This Friday is the one-year anniversary of the passing of Steve Jobs, and one of the most moving – and interesting – tributes remains the speech given by Jonathan Ive on the 19th of October, 2011, at a private Apple event. This private ceremony displayed giant images of Jobs with his own Mac computer and smiles abound, while Ive reminisced on not just the way his late associate worked, but how he thought and acted as well. It’s in this video that you’ll get another taste of Jobs’ father’s “back of the cabinet” philosophy as well.
This video goes through a wave of design-related subject matter including the power of trying, failing and persevering, the power of ideas, and more on how Jobs certainly appeared to be a human creation machine. “Bold, crazy, magnificent ideas” as well as “dopey” ideas – all of this is important in the design process, notes Ive, and Jobs understood that, he makes sure to let the crowd understand.
There’s also a few stories that’ll make you giggle. One of them includes a process that Ive went through each time he traveled with Jobs in which they’d check in to a hotel, Ive would go up to his room, and Jobs would call him up saying “hey Jonny this hotel sucks.” And then they’d go to a different hotel – but it all ties in to the narrative that Ive creates for Jobs. One of a man who at the same time didn’t assume that they’d be successful but always had faith that they’d make something great.
Take a minute (or 7 and a half) to watch the video and keep your eyes peeled for more stories about Jobs that pop up over the next few days leading up to the end of this week. Have a peek at our Apple portal as well for all the new news regarding the products left in Jobs wake.
Chipmaker AMD has announced retail availability of its new A-Series APU. This is a second generation APU aimed at DIY computer builders constructing their own desktop, small form factor, or home theater computers. AMD says that the A-Series APU offers affordable performance, discrete-level graphics, multiple cores, and fast processing.
The A-Series APU is available in multiple configurations with pricing ranging from $53-$122 depending on clock speed. One of the good things about the A-Series line is that it uses a stable socket platform with the new AMD FM2 infrastructure. That means that people who build a computer using this APU have a direct upgrade path for more performance down the road.
The A-Series APU promises more than 700 GFLOPS of computer performance at up to 4.2 GHz maximum frequency. The CPU of the A-Series is unlocked and using AMD OverDrive software users can overclock the processor to operate at up to 6.5 GHz. The CPU and GPU also both feature AMD Turbo Core 3.0 technology allowing GPU and CPU frequencies to automatically increase.
The hallmark feature of AMD APUs is the integration of a graphics core along with the CPU core. The A-Series APU features an AMD Radeon HD 7000 series GPU providing discrete-class graphics integrated into the processor. The GPU supports AMD Eyefinity Technology for multiple monitors. The integrated graphics can be leveraged when a discrete graphics card is added for a performance boost of up to 75%.
The folks at Vizio have brought forth their first serious effort in the Windows universe with a couple of notebooks and this device we’re reviewing today: the Vizio All-in-One PC. This machine has a giant, massively impressive display, wireless keyboard, trackpad, remote control, and external subwoofer that compliments the whole entertainment-ready machine quite nicely. Could it be that Vizio hit a home run their first time out in the park?
Hardware
This device comes in two iterations – there’s a 24-inch display model and a 27-inch display model, both of them with Full HD 1080p resolution under the hood. The display is, as Vizio should very well be expected to present, both extremely bright and readily sharp. The display has a 1.3 megapixel camera with microphone sitting right up top – this camera is ready to bring you basic video chat right out of the box.
The base of the computer has two SRS Premium Sound HD speakers in it, hidden from view entirely in the black bit under the silver metal top. Along with the subwoofer that sits separate from the main unit, you’ve got 2.1 sound that does not disappoint – you’ll not only have the sound you need to play games and watch videos on your own, you’ll be able to use this computer for a home entertainment system if you wish as well – it’ll definitely fill your apartment, that’s for certain.
On the back of the base of the main unit you’ve got three USB 3.0 ports, eSATA port for your external harddrives galore, and an ethernet port for wired internet. You also get two HDMI inputs so you can connect your gaming console and your cable box – or whatever other HDMI-capable devices you’ve got on hand – smartphones, tablets, anything your heart desires! The side of the base also has an SD card port, headset port (headphones and mic compatible), another USB 3.0 port, and a power button. Note the location of the power button, because if you don’t know it’s there, you’ll never be able to find it.
On that note, have a peek here at how minimalistic the design of this unit is. The only buttons you’re able to see are on the wireless keyboard and remote control – everything else is hidden. The Vizio design team took the desire of the modern market to gravitate towards Apple’s minimal silver designs and made a real effort to make it really Vizio-specific.
The keyboard presents a new look at what’s been hashed and re-hashed a thousand times over the past several years. Vizio flattened everything out, made the keys rather gigantic, and let the slight bezels between the keys be the only tactile notification that your fingers are on one key or another. The back of the keyboard – and the back of the rest of the accessories – are a soft-touch plastic so you’ll have a comfortable experience when you’re picking them up or using them on your lap.
The Wireless touchpad has a collection of multi-touch abilities that, while they’re certainly not perfectly tuned at the moment, present a high note for the future with Windows 8. With the next generation of Microsoft operating systems, this Vizio computer will be prepared with this lovely touchpad and the ability to update the software that makes it work whenever changes are needed. For those of you used to using a mouse with a desktop computer, you’ll need some getting used to with this accessory to be sure – its important to note that there’s no basic mouse included in the package – so get prepped!
The remote control or “Wireless Remote” that comes with this device is perfectly simplistic and comforting to hold and use. In combination with the other accessories and the keyboard’s ability to access online support at a single press, you’ll be good to go for whatever activities you’re hoping to do with the unit. That’s the Vizio V-Key up in the left hand corner, a single press bringing you in to Vizio’s ever-changing support webpage and guide.
The display, again, brings on 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and under the hood you’ve got a 3rd generation Intel Core processor – have a peek at the readout below this paragraph for the build information on the unit we’ve got here. You’ve also got NVIDIA GeForce dedicated graphics, NVIDIA Optimus technology included for automatic switchable graphics abilities, and a choice of build if you’re not wanting to pick up just the most basic model. You can upgrade to quad-core, decide between i3, i5, or i7 Intel Core architecture, and update your memory and hard drive as well!
Software
You’ve got Windows 7 onboard right out of the box, and you’ll be ready to go for Windows 8 whenever you’re ready to make that jump. Vizio created this device – and the rest of their first-wave party of PCs and notebooks – to be prepared for the Windows 8 wave. This is a Microsoft Signature machine – that means, and I quote, “a clean system; no bloatware, no junk, no compromises.”
If you want the software that normally comes on a PC, you’ve only to download it – you can find the vast majority of your favorites by hitting the V-key in the upper left-hand corner of your keyboard – simple! Also of course you still need a few extra bits to keep you safe from evil, so Microsoft Security Essentials comes with the system, inside to keep you safe from viruses and spyware. You’ve got 90 days of Microsoft Corp. technical support right out of the box as well.
System – VIZIO CA24
Manufacturer
Vizio
Product Type
Desktop
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Motherboard
Quanta XV1
Processor
Intel Core i5-3210M
Processor ID
GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 58 Stepping 9
Processor Frequency
2.50 GHz
Processors
1
Threads
4
Cores
2
L1 Instruction Cache
32.0 KB
L1 Data Cache
32.0 KB
L2 Cache
256 KB
L3 Cache
3.00 MB
Memory
4.00 GB DDR3 SDRAM 666MHz
FSB
99.8 MHz
BIOS
AMI 1.02
What’s interesting about the entertainment aspect of this machine is that because Vizio wanted to not only come correct with a high quality display, but a unique experience as well, they made it possible for you to use the display even when the PC isn’t turned on. You do not need to turn the whole machine on just to use the display for your 3rd party machines – game consoles, satellite boxes, and HD devices of many kinds can make use of this ability.
Performance
Have a peek at our standard benchmark results here, coming straight from your best buddy Geekbench. Note that this computer has run exceedingly well for us during the whole review process, no complaints outside the obvious odd amount of time it took to get used to the touchpad in place of a mouse. The keyboard, mouse, and wireless controller all synced up with the computer in an instant and we had no connectivity problems at all. The wireless internet connection was also a bonus, with your ability to connect via ethernet appearing just for you hardcore wire-lovers it seems.
Benchmark Score – VIZIO CA24
Section
Description
Score
Total Score
Windows x86 (64-bit) – Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Integer
Processor integer performance
6264
7654
Floating Point
Processor floating point performance
11263
Memory
Memory performance
5550
Stream
Memory bandwidth performance
4097
Wrap-up
This machine is surprisingly great. It’s only surprising that it’s great because Vizio is relatively new to the PC business – it’s not as if they’ve not been in the hardware business before, because they definitely have – but what a surprise it is to find them succeeding in their first effort in the Windows-toting universe. This machine is a perfectly legitimate all-in-one for your everyday Windows user, and as always, you’ll want to head to the store to give it a whirl before you purchase.
When you do test this machine out for yourself, pay close attention to how the monitor sits on the base, how you’re able to adjust it, and how well you like the wireless accessories. You’ll have absolutely nothing bad to say about the speaker system or the display, that’s for certain. This machine is available now in a variety of configurations, starting at around $800 – check it out!
Maingear has been around for a long time making some interesting gaming notebooks and desktop computers. The company has announced its latest gaming notebook called the Nomad 17. The company promises that the new gaming notebook has top-of-the-line mobile hardware, including third-generation Intel Core i7 processors.
The gaming notebook is also equipped with Nvidia GTX 600 series graphics. Processors available for the gaming laptop operate at up to 3.8 GHz and the machine can be fitted with 32 GB of RAM. There are a number of storage options including full-sized SSDs and RAID 0 or 1 arrays.
Maingear has an SSD caching option to speed up the machine for faster load times. The default GPU in the gaming machine is the Nvidia GeForce GTX 675M. An optional GPU is the GTX 680M for gamers wanting even more performance.
Gaming notebook also supports Nvidia Optimus technology and can switch between the discrete Nvidia GPU and the integrated Intel HD graphics as needed for performance and battery life. Connectivity options include USB 3.0 ports, USB 2.0 ports, eSATA, Bluetooth, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, HDMI output, and VGA output. The display is a 17-inch matte finish unit, and the machine has a backlit keyboard and multitouch track pad. The sound system includes dual speakers and an integrated subwoofer. Pricing starts at $1599 and can increase significantly with options.
When Microsoft has a new product they want to make perfect before release – all of their products, that is – they work with a testing model they call dogfooding. With dogfooding, they feed themselves the product, the product here being Windows 8, before they send it out as a final iteration. An update from Patrick O’Rourke of Microsoft IT revealed this week how they deployed Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10 to their staff well before they did to the general public to test the builds in real world situation on the regular.
With this update we learn that Microsoft is confident enough in their products to test them on their own staff – that’s something that not just Microsoft does, but it does instill a sense of confidence and trust no matter who says it. They noted that they also used a forum called “//pointers” for early adopters which thrived due to users who not only wanted to get help working with Windows 8, but wanted to help others in the online community as well. With a release like this based even in part on a community that’s willing to help itself, Microsoft has a winner on its hands.
It was reiterated that some of the most important points that were tested again and again nearly endlessly were Security, User Experience, and Support. The support element appeared to never have been a problem as not just Microsoft was able to work easily with early adopters, but early adopters were able to easily help one another as the software was tested. The user experience was pushed from the installation process to the assurance of software compliance to data migration – and that’s all right at the start of the experience.
Microsoft has been clear that they mean business in security with Windows 8 with Trusted Boot – made in an effort to protect the boot process specifically from malware. DirectAccess has been updated with validation of virtual smart cards using Trusted Platform Module chips – complicated stuff – and Measured Boot for the testing of the health of any Windows 8 machine at startup. BitLocker is also at the center of the security world in Windows 8, with a new feature called Network Key Protector Unlock able to unlock a drive when the machine you’re suing is plugged into your corporate network.
Business owners should here be confident that their adoption of Windows 8 across their network will have a massive amount of support both inside the software and from Microsoft itself right from the start. This news bit was made more to assure IT users that they’ve tasted the food first before they send it to the restaurant, so to speak, and that it’s more than safe – it’s tasty.
In theory, Apple’s AirPlay technology is great – effortless mirroring or streaming to media players from an Apple device. But in reality, AirPlay is severely limited by a couple of factors. It’s only compatible with a handful of media players – including the AppleTV – and it needs an Wi-Fi connection to work. Which is why I think the AirBridge is going to be a massive hit.
The AirBridge is primarily made of three things: an adapter that plugs into iOS devices, an app, and a receiver with HDMI, VGA, 3.5mm aux and USB inputs. With the AirBridge you can do everything you can do with AirPlay compatible devices – stream videos, music and pictures, mirror your screen, play games on a bigger display – but that’s not all. The AirBridge can also stream content from one iOS device to up to 10 iOS devices at once, and allows those with the app to upload and share files with each other straight from and to their iOS devices.
The AirBridge does all of this without the need for an Internet connection. And since it works with any device with an HDMI, VGA or USB port, it’s compatibility far exceeds that of AirPlay. It also has a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 3 hours, so you can have a totally wireless setup for a good amount of time, enough for meetings or parties.
Pledge at least $99 (USD) on its Kickstarter fundraiser to be the first to own an AirBridge. It will be available in two models – the high end AirBridge Pro ($125) does all of the above, while the AirBridge Lite ($99) lacks the VGA and USB ports and won’t be able to stream between iOS devices.
Likewise, the AirBridge app will also come in a free and a $3.99 (USD) version. The $3.99 version has support for more file sharing services and has no size limit on file sharing, while the free version has a 10MB limit but is good enough if you just want to stream media. I really hope it goes into production and I can’t wait to get my hands on an AirBridge.
It’s always good to hear that the most famous face of the company that’s pushing a brand new operating system does think that it’ll be successful – thus is the situation with Bill Gates and Microsoft’s own Window 8 this week. In an interview given with the Associated Press, Gates spoke primarily on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s role in a new global campaign to eradicate polio, but as the conversation inevitably touched on the newest operating system to be offered up by the company that made him successful, Gates let it be known that Windows 8 will be great. Gates noted that he was already using Windows 8 regularly and that he was “very pleased with it.”
According to Gates, “hardware partners are doing great things to take advantage of the features [in Windows 8]” and that “it’ll be a big deal.” With the new version of Windows hitting shelves in late October and press events leading up to that date hitting left and right, everyone in the software and hardware world is getting pumped up about the touch-friendly operating system. Earlier today Intel held a press conference showing off a new processor (ATOM X2760) tuned specifically for Windows 8 devices.
Speaking on how the operating system compares to the previous systems that’ve been released for PCs from Microsoft, Gates let it be known that Windows 8 is indeed “a very exciting new product” and generally appeared to be ready to praise it from top to bottom. This bodes well for the company whose “Windows & Windows Live” division brought in 27 percent ($19 billion USD) of Microsoft’s total $69.9 billion in annual revenue in 2011.
Check out a selection of important Windows 8 stories and important bits we’ve collected recently in the timeline below. Note that Windows 8 will be appearing on a large cross-section of PCs, notebooks, tablets, and cross-overs at the end of October, and that Microsoft already has pre-release builds available for users to try right this minute. Let us know if you’re pumped up to use the next generation in Microsoft wares!
This morning it’s time to jump on in to games and the innards of devices, and don’t forget the fabulous newness of HiddenRadio, a device we’ve just added a review of up in the last 24 hours and that’s not quite for sale yet – soon! You’ll be interested to hear why Apple ditched Google Maps – it has to do with navigation – surprise! It’s time to break on through to the undead side with Black Ops II Zombie mode now in a brand new first ever gameplay-included preview video.
Kingston has revealed a set of new high capacity SDXC memory cards for your camera and whatnot, and they’re inexpensive. There’s now a cargo ship stuck to the International Space Station because of a glitch – woopsie. The LG Optimus Vu II has been revealed for battle as the Galaxy Note II hits the USA.
The world’s thinnest external hard drive has been revealed by ADATA. Element 113 ununtrium has been synthesized by scientists in Japan. The Jaguar F-TYPE has been revealed for $96,000 USD. Libratone Zipp is a lovely new AirPlay speaker made for the mobile universe.
It’s time for Mass Effect Trilogy action for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the PC. The next generation of Mifi hotspots has been revealed in the Liberate with AT&T 4G LTE, complete with a 2.8-inch multitouch display. Google’s Eric Schmidt has made it clear that they feel that they innovate while Apple works as a patent troll. Rovio of Angry Birds fame has released Bad Piggies for iOS, Android, PC, and Mac all at once. iPhone 5 Street View is just two weeks away.
Sure, Thunderbolt is fast, but there aren’t many devices that you can buy that work with it, leaving Apple fanboys crying in their closets. LaCie has released a new Thunderbolt-compatible portable drive, that uses a speedy solid-state drive for that extra special cherry on top. It also supports USB 3.0 for PC users.
The LaCie Rugged drive comes in three versions. The 120 GB SSD sells for $199(USD), the 256 GB SSD sells for $349 and there’s a 1 TB 5400 RPM drive for $249. The prices aren’t that bad, especially for SSDs. LaCie claims a top speed of 380 MB/s for the SSDs, which seems a bit dubious. Currently, the fastest USB 3.0 external SSD transfers at 195 MB/s. If the claims are accurate, then this will be a blindingly fast external drive.
The drive is MIL-compliant to handle shock and drops from up to about 4 feet, so it should be fine if you drop it off your desk or out of your backpack. Though a SSD might hold up to much more severe drops. Just don’t try dropping the hard disk based model out of an airplane any time soon.
Panasonic offers a line of semi-rugged and fully rugged notebook computers called Toughbooks. The company has announced that it has upgraded its semi-rugged Toughbook 53 notebook computer with some new hardware features. The update promises to make the notebook more reliable and improve performance.
Panasonic aims these notebooks at many mobile markets, including construction, military, and insurance. These machines are aimed at any market where a normal computer wouldn’t be able to survive. The main upgrade to the Toughbook 53 computer is the availability of an Intel Core i5-3320M vPro processor running at 3.3 GHz.
That particular processor has a 3 MB cache and features Intel Turbo Boost Technology. Panasonic also expanded storage options with up to 500 GB, 7200 RPM hard drives. The machine can also be optioned with 4 to 8 GB of RAM.
Several new storage options are available, including 128 GB, 256 GB, or 512 GB SSDs. The notebook now has two USB 3.0 ports and improved battery life with up to 11 hours of use per charge. The machine also has an optional integrated GPS receiver accurate within 5 m and optional integrated RFID and smartcard readers. The machine features the same 14-inch LED backlit display designed to be readable in sunlight and has integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and optional mobile broadband connectivity.
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