laptops

Correction, 8:22 a.m. PST: The original version of this article inaccurately reported the timing of the theft. The laptop was stolen several weeks ago.

A laptop containing personal data on about 10,000 Home Depot employees was stolen from the car of a regional manager, Home Depot announced Wednesday.

The laptop was stolen several weeks ago from the car of the regional manager in Massachusetts while it was parked in front of his home, according to Home Depot.

"The Home Depot takes data security seriously and works very diligently to protect its customers' and associates' privacy," … Read more

It's official: Asus has announced that the Eee PC (which we've been tracking since August) will be making its way to North America within the next few weeks. The 2-pound, 7-inch, Linux-based laptop will be available in three configurations priced from $299 to $399.

Though the company has yet to offer details on North American specs, it seems reasonable to believe that we'll be seeing the three top models listed on Asus' global site. The highest-end Eee PC 8G includes an 8GB solid-state drive, 1GB of RAM, a built-in Webcam, and a promised 3.5-hour battery life. … Read more

Hot on the heels of the $799 LifeBook V1010, Fujitsu has announced the $849 LifeBook A6110. Like its sibling, the A6110 features a 15.4-inch display and built-in DVD burner; its higher cost can be attributed largely to its current-generation Core 2 Duo processor and Mobile Intel GM965 Express chipset. Other key features of the 6.6-pound A6110 include integrated Intel X3100 graphics, a large 160GB hard drive, five USB 2.0 ports, a built-in Webcam, and a slot for both PC Cards and ExpressCards. Higher-end models include Fujitsu's unique point-and-write touchpad.

The LifeBook A6110's base configuration includes … Read more

After much speculation, Apple has confirmed that the next version of its Mac OS X operating system, "Leopard," will hit stores on Friday, October 26, at 6 p.m.

The company has stated that Leopard, which was delayed this spring due to the high-profile iPhone, includes more than 300 new features in comparison to its predecessor, Tiger.

Among these are an improved "dock" interface for easy access to applications, more robust parental controls, the Time Machine automatic-backup service and a redesigned Finder interface.

The operating system is set to cost $129 for a single-user license and $… Read more

Crave presents the week's laptop news, in digest form.

The seasons are changing, the days grow shorter, and suddenly 4 p.m. on a Friday feels a lot closer to midnight. So this week we're offering the week's laptop news in a super speed round.

First up, Apple. The rumor mill was abuzz with talk of a MacBook refresh to coincide with the October 26 release of Leopard, though speculators agree that the upgrades aren't likely to include Intel's Santa Rosa chipset. MacBook Pros, meanwhile, are reportedly in for redesigned MagSafe cables that will clear … Read more

A hybrid hard drive can help a laptop boot faster, operate more effectively and quietly, and run longer on a single battery charge. Flash memory maker SST and firmware/BIOS company Insyde Software announced earlier this week a technology they're calling FlashMate that gives standard hard drives hybridlike functionality. Actually, it does more. Whereas hybrid hard drives use flash memory as a data cache when a system is running, FlashMate will let you access the full contents of your hard drive without needing to power on your laptop. Using a combination of hardware, software, and firmware, FlashMate creates an … Read more

Every year they arrive earlier and earlier: press releases touting new products "for the holidays." One such release arrived this morning from Gateway, with news of two new P-series laptops for holiday giving. The 8.3-pound laptops include a 17-inch display with a 1,440x900 native resolution, a full-sized keyboard with numeric keypad, and a DVD burner with LabelFlash (which lets you burn labels onto special discs). Both new models run Vista Home Premium.

The lower-end configuration, the $800 Gateway P-6301, features a budget Pentium Dual Core processor built on Intel's previous-generation chip architecture and carrying 1GB … Read more

Not one to be topped by Sony, whose VAIO NR160 lowered the price threshold for owning a Sony laptop to $829, Fujitsu has announced a budget-friendly addition to its LifeBook line. The LifeBook V1010, which starts at $799, combines a 15.4-inch display, 120 GB hard drive, built-in DVD burner, and spill-resistant keyboard in a hefty 6.2-pound package. So far so good, though the baseline configuration includes the super-budget Pentium dual-core processor, which occupies the bottom rung of Intel's dual-core options. The $799 price also only includes 1GB of RAM, so it's a good thing that Fujitsu … Read more

It doesn't have the specs of, say, a Medison Celebrity laptop, but the Gateway ML6230 does have the advantage of actually existing. In yesterday's Sunday newspaper circulars, Best Buy advertised a 15.4-inch laptop for $299.99, which is believed to be the lowest-priced laptop ever sold at the big box retailer. Best Buy must be expecting quite a response, because it says there will be only 10 such models per store with a limit of one per household. And do note that not every region of the country is honoring the $299 price; FatWallet reports that many … Read more