The best back-to-school tech package

HP Pavilion dv6327cl Laptop

$778, Wal-Mart

HP's laptop has a powerful processor and big storage at a good value.

Start with a 15.4-inch display - now basically a standard in laptops - and a speedy 1.6GHz AMD chip that can handle the most processor-intensive spreadsheet thrown its way.

The computer has HP's QuickPlay software for watching DVDs or TV, or listening to music with a simple interface. It's a computer designed for academics and entertainment. It also comes with a wireless networking card and Altec Lansing speakers.

Solar Powered Courtesy Light

October 13th, 2007 by Edwin in Garden Gadgets, Electronic Gadgets, Home Gadgets

For those who always wanted to light up their garden at night but do not have the budget for it, here’s a practical solution that doesn’t require you to fork out extra dough for your monthly power bill. The Solar-powered Courtesy Light will harness all the energy required to function from sunlight alone, which means there aren’t any pesky wiring to contend with as well.

Whether it’s a welcoming light for guests, a security light for you or a practical light to lead the way and help you find your keys, our Solar Sensor Light delivers a fantastic solution. The Solar Sensor Light turns on automatically when motion is detected and off after 1 minute. And the best bit? Its battery is powered solely by sunlight, so no wires are required, making it ideal for emergency use as you can rely on this practical chap all year round.

This home improvement device retails for £24.95 from Gizoo.

55-ASUS W5Fe Sideshow NoteBook

55-ASUS W5Fe Sideshow NoteBook

Asustek Computer Inc. has prepared one of the first notebook PCs to use SideShow, a small display on the outside of the case that works with Windows Vista to allow users to scan e-mails and other information without booting up the laptop.

Dubbed the Asus W5Fe, it could be a hit with users who need to check some information on the go but don't want to waste battery life or take the time for a full system boot-up. It also could end up adding little extra cost to a laptop. PortalPlayer Inc., which designed the technology used in the W5Fe, has said it only increases production costs of each laptop by around US$30 to $40.

SideShow periodically wakes up the sleeping computer, gathers information stored on the computer's hard disk from Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Vista, Outlook and other applications, then returns the computer to its sleep state. The information, including recent e-mails and current calendar appointments, can then be consulted on the low-powered external display.

Tip: Bids Adieu to unnecessary lap-top opening
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Fit-PC Sips on 5W of Power, Is Super Tiny

small lovin

Fit-PC Sips on 5W of Power, Is Super Tiny

From CompuLab, the Fit-PC is a tiny, no frills Linux PC that uses a mere 5W of power to operate. That's one-fifth what some computers burn in standby. And the specs may be better than you'd expect. An AMD Geode processor runs at 500 MHz, supported by 256MB DDR memory (non-expandable), 40GB 2.5" hard drive and SXGA graphics controller. And none of that needs fans to cool. The inclusion of 2 USB ports mean that the Fit-PC will actually work with normal peripherals...though we're not certain how much power those ports will supply your devices.

At 5" long and only 1.5" thick, the Fit-PC will fit anywhere. And at $285, we think we're in eco-love. But what did ExtremeTech have to say about the function?

We fired up Firefox and spent some time browsing the web. Some Flash-intensive web sites rendered slowly, but most web browsing seemed no worse than running on an older laptop with integrated graphics. We also loaded up OpenOffice apps to check them out. After we had six windows (and six apps) running, the system definitely became sluggish...

While you can build a PC that's nearly as inexpensive, or buy a used laptop for not much more, the fit-PC's unique form factor gives it an edge in any environment where space is at a premium.

Also, its extremely low power usage means you can keep the system running all the time. In any application that requires always-on usage and a light duty applications mix, the fit-PC may indeed be an ideal fit.

IE7 for Free from Microsoft

Microsoft makes its IE7 browser available to a wider audience

In a surprise move, Microsoft has issued a new build of Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) to customers that can be installed on any machine running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 -- IE7 is already included in Windows Vista operating systems.

IE7 was previously reserved for customers using genuine copies of Windows-based operating systems and was protected by Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) validation software.

"Because Microsoft takes its commitment to help protect the entire Windows ecosystem seriously, we’re updating the IE7 installation experience to make it available as broadly as possible to all Windows users," remarked IE7 program manager Steve Reynolds on the IE Blog. "With today’s 'Installation and Availability Update,' Internet Explorer 7 installation will no longer require Windows Genuine Advantage validation and will be available to all Windows XP users."

Microsoft is likely using this move to makes IE7 available to the broadest range of customers worldwide. Mozilla's Firefox browser has gained a lot of traction recently, and this move would give Microsoft some additional ammunition.

In addition to the removal of WGA, the latest version of IE7 brings updates to the menu bar, online tour and a new MSI installer for IT administrators.

Download IE7 for free here