Unitcom is bringing you their newest desktop PC, the Lesance DT S3544-SSD/GT630. Specs-wise, the system features a 3.20GHz Intel Core i5-3470 (4-core) processor, an Intel B75 Express Chipset, a GeForce GT 630 1GB graphics card, a 4GB DDR3 RAM, a 120GB SSD (Intel 330), a 1TB hard drive, a DVD Super Multi Drive, a 450W power supply and runs on Windows 8 64-bit OS. Price itself is set at 69,980 Yen (about $876). [Product Page]
We just had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with MSI’s latest creation, the S20 Slidebook. This ultra light (2.3 pounds / 1kg) and thin (0.78-inches / 19.8mm) convertible Ultrabook runs Windows 8 (of course) and packs by an Intel Core i5 processor (Ivy Bridge) paired with 4GB RAM and a 128GB mSATA SSD. It’s made of white plastic and a silver magnesium allow with plastic antenna covers for the built-in WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooh and WiDi radios.
Take a look at the gallery below and stay tuned for our first impressions and video.
Developing…
Continue reading Hands-on with MSI’s S20 Slidebook Windows 8 convertible Ultrabook (update: video)
Hands-on with MSI’s S20 Slidebook Windows 8 convertible Ultrabook (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We just got more hands-on time with MSI’s S20 Slidebook, which we first spotted at Computex 2012. This ultra light (2.3 pounds / 1kg) and thin (0.78-inches / 19.8mm) convertible Ultrabook runs Windows 8 (naturally) and packs an Intel Core i5 processor (Ivy Bridge), 4GB RAM and a 128GB mSATA SSD. In front, there’s a gorgeous 11.6-inch 1920×1080-pixel IPS display with a 10-point capacitive multitouch layer plus an HD front-facing camera. A glossy white plastic bezel surrounds the glass panel and incorporates the MSI logo and the Windows button. The back cover is made of a silver magnesium alloy with matching plastic antenna covers for the built-in WiFi b/g/n, WiDi and Bluetooth 4.0 radios. Most of the ports are on the right edge along with the power / lock key and LED indicators — this includes the power input, a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, a mini-HDMI output and a pair of USB 3.0 connectors. You’ll find a gigabit Ethernet port on the left side plus an SD card reader, orientation lock button and volume rocker in back.
Of course, what sets the S20 apart is its ability to switch instantly from a tablet into a usable laptop. The screen slides up and tilts forward to reveal a chiclet keyboard with excellent key travel and decent spacing. You’re not limited to any specific angle here — the display is fully adjustable from flat to almost perpendicular with the keyboard. The sealed 3-cell 3900mAh battery is rated for 7 hours of continuous operation. We spent several minutes using the Slidebook and came away pretty impressed — it’s incredibly light for its size, the screen is bright and crisp, and the keyboard is comfortable. Even in prototype form, performance and build-quality are top-notch. MSI plans to make its convertible Ultrabook available late November for $1,099 through major US retailers both online and in stores. The company expects to sell other configurations in other markets as well. Take a look at our gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video.
Hands-on with MSI’s S20 Slidebook, a $1,099 Windows 8 convertible Ultrabook (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mobilicity’s much-needed 21Mbps network upgrade may be almost at hand… with a catch. A leak to MobileSyrup reportedly has the HSPA+ network arriving sometime next week in tandem with an $80 Huawei E366 USB modem to exploit the new speeds. However, the Canadian carrier might just slap an asterisk on the end of that “unlimited” tag it’s been using so far. Current customers may be relegated to a Basic Unlimited Data tier where any use past 6GB is potentially throttled; anyone needing full speed beyond that would have to either slap on a $20 Premium Data add-on or switch outright to a comprehensive $50 data plan, with both plans bumping the ceiling to 20GB. The two could remain better deals than for the major carriers, at least if you don’t mind eschewing LTE. Nonetheless, any truth to the offerings might take away one more choice for truly unlimited data in the True North.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Tip has Mobilicity’s 21Mbps HSPA+ network going live next week with throttling after 6GB originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Moments ago in Apple’s earnings call, Tim Cook uttered something that is, frankly, stunning in its obliviousness: More »
The downside to compact, energy efficient vehicles is their lack of cargo space. But designers around the world are hard at work ensuring that doesn’t inhibit your ability to properly furnish your home. Like Carl de Smet who created this comfy foam lounger that smooshes down to a flat block that’s five percent of its original size. More »
Europe is a key market for Apple. Last quarter it remained the second-highest revenue generating region after the U.S. Yet it’s an increasingly challenging market, yielding the lowest growth of any region for Cupertino in its Q3. And for smartphones at least, it’s also a market firmly in thrall to Google’s Android OS (not that Apple would put it that way). In its Q4 earnings today, Apple reported total revenues of $8,023 billion in Europe for Q4, down three percent on the previous quarter. Total revenues in the region were up eight percent year-on-year, but sales of Macs were down three percent.
The iPhone 5 launched in the U.S. during Apple’s Q4 — but Apple does not break out iPhone (or iPad) sales by region. Cook also noted that: ”We launched iPhone 5 in the US during the quarter, and while we launched in some international countries in the bulk of the world we did not launch in and so I would have expect to have seen more significant growth in the US vs the rest of the world.”
In contrast to tough times in Europe, Cook lauded a “really phenomenal” quarter in China during the Q4 earnings call, with full year revenue $22.8bn — up over $10bn year-on-year. He said Greater China “now represents about 15 percent of Apple for the fiscal year”.
In its Q3 earnings, Cupertino blamed the tough macro-economic situation in Europe for softening demand for its products and leading to “essentially flat” sales — indeed, it blamed the region for a rare miss against Wall Street expectations in Q3, along with speculation about forthcoming products (ie the iPhone 5). France, Greece and Italy were singled out as being “particularly poor” during the quarter, while Germany saw “only single digital positive growth” in Q3. The U.K. bucked the trend, delivering “solid” 13 percent growth.
Google’s Android OS is making life increasingly difficult for Apple in Europe. In its most recent report from September, market research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech (KWC), which tracks 12-week smartphone buying patterns, reported that Android had increased its share in Europe by a fifth (20.2 percent) in the past year — to gain more than two-thirds of the smartphone market. Android OEMs such as Samsung have driven sales by building phones with larger screen sizes than the iPhone, such as the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy SIII. KWC noted that 29 percent of the Android devices sold in the 12 weeks prior to its report had a screen size of more than 4.5 inches.
During its fiscal Q4 Apple launched an iPhone with a larger screen — 4 inches vs 3.5 inches — and announced a smaller version of its iPad tablet as it seeks to squeeze demand for Android phablets.
In additional European Apple news, the company appears to have quietly raised the price of App Store apps in select European countries. TheNextWeb is reporting it has shifted the base price of apps from €0.79 to €0.89 in countries including Belgium, Italy, Denmark and the Netherlands. We’ve reached out to Apple for comment on the price rise and will update this story with any response.
[Image: C.G.P. Grey]
Apple has issued its earnings report for quarter 4 of its fiscal year, and things are looking pretty solid heading into the holiday shopping season. The company reported a revenue of a whopping $36 billion, which is a pretty significant boost over the $28.3 billion in revenue Apple made in the same quarter last year. The company’s net profit came in at $8.2 billion, which is again up year-over-year from $6.6 billion.
That $8.2 billion in net profit equates to an earnings per diluted share of $8.67, which actually fell a bit short of analyst expectations of $8.81. Interestingly, while EPS came in below analyst expectations, revenue did not. Analysts expected Apple’s revenue for the quarter to settle at $35.8 billion, so Apple managed to slightly beat those predictions.
Where Apple really shined last quarter was with iPhone sales, which were up a ridiculous 58% to 26.9 million. The iPhone 5 certainly helped boost that number, even though the device launched with only 9 days left to go in the quarter that ended on September 30. Apple sold 16 million iPads last quarter, along with 4.9 million Macs and 5.5 million iPods. The sales for iPads, Macs, and iPods came in just under analyst expectations, while iPhone sales managed to exceed predictions.
Apple also trimmed its profit forecast for Q1 a little bit, despite the fact that it’ll be the biggest quarter of the year for the company. Whereas before the company expecting to report a revenue of $55 billion and an earnings per share of $15.49, Apple is now expecting a revenue of $52 billion with an earnings per share of $11.75. Of course, making $52 billion in a single quarter is still insane, so we doubt Apple will be hurting too much when it comes time to report results for Q1.
As an aside, Tim Cook was asked during today’s financial call what he thought of Microsoft Surface, the new Windows RT tablet that’s primed and ready to launch. Cook said that he thinks Surface is “a fairly compromised confusing product,” and that he was confident consumers would still opt for an iPad after seeing all of the competition that’s about to hit store shelves. We’ll see if that’s the case soon enough, as a ton of tablets – including the iPad Mini – will be launching in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.
Apple Q4 earnings report issued, Cook sounds off on Surface is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
A Berkeley Lab research team in California has successfully restored a 134 year-old audio recording. The historic audio was originally captured in 1878 by a phonograph designed by Thomas Edison, which consisted of a cylinder wrapped in tinfoil that used a stylus to record sound on the surface of the material. Due to the foil’s frailty, recordings were only good for a few playbacks on Edison’s phonograph. To restore this century-old mixtape, the research team created a 3D model of the grooves in the foil and ran it through a software that recreated the original audio track. As for the great mystery of the recording’s contents, it’s a 23-second horn instrumental followed by what is believed to be political writer Thomas Mason reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb and Old Mother Hubbard. Using modern technology for playback, the restored recording is set to have a listening party this week at the Museum of Innovation and Science in New York.
Update: For audio samples from the project, hit the coverage link below.
[Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Brady-Handy Photograph Collection]
Filed under: Misc, Science, Alt
Auto-tune this! Research team restores 134 year-old audio recording (update: audio links) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
In addition to the massive takeover of a fabulous 39 digital boards with one massive Windows 8 Start Screen later tonight, Microsoft has made it’s play for the very center of Times Square with a hands-on experience for the public. Each of Microsoft’s major manufacturing partners was invited to bring their own wares to what’s essentially the most highly-visible showroom floor in the world, with anyone and everyone invited in to take a peek at the wares starting here at the launch of Windows 8. This presentation adds to the already unique display the company (and companies, as it were) has made for the press and the public in an effort to create a winning atmosphere for the birth of the newly released operating system.
You’ll see many of the devices on tables here that were given final details over the past few weeks. These devices come from Acer, ASUS, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Samsung, Sony, and Lenovo, and can be found in run-downs galore throughout our Windows 8 portal. Microsoft is making an effort also to differentiate between the coverage and attention they give to their 3rd party partners and their own Surface tablets, giving them both their own space and a completely separate presentation at the main Windows 8 release event for the press.
The actual launch of Windows 8 takes place on October 26th, with the switchover from the advertisements you see above and below on boards galore to Microsoft’s own Start Screen, one by one, right as the operating system is available for the world to purchase at midnight. Of course global availability doesn’t chime at the same moment around the planet, but in New York City, there is but one moment when Microsoft jumps head-first into the future.
Also included in the Microsoft bid for attention in New York City is an art-like presentation on Pier 57, it being a city of Windows 8 products in a color-splashed white city, each of them able to be viewed and in some cases available for hands-on action as well. This public display is advertised throughout the city and on the web for the public to head over and see for several weeks.
If these presentations are any indication, Microsoft is not about to let this release go unnoticed. With their very future in the balance with this very major release of their next-generation operating system, they’re not going to risk that the entire universe doesn’t at least know that Windows 8 exists – and with hands-on experiences here and there and everywhere, they’re going to make sure you can get every chance possible to touch it too – then buy it, of course.
Microsoft creates massive Windows 8 showroom in center of Times Square is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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