PeeWee Pivot 2.0

Children are naturally curious. Most of the time when they see an adult, whether it be a parent or whatever, they generally want to copy or mimic what they see. I can't tell you how many times I have witnessed my younger cousins pretending to talk on the phone or play with an iPod. While their general curiosity is cute, I can't say that it doesn't get me a little on edge when I see the little buggers looking at my laptop or phone with eager anticipation.

Most people are very reserved about handing over expensive pieces of technology to younger individuals. The tendency of young children to find a way to break something expensive or valuable is something that makes people think twice before letting their kid play on their laptop. That is why the company PeeWee exists. PeeWee is one of the leading manufacturers of computer products and accessories, and they have just announced the availability of the all new Pivot 2.0 laptop.

The Pivot 2.0 is rugged, durable and lightweight and it is also fully loaded and features a 180° rotating touchscreen tablet and camera, 15 educational games, Microsoft XP Home, Intel Atom N450 processor, retractable carrying handle and a water resistant keyboard. The Pivot 2.0 features a durable exterior case as well as incredible security protection. The sturdy plastic shell, rubber slip-resistant grips and water resistant keyboard are all perfect features for a child's laptop.

The Pivot 2.0 is able to withstand the everyday hustle and bustle of a kid including traveling to and from school, playing in the car or just relaxing at home. To ensure maximum safety and protection, the Pivot 2.0 comes standard with two security software suites. PeeWee Patrol and Privacy has the ability to limit how much time the children spend on the computer browsing and playing games. This feature also blocks inappropriate sites and prevents children from changing any system settings. Parents can even take screen shots, view browsing history and control the laptop remotely.

Parents can get the Pivot 2.0 from PeeWee now for a reasonable $500. This looks like it would make an excellent Christmas present for any child who is very into technology. With the fact that the Pivot 2.0 is damn near indestructible, this is the perfect children's laptop.

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Substantial Increase in Sales for Lenovo

Lenovo notebooks are just flying off the shelves this quarter. Lenovo’s report for their second fiscal quarter states that there has been substantial growth in the sales of their PCs, allowing them to have a small profit increase and a large revenue increase.

The company reported $5.8 billion in consolidated sales, a 41 percent year-over-year increase, and a profit of $77 million, which is a 45 percent increase from the same period in 2009. On a worldwide basis, Lenvo said that their PC sales have increased by 33 percent.

Lenovo chairman Liu Chuanzhi said, “Lenovo continued to deliver excellent results, highlighting the balance in our business. In line with our 'Protect-Attack' strategy, the China, mature markets and emerging markets have all been growing steadily.”

He also added, “There are three aspects that the Board is particularly satisfied with, first: management's visionary decision to increase investment in R&D and brand building, second: the leadership team, which is working effectively and efficiently, with good rapport, third: Lenovo's culture of meeting commitments and taking ownership is being embraced and fully adopted by our employees worldwide. When a company has a solid leadership team, the right strategy, and a strong corporate culture, this company will be sustainable and enduring. Lenovo continues moving in this direction."

The company has said that their notebook sales comprise more than 60 percent of their overall sales revenues. Compared to last year, this is an increase of 40 percent. Notebook sales themselves have increased 38 percent this year, which is fantastic compared to the average 13 percent industry growth rate. Lenovo also said that 33 percent of their sales were made up of desktop computers, which increased by 26 percent and is 5 percent ahead of the average industry growth. On a side note, Lenovo sold its 60-millionth ThinkPad notebook in October. Its popularity has definitely added to their sales numbers.

Lenovo has just been doing well in all aspects of their products. Obviously, their PC industry has been booming, but also in their first quarter, their new smartphones brought in over $217 million in revenues.

Unfortunately, Lenovo has not yet announced a date to ship their Android-based LePad tablet outside of the U.S. Many people are speculating that the company is waiting for the next revision of the Android platform before they ship their product globally.

"TBR believes Lenovo has delayed the release of the LePad tablet into the markets outside of China until Android's new OS arrives in late 2011," Emily Searles wrote in a research note. "The company said that it views the mobile device market as a marathon, not a sprint, and does not wish to rush into the market with a device that will not fully meet customers' expectations. TBR believes even in the mobile device marathon, Lenovo will face consequences from providing its competition with a head start. By 2011 Samsung, Dell, and HP will have established tablet market share, and Apple's iPad will have released its second version. Lenovo's hesitation to release the LePad may reduce its opportunity, even if the wait means an upgraded OS. TBR believes the loss in revenue from late market emergence will be greater than consumer dissatisfaction from Android's current OS."

It’s great to see companies flourishing despite some of the economic difficulties. Lenovo is doing great, and hopefully the company will continue going in this direction. Once they release their LePad, I feel that their sales will just increase even more. The question is when this will really happen. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, Lenovo should continue to flourish and grow, and their PC sales should do the same.

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Lenovo's New IdeaPad U260

Lenovo has this quirky way about them in the sense that they like to sneak laptops out to the market without them receiving any fanfare whatsoever. And just as the saying goes, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks", Lenovo has done it again with their newest device, the IdeaPad U260, an interesting device with a brand new chassis, 12.5-inch screen, 3.04lb weight and 0.71 inches of thickness.

From what we have gathered about the IdeaPad U260, the device seems to be aimed directly at portability. The device has no optical drive, contains ULV Core i3/i5 processors and only a single 4-cell battery. The device also only contains two USB 2.0 ports and does not have an ExpressCard slot. Details on the battery are scarce, however, Lenovo says that the battery contains four hours of "runtime". A single SO-DIMM slot is all you get for memory, but some RAM could be soldered directly to the motherboard which would give you 4GB of RAM.

Full specifications include Bluetooth, b/g/n WiFi, 4GB of RAM and a 320GB HDD. Considering the fact that the device is an IdeaPad, you do get some pretty nifty color options. Consumers will be able to decide if Mocha Brown or Clementine Orange suits their tastes better.

The 12.5-inch HD-resolution display is only available in an anti-glare finish, which is a welcome change from the typical glossy-only consumer laptop displays. Video output is achieved via VGA outputs as well as HDMI outputs which is nice to see because it lets the consumer know that Lenovo isn't trying to cheap out on them.

Pricing is still to be determined though considering that the chassis is thin, light and composed entirely of magnesium-alloy, you can almost guarantee that this isn't your bottom bin laptop. Keep checking back here periodically for updates on pricing as well as an official release date as soon as Lenovo gives us one.

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Wireless 1080p to Your TV with Asus WiCast

Intel's Wireless Display (WiDi) technology has been very mixed since it landed not too long ago. If you really break it down, there is a lot to sift through and a lot of things to consider. Things like latency, the limitations of 720p, being stuck with Intel HD graphics, purchasing the wireless box for your television and, what could possibly be the most important question, whether this is practical or not.

In regards to all of this, decision making has been split. Vivek seems to really like the system, whereas it seems a whole heck of a lot simpler to just buy an HDMI cable and plug it in. Even if you remove the factor of practicality, there are still a few very frustrating limitations. However, Asus seeks to lay those limitations to rest with the new WiCast setup they have just created.

Asus, acording to a recent press release, has promised almost invisible latency, full 1080p video and even compatibility with anything that has an HDMI port. Probably the biggest thing people will have to overcome when first using WiCast is the initial setup. There are a bunch of little pieces of hardware included in the box like two WiCast boxes, transmitter, receiver, two HDMI cables, two AC adapters and a single USB cable. Thankfully, there are not installation disks and the manual is pretty thin.

Both the transmitter and receiver have an AC adapter, HDMI and mini-USB ports. The receiver's mini-USB port is covered though it can be used to power the device. The receiver's USB is most likely going to be your preferred method of powering the transmitter. This means that the second AC adapter is not necessary but could also be used as an emergency backup or if all the USB ports on your laptop are occupied.

As far as installation goes that is pretty much it. Everything else is pretty self-explanatory and once you hook up your HDMI cables you can pretty much call it a day. This is one of the best things WiCast has over Intel's WiDi, no software to install and no hardware limitations outside of the HDMI port.

Getting the Asus WiCast to work is really quite easy. According to the manual, syncing the transmitter and receiver could take up to a minute but that all depends on how far away the two are from each other. The wireless monitor of your computer should appear as any traditional wired one should and switching audio over from your computer to WiCast is simple.

1080p works great with no latency and the audio sounds as good as anything. Range between the transmitter and receiver is said to be 33 feet though keeping it more than five to seven feet away isn't recommended if you are looking for the best quality. One cool feature is that the WICast is device agnostic which means you can use it with an Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or any other type of HDMI-equipped hardware. The only problem is if you are running the WiCast off of your laptop's battery, then your laptop will take a significant hit in battery life.

Overall, the WiCast is a great value for anybody looking for a device like this, and at $200 you won't go broke trying to get one.

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ClickSafe Laptop Lock from Kensington

Have you ever been concerned about the safety of your laptop? Well, Kensington has been providing computer accessories and peripherals to consumers since 1981 when they released their System Saver, a cooling fan and surge protector for the Apple II. The newest addition to their line of security devices is the ClickSafe Laptop Lock. Although the product may not completely prevent a thief from stealing your laptop, it will definitely slow them down.

So what exactly is the ClickSafe Lock you may ask? Well, its design is very similar to that of a bike lock. The outside is comprised of a hard plastic, while the inside is made up of a carbon reinforced cable. The ClickSafe weighs a mere 0.41 pounds and features a wire that can be stretched 61 inches. This allows you enough room to anchor the device onto a chair or table leg.

To attach the anchor the ClickSafe utilizes the case slot of a laptop. Attaching the lock is a single step process that gives you instant security. Unfortunately, some older laptops and a few newer ones do not support the case slot that is necessary to utilize the ClickSafe device. Most laptops support a case slot except, surprisingly, the MacBook Air and the Toshiba Portege R705-P35.

Along with the anchor and the cable, Kensington also includes two keys, a plastic holder for the anchor and small tool to screw in the anchor. One important thing to note is that you should probably register your two keys with Kensington because if you happen to lose them, it will be almost impossible to get the lock off.

As I mentioned above, attaching the anchor and the lock is quite simple. You even hear a “click” that allows you to know that your device is truly protected and safe. Once your laptop is locked with the ClickSafe and securely fastened to a sturdy piece of furniture, it is completely impossible to pry open the lock. The wire has even been tested to see if someone would be able to destroy it so that they could get away with your laptop. Scissors were able to easily cut through the plastic covering of the wire, but to actually cut the carbon cable itself would take hours of labor intensive work. To snap the cord it would be necessary to utilize bolt cutters.

Unfortunately, the ClickSafe Laptop Lock cannot completely guarantee that your laptop will not be stolen, but it will definitely give you some confidence in the fact that it will definitely make stealing your laptop a very difficult and tedious task. This key lock from Kensington may seem to be more focused towards business users, but the company has promised that they will be releasing a combination lock sometime this spring that will be designed more for the average consumer.

The Kensington ClickSafe Laptop Lock can give users added assurance about the security of their laptop. If you utilize you laptop often in public places, I think that it is a great idea to have extra security like a laptop lock. If you’re interested in making sure that your laptop is extra safe, the ClickSafe Laptop Lock could be exactly what you need.

The ClickSafe Laptop Lock is now available from Kensington for $69.99.

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Buying a Business Laptop

A laptop is almost essential when it comes to business these days. Whether you’re going on a business trip or getting some work done from home, a laptop is a very important thing to have. Now business laptops may not be the sleekest laptops out there right now but looks aren’t really the important thing when it comes to purchasing a business laptop.

So what exactly makes up a business laptop you might ask? Well, here’s what you should be looking for…

Power
In most business laptops you will find a dual-core processor and in some a quad-core processor. In a laptop that you will be utilizing for business purposes, you will want to have at least 4GB of RAM. Anything less than 4GB isn’t really worth the few dollars that you will save and anything over 4GB just really isn’t necessary. Having the right amount of memory allows you to not only multi-task easily, but also allows you to utilize multimedia programs faster.

Storage
You will most likely be using your business laptop for videos, photos, and PowerPoint slides during business meetings, therefore it is important to have a good-sized hard drive. You really need anywhere between 320GB and 500GB of hard drive space.

For consumer PCs optical drives are becoming less and less necessary, but most IT managers still feel that they are necessary for business purposes. You may need to occasionally burn a CD or DVD for a customer or supplier, which means you should make sure that your laptop includes a CD/DVD burner.

Graphics
High-powered graphics are not necessary on your business laptop. Integrated graphics are what most business oriented laptops will include and that’s really all that you need because you most likely won’t be doing any gaming on your system.

Connectivity
Obviously, having a wireless connection is essential, but really, a built-in Wi-Fi connection is standard on laptops these days. The only issue with depending on this is that when you’re out and about and need to get on the Internet, you are forced to find a hot spot or unprotected network.

Due to this issue, a lot of business laptops are now shipping out with a mobile broadband or a 3G wireless modem built into them. These then work in conjunction with service providers like Verizon and AT&T who can bring broadband speeds to your laptop wherever there is a cell phone signal. Unfortunately, data plans from service providers aren’t exactly cheap. They can cost anywhere from $60-$80 per month. The good news is that there is a new wireless standard that could save businesses a lot of money. WiMax, or 4G wireless, is beginning to emerge. It is a Wi-Fi connection that spans across an entire city. Service providers Sprint and Clearwire have started putting up WiMax towers and have already established them in 54 cities. These plans cost anywhere from $20-$40 per month. This is definitely a great solution if you happen to be in a city with a tower.

Battery
Battery life is very important on a business laptop because you want your battery to last during extended periods such as a long flight. If the laptop that you are considering offers different size batteries, like six-cell or nine-cell, always choose the more cells because the more cells there are the better the battery life will be. Of course the more cells in the battery, the heavier it will be, but battery life is very important so it’s worth the extra weight.

Final Thoughts
Obviously there is a lot to consider when buying a business laptop. You should definitely do your research before selecting just any old laptop. Hopefully these tips give you an idea of what you should be looking for. Laptops are becoming a staple in the business world, but finding the right laptop doesn’t have difficult. If you follow these few guidelines, you should easily be able to find the business laptop that fits you and all of your business needs.

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Apple Now Offering iPad Engravings

"I love you sweetheart." "Happy Anniversary Darling." Merry Christmas Mom." All of these sweet messages are perfect to put on a ring, picture frame or plaque for that special someone in your life. However, nothing shows how much these words truly mean unless they are engraved on the back of a fresh new iPad.

That's right, why not get your mom, child or significant other a gift that keeps on giving all year round and always reminds them of how much they mean to you? In line with rumors that surfaced this past summer, the good folks over at Apple have decided to include a free engraving with all new Apple iPad purchases. That's correct, free.

Apple product enthusiasts will be able to include two full lines of text to the top of the back panel of their iPad at no additional cost to them. However, the people at Apple have stated that having an engraving done on your iPad will incur an additional one to three days of shipping time to your order.

Not too long ago, rumors suggested that Apple wanted to offer the free engravings from the very beginning of the iPad launch. However, pre-orders and sales were too high and doing so would have delayed production. The engraving for the iPad works exactly the same way as the engravings for the iPod, allowing customers to add their personal engravings during the ordering process.

So why not give that special person in your life, whether it be a parent, sibling, grandparent or significant other, something really special, an iPad with a personal message expressing just exactly how you feel about them? This is a perfect gift for the upcoming holiday season, so be sure to place your order as soon as possible.

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