Group to Work on Wireless Laptop-charging Specification

The Wireless Power Consortium said Monday that it will start working on a new specification for wirelessly charging laptops. The consortium will develop a medium-power wireless charging specification with a maximum output of 120 watts, said Menno Treffers, chairman of the steering group at the Wireless Power Consortium. That should be enough for wireless charging of devices like laptops and netbooks, he said. Wireless charging entails placing rechargeable devices on mats or pads containing transmitters that put out a charge....

Lenovo to Release Tablet PC at Year's End

After releasing its own handset to compete with Apple's iPhone, Lenovo looks like it may be preparing to take on the iPad. The Chinese company plans on releasing its own tablet PC at the end of the year. The device will be called the "LePad" and will use the Android mobile operating system, according to recent comments made by Liu Jun, senior vice president and president at Lenovo's Consumer Business Group, and confirmed by the company. The product's development comes as Lenovo's chairman said earlier this month that Apple...

HP Lists HP Slate 500, Requests PalmPad Trademark

Hewlett-Packard has listed the Windows-based HP Slate 500 on its website, and also applied to trademark the term Palmpad, fueling speculation surrounding the company's tablet plans. HP, the world's largest PC maker, earlier this year announced plans to offer a tablet called the HP Slate, with Microsoft's Windows 7 OS. However, HP later acquired Palm for US$1.2 billion and said it would put Palm's WebOS mobile OS on a range of devices including tablets. This led to speculation about HP scuttling its Slate plans, as power-hungry...

Laptop Tips: Add RAM, Recycle a Hard Drive, Tweak Power Settings

It's been almost a year since I served up some nice, hot laptop tips (see "Laptop Q&A: Power Off Quickly, Fix Sticky Keys")--and that's inexcusable. I'll make it up to you this week with some useful advice on adding memory to a laptop, turning an old laptop hard disc into an external drive, and using your laptop's power settings effectively. Add RAM to a LaptopSo my dad was griping that his Acer Aspire 9300 laptop takes forever to boot. I inspected it for spyware, excessive startup programs, and the other usual suspects,...

Genius Bar Adventures: a Follow-up

Some of you may have read (and, more than likely, commented on) a story I wrote a few days ago about my experiences with getting my MacBook Pro repaired. (The short version: MacBook Pro, less than three months old, hardware problems, multiple repair attempts, conflicting information, frustrated customer.) It appears that at least one employee from the downtown San Francisco Apple Store was among...

Remains of the Day: If You Can't Beat 'em, Bribe 'em

Remember those free Windows Phone 7 devices Microsoft employees were getting? Yeah, turns out there's a catch. Also, Samsung tries to capitalize on annoyed iPhone 4 users and LG steps up and takes some blame. Remainders for July 23, 2010 start now. Samsung offering Galaxy S phones to frustrated iPhone users (Wired UK) Seems Samsung is trying to capitalize on customer's frustrations with the...

Dell Inspiron 14R: Finding the Sweet Spot in the Inspiron Line

Just in time for the back-to-school season, Dell has released its new R series of Inspiron all-purpose laptops. Though the stylish silver accents are the first thing you'll notice, the Inspiron R series is more than just a cosmetic upgrade. The Inspiron 14R may have fewer configuration options than the Inspiron 14 and may carry a higher starting price, but its improved hardware and refined design more than make up for the difference. You can get an Inspiron R laptop in any of four colors: Mars Black, Peacock Blue, Tomato Red,...