The S4617 is available for less than $1,250. While it is not the lightest notebook, weighing less than 3.2kg, it does have a shiny black case with electric-green display lights.
A MEDIA PC THAT CAN STAND UP NEXT TO THE TELEVISION
Some PCs look great on an office desk, while others are more suited to a home study. The Shuttle X200M, an update to the X100 media PC, looks great next to the TV.
This PC weighs 2.7kg and is about 12 inches wide, is about as big as Apple's Mac Mini.
In its most expensive configuration, about US$1,833, the X200M includes a tuner for TV and FM, a remote control and software to record live television and burn DVDs.
The X200M, available at www.shuttle.com, has 2 gigabytes of memory and a maximum of 750 gigabytes of hard drive space. It uses a 2-gigahertz Intel processor and offers 7.1 HD surround-sound audio playback for more realistic Hollywood explosions.
Designed to act as a living-room media device, the X200M can run Windows Vista Ultimate as well as Microsoft's Media Center software, which lets you record and play back video, select music for playback and create networks with PCs in the home wirelessly or over Ethernet.
Don't be misled by its size. The Shuttle X200M offers Media Center performance in a PC the size of a personal pan pizza box.
AN INTERNET HANDSET WITH LANDLINE OPTION
Luddites who have been afraid to make the leap to Internet calling can finally get a taste of the 21st century. The Philips VOIP841 acts as a standard landline telephone but can also make calls using the Internet phone service Skype, allowing a switch from Alexander Graham Bell to Buck Rogers in seconds.
The phone has two jacks, one for a regular telephone line and another for an Ethernet cable. The wireless handset uses Philips DECT technology to improve call clarity. To make an Internet call, the caller just scrolls through a list of Skype contacts — the phone holds up to 500 — and dials away. The call is routed over the Internet without the need to involve a computer.
The handset battery lasts for up to 12 hours of talk time and about 120 hours when not in use. Multiple base stations or handsets can be added to the system, allowing everyone in the house to hop on and make calls.
The phone even has separate rings for landline calls and Skype calls, so you'll know which era is calling.
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