May 4, 2010
ASUS Eee PC 1218 said to be Ion-based, more laptops coming May 13th
Engadget
Donald Melanson provides some upcoming product news from Asus.
“Digitimes has also offered some more confirmation of ASUS’ Eee PC 1015 / 1215, and says that ASUS will also be launching some new laptops on May 13th, including some bamboo-covered models and some ‘multimedia-enhanced models.’”
Energy Star 4.0 goes into effect for HDTVs, puts ’em on a diet
Engadget
Tim Stevens writes about new Energy Start 4.0 ratings, which will affect all displays.
“Your next Energy Star-approved HDTV? Chances are it’ll be a little greener than your last one, thanks to the new 4.0 ratings going into effect. These drastically reduce allowable consumption for displays, offering on average a 40 per cent improvement in efficiency compared to 3.0 models, meaning a 50-inch set can consume, at most, 153 watts (compared to 318 in the 3.0 world). Beyond that, a display that has been turned ‘off’ can consume no more than one solitary watt whilst waiting for your next command. All sets produced as of May 1 must meet these new regulations to earn that prestigious blue badge, and then in 2012 the 5.0 rules come into effect, dropping maximum consumption by roughly another 40 per cent — good news for those who love the planet as much as they love watching Nature on peripheral vision-filling display.”
LG confirms Android-powered Ally, coming May 20th
Engadget
Donald Melanson shares some details on an upcoming Android-powered phone from LG.
“Well, this hasn’t exactly followed the usual smartphone launch route, but LG has now officially confirmed the existence of its new Android-powered LG Ally handset, although it’s still not doing much talking about the phone itself. It has, however, revealed that the phone will be available on May 20th. LG is only saying that the phone will have a touchscreen and a full QWERTY keypad.”