Jun 02
ASUS has just announced one of its most unusual products yet: a 5-in-1 device that’s a phone, tablet and PC, which runs both Windows and Android. No, really.
Jun 02
The really rather good RSS client Reeder has just received its first update for Mac since Google Rea
Posted in: Today's ChiliThe really rather good RSS client Reeder has just received its first update for Mac since Google Reader got axed. It’s available on the Mac App Store for $10.
Jun 02
What Does Rx Mean?
Posted in: Today's Chili
The phenomenon of ubiquitous prescription drugs is a relatively new experience in human history. However, its common abbreviation, ℞, has deep roots in the relatively distant (and some even claim ancient) past.
Jun 02
There has been talk of printing blood vessels for a few years, but it’s tricky to make tissue that fits the complex shapes of a human body while remaining effective. However, a research team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital may have licked that…
Jun 02
It’s been a while since we last heard about ASUS’ Transformer Pad series, so today’s announcement of two new 10.1-inch models was a nice surprise. Starting from the higher end we have the TF303CL, which not only features Intel’s 64-bit, 1.86GHz…
Jun 02
A little over a week ago, Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 3, the latest tablet that would form part of the company’s Surface lineup of Windows-based tablets. It will big enough to be considered a threat to laptops, and thin and light enough to be used as a laptop, it felt like a win-win situation. Well it looks like ASUS thinks so as well as they have recently unveiled a similar-ish sort of product as well: the ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi.
According to ASUS, they are claiming that the Transformer Book T300 Chi will be the world’s thinner 12.5-inch detachable tablet. Given its screen size and the fact that it is detachable from its keyboard, it certainly sounds like ASUS could be giving Microsoft a run for their money. The tablet will sport a 12.5-inch display with a resolution of 2,560×1,440.
The tablet will also feature “next-gen” Intel Core processors, LTE connectivity for those who want internet on the go but don’t always have access to WiFi hotspots, and a keyboard dock. Give that with its keyboard dock it only measures 14.3mm, it is pretty damn impressive. The tablet portion alone will measure a little more than half at 7.3mm, which once again is mighty impressive as far as tablets are concerned.
Unfortunately ASUS did not mention as to when we might be able to look forward to the Transformer Book T300 Chi’s release, or how much it will cost, but you can be sure we will be keeping our eyes and ears peeled for more information regarding that. In the meantime what do you guys make of this? Could it be worth your consideration, especially over the Surface Pro 3?
ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi Unveiled, Possible Surface Pro 3 Rival
, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Tablets, Asus, computex, Computex 2014,
Jun 02
Now you might recall a while back there was talks about ASUS launching a device that would be able to dual boot both Windows and Android at the same time. The devices were actually announced but according to the rumors, Google had pressured ASUS (and other OEMs) to kill off such products, since they did not appreciate having to share the same platform as Microsoft.
We’re not sure how accurate those rumors are, but it seems that ASUS has decided to announce a new product that is somewhat similar to before in the form of the ASUS Transformer Book V. If the previous rumors were true, we guess ASUS either doesn’t care about pressure from Google, or if maybe Google had relented, but either way it’s great news for consumers who want the best of both worlds.
So what kind of specs are we looking at with the Transformer Book V? Well for starters the device will feature a 12.5-inch display, and will sport a detachable keyboard dock, kind of like the earlier mentioned ASUS Transformer Book T300 Chi, although the main difference here is that the Transformer Book V will sport an Android phone that can be docked into the tablet portion, kind of the PadFone X, which will then allow the tablet to run in Android mode.
The phone portion of the device will be powered by an Intel Moorefield chip, while the dock itself will be powered by an Intel Core processor. The phone will come with 2GB of RAM, 4GB of RAM for the laptop, 64GB of storage for the phone/tablet, and 128GB for the laptop. It’s an interesting concept from ASUS, although we’re not sure how well-received it will be. ASUS did not mention how much the Transformer Book V would cost, or when it is expected to be available either.
ASUS Transformer Book V Will Run Both Windows And Android
, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Cellphones, Computers, Tablets, Asus, computex, Computex 2014,
Jun 02
It looks like at Computex 2014 this year, ASUS has a ton of new products that have just announced. Earlier we have seen the company announce the Transformer Book T300 Chi, a Surface Pro 3-like competitor, and the Transformer Book V, a highly souped up version of the PadFone X.
Now it looks like ASUS has announced the Zenbook NX500, which is a 15.6-inch Ultrabook for those who are looking for a laptop that is slim and sleek enough to be brought around with them on the go, while at the same time looking for a high-res display too. According to the Zenbook NX500’s specs, the laptop will feature a 15.6-inch display with a resolution of 3,840×2,160, which is mighty impressive.
The laptop will be powered by an Intel Core-i7 processor and will also come with an NVIDIA GTX 850M GPU with 2GB of VRAM, which manages to fit inside the relatively thin and slim profile of the laptop. It will also come with 16GB of RAM, so for those who want to get some gaming done while on the go, it sounds like the Zenbook NX500 is more than up to the task of doing so.
The Zenbook NX500 will also feature titanium-film speakers and SonicMaster audio technology. It will also incorporate ICEpower, Bang & Olufsen’s technology, so you can expect the laptop to feature some pretty decent audio quality, at least significantly better than what you might expect from laptops. Pricing will depend on the specs you choose for the laptop, but ASUS has not mentioned just how much, or when the Zenbook NX500 will be available from.
ASUS Zenbook NX500 Ultrabook With 4K Display Announced
, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Computers, Asus, computex, Computex 2014,
Jun 02
The way Google sees it, the more people who can access the internet, the more money it can potentially make, since those individuals are potential Google customers who might sign up for Google’s services and use their search engines. This is why Google’s Project Loon is not such a far-fetched concept, which is to provide internet access to as many parts of the world as possible.
Well it looks like Google could be taking things to the next level with their “internet for the world” project, at least according to The Wall Street Journal’s sources who has revealed to the publication that Google will be investing a whopping $1 billion into 180 small, high-capacity satellites that will orbit the earth and connect people to the internet, or at least that’s the plan.
These satellites will be low-orbiting, as opposed to more traditional satellites, and should offer up a great degree of coverage compared to Project Loon, which uses hot air balloons. Evidence of Google’s interest in satellites has been discovered via the hiring of engineers from satellite company, Space Systems/Loral LLC, according to a person who is familiar with the hiring initiative.
While Google is expected to pump $1 billion into their new project, it has been estimated that the entire project itself could run Google $3 billion, but then again we doubt that will be an issue for the company. It’s an admittedly ambitious project, although we’re not sure if foreign governments and internet service providers will be pleased with Google’s intrusion into their air space and markets, but what say you?
Google Rumored To Invest $1bn In Satellites
, original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in General, Rumors, Google,
Jun 02
Bowe Bergdahl Trade: Afghan Government Protests U.S. Deal To Exchange POW For Taliban Prisoners
Posted in: Today's ChiliKABUL, June 2 (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s government protested against a U.S. deal to free five high-ranking Taliban militants in exchange for a U.S. soldier arguing the transfer of the men from a Guantanamo Bay jail to Qatar violated international law.
The five prisoners were flown to Qatar on Sunday as part of the agreement to release Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, the only known U.S. prisoner of war in Afghanistan, held captive for five years. Bergdahl was flown out of Afghanistan to a military hospital in Germany on Sunday.
The prisoner swap has stoked anger in Afghanistan, where many view the deal as a further sign of a U.S. desire to disengage from Afghanistan as quickly as possible. Washington has mapped out a plan to fully withdraw all of its troops by the end of 2016.
“No government can transfer citizens of a country to a third country as prisoners,” the Afghan Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement issued late on Sunday.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was excluded from the deal to avoid leaks according to the U.S. government, has not commented on the prisoner swap, although the foreign ministry statement was emailed from his media office.
Karzai, who is due to step down as leader later this year, has been fiercely critical of the U.S. administration in recent years, and the prisoner swap will only serve to deepen the distrust between the sides.
Under the terms of the deal cut by Qatari intermediaries, the five Taliban detainees were released from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where they had been held since it opened in 2002, and flown to Qatar where they must stay for a year.
Senior officials at the Afghan intelligence agency say they believe the men will return to the battlefield and bolster the insurgency just as most foreign combat troops prepare to exit by the end of this year.
All five prisoners were classed as “high-risk” and “likely to pose a threat” by the Pentagon and held senior positions in the Taliban regime before it was topped by a U.S. led coalition in 2001.
At least two of them are suspected of committing war-crimes, including the murder of thousands of Afghan Shi’ites, according to leaked U.S. military cables.
REPUBLICANS CRITICAL OF DEAL
The swap has similarly drawn protest from U.S. Republican politicians who have called it negotiating with terrorists and warned the freed men will likely return to battle.
While Bergdahl’s released on Saturday was celebrated by his family and his hometown, and could be seen as a coup for President Barack Obama as he winds down America’s longest war, Senator John McCain and other Republicans questioned whether the administration had acted properly in releasing the militants.
“These are the highest high-risk people. Others that we have released have gone back into the fight,” said McCain, a former prisoner of war and Vietnam War veteran.
“That’s been documented. So it’s disturbing to me that the Taliban are the ones that named the people to be released.” he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
As the Obama administration sought to counter the criticism, Bergdahl was flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for medical treatment. After receiving care he would be transferred to another facility in San Antonio, Texas, U.S. defense officials said, without giving a date for his return to the United States.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he hoped the exchange might lead to breakthroughs in reconciliation with the militants and rejected accusations from Republicans that it resulted from negotiations with terrorists, saying the swap had been worked out by the government of Qatar.
(Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
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