Hasta La Gadget!

There are tons of cloud storage solutions to choose from. Dropbox, Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft all have their own solution, and if you think there are already enough cloud storage solutions to go around, Intel thinks you’re wrong. The company is introducing its own cloud storage service with the announcement of Atom-based storage solutions aimed towards both consumers and small businesses.

The devices are essentially network-attached storage devices (NAS) that are powered by the Intel Atom D2550 or D2500 processors, depending on which NAS device you get. These NAS boxes can be used for securing, backing up and sharing content through the cloud. Companies like Asustor, QNAP, and Thecus are planning to build NAS devices that come equipped with Intel Atom processors.

Intel is marketing these platforms as a way for small businesses and even consumers to manage the “ongoing, real-time growth of storage demands.” These Atom-based storage systems will have multimedia capabilities and will support McAfee AntiVirus and VirusScan. You’ll also be able to access the cloud data through a web browser, on a mobile device, or any other desktop or laptop computer.

Intel is focusing on protection and privacy with these new NAS devices, and is citing these factors as the two biggest concerns for consumers and businesses. They plan on including automated backup functionality, as well as the ability to share files with other users safely and privately.

Intel announces Atom-based storage platform for businesses and consumers is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Remember those hazy days of summer when HP ran an ad during the Olympics, slipped in a a shot of an unannounced tablet and thought we wouldn’t notice? (P’shaw!) Well, you can finally lay your speculation to rest, as HP just formally unveiled the mystery tab, along with a slew of accessories. It’s called the ElitePad 900 and, as rumored, it’s a 10-inch Windows 8 slate meant for business users, with features like pen input, drive encryption and optional 3G / 4G.

Like HP’s high-end EliteBook laptops, the ElitePad has a premium look, marked by a machined aluminum back cover and 400-nit IPS display coated in Gorilla Glass. Also similar to the EliteBooks, it meets the military’s MIL-spec 810G durability requirements, and can withstand three-foot drops, among other accidents. All told, it weighs 1.5 pounds and measures 9.2mm thick. Going by weight, that’s more along the lines of what you’d expect from a larger, 11-inch tablet, but 1.5 pounds is still manageable, especially considering how armored this thing is.

On the inside, it runs an Atom-based Intel Clover Trail processor, buffered by up to 2GB of RAM. Like so many other systems with this kind of chip, it promises about 10 hours of runtime — a clear improvement over similar devices packing Core i5 CPUs. Storage-wise, you’ll have your choice between a 32 or 64GB SSD. The screen has a resolution of 1,280 x 800, making it the one feature likely to disappoint power users. Take a tour around the device and you’ll find an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1080p shooter up front for video chats. Hidden behind a service door on the back are two slots: one for microSD cards, and another for 3G / 4G SIMs.

And how ’bout those accessories? In addition to the tablet, HP will be selling two so-called SmartJackets, cases that do a little more than just shield the device from wear and tear. One of them, for instance, has two USB ports, HDMI output, a full-size memory card slot and room for an optional battery slice. That battery, by the way, has a capacity of about eight hours, so while the case does add some heft it could be worth it if you need a PC that will last through a flight from New York to Tokyo. As for the second case, its defining feature is a built-in keyboard, which plugs directly into the tablet.

Though HP announced the ElitePad 900 today, the tablet won’t go on sale here in the US until January. Hopefully we’ll also get a final price as we get closer to that launch date. Luckily, we’ve already gotten a chance to play with it, so meet us after the break for hands-on photos and a short walk-through video detailing our first impressions.

Continue reading HP announces the ElitePad 900, a business-friendly Windows 8 tablet arriving in January

Filed under: Tablets, HP

HP announces the ElitePad 900, a business-friendly Windows 8 tablet arriving in January originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google’s Chrome for Android browser has been updated to run on x86 processors, meaning Intel Medfield powered smartphones like Motorola’s RAZR i now play nicely with the app. Unveiled earlier this month, and set to go on sale in October, the RAZR i arrived with a few gaps in its software support, most notably the fact that Chrome wasn’t compatible with non-ARM processors.

That’s been fixed now, meaning RAZR i owners will have a choice of browsers when the smartphone hits shelves. It also means that existing Medfield-based phones – such as the Orange San Diego – can now use the app too, and since Intel is hoping to push the Atom chip as much as possible to Android phone and tablet manufacturers, it paves the way for more devices too.

The new Chrome for Android also includes various bugfixes and stability improvements, as well as some fixes to make third-party IMEs work better. It adds YouTube video controls to full-screen playback mode, and videos now continue playing after the phone has been locked and then unlocked.

There’s also location preference integrated at the system level. You can download Chrome for Android from Google Play, and find more on the RAZR i in our full hands-on.

Chrome for Android updated for x86: Plays nicely with Medfield RAZR i is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Intel’s curious decision to shun the US and release Medfield-powered smartphones in India, China, Russia and the UK might be because of those countries’ underdeveloped levels of LTE. Marketing chief Sumeet Syal told TechCrunch that its current-generation x86 system-on-chip won’t support the standard, but a modem solution will arrive at the end of the year — with production ramping up in 2013. He also let slip to the site that a replacement dual-core platform will arrive shortly, claiming they’ll benefit from Intel’s hyper threading know-how. Syal said that Santa Clara is “comfortable” with its progress just months after entering the smartphone space but declined to discuss numbers — for which we’ll have to wait for the Q3 earnings call in October to find out how well (or not) Intel’s mobile ambitions are going.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Intel reveals Quad-Core, LTE-capable mobile chips are on the way originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 07:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intel has announced a pre-Microsoft Windows 8 tablet event later in September, gathering together a clutch of manufacturers to discuss new hardware and its upcoming Atom chips. Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and ZTE are all among the attendees, with ZTE being particularly notable as the only company of the group yet to officially announce Windows 8 intentions.

The most obvious plan for the company, which is so far better known for its phones, might be a Windows RT tablet. That would slot more readily into ZTE’s line-up, alongside its rumored Windows Phone 8 device which was teased earlier this week. However, it would also fail to fit with Intel’s CPU strategy, which will be powering full Windows 8 machines.

As for Intel’s new Atom Clover Trail, that’s part of Intel’s increased focus on mobility computing as it struggles to catch up with ARM-based chipsets. The company unveiled a 2GHz smartphone with Motorola yesterday, the RAZR i, though previous Intel-based handsets have yet to make a significant impact on the market.

We’ll know more on September 27, when Intel gathers together press and manufacturers together in the warm, loving huddle of a new technology showcase. Microsoft itself is expected to officially launch Windows 8 on October 25.

Intel Windows 8 tablet event on Sept 27 sees HP, Samsung and ZTE on the agenda is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.