Also on the agenda: I’ll be playing with the HP Envy 13 laptop, and depending on couriers, the Mac Mini with Snow Leopard Server on it. In other words, look out for some home server posts next week some time.

Anybody else have a hot gadget date this weekend? Tell us about it in comments.

Bloatware, the crap software that manufacturers pre-install on their computers that include demos, media software and other junk you never use, is infuriating. And seeing the numbers, it’s even more insane that these companies are crippling their own products with this junk. Here’s how the worst offenders break down, compared to clean installs on the same machines:

Acer: 2:01 longer boot time, 952MB larger memory footprint, 2.4GB less HDD space
HP: 1:35 longer boot time, 1.06GB larger memory footprint, 2.18GB less HDD space
Dell: 0:52 longer boot time, 1.18GB larger memory footprint, 3GB less HDD space
Sony: 1:54 longer boot time, 1.11GB larger memory footprint, 1.3GB less HDD space

Pretty repulsive stuff; at least Microsoft isn’t including this garbage on PCs sold in their stores. Be sure to check out PC Pro for the full study and results. [PC Pro via Slashdot]

What it still does

HP’s Windows Home Servers are exceptional because they take the standard Home Server build and add a bunch of extras on top of it. For example, HP was the first one to introduce support for Apple’s Time Machine, which has been improved here so that you can do a complete restore in the event that you have to start your Mac up from scratch.

They’ve also still got the media streaming (DLNA compliant), web/iPhone streaming and iTunes server built in, as well as a media collector that sucks in media from all your regular machines on the network into one place on the server. All of this stuff is just improved.

What it does even better now

The greatest group of improvements is how the EX495 now works with Macs. Time Machine functionality was there before, but ran into problems when your Mac went down and you tried to do a fresh restore directly off the network. Now you get a separate disc to use so you can treat the Time Machine backup on the server as a standard Time Machine backup for restores.

But the most important feature on a day-to-day basis is the fact that the Home Server console works natively on Macs — even though it’s just a remote desktop connection to the server anyway. You can now do on your Mac all the management actions you could on the PC, like setup new users, update your Home Server, perform diagnostics or configure video conversions.

Then there is the added ability to do media collecting on Macs, basically sucking off any videos or music you’ve accumulated into one network-accessible place so other machines can access it. It beats having to remember to manually place those things on the server yourself.

Of course, Macs can also access the web interface for Home Server management just like PCs can.

More power, more storage and better processing

Shoving a Dual Core 2.5GHz or a 2.2GHz Celeron processor and 2GB of RAM on these machines might seem like overkill for something that’s just used to hold stuff and stream it around the network, but HP puts that to good use.

In our tests, the EX495 was able to convert a DVD movie into a full resolution h.264 and a phone-streamable 300MB movie in about an hour and a half, give or take. Very useful for not sucking up your main machine’s horsepower to convert videos when you can just vomit them onto the network and have it be done by a slave machine.

The improved processor is very noticeable from just using the remote console. Clicking around to set up the photo publisher, or the media server, or adding BitTorrent plugins were much faster than the previous generation EX485 and EX487 machines. It’s not even comparable to the LX195 budget versions.

At $US700 and $US550 respectively ($899 and $599 in Australia), the MediaSmart Servers definitely aren’t cheap. If you’ve got an older version, like the 485/487 series, the improvements probably won’t be enough to warrant you spending so much for another machine that has similar functionality. If you’re new to the Windows Home Server realm, this has pretty much everything a PC or a Mac user would want to hold their data, stream their media and backup their information. [HP EX495 and HP EX490]

Fully certified for Windows 7, the L2105tm features 1920×1080 resolution, 1000:1 contrast, 5ms response, and VGA, DVI-D with HDCP connections. You’ll only be able to use two-finger multitouch (or single-point stylus), but if you’re buying a monitor anyway, it’s smart that manufacturers are keeping the touch price premiums low…well…attainable. [SlashGear]

Acer—which owns Gateway, eMachines and Packard Bell—scored 11.1 per cent of US computer sales between July and September this year, according to IDC. Gartner puts that figure at 13.9 per cent.

As you can see in the chart above, Garner also puts Dell in the top US spot with a 26.2 per cent share. IDC disagrees, placing HP first (25.5 per cent), Dell second (25 per cent), Apple fourth (9.4 per cent), and Toshiba fifth (8.1 per cent).

The two research firms agree on the rankings of worldwide sales, though their numbers are slightly different.

What’s also interesting is that total sales grew by as much as 3.9 per cent compared to last year. That’s pretty surprising when both predicted the down economy would make us all tech scrooges. Maybe Windows 7 has drummed up interest after all, what do you think? [Gartner Research via BusinessWire | IDC Research via Reuters] [Image Credit]

The ranking methodology utilised by Greenpeace and Newsweek are radically different; the Newsweek rankings are based on a holistic view of the companies including greenhouse emissions, water consumption and supply chain management. Greenpeace, however, analyses more focused benchmarks like the use of toxic chemicals.

Greenpeace’s biggest knock on HP is its continued polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardant (BFR) usage despite a commitment to discontinue their utilisation, and while Newsweek recognises their continued use, they give HP credit due to progressively diminished usage.

HP got especially high marks for its Green Policy and Performance from Newsweek, issues Greenpeace did not consider. While Newsweek’s ranking system is more comprehensive, there is good reason Greenpeace looks specifically at PVC and BFRs. Dioxin, an organic compound produced as a byproduct of PVC production, has been implicated in a broad range of health problems from acne to sarcoma.

Both rankings have valid rationales to justify their methodologies, HP most likely belongs somewhere in between #1 and #14. [Newsweek and Greenpeace]

Thanks Prof. Singaram for helping me work through organic chemistry.

HP Envy 13

* Choice of Core2 Duo processors
* ATI Radeon HD 4330 discrete graphics with dynamic switching
* 13.1-inch screen
* Either a 250GB HDD or 160GB SSD
* Action keys
* Claimed battery of up to 18 hours
* Supermulti DVD drive
* 1.67kg
* Aluminium and Magnesium chassis
* Pricing starts at $3,199 for 250GB HDD and 2GB RAM
* Launches October 22

HP Envy 15

* Intel Core i7 Processor
* Up to 16GB DDR3 RAM
* 15.6-Inch LED backlit screen
* ATI Radeon 4830 discrete graphics card
* Night vision VGA webcam
* Claimed battery life of 18 hours
* Supermulti DVD drive
* 2.35kg
* Metal etching on the lid and palm rest
* Pricing starts at $2,799 for 500GB HDD and 4GB RAM
* Launches October 22

HP Mini 311

* Less than an inch thick
* 1.36kg
* Imprint finish (black swirl or white swirl)
* 11.6-inch LED backlit widescreen
* Atom processor
* NVIDIA ION graphics
* Altec Lansing speakers
* 92% full sized keyboard
* 250GB HDD
* 6-cell Li-ion battery (claimed 7 hours battery life)
* Starts at $899
* Launches October 22

HP dm1

* 11.6-inch LED screen
* Starts at 1.46kg
* 92% full sized keyboard
* Intel Pentium processor SU4100
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD with up to 1295MB shared video memory
* 250GB HDD
* 802.11n WLAN
* Windows 7 Home Premium
* $999
* Launches October 22

HP dm3

* 13.3-inch LED screen
* Aluminium chassis
* Starts at 1.91kg
* Intel Centrino2 processor
* Optional NVIDIA graphics card
* Up to 500GB HDD
* VGA webcam
* Optional external BD disc drive
* Claimed 10 hours battery life
* From $1,299 with 320GB HDD
* Launches 22 October (except 160GB SSD version, coming November)

HP Mini by Studio Tord Boontje

* Starts at 1.06kg
* 10.1-inch VGA or HD LED screen
* Imprint 3D design
* 92% full size keyboard
* Broadcom Crystal HD enhanced video accelerator
* 6-cell Li-ion battery for claimed 8 hours battery
* Windows 7 Starter Edition
* Starts at $799
* Launches October 22

HP ProBook 5310m

* 23.5mm thick
* 1.72kg
* 13.3-inch LED backlit screen
* Intel Core 2 Duo SP9300 processor
* Claimed 8 hour battery life
* Optional Gobi-powered mobile broadband
* Wi-Fi
* Bluetooth 2.1
* 2-megapixel webcam
* 3D Drive Guard
* Starts at $1,499
* Available now

In all seriousness, the EX490 looks like a must-own device for any geek, while the LX197 would fit in any home with a PC. Both come with 1TB of storage as standard, while the EX490 also incorporates a heap of extra Mac support, including the ability to completely restore your Mac’s hard drive.

The LX197 runs on an Intel Atom processor, while the EX490 runs on a Celeron, which means both devices are fairly low powered. It also means that they’re extremely affordable, with the LX197 retailing for $599 and the EX490 costing $899. The EX490 also has space for extra hard drives, which will apparently let you increase storage to 7TB internally or 17TB with the use of external USB HDDs as well. While I had a quick hands on with the UI last night, I’ll reserve complete judgement until I’ve tested it a little bit more, but ultimately I think this is going to be a mandatory box (or a box like it, at least) for every home within the next couple of years.

Both hit stores on October 22.

[HP]

By “long life”, HP is referring to their green battery that can supposedly sustain over 1000 recharges and maintain “like-new” performance for three years. Pricing and availability has not been determined outside of the UK, where the dv8 is set to crush shelves on Windows 7 launch day (October 22nd) starting at around $US2000. [HP via Shiny Shiny]