Hasta La Gadget!

Asus has announced that it has launched a new program for build-to-order desktop computers. Asus says it will be working closely with its custom system integration partners, and the new program is called Powered by Asus. The program is available in North America and pairs consumers familiar with Asus components together with trusted system integrators to create the computer of the customer’s dreams.

The program helps create a new category of custom computers offering unique configurations that are stability testing and performance optimized using Asus components. Asus may be known by some users more for its line of ready to buy notebook computers. The company has been in the PC hardware business for many years and offers some of the most popular mainboards and video cards around.

Asus says that participating system integrators will offer custom configurations for PCs using multiple Asus components. The list of Asus components in the program includes motherboards, graphics cards, sound cards, optical drives, headsets, wireless routers, USB wireless adapters, and monitors. Partners with Asus in the new program include some of the most recognizable boutique PC manufacturers out there.

Odds are that most of the people who take advantage of this new program will be computer gamers and enthusiasts. Participating companies include iBUYPOWER, CyberPower, Falcon Northwest, and others. To help launch the new Powered by Asus program people who purchase qualifying systems from authorized builders will get a free Xonar DSX sound card in their system worth $59.99.

Asus launches Powered by Asus program for custom PCs is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

NEC has announced a new desktop display with a modest screen size promising to be eco-friendly. According to NEC, the display is falls into its high-end IT desktop line and is part of the MultiSync EA Series. The display measures 22-inches wide and is model EA224WMi aimed at corporate, financial, healthcare, and government markets.

The display uses an IPS panel with wide viewing angles and high-quality color consistency and image accuracy. Using LED backlighting technology lets the screen be thinner and lighter while being more power efficient as well. The display has touch-sensitive controls with simple display adjustments made through an on-screen display.

The screen also features an ambient light sensor and human sensors allowing it to automatically set the proper brightness and detect conditions in the work environment to reduce power consumption. The screen also supports NEC ControlSync technology for multiple screen setups with up to six EA series displays used.

The screen is actually 21.5-inches wide and has a 16:9 aspect ratio. Viewing angles are 178° horizontally and vertically with a dynamic contrast ratio of 25,000:1. The static contrast is 1000:1 and the screen has a resolution of 1920 x 1080. The display stand is adjustable through 130 mm of height and can tilt, swivel, and pivot. Connectivity includes DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI-D, and VGA. The screen also has a four port USB hub built-in and integrated dual 1 W speakers. The display will ship in September for $279.

NEC launches new 22-inch LED backlit eco-friendly display is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If you were thinking of getting a Panasonic notebook with the ability to beat the elements in a high-powered next-generation build, now’s you’re opportunity. The Toughbook 19 has been updated by Panasonic with Ivy Bridge processors and Intel Turbo Boost Technology this week, bringing the machine up to the current wave of future-ready PCs. This notebook will be ready to work with you anywhere, be it in the line of fire in the military or right down deep and dirty in your law enforcement job.

This machine will now be working with the same MIL-STD-810G and IP65 certified durability standards with Intel’s new 3rd generation processor line inside. The Toughbook 19 will be working with an Intel Core i5-3320M vProTM processor (up to 3.3GHz) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology right out of the box. You’ll also be seeing expanded storage and an updated touchpad for a much more responsive experience!

Expanded storage will bring you up to a 500GB 7200rpm hard drive with shock-mounted flex-connect with quick release. This unit now has 10% more battery life, bringing it up to 10 hours of standard work. There’s an added USB 3.0 port as well as a new ambient light sensor with automatic backlight shut-off – this also adding to your battery life in the field.

This new unit features a new and improves battery calibration tool that’s able to run in the background so you can use the computer at the same time, and the touchpad responsiveness increase comes from the addition of Interlink’s VersaPad. You’ll be tapping all night long with great results! This unit will cost you an estimated street price of $3,549 USD and comes with a three-year limited warranty, parts and labor. Pick it up right this minute!

Panasonic Toughbook 19 gets Ivy Bridge boost is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Sony has introduced a new hybrid computer that is made significantly less bonkers by the touch-friendly nature of Windows 8. The Sony Vaio Tap 20 is an all-in-one “tabletop” PC: it has a keyboard and mouse and other standard desktop hardware, with a couple of additions: the 20″ 1600×900 display is a touchscreen. And it has a battery.

As you can see the Tap 20 has an integrated kick stand at the back. You can prop it up at the usual eye-level angle for traditional desktop use, but you can also lay the display flat and use it like a gigantic tablet. The screen can recognize up to 10 points at once, and the computer will come with 20 multi-touch apps to play around with.

Inside the Tap 20 will be Intel Core i3 to i7 CPUs, 4GB to 8GB RAM, 750GB to 1TB HDD and as I said, an internal battery. The battery is supposed to make it easier to transport the display around the house. Then again the display weighs about 11.5 lbs. I’m thinking Sony should have used the space to fit a discrete graphics card, instead of making-do with the Intel HD Graphics 4000 integrated GPU. Below is a brief hands-on video taken by Pocket Now:

I wonder if the Tap 20 will turn out to be a consumer version of the Microsoft/Samsung Surface (now known as PixelSense), or if it will just be remembered as a gimmick.

[Sony via Gear Patrol]

I always wondered what it must have been like for Han Solo when he was frozen in that block of carbonite by Jabba the Hutt. We know that he was cold and blind when he came out of it, but did he dream when inside of it? Was he imagining a life with Princess Leia during his cryonic sleep, or was his brain switched off too? And if he was so cold inside, was he dreaming about sleeping inside a sliced open Tauntaun to keep warm? Who knows. I digress, anyhow, because this USB hub has nothing to do with Solo’s REM cycles – just how he looked in carbonite slumber.

Pariah Burke created this Han Solo carbonite USB hub that’s perfect for any fan of the Star Wars saga. Also perfect for people into freezing the good guy just when the series was hitting its stride. While Solo sleeps the blackest of sleeps, you can connect up to four USB 2.0 gadgets to the side of his carbonite coffin, which is a feature that not even Jabba’s full-size version offered. Though I’ve heard that you could plug a maintenance droid to that one.

You can grab the Han Solo carbonite USB hub over on Etsy for $45(USD). Looks great with a Leia/Boushh action figure alongside it.