Acer to Acquire Gateway in $710-Million Deal

Putting an end to the rumors, PC vendor Acer Inc. announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Gateway Inc., the fourth-largest PC company in the United States. Acer is now the third-largest PC company, behind Dell and Hewlett-Packard. The announced combination will create a multibranded PC company with more than $15 billion in revenue and shipments in excess of 20 million PC units per year.

Under the terms of the agreement, Acer will buy Gateway for $710 million. (Those fearing an end to Gateway's signature black-and-white cow branding have little reason to worry; Acer plans to keep the Gateway brand just the way it is.) On a worldwide basis, the merger pushes Taiwan's Acer to the No. 3 position, replacing Chinese rival Lenovo.Acer to Acquire Gateway in $710-Million Deal

NVousPC Launches New Notebook Line

If Sony's or Dell's notebook styles aren't doing it for you, check out NVousPC. This new company is giving customers the ability to design their notebooks with custom paint jobs and graphic designs using its Web site. For the first time, users can upload any image for placement on the panels of their machine. Users can also opt to have any of the four notebook panels painted with their choice of colors.

After submitting the designs online, customers receive a preview of their artwork via e-mail, at which time they have the opportunity to interact with an NVousPC designer to complete the design. NVousPC then individually paints each notebook with a durable high-quality finish that the company says is similar to what you'll find on a luxury car.

The catch is that there are only two base models to choose from. The current models offered are the 14.1-inch Mercury and the 15.4-inch Ether. Both notebooks come with a minimum of 1GB of RAM, the option to upgrade to an Intel Core2Duo T7600 CPU, and Windows Vista. NVousPC also offers after-market custom painting for consumers who already own notebooks. Stay tuned for a full review of an NVousPC notebook.

Lenovo Unveils the ThinkPad Reserve Edition

In celebration of the 15th anniversary of the original ThinkPad, Lenovo has unveiled its limited-edition ThinkPad Reserve Edition notebooks. These notebooks--only 5,000 will be made--combine style and executive-class personal service offerings for business professionals.

Clad in hand-stitched, saddle-grade premium French leather, the Lenovo ThinkPad Reserve Edition offers plenty of eye-catching flair, which is where only part of your money goes. In addition to good looks, each user receives around-the-clock, 24/7 support from a trained PC specialist. This tech support includes a local toll-free and an international phone number; a promise that incoming calls will be answered before the fourth ring; and a repair technician that can be at a customer's location within four hours. These executive-class support features last for three years.

Under the hood runs Intel's Centrino Pro mobile technology, the Ultra Connect II integrated pop-up antenna, and optimized WAN performance for broadband connectivity while on the go. Lenovo rates the eight-cell battery for up to seven hours of life. The Lenovo ThinkPad Reserve Edition is available for purchase now.

HP Launches the Compaq 6720s and 6820s

Today, HP expanded its business notebook catalog with the introduction of two new systems that sport a fresh look and wallet-friendly value: the Compaq 6720s and Compaq 6820s.

Designed for small businesses and mobile professionals, the notebooks feature the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an SD Card reader, three USB ports, an ExpressCard/54 slot, and optional DVD-RW drives with LightScribe technology. Device Access Manager for HP ProtectTools helps prevent unauthorized users from moving data, and HP Drive Guard prevents data corruption and system failures caused by shock. The HP Compaq 6720s and 6820s are both available for purchase now.

Starting at $649, the HP Compaq 6720s is a 15.4-inch notebook that users can outfit with either an anti-glare display or an HP BrightView display for a more vivid image.

The HP Compaq 6820s (starting at $999) features a roomy 17-inch display and a full-sized keyboard. ATI's Mobility Radeon X1350 graphics card is included for delivering rich visuals.

Westinghouse's Bargain Bundle

Westinghouse and Wal-Mart are teaming up and targeting students and budget conscious consumers with one of the most pocket-friendly deals available: A laptop and an HD-ready television for less than $1,000. What's the catch you may ask? Well, that depends.

The Westinghouse NB-14w2 laptop features a 14.1-inch, 1280 x 800 widescreen display, an Intel Celeron M 410 (1.46 GHz) processor, ATI Xpress 200M graphics card, 60GB hard drive, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Wi-Fi, 4-in-1 card reader, microphone input, and a dual-layer DVD burner. Not a powerhouse, by any means; but not a bad option for someone looking for a straightforward productivity tool to do e-mail and surf the Web with.

The TV is a Westinghouse LTV-19w6 19-inch widescreen that features dual HD inputs and integrated speakers. You can hook it up to your new laptop for increased productivity. And when you're not writing reports or surfing the Web, you can kick back and zone out to repeats of Road Rules.

This bundle isn't for everyone. If you need a television for the bedroom, dorm room, or your home office, and you need a basic laptop for you or someone you know, it's worth taking a closer look. If you have an interest in working with multimedia (photos, music, video), or want a laptop with legs, you might consider taking a pass on this.

The laptop/television bundle is available exclusively at Wal-Mart for $989.

Dynabook TX, a new NoteBook with HD DVD-ROM, by Toshiba

Toshiba is a major actor in the HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray war. This time, its the Dynabook TX which is fitted with an HD DVD player...a sweet way to enjoy the enxt generation of DVDs on the "Clear Super View" 15.4 inches monitor (1280x800), Core 2 Duo T7100, Intel GM965 Express, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, all this for 1420€.

LaVie en couleur!

Yep, that's a french title in the english section, but every good Geek always has got a quick translating software at hand on the internet!

Just to say that the Nec LaVie notebooks decided to rock new colors and that's not a bad idea, not at all!
Right now, people will have the choice between 6 colors to go with their 15.4 inches monitor (WXGA 1280x800), AMD M690-V using the EX2 Liquid Crystal technology...120GB HDD, DVD DL burner, 1GB RAM (max 4), Turion 64x2 @ 1.6GHz (TL-52) and other goodies...