We finally managed to wrestle one of the sleek Studio XPSs from Dell’s mitts, and we’ve got the pics to prove it. At first glance, the 13-inch laptop is striking, with its leather wrapped back and high gloss finish. However, we have a few minor quibbles that make the laptop a little less exciting than we’d hoped. Firstly, the leather is a bit rippled across the top — not a massive deal, but it skews the “design” aspect here. In a similar fashion, the super-glare display is just as distracting as it is on other screens of this type, and there seems to be another slight ripple — or wave — in the plastic (though this isn’t wholly uncommon). Once you open the box, you’re greeted to a matte, low-profile keyboard that feels terrific to the touch, though unfortunately the trackpad isn’t only minuscule in size, but located to the left of center, which makes no sense to us (especially on something of this size). For hands like ours, we found the experience to be a bit cramped. On the software side, the boot into Vista was certainly speedy, and though we’d typical issues (crapware, pop-ups, general bugginess), the system still felt pretty snappy. We’re going to be taking a more in-depth look — especially at the capabilities of that NVIDIA GeForce 9400M G 9500M GPU — but for now, feast your eyes on the gallery below!

Update: Our mistake! We actually have the model with the 9500M GPU. Even superior!

Filed under: Laptops

Dell Studio XPS 13 unboxing and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Take a look at the left column of the chart above. As displayed in a new report called “Automaker Patent Assets Intelligence Report” by PatentCafe.com, this chart shows that GM’s green tech patent focus is far, far smaller (as a percent of total portfolio) when compared to the rest of the auto industry. Note, though, that this chart is based on 2007 data and the “green tech” category isn’t exactly perfectly defined. PatentCafe is still willing to make the following claim:

The data advocates that General Motors is diverting resources away from core technologies toward development of telecommunications, lowering its Green Tech priority even further. Toyota, on the other hand, continued its Green Tech commitment with 158 applications compared to General Motors’ 20. Is GM pursuing a high risk strategy “against the grain”?

This report was submitted as part of the Presidential Auto Task Force. Other findings of note are that Toyota leads the green tech patent race (29.1 percent of its portfolio), Ford is a close second (26.3) and then VW (22.8). There’s a lot to know outside the scope of this chart (i.e., Japanese autocompanies often rely on patents from suppliers) and for that we suggest checking out Green Car Advisor and downloading the full report here (PDF).

[Source: PatentCafe via Green Automobile Advisor]

Filed under: Emerging Technologies, Etc., Chrysler, GM

Chart of the day: GM doesn’t have the green tech patents originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All hail the laggard! With pretty much each other US-based legacy carrier already on board, we were beginning to wonder if American Airlines even got the memo that in-flight WiFi was in serious demand. At long last, the company has made clear that it plans to equip more than 300 MD-80 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft used primarily in the United Says with high-speed WiFi capability (over the next two years). If you’ll recall, American announced early on that it was game for trialing the tech, but until today, it had yet to make a commitment massive enough to make you consider signing up for its credit card and bankrolling those frequent flyer miles. We’re anticipating more details to emerge soon, but feel free to begin pestering its agents with the whos, whats, wheres and whens.

Filed under: Transportation, Wireless

American bringing in-flight WiFi to over 300 planes originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handsets, Motorola

We first caught sight of this one back in February, and again earlier this month courtesy of the FCC, but it looks like Motorola’s QA4 has now finally gotten fully official and, well, there it is. Now formally dubbed the Motorola Evoke QA4, this one packs a decently-sized 2.8-inch WQVGA touchscreen, along with quad-band CDMA connectivity (plus EVDO Rev A), a 2 megapixel camera, 256MB of internal memory, a microSD card slot for expansion, aGPS, stereo Bluetooth, and, of course, that stylish sliding keypad. Unfortunately, Motorola still hasn’t gotten official with a price or an exact release date, but the company is promising to get it out the door sometime in the second quarter of this year. Head on past the break for a closer look at the phone all closed up.

Continue reading Motorola Evoke QA4 gets official

Motorola Evoke QA4 gets official originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Via [apple.qj.net]

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We don’t have any official word on this as of yet, but as our main man Ryan Block noted in a tweet earlier (and Wired speculated on back in February), it looks like Pleo-maker Ugobe may — in fact — be extinct. As of this writing, the company’s site was offline, and calls to the dino-bot factory have gone unanswered (though their voicemail system seems to be humming along just fine). While we haven’t heard a peep one way or another from the folks in charge, Wired reported in its article that the company was struggling months ago to stay afloat in our sinking economy. Could it be that people just don’t have a spare $350 to drop on a robotic toys these days? Say it ain’t so. Whatever the case, you can be sure that just like actual dinosaurs, the legacy Pleo will leave behind is rich, storied, and often violent. How about you there in / on the Interverse… heard any news about Ugobe lately?

Filed under: Robots

Has Pleo-maker Ugobe folded? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 19:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So far as we can tell, Dell’s Inspiron Mini 10 was supposed to have a 720p screen option from day one, but after the ridiculously weird launch, we’re not at all shocked to see that stated selection is just now being offered. Starting right about now, prospective Mini 10 buyers can upgrade that stock 1,024 x 576 display to one with a native 1,366 x 768 resolution, or plenty to watch bona fide 720p content. The pain? Just $35 — but you’ll have to keep waiting if you’re looking for inbuilt GPS, a Television tuner or a certificate of authenticity autographed by this guy.

[Thanks, JC]

Filed under: Displays, Laptops

Dell finally adds 720p LCD option to Inspiron Mini 10 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Ports, Switches, Others

Gefen’s roll of new switchers continues this day with two new ones: the 4

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Mitsubishi president Osamu Masuko recently spoke with Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport about its SUVs. Until now, Mitsubishi has not produced any hybrid automobiles as it has focused on developing pure battery electric vehicles. However all that could soon change as Masuko told the magazine that the company’s SUVs would be hybridized over the next four years. Since Mitsubishi has not shown any hybrid technology of its own to date, it’s unknown if they are developing something in-house or licensing technology from another company. Given Mitsubishi’s past relationship with Chrysler, the possibility of licensing the Two-mode system developed with GM, BMW and Daimler is one possibility. Toyota has already licensed its hybrid technology to Nissan for the Altima, so that’s another possibility.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via 4WheelsNews]

Filed under: Hybrid, Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi to hybridize its SUVs within four years originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you didn’t already have enough electric and plug-in hybrid automobiles on your shopping list for next year, make sure you add pair of offerings from the reborn Detroit Electric to the running. The company (which, naturally, isn’t based in Detroit) has already announced a partnership with Malaysian automotive group Proton (owner of Lotus, responsible for much of the Tesla Roadster’s underpinnings), and the two are now providing a few details of the offerings set to launch throughout next year in Europe, China, the UK, and the US. Two versions of the e63 model will be available, seemingly distinguished only by how far they have the ability to go before stranding you. The so-called “city range” model is rated for 112 miles to a charge and will sell for under $26,000, while the “extended range” version pushes that distance up to 200 miles — and the price up to $33,000. MSRP for that radical ZAP Alias the company has been teasing you with for years? Nowhere to be found, naturally.

[Via Financial Times]

Filed under: Transportation

Proton and Detroit Electric detail their forthcoming rechargeable offerings originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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