Some might argue that the netbook's heyday is over, but there's still a growing number of them finding the market. In fact, we'd argue that the netbook may be on the rebound, thanks largely to AMD's Fusion platform. While Intel's Atom was revolutionary for its time, the chip never seemed to improve quickly enough. Even new Atom CPUs feel sluggish, and thanks to Fusion, Intel's in a spot now where they simply need to step up if they plan on matching pace. Dell's shown support for AMD in the past, but they're one of the last major companies to buy into Fusion; but hey, better late than never!

The Inspiron M102z laptop has started to appear on Dell's international sites, which usually means that a North American debut is only a few days out. The M102z is thin, light and Fusion-packed, with two main models being available. There's a version with a 1GHz Fusion chip, as well as a model with the 1.6GHz Zacate E-350 APU. Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) is the OS of choice, with 2GB or 4GB of memory being selectable. There's also an 11.6" HD WLED display (1366x768), two 1.5W speakers, and a hard drive with up to 500GB of storage space. If you need an optical drive, you'll have to rely on an external DVD-RW drive. As for battery life? The 6-cell 56WHr Li-ion battery offers up to 9 hours of life, while an optional 9-cell battery can last nearly 14 hours. That's a lot of life, but of course, we suspect real-world use will drain 'em faster than Dell expected.


Other specs include a 1.3MP built-in webcam, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a starting weight of 3.44lbs. You'll also get audio jacks, a 7-in-1 media reader, AC adapter connector, HDMI output and integrated Ethernet jack. It's shipping now in places like Singapore and New Zealand, and we suspect U.S.-based consumers will see it touch down shortly. It remains to be seen if it's up to the challenge of taking on the other Fusion-based machines that have shipped thus far, but we're digging the form factor, for sure.

Hardware Roundup

Over the years, we have consistently been impressed by cutting-edge dual-GPU powered graphics cards, not only for their relatively high performance, but because of the engineering involved to design, build, and bring the cards to market, in form factors not much bigger than their high-end, single-GPU based counterparts. From the GeForce 7950GX2 to the GeForce GTX 295, or the Radeon HD 3870X2 to Radeon HD 6990, top of the line (for their time) dual-GPU cards have offered performance that’s head and shoulders above rival single-GPU cards of their generation. There have always been some specific issues to contend with, with dual-GPU powered cards, namely power and software support, but by and large they have been the more drool-worthy component level hardware to come through the lab.

A couple of weeks ago, we showed you AMD’s latest dual-GPU powered graphics card, the Radeon HD 6990. Sporting a pair of Cayman-class GPUs, 4GB of RAM, and foot long PCB, the Radeon HD 6990 proved to be one heck of a performer. Today, it’s rival NVIDIA’s turn to unveil their latest dual-GPU powered flagship, the brand new GeForce GTX 590.

We’ll dig into the GeForce GTX 590 in the pages ahead, but much can be deduced from the couple of pictures and specifications below. The GeForce GTX 590 is built with a pair of fully-functional GF110 GPUs, the same used on the GeForce GTX 580, each with 512 CUDA cores and 384-bit memory interface linked to 1.53GB of GDDR5 memory per GPU, for 3.07GB total. Those specs alone allude to the GTX 590’s high performance, but there’s more to the story.

Western Digital is first in the world to create a 2TB hard As they say, you can never have enough storage space. Somehow no matter how much space I have available it will get filled. I guess it’s the collector in us that like to keep stuff. Maybe one day I will need it? The other thing is that more and more people are becoming aware of the risk of loosing all the data. So not only do we want to store a lot of data, we also need to back it up. Today 10 percent of the 3.5” hard drive sales are 1 TB or higher. These 2 TB drives will come handy and help many people out. The Western Digital Green 2TB hard drives come with many different advanced technologies. Everything from StableTrac that helps secures the motor and reduces vibrations to IntelliPower that helps the balance of the spin speed. The price for this disk has been set at $299.

This little keychain is really good for people who like to be prepared for the unexpected. The universal keychain can be great in many situations and can make you even more lazy. The bottle opener and the flashlight can be really great in an emergency.

I use mine all the time when I forget to bring my remote to the sofa and I just want to watch the news. It is so nice to always carry a remote control in your pocket. Another thing I use it for is to tease the guys at our local sports bar. When they watch an important game I like to switch the channel and then I am the first one who yells, hey whats going on?
The best thing about this little gadget is that it is so small. I hate to carry lots of stuff in my pockets and I hardly notice this keychain in my pocket. It is powered by a small battery that lasts very long if you don’t overuse the flashlight.
This keychain can be found at Sourcing Map for $6.

Today they seem to mix up gadgets with each other. Here we have a wireless router that is constructed as a vase. This gives it a “dual use”.  Some of you might think this is a stupid combination and I agree to some degree. However if you want a wireless router that no one else have this could be a cool gadget.
The wireless router vase combines the technical with the esthetic and will make sure your guests will turn their heads. One problem could be when you are watering the flowers. It might feel a bit uncomfortable to pour water into an electronic gadget. I just picture myself getting electrocuted when watering the plats in the evening.

The company behind this product is Saudi Arabian corporation (STC). I have not been able to locate this product yet, but I am sure it will be available within a month in US and we’ll see if this becomes a hit