Powerpoint Books for Dummies

Really like copper accents? Try the Lenovo Y650.

Kicking off the first wave of CES laptop announcements (and beating the competition by about 24 hours), Lenovo is bolstering its consumer-targeted IdeaPad line with a few new models, highlighted by the 16-inch Y650.

The new Y series includes the 16-inch Y650, …

Originally posted at CES 2009

Let’s be completely honest. You probably don’t need a quad-core CPU in your laptop. But just in case you’re one of those guys who needs to feel like you’re keeping up with the desktop crew, Acer’s gone and crammed a new Intel Core 2 Quad&#…

On this week’s installment of the Digital City, we discuss the Facebook koobface virus, PlayStation Home’s launch, sleazy old ’80s urban video game arcades, tech blog Gizmodo’s cool NYC retro gadget gallery, our New Year’s resolutions, and (seriously) Dance Dance Revolution: The Musical.

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Originally posted at Digital City Podcast

Owing to, as Tom Lehrer would say, nepotism and intrigue, I found myself in the small town of Brenham, Texas, this Sunday on the very day that Apple’s iPhone was to go on sale at the Wal-Mart mega-chain (an outfit that I, as a native New Yorker, have had very little experience with).

Popping in to check out the action and snag some photos, I found a single iPhone display — it would be generous to call it a kiosk — with an activated iPhone and a handful of brochures. The price tags on display gave both the new customer/upgrade price, as well as the full retail price. A small paper sign taped to the wall announced that iPhone sales would commence at 9:00 am, and that customers should line up for access to limited stock.

I asked a sales clerk about first-day sales, and she said as far as she knew they hadn’t sold a single unit so far, “but maybe if they had started selling it before Christmas…” There was, however, a steady stream of gawkers checking out the display unit in the 10 or so minutes I spent in the electronics department.

Herewith some photos of the in-store Wal-Mart display:
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Originally posted at Digital City Podcast

After looking at countless laptops during 2008, a small handful have jumped out as personal favorites. I’m not saying these are the very best laptops of the year, nor the highest-rated — they’re just the ones that struck me as particularly interesting, useful, or well-designed.

Chances are high …

On this week’s installment of the Digital City, we discuss faster Internet access coming to several major cities, where to find a Nintendo Wii, and how to safely buy (or sell) a US Senate seat.

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Originally posted at Digital City Podcast

At first glance, Samsung’s take on the traditional 10-inch Netbook is about as bland as these tiny little systems get. It lacks the big keyboard of HP’s Mini 1000 or the ExpressCard slot of the Lenovo S10, and if you stuck it in a lineup with Netbooks from …

We recently reviewed the first handful of systems to come out of Samsung’s new American arm, and one of the more interesting ones was the thin and stylish X460, a 14-inch laptop that clearly apes the MacBook Air vibe (a 13-inch version is also available). Unfortunately, even with the …

We recently reviewed the first handful of systems to come out of Samsung’s new American arm, and one of the more interesting ones was the thin and stylish X460, a 14-inch laptop that clearly apes the MacBook Air vibe (a 13-inch version is also available). Unfortunately, even with the …

On this week’s installment of the Digital City, we discuss the best video games of the year (according to The New York Times), tough times for print magazines, iPod shortages in retail stores, Last.fm vs. SiriusXM, and a plan to use bicycle power to light up the Times …

Originally posted at Digital City Podcast