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HP twirls out TouchSmart 610 and 9300 all-in-one PCs

When almost every other computer manufacturer has copied its touchscreen all-in-one, what’s a company like HP to do? Create a totally crazy pivoting and reclining one, of course! Yep, HP’s newest TouchSmart 610 and 9300 Elite Business PC may look like typical 1920 x 1080-resolution, 23-inch all-in-ones when positioned upright, but that all changes when their screens recline up to 60 degrees or the entire body of the rig swivels around to do a 180. It’s one seriously flexible AIO, but the new design isn’t just about yoga-like tricks — it aims to make touch interaction more comfortable and ergonomic, and on that vein HP has also updated its TouchSmart 610 consumer model with its latest TouchSmart software layer, which includes finger-friendly Hulu, Netflix, and Twitter apps as well as a TouchSmart Apps Center. The 9300 Elite Business all-in-one, as you may have caught from its name, is meant for enterprise and “customer spaces” (aka kiosks, counters, etc.), and thus only comes loaded with Windows 7.

Spec-wise, the 610 can be configured with Intel and AMD desktop processors, up to 16GB of RAM, a terabyte of storage, a Blu-ray drive, while its 1.3 megapixel camera and Beats Audio speakers come standard. Naturally, the 9300 has to keep up its professional reputation, and though it cuts out the Beats, it gains Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge processors, a 160GB SSD option, and a higher quality two megapixel cam with facial recognition software. You know, for “enhanced security.” So, when can you pick up one of these monsters? The $900 610 is expected to start shipping on February 9th, while the 9300 will hit in May for an undetermined price. We’re hoping to bring you a full review of the 610 soon, but we can tell you from our early look at it that the viewing angles were sufficiently wide and the tilting mechanism fairly rigid. Man, it’s already turning out to be quite a week for HP — that webOS event is coming up on Wednesday, but in the meantime you’ll want to hit the break for the full TouchSmart press release and a short video of the reclining mechanism in action.

Continue reading HP twirls out TouchSmart 610 and 9300 all-in-one PCs

HP twirls out TouchSmart 610 and 9300 all-in-one PCs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 07:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Solar Wind bridge concept could power 15,000 homes, grow vegetables

Why just use solar power or wind power when you can use both? Designed by Francesco Colarossi, Giovanna Saracino and Luisa Saracino as part of an Italian design contest to re-imagine a decommissioned bridge (for which it placed second), this so-called Solar Wind concept would have solar cells embedded in the roadway (an idea that’s already catching on) and an array of 26 wind turbines underneath, which the designers say could produce enough energy combined to power 15,000 homes. To make the design greener still, the designers have even included a “green promenade” that would run alongside the road, which they suggest could be used to grow fruits and vegetables that’d then be sold to folks driving by. Incidentally, while it’s less focused on technology, the design that placed first in the contest (a so-called “vertical village”) is pretty impressive in its own right — check it out after the break.

Continue reading Solar Wind bridge concept could power 15,000 homes, grow vegetables

Solar Wind bridge concept could power 15,000 homes, grow vegetables originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 01:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Buy ad prices Motorola Xoom at $800, affirms February 24th launch date

The evidence for a Motorola Xoom launch on February 24th just became that bit more compelling, courtesy of this here Best Buy ad. It promises Moto’s Android tablet will be in stores a couple of weeks from now, decorated with a daunting $799.99 sticker. That price agrees with one of our earliest leaks on the matter, purportedly from Verizon’s own systems, so all the pieces seem to be falling into place for a pretty exciting end to February for Android fans. This flier also has some data tariffs on it, starting at $20 per month for a 1GB allowance and stretching up to a 10GB limit for $80 (identical to VZW’s pricing with the Galaxy Tab). Doesn’t really sound like the most appealing proposition we’ve ever heard, but maybe if those prices remain static once the Xoom gets its 4G upgrade, we could learn to love them.

Update: Motorola’s official Xoom portal just went live, presumably as its Super Bowl ad finally aired.

Best Buy ad prices Motorola Xoom at $800, affirms February 24th launch date originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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