The Weighted Companion PC isn’t bitter or anything
Monday, January 21st, 2008Posted Jan 21st 2008 9:58AM by Paul Miller
Filed under: Desktops
Got that song stuck in your head? You know, the song. Go ahead, hum a few bars, nobody’s going to notice. “This was a triumph…” Bet it’s in there now! Now, while you spend the next 6-8 weeks trying wrench that beautiful melody from you head, you can concentrate on the harm you’ve caused to innocent weighted companion cubes over the world, and think about making restitution. Take this homage built by Magnus Persson, for example: it allows the cube to fulfill a higher calling as a case for a VIA Epia EX1500G, and it looks pretty too — it’s almost like that little incident never happened!
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Forget the MacBook Air: those folks seeking the absolute lightest notebooks on the planet know that Windows machines are still the only way to go, and Toshiba has proven that once again with an official 3G upgrade to the already impressive Portege R500. According to Akihabara News (which seems to be a little confused concerning the model number here), two new 12.1-inch, HSDPA-equipped configurations will be available this month: the ultra-lightweight (and ultra-pricey) R500-11J, highlighted by a 64GB SSD drive and impressive 1.72-pound package, and the cheaper, optical drive-packing R500-11I, which features the same 1.20GHz U7600 CPU and 2GB of RAM, but introduces a less appealing 120GB HDD. Pricing should be around €2,500 ($3,658) for the high-end 11J and €2,050 ($3,000 even) for the heavier 11I.
The Samsung LNT5265F is the largest avaliable model from the Samsung 65F series, at a very large 52-inches. Other models in the 65F series are the 40-inch and 46-inch. If large and stylish is what you are going for, then the Samsung LNT5265F (LN-T5265F) should suit you very well. Style wise, it looks very smart and stylish with it’s thin black frame, with a cool blue light at the bottom center of the set. This light can be programmed to be on when the HDTV is on, on when in standby, or off all the time if you find it too distracting.
Being an HBO subscriber is about to get a lot more appealing, as the Time Warner-owned pay channel giant is set to roll out a new service that allows subscribers to both download select content as well as view live feeds on their PC. “HBO on Broadband,” as the feature is called, will give HBO on Demand customers on Time Warner’s Roadrunner network access to both the live east coast feed along with numerous TV episodes and Hollywood films, although downloads expire after 12 weeks or less, and you can’t natively transfer any of this video swag to a portable device. Mac support is also conspicuously absent here, but seeing how the offer is confined to Time Warner cable and broadband subscribers only in Wisconsin for now, anyway, it’s quite possible that an OS X client (and 64-bit Windows one) will become available as more regions get switched on. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family]
Fujitsu Limited, which is known for many fine products from laptops to degaussers, is allegedly poised to spin off one business it is not so well known for, its semiconductor division. Both NHK and the Asahi Shimbun are reporting that the Japanese firm will cut loose the organization “in a few months and form a new company by consolidating its chip production bases in Japan.” According to Japan Today, while accounting for 10% of the multinational conglomerate’s sales, the division continues to see heavy losses due to steep development costs, and may eventually have to merge with one of its rivals in order to survive.
As Hitachi continues to streamline operations, we get word that it is pulling out of the consumer electronics and whitegoods market in Australia. Announced over the weekend, Hitachi will no longer sell their appliances or flat-panel TVs, camcorders, and other CE-class goods in the land down under. ACs, industrial, and electronic goods will still be available. The move brings along 40 job cuts from its Sydney HQ. Hitachi claims that the Australian market is just too small and too competitive to warrant the effort. A sentiment backed by Sharp Australia’s deputy managing director, Denis Kerr, who claims that Australia is under, “a siege mentality that has forced pricing to ridiculous levels that cannot be sustained.” He surmises that if the trend continues, “Brand names are going to withdraw from the market place.” Of course, all this leaves us wondering… who’s next?
var Without a 3G iPhone announcement at MacWorld, Apple remains focused on increasing the penetration of their generation-one handset. True to the rumors circulating the intertubes last week, AT&T is now offering the iPhone to business customers. Plans break down as follows: 
