Shawn Oliver
Opinions and content posted by HotHardware contributors are their own.
Recent posts
For awhile, Google's Chrome OS has been somewhat of a mystery to end-users. It was introduced this summer, but all that we were ever provided was a cute logo and a few vague promises. Since that time, Microsoft has launched Windows 7 and Apple has introduced Snow Leopard, so it's about time for Google to step up to...
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Asus has been dishing out quite a few new devices here lately, with a 3D laptop and a TS mini NAS server heading things up. The company looks to close out the week with the introduction of an Ion-based nettop, which looks mighty stylish and includes a dual-core Atom N330 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium, an HDMI output, and a slot-loading...
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The desktop may not be selling as well these days compared to the notebook, but the all-in-one PC sure has been keeping up with the times. More than ever, people are interested in acquiring PCs that handle the basics well and take up a small amount of space. MSI's AE2220 looks to be a perfect machine if you fit into that category, boasting...
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Black Friday. It's a name that was once only known by savvy shoppers who scoured the Internet for deals, but now it's a household holiday in America. Everyone from tweens to grandmothers will be waking up early on the day after Thanksgiving in order to fight the crowds and attempt to snag those too-good-to-be-true...
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The MOTO Development Group has just released what may be the coolest thing to hit a casino floor in decades. The group is calling its new Multi-Touch BlackJack table a "world's first," and gamers will soon be able to experience it at the Global Gaming Expo 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. As of now, the prototype table can...
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Netbooks based around NVIDIA's Ion graphics technology aren't entirely new, though the few that are equipped just started shipping recently. Up until now, Asus has managed to avoid Ion within its expanding Eee PC line, but we're thrilled to see the company's first netbook announced with what amounts to being a real, hard-working GPU.The Eee...
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You knew it was bound to happen. The 3D revolution started with the TV, but now it's seeping into everything. Cinemas, projectors and now notebook PCs. Before long, we're guessing a 3D version of the Nintendo DSi and Sony PSP will be out and about. All possible kidding aside, Asus has just announced that it'll be matching Acer's 3D laptop...
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Headphones and earbuds are a dime a dozen these days, and frankly it's tough to keep track of which ones are worth a listen and which are just worth passing over. Sleek Audio has been a trusted name in the industry for some time now, though most of its loyal fan base were of the affluent type. Sleek's earbuds are generally expensive, and some...
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AT&T sure loves to subsidize netbooks, and we think we know why. Most discounted netbooks are sold for just $100 off of their retail price (most $299 netbooks go for $199 at carriers), while those that purchase one are tied to a pricey data plan for two whole years. It's a much better deal for AT&T, than say, selling someone a discounted...
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We had the pleasure of reviewing Asus' UL30A back in September, but now it seems that another model has popped onto the scene. The UL30Vt is landed just after the Windows 7-packed UL80Vt, and just like the others in the UL line, this one also features switchable graphics for those looking to game at times and save battery during the other...
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OCZ's Colossus has been looming in our "must-have" list for months. We actually saw one in the flesh this past summer, and we heard in August that it would "soon" be shipping in sizes ranging from 128GB to 1TB. With Fusion-io firmly in the consumer business now, it's safe to say that OCZ is probably feeling the...
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Alienware, Dell, HP, Falcon Northwest--the list goes on and on. But really, can there ever be enough gaming PCs? We think not. Today, a new company has broken out by the name of ORIGIN, and it's hoping to provide custom gaming machines to those with specific requests and the money to pay for 'em.The new company is also unveiling its first...
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It's somewhat hard to believe that Nokia's E72 smartphone actually launched way back in June, and trust us, a lot has happened in the mobile world since then. Even Nokia itself has shown off a new smartphone OS (Maemo 5), but the tried and true Symbian S60 is powering this one. The E72 is a slim, broad candybar-styled smartphone with a full...
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Mobile TV has had a tough go at it in America. A few of the major carriers offer TV services on select smartphones, but the $10+ per month charge usually turns people off. Amazingly, far smaller of a fight has been put up for the insane rates carriers charge for texting, but we suppose that's the true measure of...
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If AT&T is your home for the iPhone, Sprint is your home for webOS devices and Verizon is your home for the Motorola Droid, we guess T-Mobile USA is the home for all other Android phones. Ever since the G1 launched on the carrier last year, it seems like a never-ending flow of Android handsets have found their way onto America's second-largest...
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Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) has been riding the 2TB bandwagon for some time now, producing a solid 7200rpm 2TB internal HDD and outfitting its G-Technology line with the same spacious platters. Nowm, the company is announcing the availability of the newly designed SimpleDrive external HDD, and surprise, surprise, it'll...
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Some may say that the physical disc still has a place in this world for years to come, and they're probably right. But to say that digital downloads aren't taking out a serious chunk of sales would be denying reality. iTunes alone has proven that digital downloads are capable of catching on, as Apple has already taken over Walmart as the world's...
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To say that the iPod has revolutionized the stereo world would be understating things rather dramatically. Take Yamaha's MCR-410 for instance, which is a new micro stereo system that not only features a dock connecting port on the top, but also has the capability to connect with an iPod without cords. For all the...
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It may sound somewhat wild, but Google could very well take over the world. We know, you're thinking we're crazy, but the evidence is mounting. It has taken over the search market (and improved usability all the while), it has crafted its own mobile operating system (one that actually rivals the mighty iPhone), it's currently developing its...
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One thing is for sure in the world of optical storage: "big enough" is never really "big enough." Back in the day, a typical CD-R was plenty to archive a year's worth of images, and now even a single-layer DVD-R is too small for some. Blu-ray Discs can already hold 50GB of data, but that's not stopping disc manufacturers from striving to cram...
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Let's face it: the iPhone is a fantastic smartphone, but the battery within isn't exactly the greatest. Heavy web users will understand that the battery typically dies before your full day is done, leaving you to carefully select when and where to use that precious final 20% of battery. A few extended cell options are...
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For awhile, we figured that the digital photo frame had played its last card and it wouldn't be long before we saw the frames of yesteryear popping up in bargain bins everywhere as retailers made room for more enticing wares. Evidently that's not at all the plan, as it seems that digital frame makers are instead...
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