Last Friday I was fortunate enough to be in Singapore to experience the Singapore IT Fair as well as visit the LG Electronics Singapore Office. While I was there, Wayne the LG Electronics Singapore PR Manager, was kind enough to show me their newest gadget – the LG X300 Netbook. I took the opportunity to record a video with him to give you readers an even closer insight into this sleek new netbook.

I was impressed by its thinness and weight. The LG X300 Netbook is a perfect traveling companion. Slide it into your hand carry bag / laptop bag and you’ll hardly know it was there, as it weighs less than 1 kilogram.

As long as you’re not doing super power-hungry multimedia tasks such as video-editing or 3D animation, the LG X300 will be more than adequate for your daily PC tasks. It comes with a battery-efficient (up to 5 hours) Intel Menlow 2GHz chip, with up to 2GB RAM and 128GB SSD Hard drive. Perfect for surfing the web, word processing and gaming.

The LG X300 is very stylish – I love the textured cover as well as the integrated (aesthetic and functional) touch pad. It does look that LG have applied similar styling that many of us have become familiar with in terms of the Apple MacBook range, particularly in the design of the keyboard and its keys. Also liked how the headphones jack is position on the back right hand side which will result in the headphone wiring being less obstructive / messy.

I can see why this is set to be LG’s netbook flagship – it’s looks good, performs well and pricing reasonable.

See the LG X300 Review / Demonstration video below:

LG X300 Press Release – LG Electronics

SEOUL, Mar. 7, 2010 –LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in mobile communications, today announced the launch of the LG X300, the ultra-thin premium mobile PC. Its sleek and stylish look wowed the visitors at CES 2010 in Las Vegas.

“Given how demanding and discerning consumers are nowadays, we were delighted to receive such acclaim from the public and media at the CES for our new mobile PC,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “It’s a vindication of LG’s efforts to maintain the very highest standards in design without any sacrifices in high-tech or functionality, and ensure our consumers’ experiences with LG PCs just keep getting better.”

The LG X300, LG’s new flagship mobile computing device for 2010, tips the scales at a mere 970g and is only 17.5mm thick for the ultimate in portability.

What’s more, the LG X300 boasts an array of enticing design features. The sleek but wide 11.6-inch LCD screen maximizes the viewing area by eschewing a bezel. Also, its unique reflective keyboard and borderless touchpad add further elegance to this premium mobile PC. To offer the complete package for the most style-conscious users, the LG X300 comes in two colors, shiny white and light brown.

Fitted with a 2.0 GHz Intel Menlow platform with up to 2GB memory and 128GB SSD, the LG X300 runs Windows 7 Home Premium OS and ships with a spare 2-cell battery to provide up to seven hours of use. Thanks to its fan-less, silent operation, the portable PC is also extremely quiet to run, while the LG Smart Pack – LG’s smartest software suite for PC users – ensures the LG X300 is easy to use, even for novices.

The LG X300 packs multimedia features including a 1.3-megapixel webcam with a You-Cam viewer, and SRS TruSurround HD sound. And thanks to an embedded 3G modem chipset, users can easily get online via GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, or HSDPA networks.

The LG X300 will be available in Asia starting in March, followed by the Middle East and South America. Prices will vary country-to-country and will be announced separately in each market.

YouTube – LG X300 Netbook Review – mrgadget.com.au

Targus should be very happy – they’ve just scooped up a CES Innovation 2010 Design and Engineering Award for their very cool (pardon the pun) Targus Lap Chill Mat.

As the name suggests, the Targus Lap Chill Mat, keeps both your lap and laptop cool by optimising ventillation between the two.  It’s powered by two USB-powered fans which facilitates continuous airflow ensuring a comfortable notebook experience whether you’re relaxing on the couch or in your bed. The highly ergonomic design of the Targus Lap Chill Mat also aides in effective typing and navigation on your laptop while preventing common computer related injuries such as RSI.

If you’re on using your laptop away from your desk for prolonged periods of time, I highly recommend a Targus Lap Chill Mat!

Grats to the Targus team gain!

Press Release for Targus Lap Chill Mat

Sydney, 24 February 2010 – The Targus Lap Chill Mat has been honoured in the
CES Innovation 2010 Design and Engineering Awards for its aesthetic design,
functionality and unique features. Targus’ innovative cooling device offers
a convenient, comfortable and ergonomic work surface that regulates the
temperature of laptops, when used on the lap as well as the work desk.

The Awards, which are endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of
America, are judged by a panel of independent industry designers, engineers
and media. Targus won its award in the Computer Accessories category, one of
36 categories overall. The judging criteria not only examined design and
engineering innovation, but also how the product compares to others in the
market.

Resting on users’ laps, the Targus Lap Chill Mat disperses heat with dual
USB powered fans that provide ventilation, and features an open design
allowing the fans to run quietly. The ergonomic tilt makes typing easy,
whilst the soft neoprene base provides cushioned comfort on your lap. Four
rubber stops on the face of the Chill Mat prevent the laptop from slipping.

“The Targus Lap Chill Mat meets a growing trend that is seeing laptop users
leaving traditional office environments and enjoying the flexibility and
freedom of working from home, in shared workspaces or on-the-go,” said
Targus Australia’s Accessories Product Manager, Aaron Shooter. “The
introduction of cooling devices to our everyday laptop use not only helps to
extend the laptop’s lifespan, but encourages faster performance, fewer
crashes and provides heat protection for work surfaces.”

Targus Lap Chill Mat Product Page

The Eee PC T91 is ASUS’ first full touchscreen tablet netbook and it is finally making its own way onto the United States retail market. Touchscreen tablets have been, in many ways, an oft-repeated mix of excitement and disappointment – great ideas coupled with mediocre hardware, or nice-looking hardware coupled with bad implementation of the touchscreen. Has ASUS managed to sidestep these issues with its own tablet PC?

• Hardware and Specifications

The Eee PC T91 is an 8.9-incher, which means you’ll have a small keyboard even by many netbook standards. Surprisingly, it is easy to type on this one. It got a nice clickiness, and while it is certainly compact, it does not feel cramped, and we really didn’t experience more mistyping than average – which was, to be honest, a pleasant surprise. The trackpad is responsive and on par with other netbook pads. The backlit LED resistive touch panel is quite bright and nice looking. The netbook boasts a VGA, two USB, and two audio ports, and it’s got a power button right on the left bottom edge of the screen. Directly to the right of the power button is another button on the bezel, which is one of the ways to activate the touch interface. The T91 also has an expandable stylus housed under the right bottom side of the chasis.

Spec-wise, the Eee PC T91 has a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 CPU, and if you’re accustomed to a more standard netbook configuration with an N270 or N280, you’ll definitely feel the difference. It also has 1GB of RAM, Intel GMA500 graphics, a 16GB SSD and a lithium polymer battery rated for about 5 hours of power. It also got 802.11 B/G/N Wi-Fi, 10/100Mbps Ethernet, and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

• Software and Performance

The T91 has an easy, 9-point calibration process to get the touchscreen properly responsive. ASUS has also loaded the T91 with some custom-built software – namely the Touch Gate interface. From the regular XP desktop, you can activate the touchscreen interface three ways – via the icon on the desktop, the slider icon at the top of the desktop, or that physical button to the right of the power toggle. Hitting any of those brings up the Touch Gate main interface – which is essentially a very simple row of icons that can be rearranged in any order – with up to five icons in the mail row, and others behind it. For now, there is a limited amount of icons on the list – preferences, and four custom-built apps – Fotofun, Memos, Notepad, and Internet Explorer with Touch Capability. We should say that we find the interface to be really clean and pleasing to look at, and the applications are pretty elegantly designed.

• Wrap Up

Overall, the software included with the T91 is really nicely designed, and operates pretty much as advertised. There are limitations to the CPU and the resistive touchscreen – we had to move a bit slower than we liked or our touches did not always get recognized – but the touch interface also functions better than we expected. Overall, the Eee PC T91 is a product we had a hard time justifying the purchase of — because the custom apps aren’t that useful, but they are kind of fun, and we hope future iterations will improve upon the things we really like about it. The T91 is not super cheap, either, but if you really want a tablet, it’s worth checking out – especially if, like us, you also feel the need for a keyboard.

Read the complete review via Engadget

The revolutionary design of the Microsoft Arc Mouse combines the comfort of a desktop mouse and the portability of a notebook mouse. It will take you a few minutes to realize what Microsoft Arc Mouse is all about. The collapsible design at first suggested that it’s both a full-size mouse and a notebook mouse in one product. You might be confused as to who would want such a thing. Upon playing with it, you will realize that there’s actually some smarter design going on here. The unique shape and button layout does present some usability issues, but overall, the Arc Mouse may be the best solution for those looking for a full-size, travel-friendly mouse.

The benefit of the Arc Mouse is not that it works as a “notebook mouse” when you fold it in half. Indeed, the power to the mouse cuts out when it’s folded, so it won’t work in that mode at all. Instead, folding the Arc Mouse makes it more generally travel-friendly. First, it reduces the size of the device, cutting its length by more than a third. But there’s also a small, magnetic cradle on the underside of the tail portion that folds in, to hold the mouse’s thumbnail-size USB receiver. When the mouse is collapsed, the tail portion secures the receiver, ensuring that you’ll have all of the necessary pieces together when you take the mouse out of your bag.

The core “mousing” functionality works as you’d expect it to. I personally like the fact that setting up the Arc Mouse is so simple. After you insert the three, Microsoft-provided AAA batteries, you plug in the USB receiver, wait for Windows to recognize the mouse, and reboot. Mac setup is even easier, as Mac OS X found the mouse as soon as we plugged the receiver in. For its intended purpose as a travel-friendly input device, the Arc Mouse does exactly what it’s supposed to.

Product Features of the Microsoft Arc Mouse:

• Mouse folds to 60% of its fully expanded size
• Micro-transceiver snaps into the bottom of the mouse
• Folding motion turns mouse on/off
• Laser tracking for precision
• 2.4 GHz wireless with up to 30-foot range

Technical Details of the Microsoft Arc Mouse:

• Brand Name: Microsoft
• Model: ZJA-00001
• Hardware Platform: PC, Mac
• input_device: Mouse
• form_factor: External
• Connectivity Technology: Wireless
• Movement Detection: Laser
• Color Name: Black
• Warranty: 3 years warranty

Check out the Microsoft Arc Mouse and other cool gadgets offered on our specials page.

Get great deals and discounts in offers that can only be found here on mrgadget.com.au.

If the new MSI X320 looks thin, it’s because it is.

MSI’s version of the Apple MacBook Air is already hitting stores in Europe for around 749 Euros. Despite its positive first impressions I wonder if it will have heating issues like notebooks of this size?

Features of the MSI X320 Ultralight Laptop:

- 13.4″ WXGA TFT Glare Display, resolution 1366×768
- 2048 MB DDR2-RAM on-board
- 320 GB Harddrive 5400rpm
- Intel Atom Z530 1.6GHz Processor
- Intel GMA 500 Graphics
- 10/100 Ethernet
- WLAN Draft-n & Bluetooth integrated
- 3x USB 2.0 ports
- 2-in-1 Cardreader
- 1.3 MP Webcam
- VGA Display
- 1x Line-out, 1x microphone-in
- Windows Vista Home Premium

Via Engadget

MSI have considered the advantages of both hard-disk drives and SSD and decided to use both for its new ultra portable, the MSI U115 Hybrid Netbook.

For those who don’t know, SSD is fast but expensive. Whereas hard-disk drives give you more bang for buck data storage wise but is a tad slower. The new MSI U115 let’s you have the best of both world’s and comes complete with ECO mode which turns off the hard-disk drive when it’s not in use to make the most of battery life. The result, according to MSI, is a netbook with exemplary battery life.

Features of the MSI U115 Hybrid Netbook:

• a 10-inch screen with a resolution of 1,024×600 pixels
• 1.6GHz Z530 Intel Atom processor
• Windows XP Home
• 1GB DDR2 522MHz RAM
• Bluetooth
• three USB 2.0 ports
• 1.3-megapixel or 2.0-megapixel webcam
• three- or six-cell battery
• 802.11b/g/n or 802.11b/g Wi-Fi
• 120GB HD with an 8GB SSD or a 160GB HD with a 16GB SSD

Via CrunchGear

It’s December and once again, after the rush of the Holiday season subsides, it’s time to look forward to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for us gadget fans. Among the positively numerous new unveiled devices and upgraded old ones are the new variants of the MSI Wind netbook.

continue reading "New MSI Wind Variants to Debut on CES 2009"

Yes, Fujitsu Siemens is promising that if you buy a new LifeBook laptop, you could get one for free every three years for as long as you live. The initiative called Laptop4Life calls for the purchase of a Lifebook and its registration for the scheme within 21 days.

Yes, you do get your laptop for free –mostly, a least, because you do have to satisfy a few conditions to become eligible. First of all, you need to buy a three-year extended warranty for your laptop and replace its parts if needed only with Fujitsu branded products. After three years when it’s time to replace it, you would need to turn it in “good condition” with the original receipt. I’m hoping that “good” condition meant “working condition” and not something impossible like keeping your laptop scratch or dent-free. And now we come to the caveat: this program, for now, remains a UK exclusive. Whether Fujitsu Siemens is launching this elsewhere is yet to be known.

via PhysOrg

Lenovo plans to drive notebook thieves crazy by introducing an all-new security feature expected to fly by the first quarter of 2009. Called the Lenovo Remote Disable Feature, it will enable laptop owners to remotely render their devices useless with just a single text.

continue reading "Lenovo to Introduce Remote Disable Feature"

Yes the new aluminum MacBook and MacBook Pros look fantastic and they’re definitely enticing that fans are blinded even to the bloated price tags, but it does have its share of problems. Take for example, the recent slew of complaints about its multi-touch glass trackpad.

continue reading "MacBook Trackpad Issue to Get Software Fix Soon?"