iBUYPOWER Paladin Comes in Four Flavors, is Extremely Overclockable

We’ve got to hand it to iBUYPOWER. They know how to release the computer that just look fun to use. The Paladin series, announced today, is no difference. This is one of those products that we just want to touch. Sure, it doesn’t hurt that the innards of these things make us want to actually use them. The company has officially announced the latest in their Paladin series, and these are definitely a chip off the old block.

Each of the four different variations of the Paladin are issued with the new Intel Core i7 980X Extreme Edition Processor, which makes the system quite the healthy benchmark demolisher. As the press release reads, the new systems are “extremely overclockable, and allow unmatched multitasking capability.” We just love the word overclockable. It’s unique. In any event, iBUYPOWER is banking on the fact that gamers won’t have to worry about how many windows/browsers they have open anymore, let alone if they’re listening to their favorite music or using GameSpeak, due to their machine’s power.

The Paladin F950, F970, and XLC V3 are all equipped with 12GB of DDR3 memory, provide at least 1 TB of storage, and have Blu-Ray Disc players. They all also keep with the liquid-cooling tradition of iBUYPOWER, and offer the “upgrade” for free. Graphics wise, you can choose from an ATI Radeon card, or go with the NVIDIA GeForce variation if you wish. The F970 and XLC V3 are packed with an 80GB Solid State Drive (SSD) and have been upgraded to Windows 7 Ultimate. If you’ve got $2,159 lying around, then you can start shopping now at iBUYPOWER’s website to pick out your favorite piece. Full press release just below.

El Monte, CA – March 18, 2010 – iBUYPOWER, a leading innovator of gaming PCs, is excited to announce four new Paladin gaming systems all powered by the new Intel Core i7 980X Extreme Edition Processor. The new 6 core processors are extremely overclockable, deliver benchmark shattering performance and allow unmatched multitasking capability. Gamers need not be concerned with having multiple browsers open, team speak, or MP3s files playing while gaming due to the new processor’s revolutionary hyper-threading technology.

The four new configurations all feature the finest components available, including the newest ATI Radeon and NVIDIA GeForce high-definition video cards, which all support DirectX 11 graphics. The Paladin F950, F970 and XLC V3 all pack 12GB of DDR3 Memory, provide at least a 1 TB of storage space and a Blu-ray drive. The fully loaded F970 and XLC V3 also come standard with an 80GB solid state drive and have been upgraded to Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate. Additionally, like all iBUYPOWER desktop systems, the newest Paladin model all feature free liquid CPU cooling.

Gamers looking to get the most out of their new six core systems can take advantage of the iBUYPOWER Labs’ Power Drive Overclocking Service, which overclocks the CPU by as much as 30% and comes standard on the Paladin XLC V3. Other innovative iBUYPOWER exclusive products and services include the Harmony Sound Reduction System, the Internal USB Expansion System, and iBUYPOWER’s Specialized Advanced Packaging System with expanding foam inserts to prevent damage during shipping.

The new Paladin systems start at $2,159 and are available now at www.iBUYPOWER.com.

Customers with more specific gaming needs can configure a fully customizable system at www.iBUYPOWER.com. All iBUYPOWER systems also come standard with 1 year limited warranty and lifetime technical support.

Palm Announces $22 Million Loss of $366 Million Profit, Still Hopeful

As expected, Palm isn’t doing that hot. The company declared at the end of last month that their lacking smartphones sales had made them decrease their revenue expectations, so the numbers we’re hearing today aren’t that surprising. And while the number of smartphones they shipped is significant, it’s unfortunately not a good representation of the number of smartphones they actually sold. Still, the company has high hopes for what’s to come.

In total, Palm has announced that they lost $22 million, part of their $366 million profit. Based on shipped products, the company had a 23% increase from the previous quarter, effectively shipping 960,000 smartphones. However, the number they actually sold is drastically lower, topping off at 408,000 units. And while we’re not going to directly compare those numbers to the iPhone’s estimated 8.7 million units sold in the same time frame, we feel like we should at least point it out. No, we’re not expecting Palm to compare in numbers, but it goes to show that the company is still fighting an up-hill battle.

Palm’s CEO, Jon Rubinstein, said that the company’s under-performance is certainly disappointing, but he wanted to stress that the potential for the company is still strong. He also stressed that they are making great improvements on future products (which hopefully means more handsets, and not just different version of the existing ones), and that the changes they’re making to improve sales are having an impact. He also noted that they are looking forward to future carrier launches, which we’re taking to mean AT&T here in the States. Unfortunately, those may already be seeing some major delays. We’re hoping that Rubinstein’s hope is not ill-fated, as we would love to see some more products (and better numbers) from the company that brought us webOS. We’ve got our fingers crossed.

Lawnmower Scooter is Perfect for a Small Yard

Even though one of your longest-lived dreams might be to own a yard, sometimes you don’t always get the big one. In fact, if you’re in the city, you may have a yard that’s tucked nicely by a tall fence, cramping its potential. And if you’re not a fan of push-mowers, then maybe this scooter mower is the best thing you’ve ever seen.

This is just a concept right now, designed by Vicky Petihovski, but we can definitely label this one a winner. If it ever sees the light of day, that is. What you see is what you get. It’s a scooter, with a lawnmower shoved inside of it. So, while you may still be standing up to reduce the grass in your kingdom, at least you’re not walking. And, sure, there may be mowers out there that you can sit down on, your yard just may be too small for those. So, here’s your best option. It’s an electric motor, so it probably wouldn’t be as loud as a normal mower, which is a good thing.

Or, if you’re a fan of the Segway or any of its variations, maybe this is just something you have to get to complete your collection. Then again, maybe a race is the best way to spend your time, when you’re not slicing up all that grass.

IDTI 21.5-inch Full HD touchscreen display for $300

Touchscreen displays are slowly making their way into the home, accelerated since Microsoft stepped up their touch functionality in Windows 7, but they’re still expensive. IDTI reckon they have a low-cost alternative, however; their 21.5-inch display responds to pen input and two-point multitouch thanks to a proprietary touch technology, but best of all they’re expecting to launch it with a $300 price tag.

Video demo after the cut

The IDTI screen is capable of displaying Full HD resolution video, and the digitizer technology doesn’t impair image quality like you’d find with a resistive touchscreen layer. It also allows you to rest your palm on the screen without it being recognized as a rogue touch, something previously you’d required a Wacom-style active digitizer to do.

Now, in this video from CeBIT 2010, Charbax seems to think that the display includes PC components like some of the all-in-one desktops we’ve seen lately, but according to IDTI’s site it’s a standalone display only. $300 would be too cheap for a Full HD capable desktop, frankly, but it’s still reasonable for a screen on its own.

SE XPERIA X10 mini & mini pro: small phones, sizeable prices

How much would you pay for a miniature Android smartphone? Sony Ericsson are hoping the answer is “plenty”, as recently revealed pricing for their XPERIA X10 mini and XPERIA X10 mini pro handsets in Europe suggests. The two phones may only have 255-inch displays but you’re looking at €300 or more.

The XPERIA X10 mini is expected to be €300 ($410) while the X10 mini pro comes in at €330 ($450). The latter adds a slide-out QWERTY keyboard but otherwise functionally the two are identical: 5-megapixel camera with autofocus and geotagging, 3G connectivity and Sony Ericsson’s own Mediascape and Timescape apps with their “Rachel” UI.

All well and good, but we were expecting budget price-tags when we first caught sight of the two new Android devices, and these numbers just don’t quite add up to us. Our preference still lies with the X10 mini pro – check our hands-on report from MWC 2010 to find out exactly why – out of the two, but frankly there are other smartphones we’d go to first with our money.