Laptop, notbook, tech news

Lenovo has introduced three LCD monitors, the 21.5-inch L2261, 23-inch L2361p, and 23.6-inch L2461x. All have 1080p resolution, and the 23.6-inch model is one of Lenovo’s first with multi-touch capability. This high-end model also has built-in speakers, a microphone, four USB ports and a 2-megapixel webcam. The panel is fast with a 120Hz refresh and musters 300 cd/m2 brightness, 1,000:1 contrast and a 5ms pixel response time.

There are also two HDCP-compliant HDMI 1.3 ports along with a VGA connection.

The L2261 only gets VGA and DVI inputs, while its panel has a 250 cd/m2 brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and a 5ms response time.

The L2361p while a conventional screen is is more functional, with an HDCP-compliant HDMI input, a VGA connection and a stand that mimics those found on TVs. It carries are integrated speakers and a microphone, along with three USB ports and a VGA camera. Push buttons are absent, replaced with capacitive touch buttons instead.

While pricing and ship dates for North America are absent so far, a pair of vendor sites hint the L2461x may cost under $600 despite an equivalent suggested retail price of $1,145 in the Netherlands. The three should begin shipping in North America before the end of March, although Lenovo has not confirmed this

As promised, Sony on Saturday launched its first flagship retail store. The two-storey Sony Store Nagoya showcases most of Sony’s home lineup and is built to emulate the success Apple has had with stores like its Ginza location. Besides bright, open areas, it includes a designer (though not glass) staircase and even a Genius Bar-style service, nicknamed backStage, for getting technical support and training.

The first floor is said to be the most familiar and focuses on mobile devices like notebooks, cameras and Walkman players, all of which are shown working together. Sony’s second floor focuses on 3D TVs and other home theater equipment in addition to hosting the backStage service. Each floor has Stylists who, like Apple Specialists, can inform customers in addition to helping them with their purchases.

Other flagship Sony Stores are expected in the future but didn’t get a launch schedule in the wake of the Nagoya opening. Unlike Microsoft’s two largely marketing-driven US stores to date, however, Sony expects to drive sales through its stores. Sony marketing president Shin Kurita has noted that, while the company’s internal sales goals are private, he expects flagships to help bring more sales to Sony overall both through the actual flagship and through brand awareness in the area.

Retail locations have only been a partial factor, but Sony in recent years has been hurt by Apple’s presence in Japan as the American company upset a once secure lead in certain areas, such as portable media players. Sony has had retail stores for years but until recently had average-sized locations and little to no after-sale support. [story and photos.

Palm is currently demonstrating Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 running on a Palm Pre Plus at the Game Developers Conference this week. The company managed to get the engine working on webOS just two weeks after receiving a test version of the Unreal Development Kit, according to CNET. The technology is currently used in PC and console games such as Gears of War 2 and Unreal Tournament III.

Although the same engine gathered attention when it was previewed running on the iPhone, the webOS variant allows users to multitask while keeping the game running in the background. A thumbnail even shows the game view, with images refreshed once a second.

Palm recently announced its Plugin Development Kit, a set of tools designed to make it easy for developers to convert iPhone games to webOS. The system is said to enable users to recode games in a “matter of days.”

It is unclear when the final version of Unreal Engine 3 might be on the way, although Epic claims the project represents a high priority.

Sony at its GDC keynote this evening finally unveiled the PlayStation Move, the finished version of its long-in-progress PS3 motion controller. The end product has the design shown from before but lets players pick one of four colors for the “orb” the PlayStation Eye camera uses to track movement. It now also has a companion Move Sub-controller with a directional pad that, much like Nintendo’s Wii nunchuk, provides regular control for menus or games that need a d-pad and motion at the same time.

The system is claimed to be much more appealing to “hardcore” gamers as it’s much more accurate than Nintendo’s system. Move can recognize exact angle, position and speed and can therefore afford to be much more challenging. Multiple motion controllers can be combined for specific games, such as anything with two-handed weapons.

Games are already in development and include Wii-style game compilations like Move Party as well as regular games. A demo at GDC showed a version of LittleBigPlanet where the MC of a session could change the game environment by pointing to, grabbing and rotating objects to help Sackboy characters. SOCOM 4 when it ships will also have Move support out of the box, and third-party games are expected on launch.

Sony expects to ship the Move this fall and plans to offer multiple kits to accommodate different levels of users, including just the Move by itself for those who already own an Eye, a Starter Kit that also bundles the camera and a game, and a full PS3 bundle that includes the console and everything needed to play. Prices aren’t fully ready, but Sony has already said it expects a full Starter Kit to cost below $100.

Following several teasers, Pentax has finally announced availability information and detailed specs for its upcoming 645D medium-format camera. The DSLR integrates a 40 megapixel sensor manufactured by Kodak, along with a SAFOX IX+ autofocus system providing 11 sensor points. Like many other Pentax cameras, the 645D features a semi-rugged body with 70 seals for resistance to dust, water and low temperatures.

Internally, the new camera features the company’s Real Image Engine, Dust Removal II system, glass prism viewfinder and 14-bit A/D converter. Users will be able to load two separate card slots, both holding a single SD/SDHC memory card.

Pentax will launch its D-FA 645 55mm F2.8 AL lens alongside the camera body. The lens is equivalent to 43.5mm in the 35 format, while providing weatherproof protection similar to the body. The design is Pentax’s first to feature a completely rounded diaphragm. [via Photography Blog]

The 645D is due to ship sometime in May, with expected prices of ¥850,000 (~$9,500 USD) for the body and ¥100,000 (~$1,100) for the lens. It is unclear when the camera will be coming to the North American market, as initial availability will be limited to Japan.

Goldman slashes has slashed its sales forecast for Google’s Nexus One smartphone, following lackluster performance in the first few months of availability. The analysts initially expected sales of approximately 3.5 million units through the end of the year, however the figure has now been reduced to just 1 million handsets in the same time period.

“Initial data-points were disappointing, possibly due to limited marketing and customer service challenges,” reads the Goldman note.

The mobile analytic group Flurry estimated first-month sales of just 80,000 units for the Nexus One. In the same timeframe, the Verizon was believed to have sold approximately 525,000 Droid smartphones. Many analysts expect Nexus One sales to accelerate once the device is available through Verizon.

“We assume that Google rolls out a second Nexus handset, markets it more aggressively, and makes it available offline, and therefore forecast that Google sells 2 million handsets per year in 2011 and future years,” Goldman concludes.

A recent report suggests Verizon may already be preparing to launch the CDMA-equipped Nexus One. The carrier represents a much larger customer base than T-Mobile, while sales could be further boosted if the devices are sold directly through brick-and-mortar locationshas slashed its sales forecast for Google’s Nexus One smartphone, following lackluster performance in the first few months of availability. The analysts initially expected sales of approximately 3.5 million units through the end of the year, however the figure has now been reduced to just 1 million handsets in the same time period.

“Initial data-points were disappointing, possibly due to limited marketing and customer service challenges,” reads the Goldman note.

The mobile analytic group Flurry estimated first-month sales of just 80,000 units for the Nexus One. In the same timeframe, the Verizon was believed to have sold approximately 525,000 Droid smartphones. Many analysts expect Nexus One sales to accelerate once the device is available through Verizon.

“We assume that Google rolls out a second Nexus handset, markets it more aggressively, and makes it available offline, and therefore forecast that Google sells 2 million handsets per year in 2011 and future years,” Goldman concludes.

A recent report suggests Verizon may already be preparing to launch the CDMA-equipped Nexus One. The carrier represents a much larger customer base than T-Mobile, while sales could be further boosted if the devices are sold directly through brick-and-mortar locations.

Apple during tonight’s Oscar ceremony showed the first iPad commercial (viewable below). The short promo more closely reflects the tone of recent iPhone ads and focuses on the interface, much of which reflects that which the company demonstrated in late January. It reiterates the April 3rd launch date without any slogan.

Alongside the tablet’s apprearance in the commercial break, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was himself confirmed to be a guest at the event. As is often the case at such events, Jobs chose to wear a suit rather than his characteristic mock turtleneck and blue jeans. He has not usually attended the Oscars in any publicly recognized fashion.

RIM may be dropping the SureType keyboard for the upcoming Pearl 9100 handset, according to the BlackBerry supplier Truesupplier. Images of an alleged Pearl 9100 keyboard, posted on Boy Genuis Report, show a full QWERTY layout downsized from the larger BlackBerrys.

The keyboard, which resembles a smaller version of the Bold 9700, appears to integrate raised edges between each row of keys. A cutout between the primary buttons surround a cutout that would presumably hold an optical trackpad.

Despite the claim that the keyboard is from the Pearl 9100, earlier image leaks show a layout that matches the current 8100 lineup. If the new keyboard will end up in a BlackBerry, it is unclear if the component is designed for the 9100 or another unannounced phone.

iLuv today made available the latest generation of its iPhone- and iPod-ready clock radios. Unlike nearly any other alarm clock, the iMM178 has a “bed shaker” pod that vibrates to wake those who either don’t respond to sound or need to keep the alarm quiet. The shaker also provides a less risky alternative to headphones in bed as it has a speaker for its own listening environment.

The system appropriately has one of the widest-ranging alarm configurations and can wake or sleep with the Apple device, shaker or radio as well as wake up to one of seven different alarm sounds. Alarms can be set either to trigger every day to automatically surface only on weekdays or weekends. iLuv supports most 2004 or later dockable iPods and iPhones, and it can use the time from the iPhone or iPod to update its own time in the event of a power loss.

Black is the only available color for the iMM178, which officially sells for $90.