Feature Comparison:

Price Comparison:

For the prices, the totals were the cost shown after configuring the machine straight off Apple.com and Dell.com before taxes were calculated in. Both companies are offering free shipping which is a plus. Dell is offering the next generation Operating System, Windows 7, for free. Apple will charge just $9.95 for those who purchased a qualifying computer after June 8th, 2009 to upgrade Snow Leopard. Even with those details set aside, the Studio XPS 13 totals in $273 less than the same configuration for the MacBook Pro 13. Plus if you are willing to shell out more cash, there’s a lot more features Dell seems to offer with their model than Apple does. What are your thoughts on this?

Links: Apple MacBook Pro | Dell Studio XPS

Note: This article was co-written by Sahas Katta and Sharath Shroff

Update: Since publication, we have updated a few elements of the chart and article. These changes include: Apple OS X Snow Leopard Price is $10, not $29 for purchases of MacBook Pros since June 8th, 2009. The screen resolution is WXGA for 16:10 aspect ratio, meaning a 1280×800 resolution, not 1366×768. The Studio XPS also has a multi-touch trackpad, similar to the MacBook Pro.

Realtime Technologies
The folks over at RTT are using Nvidia graphics technologies to create real-time raytracing models of prototype cars. Jen-Hsun invited Peter Stevenson, COO of RTT, on stage to show us a live demo of a new prototype Lamborghini model. The car apparently costs over a million dollars and only 20 will become available worldwide. Changes to the virtual model can be made in real-time and is intricate enough to detail every single internal component of the vehicle, not just the exterior looks. The high quality details of the interior leather, stitching, and materials was quite impressive. Nike, for example, was able to save a couple million dollars using Nvidia to create virtual prototypes of shoes.

Nurien Software (MMO)
Next, Nvidia’s CEO introduced Taehoon Kim, co-founder of Nurien, who introduced a new Massive Multi-player Online game which is going to be released soon. It was pretty much Sims, but on steroids. (Lots of Steroids.) The game could render people in real time, simulate life-like movements, and looks damn good. Another neat feature that they mentioned was the ability to choose real videos to be playing on TV screens or uploaded photos on photo frames in virtual homes, so other players who enter your area will be able to see all of your personalized content since every component of the game is networked.

SportsVision
If you watch Football or paid any attention to the 2008 Olympics, you probably have noticed a lot of virtual graphics being added to the arena. For example in the swimming events, a line is overlaid on the screen to show the time that the contestants would need to beat to reach a world record. The graphics was added without harming the view of the athletes and this was done using GPUs to calculate fluid movement around objects. NASCAR is using Sportsvision technology to display the effects of drafting.

Photosynth
A new product Microsoft just launched a couple of days ago allows stitching multiple photos together in a virtual environment. It automatically creates reference points from objects in images and can put them together, the more photos the better. Joshua Edwards from Microsoft Live Labs previewed some samples of the Stonehenge in the U.K. and the National Archive building in D.C. in impressive detail. The best part is that anyone can create these high quality 360 virtual views of an area with just a digital camera.

Perceptive Pixel
Jeff Han stepped on stage to demonstrate the next generation user interfaces. Perceptive Pixel has taken UI graphics to the next level. He used a whopping 100-inch multi-touch display to demonstrate some stuff you can’t do with a mouse. Although he expects first practical applications to be for the military and high-end design, he expects simpler versions to reach consumers soon. And it already has with touch screen devices such as the Apple iPhone.

The Ending
I started making my way back to the expo hall, but Tricia Helfer, an actress, who’s on Battlestar Galactica and Burn Notice, was speaking about how virtual characters play a role in television. Nvidia plays a huge roll to make much of the graphics we see in Hollywood films actually be rendered and put on the big screen. It was Nvidia’s and the CEO’s first time hosting such a large event. It went pretty well and looks like it was success so far. I’ll be on the show floor covering some of the new stuff that’s being shown off. So keep checking back for more Nvision 08 content over the next two days!

Links: Nvision 2008 | Nvidia.com

This September, about two and a half years after the launch of the PlayStation Portable in the United States, Sony will finally release an improved model. The new model, PSP-2000, is not the second generation of the PSP, but is rather an enhanced version of the current unit. One of the most useful features in the new model is the ability to output photos, movies, and games onto a television screen at standard definition resolution (480p) with a set of AV cables. Next, to solve the unit’s bulkiness, Sony slimmed down the PSP-2000 by about 20% and made it 30% lighter. Although the unit is still way bigger than a iPod Video or iPhone, it’s a good improvement.

On the technical side, the internal RAM has doubled from 32 to 64MB requiring less loading cycles. Although the new CPU requires less power and UMD reading time has been reduced, the battery life remains the same since a smaller battery had to be used to fit into the slimmer unit. Some rumors indicate a possible brighter LED backlit screen, which could drastically improve battery life, however no official statement has been issued. Also as a bonus the new PSP can now be charged using a USB cable, though it will take 5 hours instead of 2.5 with a AC adapter. The WiFi switch and speakers have been repositioned for easier access and the IR has been removed because it was never used. One thing we didn’t like was that the UMD now literally “falls” into a slanted tray instead of using the loading mechanism which used to take in and pop out the disk.

The PSP 2000 “core package” will retail at $169 and will include only the console (black), a battery, and an AC charger. (Original PSP cost at $250 at launch.) In addition a Ice Silver PSP bundled with Daxter, a 1GB card, and a UMD movie will be available for $199 on the same day (September 10th). Retailers such as Amazon are already taking pre-orders for the PSP-2000 at no extra cost. Also in the situation that Sony drops the price before or within 30 days after launch, Amazon will refund the price difference!

Pre-Order: PSP Slim for $169 (NO TAX + FREE Shipping)
More: Ice Silver Bundle | Ceramic White StarWars Bundle