Hasta La Gadget!

It’s that time of the year again! Yep, the time when most laptop makers start thinking about the holiday season and unleash a massive amount of systems. Samsung’s kicking off its announcements at IFA with the SF and NF Series, both of which have a brand new wave or fin-like designs — they were apparently codenamed “shark” within the company. Beginning with the netbooks, the NF series will hit in the coming weeks and will be available in two skus — the ivory, single-core Atom NF210 will be $379 and the silver NF310 will have a dual-core Atom processor for $399. We got a chance to check them out a few days ago and found the overall build quality to be really solid — we really loved the new chiclet keyboard as well as the swirly pattern on the metal touchpad. Sammy’s also claiming over 10 hours of battery life on them, but we’ll obviously want to test that for ourselves.

On the bigger and badder end is the SF Series. Similar to the netbooks, the mainstream laptops have glossy lids with the new wave like edges. According to Samsung’s global press release, they’ll be available with Core i3 / i5 processors and in three different sizes — there’s the 13.3-inch SF310, 14-inch SF410 and 15.6-inch SF510. The US team tells us the $749 Core i3-powered, 500GB hard drive-packing SF510 will hit the market soon and will be a Best Buy exclusive. We got a peek at that one as well, and similarly love the new chiclet keyboard, though we’re hesitant on this one’s single-button touchpad. Until we bring you some full reviews, there’s additional details in the press release below and some hands-on shots in the gallery.

Continue reading Samsung launches new NF and SF Series laptops with ‘shark’-like designs

Samsung launches new NF and SF Series laptops with ‘shark’-like designs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So it’s been six months since ASUS announced its new N Series laptops, but who’s counting? Okay, we are, but there’s good news, at least for the dear Brits — the 15.6-inch N53JN and the 17.3-inch N73JN are now available in the UK. The N53JN will range from £649.99 to £999 ($1,005 – $1,545) and has an impressive array of specs, including a Core i5 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GT325/415M graphics with Optimus, 320GB of storage, a Blu-ray drive and USB 3.0 ports. The wider £1,099 N73JN is pretty much identically configured, but has 640GB of storage (with two 320GB drives). However, ASUS is hoping the major lure of these systems will be its new SonicMaster sound technology, which has been developed with Bang & Olufsen ICEpower. The press release claims the audio feature is not a “gimmick” and that ASUS’s “Golden Ear” team toiled over the audio fidelity…for months we assume. There’s some bold assertions, but we guess there’s really no knowing what these bad boys really sound like until you take one home and pump up the volume.

Continue reading ASUS N53JN and N73JN with Blu-ray and SonicMaster sound now available in the UK

ASUS N53JN and N73JN with Blu-ray and SonicMaster sound now available in the UK originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The latest word from behind Apple-authorized cashiers is that Cupertino has stopped shipping out fresh stock of its entry-level 21-inch iMac. The Core 2 Duo-equipped machines were already looking long in the tooth in this Core i-something era, and so predictably the latest speculation centers around the idea of Apple taking its full iMac range into Core i3, i5 and i7 territory. Nobody really knows any of the specs for the moment, but resellers are apparently being advised to sell through what stock they have and to “keep inventories lean” for the next few weeks. Considering Apple’s last all-in-one overhaul coincided with the introduction of the Magic Mouse, we’re starting to suspect the company might have another iMac plus touch input device combo coming — potentially in the very near future.

iMac refresh is imminent, according to reseller sources originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just when you were thinking the pandas had gobbled up all the bamboo laptops, ASUS has finally shipped some of its latest offerings to the UK. Unlike the US, however, the lucky tea-sipping Brits are spoiled with two size options: the 13-inch, 3.75-pound U33Jc and the 15-inch, 6.1-pound U53Jc. Apart from the extra inches and the bonus DVD burner on the U53Jc, these two Windows 7 machines are almost identical: there’s a 2.26GHz Core i5-430M CPU, 1,366 x 768 LED-backlit LCD, NVIDIA GeForce 310M with Optimus technology, 4GB DDR3 RAM, and one USB 3.0 port along with two 2.0 ports. The prices? £849 ($1,292) and £899 ($1,368), respectively. Before you whip out your credit card, though, be sure to keep an eye out for our forthcoming review.

Continue reading ASUS U33Jc and U53Jc Bamboo Series laptops priced for UK consumption

ASUS U33Jc and U53Jc Bamboo Series laptops priced for UK consumption originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 05:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS has been showing off bamboo laptops at trade shows for about three years now, but actual machines adorned in the special wood haven’t quite made it to market for what we’d call affordable prices… until now. The sub-$1,000 U43JC and U43F have been hanging out on Best Buy’s website for the last couple of days, and will be shipping towards the end of the month. Internally, these two 14-inchers certainly match their strong exterior — the $999 U43JC is a lot like the U30Jc we reviewed a few months ago with its Core i5-450M processor, NVIDIA Optimus / GeForce 310M graphics, and a 640GB hard drive. The $950 U43F has the same Core i5 processor, but instead sticks with Intel’s graphics to get some WiDi bragging rights. We’re planning to review at least one of these puppies in due time , but hey, don’t let that deter you from hitting those pre-order links below.

ASUS U43JC and U43F show up at Best Buy boastin’ bamboo bods originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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