Google and Samsung announced a new Chromebook and Chromebox computer

Google and Samsung on Tuesday announced a new Chromebook and Chromebox computer. Both machines are powered by Google’s cloud-based Chrome OS and are built for speed. Samsung’s newest Chromebook, the Series 5 550, features a 12.1-inch display, an Intel Core processor, 4GB of RAM, an HD Camera, two USB 2.0 ports and six hours of continuous battery life. The Chromebox resembles Apple’s Mac mini, and adds four additional USB 2.0 ports. Both come equipped with built-in dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Gigbit ethernet, however the Chromebook also has a 3G connectivity option. The Chromebook Series 5 550 starts at $449 and the Chromebox can be purchased for $329 — the two devices are available now.

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Plextor Announces USB 3.0 Ultra Light Portable Hard Drives

Plextor has announced its newest portable hard drive that is USB 3.0 compatible and also backwards compatible with USB 2.0. The PX-PH500U3 is super light weight at 162 grams–roughly 1/3 of a pound–and comes with 500 GB of storage. The hard drive will come with a USB 3.0 cable and a leatherette case.


The Plextor PX-PH5003 USB 3.0 portable hard drives comes with 500GB of storage will be on sale in Europe starting in March for £90 and the 750 GB version later on in April can be yours for £120.

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15 Things Every PC User Should Know

Think you know tech? If you don't have a handle on every single one of these 15 tech facts, habits, and efficiency tricks, you're not living up to your potential.

1. Don't double-click everything. Windows 101: Double-clicking is how you open items in Windows. It's not how you open links in your Web browser, click buttons in dialog boxes, or do pretty much anything else--and if you reflexively double-click, you might accidentally zip right past something important or submit a form twice. If you don't need this reminder yourself, chances are you know someone who does.

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Computer you can bought in 1989 with $8499

A nearly loaded Tandy 5000 MC Professional System

It's hard to imagine that the technology we take for granted today has not really been around all that long (in the grand scheme of things). Look at this newspaper ad from 1989 touting the latest and greatest innovation in computing.
And at just $8499.00, the Tandy 5000 MC Pro System was quite the bargain, too! Of course, this did not include the monitor or the mouse. After all, what would you expect for such a rock-bottom price?

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Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: March 2010

If you don’t have the time to research the benchmarks, or if you don’t feel confident enough in your ability to pick the right processor for your next gaming machine, fear not. We at Tom’s Hardware have come to your aid with a simple list of the best gaming CPUs offered for the money.

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10 ways you might be breaking the law with your computer

For many years, the Internet was the “final frontier,” operating largely unregulated — in part because of the jurisdictional nightmare involved in trying to enforce laws when communications crossed not just state lines but also national boundaries. That was then; this is now. Legislation that affects the use of Internet-connected computers is springing up everywhere at the local, state and federal levels. You might be violating one of them without even knowing.

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When RealNetworks Settled on DVD Copying, We All Lost

RealNetworks just screwed us all by settling lawsuits in which it might have lost--but which might also have given some new life to fair use for digital media.
The post-RealDVD world means that unless there's a major change to the law surrounding copy protection, there will never be a legal way to perform legal acts of copying or shifting protected movies, music, and games.

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DDR3 On A Budget: Six 6 GB Memory Kits

Have DDR3 prices finally hit rock bottom? DDR3-1600 reached $30 per 2 GB module several weeks ago, making it completely competitive in price-per-performance with DDR2. Available in both dual-channel and triple-channel kits for $60 and $90, these aren't last year’s high-voltage parts, but instead completely modern 1.50-1.65 V modules, fully compatible with Core i7, Phenom II socket AM3, and future Core i5 platforms.

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Three New Desktop Hard Drives For 2010

One of the benefits of boosting areal density is that it allows hard drive manufacturers to pack more data onto fewer rotating platters. Not only are they able to achieve higher total capacities, but the most popular capacity points--500GB and 1TB, for example--can be achieved with simpler drives.
Thanks to higher per-platter capacities, the current barrier of 2TB per drive will fall in 2010. However, speed, cost, capacity, and power consumption have to be in mixed in a way that users will accept. We looked at three new premium desktop hard drives from Hitachi, Samsung, and Seagate to see if they strike the right balance.

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Sony Vaio L117FX/B: 24-inch Multitouch PC Doubles as an HDTV

Like the Vaio LV180J all-in-one that it replaces, the new Vaio L117FX/B has great performance, a Blu-ray drive, an HDTV tuner, a media center remote control, and a gorgeous 24-inch display. But this time around, Sony has included a multitouch screen, Windows 7, and a design that's sleek and modern.

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