first wave of adopters welcomed the 13.3-inch ultraportable into their homes, we figured the time was right to ask you all how things have been coming along. Do you still feel like a proud papa when checking out those three USB ports? Is there really enough horsepower in there to churn through your pivot tables in a timely manner? Or are you longing for one of the many netbooks that have since demanded the limelight? We already know how the experts feel about it, but this one’s for you — how would you mold the X300 into the machine it should’ve been from the start?
We already knew that Philips had plans to release the low-end touchscreen X800, but now we know just how low it was willing to go with this thing. Confirmed are the lack of 3G, EDGE (which still shocks us), and WiFi. Meanwhile, the 2.9-inch, 240×400 screen, only supports 256K colors, and the phone’s browser is your basic WAP 2.0/xHTML. It does support Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, though, so that’s a plus. Other bits: it will allow for expansion via microSD, support MP3 ringtones, and packs a USB port. In short, not a whole lot to see here. Follow the read link for a full spec list.
[Via BoyGeniusReport]
We’ve seen a few heatsinks in our day, but Thermalright is taking things to the inevitable extreme with the new case it was showing off at Computex. The whole unit is pretty much one big radiator, with a bunch of internal heatsinks and heatpipes worked in for good measure — the only fan is the one on the power supply. Apparently one side of the case if for the processor, while the other side cools the graphics card, with a nice 150 watts of heat dissipation per side. What with this, and that Xbox 360 heatsink they were showing off at this show, it looks like Thermalright is quickly carving out a niche for itself when it comes to cooling overkill. No word on price, but this thing can’t be cheap.
That deal AT&T whipped out of their hats to take over T-Mobile’s position as sole provider of WiFi at Starbucks? Turns out T-Mo is pissed about how the transition has gone down, and has filed suit against the buxx alleging collusion with AT&T, despite their supposedly exclusive agreement. Apparently T-Mo was basically allowed to run out its time serving and promoting WiFi service while Starbucks shops slowly converted over to AT&T. But T-Mo feels like it’s basically been pushed out (you don’t say!), claiming only two markets (San Antonio and Bakersfield) have actually legitimately transitioned to AT&T — far too little for Starbucks to come off like T-Mo service is done and over. We don’t know how much the suit’s worth in damages, but it sounds like they’ll be after a lot more cash than their magenta-related filings have brought in.
What’s this? An Asus laptop with built-in projector? This curious computer was spotted plopped unceremoniously in a corner at Computex by PC Perspective. They report that the unlabeled machine’s camera rotates and that the projector’s performance is uncertain given the show’s bright conditions. If this is something other than a floor prototype, we’re awfully curious about battery life. Until then, we’ll just have to fantasize about portable PowerPoints of doom. Hit the read link to see a closeup.
The rumored Tony Hawk edition of the Sidekick LX is said to be making its first public appearance today, looking every bit the part with a “skateboard look and feel” made complete with “grip-tape-texture” and the skateboarding icon’s name plastered across the display’s bezel. This one isn’t just about branding, though — it’s being said that T-Mobile will use the occasion to launch a rather hearty LX firmware update that includes video recording, stereo Bluetooth, additional themes, some sort of video sharing capability, and more; it’ll be available to all LX owners some time this summer via an over-the-air update. Meanwhile, the very special Tony Hawk piece should be made available to buyers in mid-July.
[Via Boy Genius Report]
You know that impossible-to-miss NASDAQ sign on Broadway at 43rd Street in New York City? Yeah, the one that’s 11,000-square feet in size. The Walgreen Company has set out to make that look like child’s play, as it aims to erect a 250,000-pound sign at a three-level emporium in Times Square. Said display will reportedly be used to “raise [the drugstore's] visibility in New York,” while doubling as a “focal point for it nationally.” This beast will be covered in 12 million LEDs — 17,000 square feet of them, to be exact — and you can only imagine the hardware that will be required behind the scenes to keep this thing up and running. If you just can’t wait until next fall to peep this in person, head southward to the read link and dig in.
[Thanks, Brock]