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Aug 30

Samsung Galaxy Note 2: Now Bigger Than Ever

I’ve seen a couple of people with the Samsung Galaxy Note, and they all commented on how big the device felt in their hands. Well Samsung decided that it still wasn’t large enough and has announced an even bigger Galaxy Note.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 sports a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1,280 × 720, making it just a hair larger than the original’s 5.3-inch display. Samsung has updated its UI and the overall experience, after the release of their latest products in the US, including the Galaxy Note 10.1 and SIII. The battery has almost doubled in capacity, from 1,800 mAh to 3,100 mAh, which is good news too.

The quad-core 1.6 Ghz processor, 8MP camera that’s capable of 1080p video recording, and the fact that it will be running Android Jelly Bean are all good updates for people looking to use this device on the go. The device has more S Pen functionalities that the previous model, and continues to improve upon what Samsung started with the first Galaxy Note.

The Galaxy Note 2 will be available with 16, 32 or 64 GB of internal storage, upgradeable with a microSD card. It will be launched in October in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and will be available in either white or gray. There’s no word yet when it will be launched in the US.

[via Mashable and Android Central]

Aug 30

Windows 8 makes manufacturers touchy at IFA 2012

Posted in: Today's Chili

This week in Berlin at IFA 2012 we’re seeing a large amount of manufacturers bringing on touchscreens and convertible, transformable, or otherwise completely strange Windows 8 computers. There’s everything from a flipping screen to a flat horizontal interface, and so many tablets that we don’t know where to begin. One thing they’ve all got in common: they’re attempting to make use of Windows 8′s ability to work with interactive touchscreens and gestures galore.

Have a peek first at the Sony VAIO Duo 11 in our hands-on experience. There you’ll find what’s called a “hybrid sliding PC” that’s not entirely unlike the ASUS solution for a similar situation in the Eee Pad Slider – but here it’s working with Windows 8 instead of Android. And it’s a bit more chunky (as seen above). Next have a look at Lenovo’s ThinkPad Tablet 2 as seen below. It’s a tablet if you’d like as well, this time you pull it out and set it up in a keyboard dock rather than sliding.

The Dell XPS Duo 12 is a strange beast indeed – working with a flip screen on hinges – like a framed painting whose center can be turned around. There’s a keyboard in there somewhere as well. Have a peek at that below this paragraph as well – and note that we’ve only gotten “eyes-on” with this device so far, so there’s no telling how fabulous it’ll be in the near future.

The folks at HP have brought along several units to the show including a hybrid PC that runs Windows 8 and has the power of a full PC – rather than a tablet with “mobile power”. Here you’re working with what’s otherwise known as a tablet with a keyboard dock, but it’s described the other way around. Then there’s Samsung – they’ve brought out the guns with the ATIV Smart PC Pro sporting a very similar setup to the HP solution also in this paragraph. Here Samsung has brought on a lovely looking combo that’s not without it’s Ivy Bridge – another bit of hardware we’ve seen a lot of this year. There’s also an ATIV Smart PC that we got hands-on with as well.

Check out the rest of this awesome pageant of touch-friendly (and sometimes not so touch friendly) devices as they appear in Berlin in our IFA 2012 portal. And keep up with the Windows 8 tag as well through the future – some strange devices are afoot!

Windows 8 makes manufacturers touchy at IFA 2012 is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Aug 30

Western Digital Announces MyBook VelociRaptor Duo with Thunderbolt and 2TB

Posted in: Today's Chili

If you’re a fan of Western Digital and their popular VelociRaptor line we might have something for you. All those folks with a spare Thunderbolt port on their Mac might just want to check out this new release from WD. It’s called the Western Digital MyBook VelociRaptor Duo and offers Thunderbolt speeds and 2TB of capacity. Oh and it’ll cost an arm and a leg.

This new MyBook from Western Digital uses two blazing fast 1TB 10,000 RPM VelociRaptor drives in a RAID configuration to bring you some top notch speeds, and tons of storage. I want one already! Toss in the new Thunderbolt standard to help you achieve top read/write and in/out speeds and you’ll be cruising along in no time.

The new WD storage device offers speeds topping 400MB/sec and both RAID 0 and RAID 1 configurations. That is near SSD performance only you’re getting 2TB of space instead of say 512GB. What is the price your wondering? This impressive new MyBook isn’t cheap with those speeds and performance. It will run you a pretty penny of about $900. All that precious HD video now has a fast, safe, and easy to access storage option.

WD details that the new VelociRapter Duo comes with dual Thunderbolt ports so you can daisy chain should you have a spare $1800 to pick up two. Then as you see above the device is user-serviceable and accessible should the unlikely event of a drive failure. You can easily pop her open and replace a drive. You can even boot your Mac right from this external storage drive. If you’ve got the cash to spend or the need for speed head to WD.com to get started today.

[via ZDNet]

Western Digital Announces MyBook VelociRaptor Duo with Thunderbolt and 2TB is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Aug 30

Logitech Ultimate Ears Headphones: One for Every Kind of Ear

Posted in: Today's Chili

Logitech released a couple of teasers late last week about their new series of headphones from their Ultimate Ears line, and they finally have made public what they have been working on. The UE series of headphones includes 4 different models that will go over your ears and into them.

logitech ultimate ears headphones

The Logitech UE 4000 headphones ($100 USD) are available in three colors, black, blue, and magenta. The cord is detachable and has an in-line mic as well as audio controls that will work with iOS devices. The UE 6000 ($200) is the over-ear model that folds up nicely for when you are on the go. It’s got an in-line remote and active noise cancellation.

logitech ue 6000 9000 headphones The UE 9000 ($400) are the top-of-the-line wireless Bluetooth headphones with active noise cancellation. The UE 900 (also $400) are their high-end in-ear model that sports a quad-armature design with in-line controls.

logitech ultimate ears headphones earphones

All of the headphones are available now, and you can find more details over on the Logitech UE website.

Aug 30

Toshiba outs three new Satellite Ultrabooks

Posted in: Today's Chili

The folks at Toshiba came to play here at IFA 2012 and have just outed another 3 Satellite Ultrabooks to add to their ever growing lineup. Yesterday they unveiled their convertible hybrid in the U925t but today we have three new laptops with a more standardized look. Say hello to the U945 and P845t Ultrabooks as well as their new S955 — but don’t call it an Ultrabook.

First off their U945 will be a low end and more budget conscious Ultrabook but we’ll get into specifics shortly. Then the P845t is a full out Ultrabook class machine along with a full touchscreen for tablet like capabilities. Overall these are pretty standard designs and nothing out of the ordinary but lets take a look.

Starting with the U945 you’ll have a 14-inch low end Ultrabook that will be even cheaper than previous models thanks to a durable hard plastic shell instead of aluminum. It won’t feel as premium but then it will be lower priced too. The device comes with a Core i3 or i5 option, 500GB HD and a 32GB SSD for quick wake and boot times. Then we get the standard 3 USB ports, HDMI, and Ethernet. Not bad Toshiba, not bad.

Next is their “thin and light” S955 that isn’t considered an Ultrabook although it will be 30% thinner and lighter than previous generations from Toshiba. We’ll get a Core i5 here, 8GB of RAM, 750GB HD, a cheaper AMD option and even Harmen Kardon speakers on board.

Last is their P845t which has a 14-inch display as well, only this one rocks touchscreen capabilities. This will be a growing trend with Windows 8 but this device packs a decent punch. We get again the Core i3 or i5 possibilities, 750GB HD, 32GB for bootup, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, then again 3 USB ports, HDMI, and Ethernet. This will be priced a little higher but should be a solid performance. Pricing for all three laptops listed has not yet been unveiled but they will all be available starting October 26th, the day Windows 8 launches. Stay tuned for more details and hands-on pictures live from IFA 2012.

Toshiba outs three new Satellite Ultrabooks is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Aug 30

Lenovo IdeaPad S Series Laptops get thin and affordable

Posted in: Today's Chili

At IFA 2012 Lenovo has revealed their next generation of affordable, thin, and light computers with the IdeaPad S Series Laptop lineup. This set of devices brings a balance between performance and portability with Lenovo providing more power than a netbook and longer battery life than your traditional notebook. The IdeaPad S300, S400, and S405 laptops each bring an affordable price to the market as well.

Each of the S Series notebooks measures in at 21.9mm thin and weighs in at 1.8kg. The entire S Series also works with either a 3rd generation Intel Core or AMD A-Series processor under the hood, and each come with a lovely metallic finnish on their outer bits. These units are finished in a variety of colors including crimson red, silver grey and cotton-candy pink, too!

The differences between these devices are in their components, each of the units having just a few changes from the next. With the Lenovo IdeaPad S300 and S400 you’ll be working with Intel’s 3rd Generation Core i3 or i5 processors. With the IdeaPad S405 you’ll have the option to work with up to an AMD A8 quad-core processor. Each of the units has up to 500GB of hard disk storage – save the S405 which has up to 1TB of HDD – and both the S400 and S405 have another storage option as well. Both the S400 and S405 have an available 32GB solid state drive to boost your speed on your boot time as well as the responsiveness of your applications.

Each of the S Series machines will be appearing with Microsoft Windows 7 Home Professional and will be eligible for the Windows 8 update program from Microsoft. Each of these units also works with Lenovo’s Quick Start “Instant On” functionality to hit the internet in mere moments. You’ll also have Lenovo OneKey Rescue System for your data right out of the box. Each S Series laptop has an AccuType keyboard as well for easy comfortable typing with individually rounded keys across the whole grid. The S Series’ intelligent touchpad also has functions for Windows 8 with both scrolling and zooming features.

Every unit in the S Series lineup has up to a 14-inch HD widescreen display, HDMI out port, Dolby Advanced Audio v2 certification, and stereo speakers besides. The Lenovo IdeaPad S300, S400, and S405 will be available starting today through your favorite Lenovo retailer in the USA. Depending on what features you’d like or model you opt for, this lineup will be starting at $499 USD.

Lenovo IdeaPad S Series Laptops get thin and affordable is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Aug 30

Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac priced and dated for Mountain Lion and Windows 8

Posted in: Today's Chili

This week Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac has been revealed with the power to integrate OS X Mountain Lion and Windows 8 like a boss. With features that take into account the most integral features of both systems, you’ll be working on the Mac computer of your choice with all the greatness of the most advanced operating systems from both Apple and Microsoft. Both Parallels Desktop 8 Switch to Mac Edition and standard Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac are ready to make your next-generation operating system cross-use easy as pie.

Integration features on your Mountain Lion system are numerous with this new bit of software, starting with dictation support on Windows app – like they’re running natively. You’ll have keyboard layout synchronization for all the languages you’ve got on your Mac inside Windows apps as well and working with Smart full screen capabilities as well as Retina display support, you’ll have a more HD experience than you ever though possible with your Windows system running on your Mac.

You’ll have the ability to drag and drop email attachments from your OS X environment over to your Outlook icon, you can use your Mountain Lion Notification Center for Windows messages, and you’ve got a fabulous Presentation Wizard to work with for both systems together as well! Right along those lines – so to speak – you’ll be working with a brand new Windows “launchpad” that makes your Windows 8 experience much more user friendly.

Inside Windows 8 apps you’ll be able to use Mountain Lion gesture galore – rotate, zoom, pinch, and a whole lot more. Compared to the last version of Parallels, you’ll be running 30% faster input/output operations, 30% faster graphics for games, and your virtual machines will run up to 25% faster as well.

With Parallels Desktop 8 Switch to Mac Edition you’ll have a collection of tools that allow you to move away from your Windows device and towards an Apple computer as quickly or as incrementally as you with. You’ve got a Parallels High-speed USB transfer cable right in the box so you can transfer from one device to the other with ease, and video tutorials are included as well so the whole process is made simple. This pack also comes with online backup and recovery from Acronis as well as Mac and Windows security software trial subscriptions from Norton and Kaspersky – just incase you’re nervous!

Both bits of software will be on the streets starting on 09/04/2012 – that’s on-shelf availability, in other words, and there’s a Tech Guarantee in effect working from 8/1/12 until 10/31/2012 as well. The full version of Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac will ring in at $79.99 MSRP while the Switch to Mac edition will cost you $99.99 USD. There’s also a Student Edition coming up for $39.99 USD as well – grab it!

ALSO NOTE: There’s also a Parallels Mobile App for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch out there as well – right now you can grab it for a limited time price of $4.99. You can run Windows applications on your devices like a pro on your Apple mobile device too – who woulda thought!?

Aug 29

HP ENVY TouchSmart Ultrabook 4 brings Windows 8 on 14-inch touchscreen

Posted in: Today's Chili

If you liked the look of the HP SpectreXP TouchSmart Ultrabook with Windows 8 but thought it might be a bit to gigantic for you, the 14-inch HP ENVY TouchSmart Ultrabook 4 will be right up your alley. Everything you got in the Intel technology department on the HP SpectreXP TouchSmart Ultrabook is here with a slightly different set of physical specifications up top. You’ve got a 14-inch multitouch HD display Ultrabook with Beats Audio and a lovely set of HP software as well.

The HP ENVY TouchSmart Ultrabook 4 brings the notebook world another new dose of touchscreen loveliness with optional AMD graphics and 2GB of graphics memory. You’ve got a backlit keyboard as well as a projected 8 hours of battery life as well. Beats Audio technology makes the sounds sound sweet and the subwoofer embedded in this notebook sound booming.

You’ll have the latest Intel processor backing you up here with this next-generation Ultrabook and you’ll have a selection of solid-state drives available to you as well. Inside you’ll find a collection of HP software that includes HP CoolSense, HP Imagepad, HP ProtectSmart, HP TrueVision HD Webcam, HP Connected Photo, HP Connected Music, and HP Connected Backup. This Ultrabook is expected to be available in the USA right around the holidays near the end of the year 2012.

Aug 29

HP ENVY x2 brings Windows 8 hybrid PC power

Posted in: Today's Chili

With one of its very first devices to work with Windows 8 right out of the box, HP brings the ENVY x2 – a “hybrid PC” otherwise known as a tablet with a keyboard dock. This device works as its own 11.6-inch touchscreen tablet and is able to dock magnetically with a keyboard that then turns it into a notebook computer. HP is making sure consumers do not lump it in with the mobile transforming tablet universe by calling the HP ENVY x2 a hybrid PC first and foremost.

This device uses its seamless magnetic latch to work as a perfectly solid notebook or as a tablet, both in one device. The device weighs in at 3.1 pounds with the keyboard attached or just 1.5 pounds with just the top half. This device has a 11.6-inch diagonal HD touch display for you to work with whilst entering the Windows 8 world this Fall.

You’ll be getting ultrawide viewing angles galore with this device’s 400nit IPS LCD panel that’ll have you working well both indoors and outdoors alike. You’ve also got an HD webcam on the front of the device above the display and an 8-megapixel camera on the back. Inside you’ll also find Beats Audio integration for high-quality sound delivery, and HP has shown off an optional stylus accessory you can purchase specifically for this unit as well.

The HP ENVY x2 has solid-state memory integrated within for both fast startup times and improved reliability, and you’ve got an NFC chip integrated in the tablet portion as well! With Near Field Communication technology you’ll be able to share content with devices around you with a single physical tap.

Inside you’ll be working with a collection of software that makes this HP device unique. With the HP Connected Photo application you’ll be able to connect your photos across multiple devices and sync them for editing from any device you’re working with. This app also works with instant-sharing abilities for several social networks as well. This HP machine also has HP Connected Music inside powered by Meridian – you’ll be able to download music, stream media, and work with internet radio as well.

The HP ENVY x2 will be appearing in the USA near the end of the year right in time for the holiday season. At the moment no pricing is available – check back soon!

Aug 29

HP SpectreXT TouchSmart Ultrabook delivers Thunderbolt and Win8 touchscreen

Posted in: Today's Chili

The folks at HP have jumped in on the Windows 8 universe with a brand hew Ultrabook by the name of HP SpectreXT TouchSmart – complete with a touchscreen display. This device has a 15.6-inch IPS LCD screen working with multitouch and Radiance Full HD so you’re ready for awesome high definition media action. This device is also extremely portable at just 17.9mm thin and weighs in at just 4.77 pounds.

This Ultrabook has a lovely all-metal design with edge-to-edge glass across its display as well as Beats Audio inside so it looks good and sounds good as well. You’ve also got a soft-touch base for grip and comfort as well as a glass touchpad for so many controls that you’ll never be without!

HP brings this device to the market with its first ever implementation of Intel Thunderbolt technology for ultra-quick media transfer speeds. You’ll be able to transfer music, movies, and data of all sorts to external devices in a blink of an eye. With HP USB Boost technology you’ll also be able to charge devices with your USB ports even if the SpectreXP TouchSmart is powered off.

This device will be coming to the market with the latest Intel Core processors as well as Intel Smart Connect technology. Also included is Intel Identity Protection Technology as well as Intel Anti-Theft Technology and Intel Smart Response as well. All this comes on an mSATA solid-state drive, and you’ve got a large array of ports as well including HDMI out, USB 3.0, and Gigabit Ethernet as well.

HP has added HP CoolSense to this device for a “noticeably cooler PC”, their own HP Imagepad for ultra-precise gesture and multifinger navigation, and both HP Connected Photo and HP Connected Music for easy access and syncing of photos, music, and other media across multiple devices. You’ll be working with HP TrueVision HD Webcam technology as well as HP ProtectSmart – this for added hard-drive protection from the forces of evil.

This device comes with 90 days of HP SmartFriend Setup Service for easy setup and access to functions of all kinds for those who are new to the system. This device also comes with one year of Absolute Data Protect, two years of Norton Internet Security, and Intel Anti-Theft for good measure.

Right out of the box you’ll also have full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Adobe Premiere Elements 10. These applications will bring you fabulous photo- and video-editing capabilities that you’ll want never to be without!

The HP SpectreXT TouchSmart Ultrabook will have a starting price of $1,399.99 USD and is expected to be arriving in the United States in December of this year. We’ll see it by the holidays, we hope!