The Gadget Blog » Prices

Dell Adamo XPS, “World’s Thinnest”, Now Out

Rico Mossesgeld — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:02:35 +0000

Yesterday saw Dell start shipping the Dell Adamo XPS, which they market as the world’s thinnest laptop. This ultra-thin gadget is 10.3mm thick at its heftiest point, and tapers down to 9.7mm. Average thickness is thus just under a centimeter at 9.99m. Aesthetically it stands out, thanks to its unique configuration, which sees the keyboard portion actually embedding itself into the display when the laptop is shut. The hinge placement unfortunately seems to make it hard to use the Adamo XPS on uneven surfaces, and definitely limits this laptop’s lap potential, though it does allow some natural cooling.

Complete spec list straight from Dell:

Storage	128GB Solid State Drive
Display	13.4″ WLED HD (720P) LCD Panel with 2.0MP Camera
Processor	Intel Core SU9400 (1.4GHz/800MHz FSB/3M L2 Cache)
Memory	4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 800MHz
Video Card	Intel GS45 Integrated Graphics with DVI Video Adapter Cable
WiFi	Intel 5300 WLAN 802.11n (3×3) Mini Card
Battery Options	20WHr (4 hours) or 40WHr (5 hours) batteries
Bluetooth	Dell Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module (2.1 + EDR)
USB Ports	x 2 USB 2.0

What do you think? Personally the 1.4 GHz processor worries me, but I bet people will buy this for the aesthetics, rather than performance. The Dell Adamo XPS is available from Dell.com, for $1799.

Introducing The World’s Thinnest Laptop. The New Adamo XPS at 9.99mm Thin.

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The Complete Windows 7 Pre-Order Price List

Rico Mossesgeld — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 11:30:33 +0000

If you’re like me, you’ve probably enjoyed trying out beta versions of Windows 7. So to help indulge your love for the operating system Vista should’ve been, here’s a nifty price list featuring all Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate flavors—currently available for pre-order. Bonus feature: purchase links that let you indulge your urge to own Windows 7 as soon as possible.

Version	32-bit		64-bit		Upgrade
Version	Retail	OEM	Retail	OEM	Upgrade
Home Premium	$199.99	$99.99	$199.99	$99.99	$119.99
Professional	$299.99	$134.99	$299.99	$134.99	$199.99
Ultimate	$319.99	$174.99	$319.99	$174.99	$219.99

Be aware that the significantly cheaper OEM versions carry some caveats.

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Prices for Windows 7 OEM Versions

Rico Mossesgeld — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:30:55 +0000

If the “normal” retail prices for Windows 7 sounds a bit steep for you, you may want to consider the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) versions of the operating system scheduled for an October 22 release. The summary of Tom’s Hardware thus states:

Newegg is selling Home Premium for $100, while the retail price is $200. Those looking for the Professional version can get an even greater break as the OEM is $135, compared to $300 for the retail.

Still not good enough? Then you can hand over $175 for the Ultimate SKU, which would cost $320 in stores.

What’s the difference between OEM and retail? Again from Tom’s: “OEM versions of Windows do not come without fancy boxes, manuals, packaging, or even tech support, but they do come with a lower sticker price.” OEM versions are also less versatile, in the sense that they’re basically tied to one motherboard. This means that, if you buy a new computer, you have to buy a new copy; it’s not legally permitted to uninstall the Windows 7 you installed on your old computer, then reinstall it on the new one.

That’s because OEM versions are meant for computer manufacturers, who are expected to provide said the tech support for the customer. And since makers will pre-install Windows 7 into their products, why the fancy boxes and other paraphernalia, right? In exchange for the lower price, Microsoft legally ties OEM copies to only one computer, as detailed above.

So if you’re planning to upgrade to Windows 7, should you buy an OEM copy? If you’re a particularly savvy customer used to diagnosing problems on your own as they crop up, I don’t see why not. Even retail copies are tied to one computer in a certain sense, as you have to uninstall 7 from the old computer before you can use it on the new one, no?

Visit NewEgg.com to pre-order OEM—or retail—versions of Windows 7.

Source

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Is the Nokia Booklet 3G Worth 575 Euros?

Rico Mossesgeld — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:40:33 +0000

So the cat’s finally out of the bag: the Nokia Booklet 3G will cost 575 euros (around $820), as announced in Nokia World.

Courtesy Nokia

That’s a bit pricey in my opinion. Sure, the 12-hour battery life and two-centimeter thickness of the gadget justify this price somewhat, but not entirely. For a 10.1″ netbook, nothing probably beats Nokia’s offerings in terms of specs, integrated extras (like HDMI), and battery capacity, but there are surely equally portable offerings that also include a built-in USIM slot.

What do you think? Personally, I’d rather spend my hard-earned money on something slightly more bulky, but significantly more powerful. Especially since Nokia already makes software that lets their phones sync with your average Windows 7 laptop. The Booklet 3G might appeal to metal finish addicts who want something small to lug around though.

More Nokia Booklet 3G specs emerge at Nokia World 09

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Official Windows 7 Prices

Rico Mossesgeld — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:43:47 +0000

Announced today, the official pricing of Windows 7 is as follows:

Retail

Home Premium $199.99
Professional $299.99
Ultimate $319.99

Upgrade Packages

Home Premium $119.99
Professional $199.99
Ultimate $219.99

Courtesy Wikipedia

In other words, $120, $200, and $220 respectively. Before you get excited about the lower prices (when compared to Vista), remember that only 1% actually buy retail OS copies. The rest ~~download bootleg copies from torrent sites~~ get the OS when they buy a new computer.

Still, it’s great seeing Microsoft slashing their flagship product prices a bit. Maybe we’ll see less people call the company “M$” on online forums.

Some bad news for Windows XP users though: Windows 7 will insist on a clean install, allowing no upgrades. Any Windows 7 upgrade package will work with XP though, checking first if the XP installation is legit before installing itself onto the same partition as XP.

One more thing to keep in mind: upgrading to Windows 7 from a higher edition of Vista will also require a clean install, as in the case of a Vista Ultimate user wanting to install Windows 7 Home Premium.

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