Hasta La Gadget!

So, here’s the thing — there’s no denying that the Eee PC 1015T, based on model name alone, is brand new and heretofore unknown. But what’s really under the hood? As the story goes, this here machine was spotted lurking in the rear of ASUS‘ Computex booth, complete with a placard that informed us of its 10.1-inch glossy display (1,024 x 600), AMD V105 processor, an ATI Radeon HD 4200 series GPU, room for 4GB of DDR3 memory, 250/320/500GB hard drive, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, optional Bluetooth 3.0, a 6-cell battery and a few color options. But strangely enough, it seems as if the hard drive had been completely wiped, with only a brief boot-up screen informing us that this machine was an engineering release meant not for public use, and that NVIDIA parts were within. Hmm. In all honesty, we’re guessing that ASUS simply had to rush this particular unit out to make it before the show’s start, but we wouldn’t go placing bets either way — for all we know, the final version will get outfitted with a Core i5, Ion 2, inbuilt WiMAX and a Vmedia drive. Yeah, a Vmedia drive.

Continue reading ASUS Eee PC 1015T strolls into Computex with AMD V105… we think

ASUS Eee PC 1015T strolls into Computex with AMD V105… we think originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Jun 2010 08:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, isn’t this typical ASUS. Yet another Eee Pad, or this time an ‘EPad’ as the placard says, has shown up on the Computex show floor. While the company introduced two Eee Pads at its press conference earlier this week — the 10-inch EP101TC with NVIDIA Tegra 2 / Windows Embedded Compact 7 and the 12-inch EP121 with Intel / Windows 7 — this new 10-inch version has popped up running Windows 7 at the Intel booth. We’d be lying if we said we knew what was going on here, but to us it looks like ASUS shot out a working Windows 7 model — perhaps just to have a functioning device to display on the show floor. There’s no telling if it’s being powered by Intel’s Atom Moorestown platform or a current Menlow Z Series CPU, but the design looks very similar to that of the EP101TC. We’ve sent off an inquiry to ASUS’ PR team, but you’ll still want to check out the video after the break of a very slim slate and real live “booth babe.”

Continue reading ASUS EPad: like the EeePad, but with less ecstasy

ASUS EPad: like the EeePad, but with less ecstasy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 07:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS Xonar Xense Audio Bundle reviewed, deemed very good (and very pricey) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple is set to face some competition as Taiwanese PC makers get their iPad challengers ready. Companies such as Asus and MSI are showing Android- and Windows-based tablets that they say will be cheaper than the iPad.

At the ongoing Computex trade show in Taipei, Taiwan, Asus announced its first tablet, called the Eee Pad.

The Eee Pad has a 12-inch touchscreen display and is a “full-featured slate computer that serves as a multimedia player, e-reader, compact PC and internet device,” says the company. The Eee Pad has an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and Windows 7 operating system. The company offers a 10-inch display version of the Eee Pad.

Asus rival MSI is fieldng two tablets: One features the Windows 7 operating system and the other is powered by Google’s Android OS. The tablets, called Wind-Pad, have 10-inch screens, 2 GB of RAM and a 1.6-GHz Atom processor. The tablets will offer 3G and Wi-Fi capability. Both are expected to be available in the third quarter of the year.

“We understand that people are only willing to pay less than $500 for a tablet,” Andy Tung, vice-president of sales for MSI told Wired.com. “And because the OS is one of the biggest costs in the device, our Android tablet will be at least 20 percent cheaper than the Windows version.”

Separately, Korean company Yukyung Tech has demoed an Android tablet under the brand name Viliv. It has a 10-inch capacitive touchscreen and claims to beat the iPad at display quality. The Viliv X10 tablet has an ARM-based processor, USB port, SD card reader, Wi-Fi and 3G capability. The company hasn’t offered detailed specs or pricing for the device.

We haven’t heard about Viliv before, but it’s apparently big in Korea. The company has not said whether its X10 tablet would be available outside the country.

MSI 'Wind-Pad' Tablet

Apple’s iPad has jumpstarted the tablets category. Since it went on sale in April, at least 2 million iPads have been sold, Apple says. Not surprisingly, other PC makers have taken notice of the demand and the hype.

Dell says its 5-inch Android tablet will go on sale in the U.K. starting June 4. The Dell Streak will be free on a $36 (25 pounds) a month data contract with O2, or you’ll be able to buy it outright for $630 (429 pounds).

Consumers that buy these new crop of tablets will consider factors such as mobility and applications, says Tung.

“If you are looking at netbook-like super mobility then a Windows device will be important because you will want to do more than just surf with the tablet,” says Tung. “But if you just want a portable web device, then Android is a better choice.”

At a time when HP has reportedly given up on its Windows-powered Slate in favor of a Palm webOS-based tablet, the arrival of Windows-based tablets should be good news for Microsoft and its fans.

But Microsoft’s vision for a tablet could fall short of consumer expectations, says Michael Cherry, vice-president of research for operating systems at independent research firm Directions on Microsoft.

“Microsoft’s vision for the tablet is an extension of the laptop family,” he says. “So things you can do on a tablet are the same as what you can do on a PC. But the downside is the battery life doesn’t last beyond four hours and the device boots slowly — both of which are becoming negative attributes.”

Tung says that MSI has extended the battery life on its tablets to up to eight hours.

Ultimately, Tung says flexibility and options are what will drive tablet sales.

“Apple has a very strong app store, which helps the iPad,” he says. “But there are enough Windows- and Android-based apps out there to make our tablets attractive to consumers.”

Photos: (Masaru Kamikawa/Flickr)

See Also:

• Tablet Rumors Multiply as iPad Sales Soar
• Dell’s Tablet Aims to Stick It to Apple’s iPad
• Gallery: 8 Tablets That Aren’t Made by Apple
• E-Readers Will Survive the Onslaught of Tablets

Photo:

After 3-D movies and 3-D TVs, it’s time for computers to go into the third dimension.

Companies such as MSI and Asus will be showing 3-D PCs at Computex, a huge trade show for manufacturers of PCs and PC components held every year in Taipei, Taiwan. This year, Computex runs from June 1 to 5.

MSI plans to introduce a 24-inch 3-D net-top: a desktop computer with its internals built into the display case, similar to an iMac.

“We can run 3-D movies, games, photos and TV,” says Clifford Chun, product manager for all-in-ones and desktops at MSI, “and by just pressing a button you can switch between 2-D and 3-D modes.”

MSI’s rival Asus will debut a 3-D laptop with a 15.6-inch display and desktop similar in screen size to that from MSI. The 3-D PCs are expected to be available in the third quarter of the year.

“People may choose a 3-D PC because it is a less expensive way to get 3-D content,” says Rob Csongor, vice president of marketing for Nvidia, which makes graphics cards that power the 3-D PCs. “Companies are coming out with some beautiful devices that are going to be a higher-end product initially but they will be very attractive to consumers.”

With Hollywood’s success in films such as Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, the 3-D format has made a big comeback. And it’s not confined to just the big screen. The 3-D TV was one of the biggest stars of the Consumer Electronics Show this year. Almost every major TV maker, including Sony, LG, Panasonic and Mitsubishi, plans to offer big-screen 3-D TVs, while broadcasters such as ESPN and Discovery have promised 3-D channels by the end of the year or early next year.

Meanwhile, amateur 3-D content is taking off as consumers use 3-D cameras or homemade 3-D rigs to shoot photos. In a sign that homemade 3-D videos could soon be ready to hit mainstream, YouTube has started offering a 3-D display option.

Makers of 3-D PCs hope to step into this world. “3-D PCs are for consumers who see the 3-D stuff everywhere and wonder, ‘How can I get this home?’” says Csongor.

Close to a million 3-D PCs will ship in 2010, predicts Jon Peddie Research, and annual sales could reach 75 million by 2014 as 3-D PCs become ubiquitous.

With a powerful graphics card, most PCs are 3-D capable — in principle. But critical to the 3-D experience is a 120-Hz monitor and special glasses. PCs with 3-D have stereoscopic displays, which means their screens can present a rapidly alternating set of images for the right and the left eye so the brain can fuse them together into a single image that includes depth.

MSI’s 3-D desktop, called ‘Ripple,’ has an Intel Core i7 860 processor, an ATI Radeon HD 5730 graphics chip, 4 GB of memory, a 1-terabyte disk drive, a Blu-ray player, 1.3-megapixel webcam, and Wi-Fi capability. The 24-inch multitouch display has a refresh rate of 120 Hz and will come with its own pair of active-shutter glasses.

“With active-shutter glasses you don’t lose transparency or contrast as you do with the polarized versions,” says Chun. “We think its the best way to experience the 3-D feeling.”

If you are wondering what you will use your 3-D PC for, there’s plenty of 3-D content already out there, assures Nvidia’s Csongor. Nvidia’s graphics chips, which are embedded in Asus machines, can support any of 400 3-D-enabled video games already on the market. Of course, they can also show 3-D photos, streaming video from sports such as golf tournaments, and Blu-ray 3-D movies.

And if you get tired of all that 3-D, just switch the display back to the old-fashioned PC mode, suggest MSI’s Chun.

“Since we can move between 2-D and 3-D, you can see clear images even if you don’t wear the glasses,” says Chun. “No blurring or fuzzy images in 2-D.”

The 24-inch MSI desktop will cost $2,200 — not exactly cheap, but just a little more than what most users would pay for a high-end multimedia machine. For many, it will also be easier to buy a 3-D PC rather than a 3-D TV.

“Not everyone wants a 3-D TV when they are ready to buy their next TV,” says Csongor. “But a 3-D PC for their next laptop or desktop is something that may be willing to go for.”

See Also:

• 3-D Goes DIY With Amateur Photos, Videos
• 3-D Tabletop Display Gets Rid of the Glasses
• 4 Things That Could Keep 3-D TV Out of Your Living Room
• Why 3-D Gaming’s Future Is Still Blurry
• Wired Explains: How 3-D Television Works

Photo: (bigchus/Flickr)