Hasta La Gadget!

If there were one PC we’ve seen thus far from the HP collection bringing on Windows 8 with touchscreen capabilities that we’d call the king, it’d be the HP SpectreONE. This machine is the most expensive of the all-in-one designs HP is offering up here at the start of the Windows 8 generation of PCs, and with its 23-inch flush glass display and 3rd generation Intel Core processor options, not to mention it’s lovely and sleek looking body, there’s no stopping it. This device will not, on the other hand, be launching with the rest of the October wave of devices – it’s coming in November.

You’ll find that this beast keeps the Spectre brand name hot with NFC technology to tap your devices together and share media wirelessly and utterly simply. You’ve got many of the same features the rest of this newest HP wave of machines have such as Beats Audio for enhanced sound. And HP Connected Remote, Photo, and Music are included as well – HP is presenting an experience here both in hardware and software, with HP technology making a unique experience for you both outside and in.

You’ll get the computer itself along with a wireless multi-touch touchpad and a keyboard inside the box. With what may very well be a giant step forward for how we use PCs in general, HP has opted out of including a wireless mouse in the package you’ll be getting when you purchase the HP SpectreONE. The true test is at hand – can we bring the desktop world into the universe our notebook-loving hands have been working with for quite a few years already?

UPDATE: HP informs us that there WILL be a mouse in the package now. Good for you traditionalists!

HP might be taking a gamble here – even if it is a tiny one. If you want a mouse, you can buy one for next to nothing, after all – even a wireless mouse doesn’t cost a pretty penny if you know where to look. However, it’s the thought that counts. HP has thrown the mouse out the window here, and with it goes the last component that did not look flat. Now with the HP SpectreONE, HP can present a package that is, indeed, working with basically all flat hardware – and you’re going to love it.

This beast will be appearing on November 14th for a starting price of $1,299 USD MSRP – that’s an expected price and release date, of course, we’ll have to wait a bit longer for the final word on that. You can start saving up now though, no harm in that! Have a peek at our HP tag portal to see the rest of HP’s new Windows 8 machine offerings from start to finish – great stuff on the horizon!

HP SpectreONE all-in-one PC brings trackpad-centric experience to Windows 8 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of keyboards which don’t have physical keys, but if given the choice between a virtual full-size keyboard and the tiny virtual keys on the touchscreen of my smartphone, I’ll go with the bigger keys.

Laser virtual keyboards have been around for a few years now, but they’ve always been a bit of a pain to carry around in addition to your gadgets. Now, there’s an updated version of the virtual keyboard that’s small enough to tote on your keychain, and at a lower price than previous models.

The new keychain virtual keyboard turns any flat surface into a keyboard for your smartphone or tablet. The device pairs using Bluetooth, so it should work with any gadget that supports the wireless standard. The laser keyboard runs on a rechargeable Li-ion battery, which can be juiced up through the included USB cable.

While I’m not sure it really adds much value beyond the keyboard built into larger tablets like the iPad, I could see it coming in handy for any smartphone, 5″ or 7″ tablet. The keychain virtual keyboard is available for $99.99(USD) exclusively from Brookstone, and ships this October 1.

Apple’s new iMac is reportedly waiting in the wings, but there are signs the company could also update its Thunderbolt Display alongside the all-in-one desktop. Stock shortages amongh UK retailers seemingly indicate that the standalone monitor may, like its iMac brethren, be due a refresh, though it’s unclear how comprehensive an update that might be. One possibility, of course, is a Retina Display upgrade.

Apple announced the Thunderbolt Display more than a year ago, back in July 2011, and since then the desktop monitor has gone technically unchanged. The company did push out a new SKU in July this year, though the only change was the inclusion of a new power adapter so that the Thunderbolt Display’s pass-through power cable could be used with the redesigned MagSafe 2 connection.

While supplies direct from Apple’s own webstore remain prompt, several UK retailers are showing no online stock availability. Amazon UK, for instance, says the Thunderbolt Display is backordered until September 20 (though independent Marketplace sellers still have stock); fellow UK retailers Dixons, PC World, Currys, John Lewis and Comet are also out of stock.

Currently, the Thunderbolt Display runs at 2560 x 1440 resolution and measures in at 27-inches, as per the larger iMac. Opinions on whether the all-in-one will get a Retina boost have been mixed, with some expecting a significant step up in resolution, while others say Apple will skip such a – likely expensive – change for this generation.

Those same factors count for the Thunderbolt Display, though there are still areas in which Apple could tweak the monitor. On the back, for instance, is a hub of ports which includes gigabit ethernet, a pass-through Thunderbolt, three USB 2.0, and a FireWire 800; Apple might opt to update that to USB 3.0, as with the ports on the 2012 MacBook Pro, and add another Thunderbolt pass-through.

The first-gen Thunderbolt Display arrived without fanfare as a simple press release, so it’s possible that a new version might make a similarly low-key debut. Amazon’s September 20 supply estimate could be an indication of when the new model is due, a week after Apple’s iPhone 5 launch.

Stock shortage tips Sept 20 Apple Thunderbolt Display refresh is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Amazon today took wraps off a whole new family of Kindle tablets and e-readers, taking aim at top, middle and bottom of the portable media device market. The biggest announcement of the day was the new series of Kindle Fire HD tablets, ranging in size from 7″ to 8.9″ and aiming squarely at Apple’s iPad juggernaut.

Priced at $499 USD (32GB) to $599 (64GB), the top-of-the-line Kindle Fire HD offers an 8.9″ 1920×1200 touchscreen display (for full 1080p video playback), 4G LTE connectivity, Dolby audio, dual stereo speakers (so you get stereo in either landscape or portrait modes), and a front-facing HD camera for video chats. Also revealed was an improved dual-band, dual-antenna Wi-Fi system which claims to be 40% faster than the latest iPad at streaming content on a compatible Wi-Fi network. The tablet is powered by a speedy 1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP4470 CPU with a PowerVR 3D graphics core.

In addition to the 4G LTE model, a Wi-Fi only Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ is available for just $299 (16GB) or $369 (32GB), dramatically undercutting Apple’s pricing scheme for similar models. Those who pick up the 4G model will be happy to hear that AT&T and Amazon have teamed up to offer a full year of 4G service for just $49. However, this does include only 250 MB a month of data, so you could burn through that quickly – especially with streaming HD video content. 3GB and 5GB data plans are also available, but pricing wasn’t announced.

There’s also a 7″ Kindle Fire HD going for just $199 (16GB) or $249 (32GB) with all of the same features, but a slight cut in processor speed down to 1.2GHz, and a reduction to 1280×800 screen resolution, but there’s no 3G or 4G option available for the 7″ model at this point. We can only imagine that if Apple is to reveal an iPad Mini, it will be similarly priced and spec’d.

All models offer an IPS display with polarizing filter and anti-glare technology to make the screen as useful as possible in a variety of viewing environments. include unlimited cloud storage for content from Amazon, as well as integrated Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! and Exchange support. Of course, you’ll also be able to load Android apps, as well as have access to the Kindle Owners’ free Lending Library with these tablets.

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ models are expected to ship on November 20th, while the Fire HD 7″ model will be available next week – on September 14th. And if you’re perfectly content with the plain old Kindle Fire display and Wi-Fi, you can grab one today for just $159, with the bonus of a 40% speed bump, twice the memory and improved battery life from the original.

If you’re in the market for an e-Reader, today is your lucky day – with the reveal of the Kindle Paperwhite, you can finally get the benefits of an electrostatic ink display, but also be able to read it at night. The Paperwhite offers not only a super-sharp paper-like display, but has a built-in light so you can read it in bed without an external light source.

Amazon claims an astounding 8 week battery life for the Paperwhite, even with the light on! Amazon also says the paperwhite display has 62% more pixels and a 25% higher contrast from standard E-Ink displays, as well as a bunch of specially optimized fonts for making reading as good as any paper book you ever looked at.

The Wi-Fi model of the Kindle Paperwhite is going for just $119 (if you’re willing to look at Amazon’s special offers), or $139 without, while the 3G version is $179 (with offers) and $199 (without).

Amazon is accepting pre-orders now for all new Kindle models.

Before I used the Inbox Zero process, I was often interrupted by the vast quantity of emails that anyone in tech receives. That being said, attaining Inbox Zero actually isn’t that easy and if it doesn’t work for you, you should check out Inbox Pause, a handy little browser extension that will push the pause button on your emails.

Inbox Pause is an extension that works with Chrome and that allows you to pause your inbox. This could be useful if you are on vacation and need to resist the urge to check your work email. Also, when you are concentrating on a task at hand that requires your full attention, it’s easy to get distracted if you keep getting notifications of new mail.The extension adds a big blue pause button to Gmail. Once you’ve pressed it, received emails will receive a new label, and they’ll be kept out of your Inbox. You can also set up an auto responder to let everyone know that your email has been paused.

Once you unpause your email, all of the emails are moved into your Inbox – which could, of course, result in a massive deluge of messages if you get a ton of emails. If you’ve got Chrome, you can grab Inbox Pause here.