We’d heard the upcoming EEE PC 900 was going to have 12GB of flash, but Asus has just stumped up some more data. 4GB of that is permanent with the remaining 8GB being slot-loaded. That’s for the XP version— the Linux edition will have a whopping 16GB of slot-loaded storage. The diminutive machine will apparently be available in the UK and Hong Kong now, France tomorrow and Australia, Germany and Italy at different dates from late April to May. No word on the US release yet. Asus press release below. [Impress, VR-zone and Engadget]
A couple of months ago, Telstra wanted to shut off their CDMA network. The government told them to get stuffed, after they found that there wasn’t sufficient coverage for rural Australia.
Yesterday, Senator Conroy decided that our brothers in the bush would be adequately serviced by Telstra’s NextG, and gave the thumbs up to those technicians at the big T whose specific job it is to flick the switch on the CDMA network. Within two weeks on April 28, anybody still using a CDMA handset will hear little more than the chirping of crickets through their handset, although it’s more likely to sound like silence.
Although Telstra refused to say just how many people will be rushing out to their local Telstra dealer to buy a NextG handset in the next fortnight, the SMH is reporting that Deutsche Bank analysts believe the now obsolete network had 200,000 subscribers in January.
To make sure nobody’s left listening to the silence, Sol’s team of happy customer service representatives will be sending letters, SMS messages and calls to anybody still using a CDMA phone in the next two weeks.
One thing’s for sure – there’s going to be a huge uproar come April 28, when all of a sudden thousands of people realise that their phone doesn’t work anymore. No matter what the big T does about it between now and then.
[SMH]
There are literally hundreds of iPod docks on the market and not too many that I would lose sleep over. I must admit, however, that the Scandyna dock and V-Dock both have me intrigued; it looks great and it is a powered amplifier rather than your standard pod dock with underperforming speakers, you get two 15W channels for a pair of speakers and a sub woofer; and if you buy the V-Dock, you will have a video output as well.
Sanyo has launched two new 4200 ANSI lumen projectors that pack enough punch to throw a screen up just about anywhere, regardless of whether the lights are on or not. The PLC-ET30L will give you 1400 x 1050 resolution, while the more affordable PLC-XT21/L produces 1024 x 768. Aside from the resolutions, both models seem identical in other respects and both models let you go big, in fact, huge; that is as long as you consider 300″ diagonal big, so you better set aside a comparatively hefty budget for your screen.
Our good old friend Angus Kidman is reporting over at APC that a new study has shown that companies who block social networking sites like Facebook at work are less likely to hang onto their staff than companies that support the online timewaster.
The study was carried out by the law firm Deacons, and found that of the 691 workers questioned, 16% said that having access to social networking sites would be a major influence in choosing a job. When you drop the age bracket to people under 24, that percentage rises to almost 25%.
Other nuggets included the 76% of people who believed that there were benefits to companies who allowed social networking, and the 68% who thought that having access to social networks showed they were trusted. Of course, how the figures reached so high when only 62% of the surveyed workers actually had internet access at work doesn’t quite add up.
So what do you think? Does being able to poke friends on Facebook during your working day play a part in your job decision making? Is Facebook blocked at your work? And do you see these sites as timewasters that are only going to hurt productivity? Post your thoughts in the comments!
[APC]
Last month, Acer held a big exciting event in New York to launch their new range of Gemstone Blue Entertainment notebooks. Yesterday, they held a much smaller, low-key affair to launch the laptops in Australia. The range, which includes both 16-inch and 18.4-inch models, are available now for RRPs starting at $2,499 for the 16-incher and $2,699 for the 18.4 monster.
Each model incorporates its own Blu-ray player, a widescreen, 1920 x 1080p screen and Dolby digital sound. There is also their stylish, touch-sensitive CineDash media console, which looks awesome, but could be a little awkward for some people to get used to.
The 18.4-inch behemoth also features six integrated speakers for “surround sound”, which could pump out decent audio, although not as loudly as you would expect. There’s a port on the back for those who want their digital music through dedicated speakers though.
Battery life is around two hours playing back a Blu-ray disc, or so they said.
There’s a fair amount of cool technology crammed into these machines, and the price is actually pretty decent when you take it all into account. If you’re after an entertainment or desktop replacement notebook, this actually looks pretty damn decent.
[Acer]
Sources at ONN are reporting that the ultra-popular Iron Man trailer—which already has had a sequel—may become a full-length film at “one point in the future.” The rumour is supported by some leaked evidence, which includes still pictures as well as other clips. One visibly-shocked Brian Lam—Gizmodo’s own Editor-in-Chief and collaborator of cooking blog provençale-cuisine.com—declared: “that’s cool. Can I keep the toys?” [ONN—thanks Richard]
In a nutshell, the Cycle Bag is a removable bike saddle that can be utilised as a backpack. While I think that this concept design from Iohanna Pani has potential in terms of all around convenience and deterring theft, I can’t help but wonder about the size. On a motorcycle, maybe—but a bicycle? You simply don’t come across many cyclists with asses wide enough to engulf a meter stick. [Yanko Design]
We’ve got plenty of clocks around our home, but none of them are as minimal or as stylish as this Icon Clock. Each clock comes in all of one shade (but there are many colours to choose from) and feature two tongue depressor-ish hands. That’s it. Pick the colour that matches your motif and decorate away. Here’s a secret to interior design from us. Let someone (not you) who doesn’t think adding an iPod dock to a room will improve the ambiance. [GNR8 via Better Living Through Design via DVICE]
If you like some rumble in your gaming jungle, then you’ll be happy to know that Sony has announced that their Dualshock 3 controller for the PS3 will be released in Australia for $99.95 on April 24.
As a point of interest, the US version (which is exactly the same in every way), has an RRP of US$54.99, or the equivalent of $59.37. That’s roughly $40 cheaper. Factor in the shipping and it’s still cheaper.
Sure, there are economic factors that local companies need to take into account beyond the strength of the US dollar, but $40 is a lot of money in anybody’s book. Sony’s decision to price their controller that high in Australia really will encourage a lot of people to import.
