Hasta La Gadget!

When it comes to having a notebook, there is one particularly important aspect that many people look at – and that would be the battery life. Of course, sacrifices must be made – not only in terms of battery life but design and portability as well, so it is always a careful balancing act that one has to perform whenever one is on the go. Well, the latest iteration of the Panasonic Toughbook CF-C2 is said to carry a battery life of 14 hours, which can be attributed to the processor upgrade within that will now feature an Intel Haswell-based Core i5-4300U vPro 2.9GHz processor alongside Intel HD 4400 graphics.

The 14 hour battery life is an increase of approximately 3 hours from the original, while those who do not find any joy in using Windows 8.1 will be able to have the option of downgrading to Windows 7 Pro. As for the front webcam, it has received an upgrade to touch 1.2-megapixels alongside seeing the inclusion of a microphone, not to mention having multi-carrier LTE modem support thrown into the mix as well. The Toughbook CF-C2 will arrive in 128GB and 256GB SSD options, with prices starting from $1,999 depending on the configuration. Any takers for the updated Panasonic Toughbook CF-C2?

Panasonic Toughbook CF-C2 Battery Life Increases To 14 Hours original content from Ubergizmo.

Ever wondered just how much richer we are all off thanks to Google’s Street View? In fact, it is less than a week ago when we brought you a story on how Google’s Street View would bring us to more than 65 airports and train stations, giving you a look at places that you might never step in throughout your entire life. Well, this time around, here we are with news of the first ever Google Street View of Santa’s Grotto.

As with other Street View adventures, this particular one would bring you on a very special virtual tour of one of Notcutts’ 18 UK garden centres into the Grotto, where you will also have the privilege of being greeted by Father Christmas. Notcutts believe that they are also the first to use Google Street Map technology so that just about anyone with a decent Internet connection will be able to check out the Santa Grotto. Never mind if you think that you are going to miss Santa this year, you will still be able to check him out in his Grotto right in front of your computer. Having said that, it will be far from being there in person. How do you like the Street View of Santa’s Grotto so far?

Santa’s Grotto Gets The Google Street View Treatment original content from Ubergizmo.

Intel’s Haswell processors promise better performance and improved battery life, and results have been evident in all of the products that carry these processors. Acer and HP opted to use the Haswell processors in their Chromebooks which were unveiled earlier this year. If the latest from Taiwanese trade publication Digitimes is to be believed, both ASUS and Toshiba might go down the same road next year. Both manufacturers are expected to launch their own Intel Haswell powered Chromebooks in 2014.

According to sources cited in the report, prices of ASUS’s Chromebooks might range between $199 and $329. The first wave will include 11.6 inch and 13.3 inch models. A concrete release date is not known, but sources expect the release might happen in the first half of 2014. Toshiba too is rumored to unveil its Haswell Chromebooks next year, though the company is said to outsource production to Inventec. No expected price point or release time frame is available for Toshiba’s Chrome OS powered notebooks, it is not even known what display size the Japanese manufacturer is going to opt. At this point in time, shipment of Chromebooks account for under 5 percent of all notebook shipments, the addition of two new manufacturers and their products is likely to improve the figure.

ASUS And Toshiba Expected To Launch Intel Haswell Powered Chromebooks In 2014 original content from Ubergizmo.

It is every intention of any parent to want to see their little one grow up and succeed in life, and I guess that the same can be said for any software or hardware company to see their apps and devices be hugely successful on the market. Well, Google for one, has every intention to see Chrome apps fly, and the Internet search giant has done its fair bit in the past by throwing in better notifications, in-app payments for that added touch of convenience, and an app launcher in the browser, among others. The latest which we have heard is this – Google is looking to work on a way for the curious to try out Web Store apps without the need for any installation.

A couple of separate components are involved here, where ephemeral apps would allow you to give a Chrome app a go prior to installation, while linkable ephemeral apps would let you launch those apps directly from a hyperlink, now how about that? This would certainly make life a whole lot easier for those who do not want to go through messy installation procedures for sure. After all, only if you really want that particular app badly after giving it a go, do you go right ahead and install it for sure.

Try Out Web Store Apps Without Any Installation original content from Ubergizmo.

OCZ is a pretty popular name for those who love high end parts in their DIY desktops, but today is a rather sad day for the company that has introduced some impressive peripherals in the past. In fact, OCZ has not been on steady waters for quite some time now, having quit the DRAM business in order to focus on SSDs alone in 2011, but sad to say, OCZ has just filed for bankruptcy. Is there hope for the company to carry on, except that it will be under a whole new owner? The answer would be yes, as they have recently picked up an offer from Toshiba Corporation in order to acquire just about all of OCZ’s assets in a bankruptcy proceeding.

Of course, this particular offer from Toshiba would be in good standing only if OCZ manages to maintain its value as a company in the meantime. This is a particularly sad ending for a company which was once associated with blazing fast RAM modules as well as SSDs, but something tells us that their technology will still have descendants down the road through other routes. Hopefully there will be a budding “OCZ” somewhere down the horizon to continue carrying the flame, no? [Press Release]

OCZ Files For Bankruptcy, Toshiba Offers To Purchase Assets original content from Ubergizmo.