Superspeed USB Coming to a Computer Near You

USB

Superspeed USB (or USB 3.0) is currently in the last stages of its development and should start being integrated into computers and peripherals within the next 12 months.

This new technology promises speeds that are up to 10 times faster than current USB 2.0 we all know and love. Superspeed USB will be a welcomed upgrade for consumers that own high definition camcorders and are transferring huge files to portable hard drives using USB.

As an example, the developpers of the technology were able to transfer a 6GB video file at 320MB/s in less than 30 seconds! With current USB 2.0 technology, the same file would transfer in about 4 or 5 minutes.

APCMag via WinBeta.org

Dell’s New 12in Laptop: The Inspiron Mini 12

Dell Inspiron Mini12

Dell has just announced that the new Inspiron Mini 12 laptop will be available globally sometime in the month of November for around $600.

Dell refers to this product as being a laptop (not a netbook). This sounds rather unusual, as this product runs on an Intel Atom-type CPU which, so far, has been used only by UMPCs and netbooks. Morover, this specific model will run on a “Z” series Atom CPU which was developed for handheld internet tablets, not notebooks.

Here are some specifications:

• 12-inch display (1280×800)
• Atom CPU (1.3GHz Z520 or 1.6GHz Z530)
• 1GB RAM
• 40, 60, or 80GB hard drive
• Bluetooth and 802.11b/g
• Built-in webcam
• 3G wireless option available in 2009
• 3 or 6-cell battery (respectively 3h and 6h operating time)
• 3 USB ports and a 3-in-1 card reader
• Windows Vista Home Edition (Linux Ubuntu available later)
• Starting weight of 2.72 and 0.92in at its thinnest point

ZDNet

Deezer for iPhone and iPod Touch

Deezer

Music site Deezer has now released the first official version of their iPhone and iPod Touch player, and it’s available for download directly on the Apple App Store.

For those of you not familiar with Deezer, it is very similar to iMeem. You can search for songs, artists, albums and stream them directly on your computer without the need to download the song.

Deezer also offers web radios and something they call “SmartRadio” where the service lets you discover new music based on your listening taste. These two features will be the only ones available on the iPhone and iPod Touch at first but Deezer plans on releasing a full featured application that will allow the user to enjoy 100% of the features available in the future.

clubic.com (French)

Do We Really Need Another Netbook?

NEC LaVie Light

By releasing their new LaVie Light Netbook, NEC seems to think so.

NEC’s new netbook will be available in Japan on November 6th. No dates or prices for America as of now, but I’m sure we can all continue living our lives without another netbook.

Here are the main specifications for this new product:

• Intel Atom N270 CPU
• 1GB of RAM
• 160GB hard drive
• XP Home
• weighs 2.6 pounds
• 8.9-inch screen (1024×600)
• 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
• SD card slot
• 1.3-megapixel camera

CNET

Lala.com: Take Your Music to “The Cloud”

Lala

Lala.com just launched a new service for its U.S. users called Music Mover.

The idea is simple and quite similar to blueTunes.net, where the service will scan you entire music library (it’s iTunes compatible) and upload only the songs that are not present in the Lala.com music catalog.

Once this process is complete, the user’s entire music library will be available for free and unlimited streaming over the Internet. The main difference between blueTunes and Lala is that Lala is completely free and blueTunes will make you pay if you send more than 100 songs to your account.

ars technica

iKIT: Tiny PC by IMOVIO

IMOVIO iKIT

I don’t really see the point in this product but here it is: The iKIT by IMOVIO. It’s a super small portable “laptop” that has a small 2.8 inch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard.

This “computer” is to be used as a mobile messaging device. Features and specifications are not very impressive compared to the iPhone or current mobile devices such as some HTC phones and BlackBerry devices.

It will run a proprietary Linux version using a 312MHz Marvell CPU, 64MB of RAM, and 128MB of ROM (storage, applications, etc.). Expansion will be available through a MicroSD card slot.

Connectivity include Bluetooth, WiFi, USB (via optional cable). It measures only 95mm (L) x 65mm x 15.5mm (H) and weighs in at 113g with the battery.

webitpr

eBay to Prohibit Auctions of Ivory Items

eBay

In an effort to protect elephants, and reduce the illegal traffic of ivory in and out of the originating countries, eBay will completely prohibit auctions that showcase products containing large amounts of ivory.

The new policy will take effect in December 2008 and will be enforced starting in January 2009.

washingtonpost.com

Asus EeePC: 1 Year and 4 Million Units Later

EeePC 901 3G+

It’s hard to believe, but it has only been one year that the netbook “trend” started, with the arrival of the first Asus EeePC in mid-October of 2007.

Since then, Asus has sold as much as 4 million units of the EeePC line. It wasn’t long before other companies hopped on the netbook train with their own sub-compact notebooks. Acer, Dell, Packard Bell, Lenovo, HP, MSI, and many more companies have all released variants of their own.

One can bet that with the financial crisis, these budget netbooks will be on the top of many Christmas shopping lists in the U.S. this year.

LAPTOP Magazine

Over 1,000 Jobs to be Cut at Yahoo!

Yahoo!

Yahoo! and their employees have all been suffering from the tough financial climate in the U.S. since the beginning of 2008.

We should be hearing from Yahoo! tomorrow as they will be announcing their plans to cut on expenses and avoid loosing to much ground over #1 competitor Google. This will also include many job cuts; as much as 1,000 to 3,000 jobs will be lost before the end of the year.

TechSpot

What’s Next for Apple?

Apple iMac

After the notebook event of October 14th, one might be wondering what’s next for Apple.

Consumers thinking of buying an iMac should reconsider and wait as speculations of a new iMac lineup are surfacing around the web. This should happen before the end of the year and most probably before Christmas season.

The iMac is a great product and should not see many asthetic changes but will surely benefit from new and more performant Intel chips along with better graphics processors.

AppleInsider