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  • Mac mini updated with HDMI, aluminum unibody, and SD card reader

    Mac mini updated with HDMI, aluminum unibody, and SD card reader

    Posted on June 15, 2010 | No Comments
    Would you look at that, some love for the seemingly abandoned desktop crowd. Apple has today unveiled a freshly redesigned Mac mini, which benefits from a unibody aluminum exterior and more grunt under the hood. Prices start rolling at $699, where you'll get a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 320GB hard drive. HDMI-out is finally included, along with an SD card reader, 802.11n wireless, a Mini DisplayPort jack, and what Apple claims is a doubling of graphics performance thanks to an NVIDIA GeForce 320M chip inside. Then again, when you double a little, you still end up with not much. The newly polished nettop is a minimalist 1.4 inches tall, but manages to fit all the power circuitry inside, which means (yay!) there'll be no power brick to spoil your hipster desk space.

    Don't fret if you were looking to drop the optical drive, Apple retains the config option that allows you to add in a second HDD in lieu of its DVD burner. You can grab two 500GB plate spinners, Snow Leopard Server (we thought Apple only had one OS version?), 4GB of RAM, and a 2.66GHz Intel chip for $999. Finally, the new enclosures will come with user-accessible memory slots courtesy of a removable panel at the bottom of the case. Neat that the designers didn't take the unibody idea too literally.

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    Mac mini updated with HDMI, aluminum unibody, and SD card reader originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Jun 2010 04:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • NEC’s 3D Valuestar N all-in-one PC: orcas all up in your retinas

    NEC’s 3D Valuestar N all-in-one PC: orcas all up in your retinas

    Posted on May 27, 2010 | No Comments
    Golly. We never thought to invest in a 20-inch all-in-one PC just to watch converted versions of Free Willy in 3D, but darn if we're not reconsidering now. NEC has today revealed its Valuestar N range, with the VN790/BS being the standout in the range. The machine offers up a native 1,600 x 900 resolution panel, integrated Blu-ray drive, 4GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, WiFi, six USB 2.0 sockets, an undisclosed Intel Core 2010 CPU, Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit), and of course, native 3D support. You'll need to spring for an optional (but not really) pair of glasses to fully enjoy the third dimension sans intense headache-inducing blur, but given that they aren't of the active variety, any ole set will probably get you through. Pricing looks locked at ¥220,000 ($2,422) for a June debut in Japan, with approximately none of that actually going to save the whales. A crying shame, we say.

    NEC's 3D Valuestar N all-in-one PC: orcas all up in your retinas originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Mvix intros HDHome S2 and S4 media servers: HTPCs, with a capacious twist

    Mvix intros HDHome S2 and S4 media servers: HTPCs, with a capacious twist

    Posted on May 27, 2010 | No Comments
    You know, HTPCs never did anything to deserve the worldwide shunning that they're dealing with right about now, and Mvix apparently couldn't care less about the overall lack of interest in buying a PC that's chained down to the den. Rather shockingly (given the company's past endeavors), the HDHome S2 and S4 are the latest to emerge on the living room scene, but unlike most other pre-built HTPCs, this one has an atypically weak processor and an unusually large amount of storage capacity. Both boxes get powered by a dual-core Atom 330 CPU, yet you'll also find a Blu-ray player, HDMI output, Bluetooth 2.0, a half dozen USB 2.0 sockets, WiFi, an embedded TV tuner and your choice of NVIDIA's Ion or ATI's Radeon 3200 HD on the graphics front. The main differentiating factor is the amount of hot-swappable drive bays; the S2 moseys along with just a pair, while the S4 can handle four drives at a moment's notice. Frankly, this thing looks more at home in a closet or server room than beside your HDTV, but either way, they're both available to customize starting at $999 and $1,599, respectively.

    Continue reading Mvix intros HDHome S2 and S4 media servers: HTPCs, with a capacious twist

    Mvix intros HDHome S2 and S4 media servers: HTPCs, with a capacious twist originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 11:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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