laptops

Thu
17
Dec
John Lister's picture

Turning Old Laptops Into Chromebook May Get Easier

Google has bought a company that helps people turn old laptops into Chromebooks. It will turn "CloudReady" into an official way to use the Chrome operating system. Chromebooks run on ChromeOS, a system that's based largely around using the Chrome ... browser to access online tools and applications. It's aimed particularly at people who mainly use a computer for web browsing, light document editing, and watching streaming video. One of the big advantages is that much of the processing is done remotely rather than on the computer itself. That means a Chromebook can run on cheaper low-spec ... (view more)

Wed
06
Dec
John Lister's picture

New Windows 10 Laptops 'Could Run For Weeks'

Microsoft says new Windows laptops could last more than 20 hours of continued use without needing a recharge. Other changes mean its plausible the machines could be permanently connected to the Internet. The difference is all about the processors: ... the part of the computer that actually does the calculations which are at the heart of every computing activity. Usually Windows PCs run x86 processors (or compatible), most commonly produced by Intel and AMD. Now Microsoft is making a fresh attempt at Windows laptops that run the rival ARM processors, which are already used in the vast majority of ... (view more)

Tue
31
Mar
John Lister's picture

Windows 10 Laptops Start At $149

Microsoft is reportedly planning to sell two new Windows 10 laptop models for as little as $149. It's seen as yet another attempt to combat the boom in low-cost machines such as Google's Chromebook. The report comes from Digitimes, an industry ... journal for the electronics business in Asia. It's usually reputable as it has sources from manufacturers of components for computers and other devices who naturally have advance notice of machines that are in the works. (Source: digitimes.com ) Both laptops will have 11.6 inch screens, which are very small for 'fully featured' ... (view more)

Wed
26
Nov
John Lister's picture

Windows 8 Laptops Drop Below $200

Hewlett-Packard (HP) is selling two Windows 8 laptops that are both priced at $199 . It's seen by some analysts as a way to counter the low-cost Google Chromebook range . The two models are the HP Stream 11 and Stream 13 , which model numbers are ... respective of their screen sizes. The Stream 11 has a permanent price of $199; the Stream 13 is normally $229 but will have $30 off for a limited period as part of the Black Friday sales season. To sweeten the deal, devices purchased directly from Microsoft will also receive a year's subscription to Office 365 Personal (the online edition of ... (view more)

Mon
21
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Ultrabook, Sleekbook, Fauxtrabook: Terms Explained

If you are confused by the differences between a laptop, notebook, and netbook, you may soon find the situation a whole lot more baffling: New portable computer models now carry titles like 'Ultrabook,' 'Sleekbook,' and 'fauxtrabook'. To help you ... break through some of the mystery, here's a quick guide to some of the terminology: Tough Terminology Explained A laptop is a personal computer that combines a screen and keyboard in a single unit designed to be portable. Most of the other computers described here are laptops, too. The only major form factor for a portable computer that isn't a ... (view more)

Mon
23
May
Dennis Faas's picture

Intel Promises New PC, Laptop Innovations Coming Soon

In a recent article, analysts refuted claims that the Apple iPad had much to do with the recent PC sales slump . However, they did warn that computing tablets would become a much more significant threat within the next two years. Rather than wait ... for PC sales figures to dip even further, Intel has revealed their plan to bring PCs back to their innovative glory days. New Intel Laptops to be Thinner, Lighter, More Powerful Intel says that in the next few years, laptops will be thinner and lighter, and run all day on a single battery charge. Other options will allow for innovative touchscreen ... (view more)

Sun
28
Nov
Dennis Faas's picture

Online Holiday Shopping? Read Dennis' Top 10 Recommendations

With over 30 years in computing experience, I'm often asked my opinion about computer hardware. Questions like, "What can I do to speed up my computer?", or "What type of laptop should I buy?" and things of that nature. Like anyone else, I love a ... good deal. In order to find the best deal possible, sometimes I spend an entire day shopping online to compare prices and features of similar components. Unfortunately, many of the "recommendations" I've read recently appear to be forged for the sake of making a sale, which means there's an awful lot of time wasted wading through ... (view more)

Mon
26
Apr
Dennis Faas's picture

School Issued Laptops Spy On Students, Capture 56,000 Images

The Lower Merion School District (LMSD) laptop spying saga continues to unfold. District investigators have finished their investigation, concluding that web cameras were activated by school district employees about 80 times in the past two school ... years, capturing nearly 56,000 images of students, their homes and copies of the programs or files running on their screens. Laptop Took Photos While Student Slept The system was allegedly used by LMSD officials to track lost and stolen laptops. However, the lawsuit filed on behalf of Blake J. Robbins by his parents claims that the teen's school- ... (view more)

Thu
04
Mar
Dennis Faas's picture

School Issued Laptops Bundled with Remote-Spy Cameras

A recently filed 17-page lawsuit (PDF) alleges that laptops issued to high-school students in a Pennsylvania suburb feature webcams used by school administrators to invade the privacy of almost 1,800 students and their families. (Source: zdnet.com ) ... According to the parents in Blake J Robbins v. Lower Merion School District (LMSD), the issue was discovered last November when the Robbins' child was disciplined for 'improper behavior at his home' and a photo taken by the webcam was used by the Assistant Principal as evidence. The activity the student was engaged in is not specified in the ... (view more)

Tue
27
Feb
Dennis Faas's picture

OLPC Adds Anti-Theft Kill-Switch to XO Laptops

The One Laptop Per Child XO laptops will now include an anti-theft kill-switch to deter thieves from selling the low priced machines for a hefty profit in the black market. (Source: arstechnica.com ) The decision to add the kill-switch stems from ... requests from the OLPC project's main clients: governments. OLPC Director of Security Architecture Ivan Krstic wrote last month that "the OLPC project has received very strong requests from certain countries considering joining the program to provide a powerful anti-theft service that would act as a theft deterrent against most thieves." (Source: ... (view more)

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - laptops