Techmamas

Just Announced: Sony VAIO® E Series, Cool Colors and Affordable Price

While I am still sorting through all the fun tech I saw at CES to create my CES coverage posts, I decided to keep a running tab of the new tech just out. On January 28 I posted with techie details about the Apple iPad. On Feb. 2nd Sony released news about the new VAIO^® E Series. This announcement is interesting to add to the ongoing debate about the iPad functionality in the tablet category versus netbooks and laptops. One of the choices being debated is purchasing an internet device such as a tablet, buying a netbook, or buying a full featured laptop that are all now becoming closer in price. While comparing a tablet to a laptop is different because tablets are handheld and laptops are mobile computing  - many consumers need to make a choice of getting the most functionality for the buck.

Here are details from the Sony News press release.  Click HERE to view the Sony Vaio EB series on the Sony Style website.

  

PRICE: The Sony Style website states the starting retail price for the Sony Vaio EB series as $799.

DESIGN: The SONY press release stated that the "E Series comes in five translucent, high-gloss colors— Caribbean Green, Iridescent Blue, Coconut White, Hibiscus Pink and Lava Black— and three matte colors—Maple Brown, Silver White and Gunmetal. Subtle patterns can be found on the lids, of the glossy models, with the palm rest mirroring the color of the PC.... With a 15.5-inch (measured diagonally) widescreen display with optional HD capability so movies....The edge-to-edge isolated keyboard has a numeric pad built-in, giving you the experience of using a larger computer in a much smaller footprint. A pleasing dimpled touch pad is seamlessly integrated into the palm rest."

STORAGE, BATTERY LIFE, USB PORTS/CONNECTORS: The SONY press release stated "transfer and store data to peripheral devices utilizing the notebook’s eSATA/ USB port and three convenient USB ports. Select models incorporate Bluetooth^® technology, enabling peripherals such as a wireless mouse to be utilized without tying up the unit’s ports..... For those who prefer to watch content on a big screen television, the PC has an HDMI™ output so it can be connected to a compatible HDTV set for a larger viewing experience (HDMI cable required, sold separately). Up to 500GB hard drives are available.. It also has the added convenience of DVD and CD read/write functionalities."

The current Sony Style website has the following other features listed: WiFi - IEEE 802.11 b/g/n, max of 3.5 hours battery time, 8GB max RAM, and a weight of 5.95 pounds.

CAMERA: The SONY press release stated: "A built-in webcam with face-tracking technology and microphone let you video chat with family, friends and colleagues. A third-party internet service provider is required."

APPLICATIONS: The SONY press release  states: "All E Series PCs come pre-installed with Microsoft^® Windows^® 7 Home Premium operating system.....The E Series notebook also comes with three unique hardware buttons-- WEB, VAIO and ASSIST to get you to where you want to go with a touch of a button. Quickly access the Internet, without full boot up into Windows®, by simply pressing the WEB button. Launch directly into Sony’s own Media Gallery software by pushing the designated VAIO button on the keyboard and create high-quality home movies. Finally troubleshoot any issues or facilitate simple do-it-yourself PC maintenance procedures by pressing the ASSIST button and launching the included VAIO Care™ software program..."

MULTI-TASKING and PROCESSOR INFO: Multi-tasking = YES. The SONY press release states "Select E Series models pack an Intel® Core™ i5 processor with Hyper-Threading and Turbo Boost technologies, delivering the performance needed for multitasking". Sony Vaio EB series also available with the Intel® Core™ i3 processor. The Sony Style website also lists "dedicated graphics of ATI Mobility Radeon™ with up to 512MB of VRAM on select models" which helps support processing of video and photo related tasks.

MUSIC, MOVIES AND TV: As stated above, the HDMI output can be connected to a compatible HDTV set. The SONY press release  also stated:" The E Series notebook features an optional Blu-ray Disc™ ROM drive, making it ideal for viewing pristine HD content on-the-go".

EBOOKS: Sony's has a line of e-Readers and access to the Reader^™ Store. Along with Google Books, the Reader^™ Store has access to over 1 million eBooks.  With the Reader Library Software installed on the PC, ebooks can be purchased and stored. You do not need a device to use the service.

GREEN TECH: The SONY press release states: "E Series is ENERGY STAR^® 5.0 Qualified, EPEAT^® Silver registered and RoHS compliant. Its corrugated cardboard packaging is comprised of 95 percent recycled content. Sony will also help recycle your old PC (www.sony.com/green; recycling fees may apply)."

All the information for this post was taken from the Sony Electronics press release and Sony Style website. This post is an update related to the press release.

I saw additional posts on the updated Sony Vaio E series at Engadget and Electronista.

Mother's Day 09: Jawbone PRIME™ Bluetooth® Headset with EARCANDY™ Colors

Because I don't have time for an official Mother's Day Gift Guide, over the next week I will be posting about products I feel are relevant for Moms. Here is a press release about the new Jawbone PRIME™ Bluetooth® Headset with EARCANDY™ Colors that I received in my email box this morning.

Sure is pwetty. I may be a forty something mom, but I still like purple. I was sent a black Jawbone for review last year, but my sons walked off with it so I never really got a chance to try it out.

I did notice the few times I wore it out that people did not see the black headset next to my brown hair - so they thought I was TALKING TO MYSELF. I may be tired, but I don't talk to myself (yet). These colors really stand out as a fashion statement, functional Bluetooth earpiece that can be used with cellphones or smartphones and the colors are bright enough that hopefully people won't think you are talking to yourself. But if they do, at least you will look good.

Press release is below:

DEMO09 - Ubergizmo: Always Innovating Netbook Tablet

While at DEMO09, I had the opportunity to film an interview (using my Flip Mino) with Gregoire Gentil of Always Innovating about their new netbook tablet. Being on my momof3boys schedule, I have not posted yet about it. I will upload the interview soon, but for now I have permission to share some pictures that Eliane Fiolet from Ubergizmo took of my interview.  CLICK HERE TO SEE THE UBERGIZMO WRITE-UP ON THE TOUCHBOOK, and read about the 10-15 hour BATTERY LIFE!
 
Photo credit: Eliane Fiolet from Ubergizmo

Techie Diva's Electronics Stimulus Plan - And One From TechMama

***********WINNERS OF VIVIENNE TAM MOUSE VIA RANDOM.ORG - TOP 2 WIN!:

List Randomizer

There were 4 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. Chefdruck
2. Glennia
3. shellie
4. Leticia

Chefdruck and Glennia - you win a mouse! I will contact you for more details.
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My gadget buddy Techie Diva has an Electronics Stimulus plan that President Obama would be proud of. Take a look at here post to see what she is giving away by CLICKING HERE!!

To join in the fun, I thought it was a good time to give away TWO HP/Vivienne Tam Wireless Optical Mouses. TO ENTER, please comment on this post about my adventures with the HP Mini Vivienne Tam edition and share how you would use the netbook. On Tuesday March 3, I will choose two commenters using random.org.

****CONTEST DETAILS:

I do have to ship the mouses myself so I ask that you live or I can ship to a CALIFORNIA ADDRESS (Or I am happy to hand deliver if the winner will be at BlogHer in Chicago this summer - I will be there). COMMENT ON MY ADVENTURES WITH HP MINI VIVIENNE TAM EDITION POST by Tuesday March 3rd with what adventures you would take the HP Mini Vivienne Tam Edition on.  Two winners will each win ONE HP/Vivienne Tam Optical Wireless Mouse.

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I went to the HP/Vivienne Tam NYC Fashion Week event - which I will post about with juicy pictures in a few days - including an interview with Vivienne Tam explaining how she designed the HP Mini Vivienne Tam edition for people to feel as if they were working in the garden while using, and it has that effect on me.... More to come..

QVC is selling them, and had this handy description for more details:

"High tech gets a high-fashion makeover in this unique wireless mouse. Runway-ready with a chic peony pattern created by designer Vivienne Tam, the sleek and stylish device features precision tracking over virtually any surface.

Simply plug the tiny USB receiver into your notebook's USB port, and your wireless mouse is ready to go--without the hassle of cord or cable clutter. It's fashion and function at its finest! From HP.

• Includes wireless optical mouse, micro USB receiver, and 2 AA batteries
• High-performance 800 dpi resolution
• Advanced 2.4GHz cordless technology
• Measures approximately 3-3/4" x 1-1/8" x 2"

TechMama Heads To NYC For HP/Vivenne Tam Fashion Tech-o-Rama

Blogging from New York City:

After heading to CES where I had a chance to see the new netbooks, I not only added a netbook category but decided that the netbook is going to be one of the premier mom gadgets.  They are light and small enough to carry in a purse, but offer enough functionality for computing on the go. To further my own obsession with netbooks, I decided to do reviews to try them out for myself. 

My first netbook review was the HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam edition. I was happy to have received my review unit in time to use it at CES, instead of carrying around my functional but heavy laptop. To do a true mom review, I decided to take the HP Mini review unit on the road during my mom tasks.  Here is the link to my post that lists some of the recent adventures I had with my the HP Mini Vivianne Tam Edition review unit (pictures from my camera and my BlackBerry).

There are a group of bloggers that are also reviewing the HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam edition. We were all invited to come to NYC during Fashion Week to meet with the design team and sneak in a Vivienne Tam Fashion show. This beautiful "digital clutch" is the start of an exciting trend to that brings fashion to technology. Meeting with the design team that made it happen helps me reach one of the goals I had starting Techmamas: to start a discussion with the teams that design products for families/women - which will help improve feedback mechanisms on both sides.

Here is a picture of those that arrived early enough to meet-up in the lobby. Photo credit to Judie of Gear Diary (second from right). Terri of Moblie PC World was kind enough to take the picture. I will fill in more names of those in the picture tomorrow.

Morningside Mom's (last on the right) wrote a Big Apple summary post with links to the bloggers that will be in NYC:

Adventures With My HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition

When I talk to moms about netbooks they question why they would need one when they already have a laptop. I try to explain that netbooks are small and light enough to keep in their purse all day.  I already started my review for the HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition, but the next step was to see what would happen if I truly kept it in my purse - where would I end up using it? Did I need to have mobile computing beyond my smartphone or could I just wait until I got home?

I took it to CES and saw the Dress that inspired the design at the HP Booth. Then...

CES 09 Using The HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam edition at CntrStg

I am here at CntrStg (CES) typing this post on my HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam edition series review unit. CntrStg not only has interesting seminars by day, but food, beverages and lots of good techie discussions at night.

I find having a mini notebook at conferences very useful - it does not take up too much room in my briefcase and is light to carry (2.45 pounds).  I also find that the color and design is a head turner when I bring the computer out next to a sea of black laptops. I get lots of oh's and ah's.. While some men at the conference said that they would like to get one for their wives, one man asked why he would have to give it to his wife - that he wanted one for himself. I said that the HP Mini also comes in black so he has choices.

HP Mini 1000 Vivianne Tam series operating system is Windows XP, which is easy to use. For the installation, I basically just turned the computer on and followed the instructions on the screen. The wireless functionality on the PC identified the wireless networks in the area, and accepted my USB Broadband card when I tested that by plugging it into the USB port.  The built in webcam and speakers drivers were loaded and ready to go while Intel's Atom processor enabled  enough speed for web surf/social networking on the go. The only limitation I had when trying to Twitter was that the site was over-capacity. 1GB ram is adequate for mobile blogging and the 60GB hard drive has plenty of space for moblie apps, documents and media (such as pictures, MP3 files and videos).

Fashion Meets Tech: Vivienne Tam HP Mini 1000

HP generously shipped out a Vivienne Tam HP Mini 1000 for me to review. I just opened the box last night before I got on the CES Lovesac Blogger Bus so I will be reporting back with my thoughts. It not only has pretty flowers, but has lots of functionality (including Windows XP, weight of 2.45 pounds,  built in networking and webcam/microphone). The peony-inspired design was created by award-winning designer Vivienne Tam with HP and is called a "digital clutch" (because although it is just a netbook - it is the size of a clutch bag). The cross over of a fashion designer working with a technology company is a trend I hope continues. Because the result gives a new adjective to mobile computing (fashionable).

It fits in a small handbag.

Dell Computer Goes Artsy and does a giveaway (WINNER)!

I just used Random.org and put each comment in as one entry. For those that twittered or posted got another entry.. AND THE WINNER OF THE $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE IS:

Leticia- Tech Savvy Mama

True Random Number Service

List Randomizer

Here they are in random order:

1. Leticia- Tech Savvy Mama
2. Janel
3. zmama
4. Bill
5. Thien-Kim

(I just showed the top five listed..)

Happy Holidays to ALL...

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