All-New-to-You Hardware

Shuttle Launches Its Smallest Small-Form-Factor PC
Shuttle Inc. is no stranger to small-form-factor PCs and chassis, but its new XPC X100 desktop sets records for full functionality and performance in roughly the size of a ream of paper — 8.3- by 11.7- by 2.1-inches, with a standard vertical-placement base. The 120-watt compact features ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 graphics, Gigabit Ethernet, a 4-in-1 flash-card reader, DVI (not VGA) video port and 7.1-channel audio as standard.

At special introductory prices, a $699 model offers 1.6GHz Celeron M power, 512MB of memory, an 80GB hard disk, and DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive. The $999 model steps up to Intel’s 1.6GHz Core Duo CPU, 1GB of memory, and a 250GB hard disk. Options range from a 2.0GHz Core Duo and 2GB of RAM to a 400GB hard disk, DVD±RW burner, and external USB TV tuner for Windows XP Media Center Edition.


Logitech Mouse Sets Scrolling Speed Record
Scroll much? According to Logitech, the scroll wheel on an average person’s mouse spins about 26 feet in an eight-hour day, with many repetitive finger flicks required to move through lengthy documents or thousand-row spreadsheets. But Logitech’s new MX Revolution cordless laser mouse shifts scrolling into hyper-speed.

The $100 mouse’s motorized MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel switches between traditional tactile-feedback, one-click-at-a-time scrolling and spinning freely for up to seven seconds — rocketing through as many as 10,000 lines of a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet with a single spin.

SmartShift technology automatically chooses between the scrolling modes, depending either on the application in use or, in some programs such as Excel, whether you spin the wheel quickly or slowly. Pressing or clicking the wheel toggles also switches between modes. All seven of the mouse’s buttons are customizable via Logitech’s SetPoint driver software.

A second scroll wheel near the thumb serves to switch among applications or zoom in and out of images and documents, while a One-Touch Search button below the wheel launches a Google, Yahoo or other selected Web search for a word or phrase highlighted on screen. Low-resistance rubberized feet keep the ergonomic mouse gliding smoothly.

If you have a notebook, a smaller VX Revolution mouse ($80) shifts between scroll-wheel modes with a switch on its base, along with providing a zoom slider for documents or photos.


Logitech’s Hi-Fi Speakerphone Leads Keyboard/Mouse Combos and Laser-Precise Mice
Whether you’re a veteran VoIP-er or a fiend for digital photos, Logitech hopes its new Cordless Desktop combos will catch your eye and/or ear. The three new bundles combine cord-free keyboards with wireless laser-technology mice — or, in the case of Logitech’s EasyCall Desktop, a keyboard and mouse plus speakerphone and headset.

Shipping in Sept. for $130, the EasyCall includes a full-duplex speakerphone with RightSound echo-eliminating technology, volume, mute and call pick-up and hang-up buttons for managing Internet calls or voice instant-messaging applications. A stereo headset supports more private calls, while speed-dial buttons on the keyboard can store either telephone numbers or IP addresses. A media panel makes it easy to control digital music programs such as iTunes or Windows Media Player.

The Cordless Desktop MX 3200 Laser ($100) features a keyboard with a search/zoom panel for navigating digital content and finding words, phrases, or filenames on the Web or the PC — highlighting a word in a document, then clicking a button, brings search results.

Both the keyboard and cordless laser mouse have controls to see and switch among open applications and windows — or the Flip3D feature, once Windows Vista ships. The keyboard adds Internet calling and multimedia controls. When it ships in October, it’ll be Logitech’s first product with AgION antibacterial treatment to help protect against bacteria, mold, and mildew.

Finally, the Cordless Desktop LX 710 Laser ($80) includes digital-photography controls for editing, viewing and sharing images, with one-touch zoom and multimedia panels provided.


Adapted from hardwarecentral.com.





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