Dell is in the midst of re-organizing its array of laptop computer offerings, and on the whole, we think salespeople will like what they see. First, Dell is upgrading its venerable workhorse Latitude line - long a favorite of sales pros - by dropping the old “D” series in favor of seven new “E” models. The new Latitude E models come in several sizes, with 15.4-inch, 14.1-inch, 13.3-inch and 12-inch displays - all feature significant price-to-performance improvements such as Centrino 2-based processors optimized for mobile computing, more internal RAM and storage, and better integrated network communication options. The 13.3-inch wide E4300 and 12-inch wide E4200 are lightweight ultra-portable models, weighing a mere 3.4 pounds and 2.2 pounds, respectively. Both of these feature Latitude ON, which enables instant access to data without booting up the full operating system. Instant-on Linux-based operating-systems-on-a-chip are appearing in more mobile computer devices these days. Instead of having to wait for a full operating system, such as Windows Vista or XP, to boot up - which can take several minutes - an “instant-on” operating system allows users to get immediate access to common computer functions, such as being able to browse the Internet or retrieve files. In addition, instant-on OS extends battery life considerably - up to 19 hours, according to Dell. Dell’s Latitude E4200 and E4300 models can start up using SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 and includes a Firefox-based browser with custom email, calendar, and contacts applications, the ability to view MS Office and PDF files, and all the drivers required to make use of the laptop’s hardware. So, if you have one of these “instant-on” ultra-portables, you can jump right into browsing on the ‘net or viewing a presentation file - in seconds. However, if you want to create or edit files, you’ll have to boot up Vista or XP, both of which are huge and take several minutes to load. Dell also announced a new line of high-end laptops, dubbed the Precision brand. These are performance-oriented models featuring slicker designs and colored lids, ranging in size from the 17-inch, 15.4-inch and 14-inch widths. The M6400 17-inch model includes a massive 16 gigabytes of RAM, 1 terabyte of RAID storage, an extremely high resolution LED-backlit display, and high-end NVIDIA Quadro graphics. This is performance overkill for just about every salesperson, but if you’re into gaming during your off hours, it’s worth a close look. Dell expects to release these new models in the fall of 2008. Meanwhile, the tech blog Ubergizmo reports that Dell has ordered 1 million ultra-portable laptops from several Taiwan-based contract manufacturers. These notebook computers would be even smaller than the Latitude E ultra-portables, and will feature solid state, flash-memory drives of 4GB or 8GB - this may be the anticipated Dell Inspiron 910 (previously called the “Dell Mini-Inspiron” or the “Dell E-series”.) Dell has not officially confirmed this news, however. UPDATE: the German tech blog Eee PC News leaked photos of the new Dell Inspiron 910 netbook, now rumored to be released on August 22nd. ShareThis

A licensing bug that causes an ESX cluster to lose its VMware license, Patch Tuesday brought some important fixes, Geek Software of the Week: fwbuilder, Netflix has had problems this week, PodcastStation has been discontinued, Star Trek warp drive is a possibility, say scientists! Star Wars Geek Culture!

In this episode I discuss Steve Jobs announcement stating that the iPhone the iPhone has sold 60 Million Apps and Apple indeed does have an application kill switch. I also discuss how users have gotten the GSM version HTC Touch Diamond Pro into their hands, operating on the North American 3G bands fore a mere $900. Well, at least it's unlocked for that price!! Finally, I discuss a txt messaging survey and what the outcome was. If you would like to email me please send your messages to digitallifenowpodcast@gmail.com and check out my site and youtube page at http://digitallifenowpodcast.com. Youtube: http://Youtube.com/digitallifenow. Enjoy! (Credit, Engadget & NY Times.

This years ConvergeSouth Bloggers and New Media Conference, USB 3.0 and the new FireWire standard from the IEEE, Firefox 3.1 may directly support OGG, Geek Software of the Week: On-Line MD5 Hash Calculator, and my 20th Wedding Anniversary!

In this episode we talk about many of the issues of the iPhone 2.0 Software, Mobile Me and Apple's Choice of plastic that is making iPhone 3G models crack with normal use. Sit back and enjoy this episode. If you want to email me please contact me at digitallifenow@gmail.com and check out my site at: Http://digitallifenowpodcast.com If you would like to contact Dave, please visit his sites at: http://davidstechshow.net and http://davidpwns.com. Big thanks to Dave for recording this longly delayed and well needed episode. :-)

Mark from Reno fills us in on operating his computer repair biz and some of his tech techniques