Hasta La Gadget!

Here in the first few months after Microsoft introduced Windows 8 to the world, we’re still looking for the perfect set of homes for this touch-friendly operating system – and in the Dell XPS One 27 (Touch Screen enabled model 2710), we may have found the best all-in-one solution yet. This beast works with a 27-inch 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution (Quad HD) display ready for 10-finger touch on an articulating stand. This stand will allow you to move 60 degrees, nearly flat to an ever-so-slightly forward-leaning position – your choice!

Hardware

The Dell XPS One 27 is a machine that comes in several different iterations – and you may have seen it in the past without an articulating stand or a touchscreen. This version is the newest and, of course, greatest of the pack with a relatively massive 19.32 x 26.14 inch chassis with depth ranging from 1.25 inches to 2.82 inches. This beast has been called competition for the newest iMac, but as you’ll see in our iMac 27-inch (2012) review, aside from the “all-in-one” name, these computers are altogether different, essentially top to bottom.

This XPS monster weighs in at 35.16 pounds as you’ll see plainly in the hands-on video above. The neck is made to make the computer’s bulk feel light, and indeed it does – we’re able to easily tilt the display back and forth with one hand, no problem. Moving the display up and down will require a couple of hands to manage, but again you’ll have no trouble – it’s picking the whole machine up and moving it from table to table that’ll give you a back-ache, but since you’re only going to have this bulk in one place the whole time you own it, that shouldn’t be a problem.

The front of this machine has about an inch of bezel surrounding the display, a bit more than that at the bottom with an additional bit of casing under the glass that brings you down another inch. The display glass sits out and above the casing rather than being flush with it, this giving you the impression that it goes from left to right to top almost magically – not an easy feat and certainly appreciated in the final aesthetic. The back of the machine is a simple gray on the back, all hard plastic casing with the largest collection of ports sitting below the neck.

This set of ports includes four USB 3.0, HDMI out, HDMI in, SPDIF 1 (7.1 ch), and ethernet. On the right side of the machine you’ve got a disk drive for 12.7mm action, DVD+/-RW and BluRay Combo for your pleasure, HDD LED light, and a power button. On the other side you’ve got an 8 in 1 media card reader with support for SDXC (SD3.0), Secure Digital (SD), Multi Media Card (MMC), Hi Speed SD, Hi Capacity SD, Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick PRO, and xD Picture Cards alike. Also on the left side you’ve got two more USB 3.0 ports that are Sleep Charge Capable – how about that?

Up on the front you’ve also got a set of four relatively hidden buttons that are capacitive and only appear when you tap them. The first two buttons increase and decrease the brightness of your display, the third controls the input of your display (if you’re using your HDMI-in, for example), and the last button will eject a disk from your disk drive, no questions asked. Each of these buttons is marked with an LED light that, again, only appears when you tap it.

The front-facing camera on this machine offers you the ability to speak with Skype (or whatever other video chat apps you like), extremely easy to use and decent at least for video chat in general. While you wont be recording any Hollywood-quality videos with this camera, it’s certainly nice to have as a given. It’s also relatively hidden from view if you don’t plan on using it all – no unrelenting design cues here!

Software and Performance

The machine we’ve got here works with Intel HD Integrated Graphics and NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M 2GB GDDR5, so you know good and well you’ll be packing high graphics power from top to bottom. While we’ve been drawn immediately and continuously to playing HD video as this machine cannot be denied as a great motion picture player, gaming is certainly a reality here right out of the box. You may want to pick up a few gaming-centric peripherals if you do want to go that route as wired may feel slightly more perfectly accurate than Bluetooth for mouse and keyboard action, the power under this hood is good to go.

Have a peek first at the system components included in this particular build, then see below the results of our standard benchmark test in Geekbench. Feel free to compare this score with past reviews of similar systems, keeping in mind that each system is indeed unique and benchmarks, no matter how accurate, show numbers, not your overall positive or negative experience.

Windows 8 is running as smoothly and as beautifully as we’ve ever seen it here on the Dell XPS One 27, making its case for what’s easily one of the most high-quality presentations of the operating system to date. Windows 8 is coming in to its own with more official full-screen and touch-optimized apps every day (see: Office 365 for example) and you’re sure to find yourself lost in exploration with this machine if not ready for full-on entertainment action from day one. Video looks great out of the box, graphics and settings can be optimized instantly with NVIDIA’s newest iteration of the GeForce Experience (still in Beta at the moment, but working great), and touchscreen action has never felt more natural.

Wrap-up

This machine will be costing you right around $1300 USD, and for that price you’re getting one beast of a computer. The Dell XPS One 27 with multi-touch display is easily one of the most solidly put together total packages running Windows 8 today, and makes us feel right at home with the touchscreen user interface immediately on startup. Dell has created a computer that makes us confident that touchscreen interfaces are indeed the future of home computing, especially in the entertainment realm – grab it now!

Dell XPS One 27 Review: a real touchscreen Windows 8 All-in-One hero is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

They were neck and neck in 2011, spending 18.6 and 18.8 billion on semiconductors worldwide, but a new Gartner report out today finds that Samsung has pulled ahead of Apple as the world’s biggest chip buyer by a decent margin. According to the research group, Samsung’s chip purchases shot up nearly 29 percent to $23.9 billion in 2012, or 8 percent of the worldwide market, while Apple’s purchases rose 13.6 percent to $21.4 billion, or a share of 7.2 percent. Doing that math, that means the two companies account for over 15 percent of worldwide semiconductor purchases (or more than $45 billion), with each well ahead of runners-up HP, Dell and Sony, who stood at shares of 4.7, 2.9 and 2.7 percent for the year.

Despite the significant growth of those two leaders, though, overall semiconductor purchases actually dropped three percent in 2012 to a total of $297.6 billion. The biggest decline among the top ten companies? That would be Nokia, which fell from fifth to tenth place with chip purchases dropping a whopping 42.6 percent to five billion, compared to 8.6 billion in 2011.

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Mobile, Apple, Samsung, Sony, Nokia, HP, Dell, Lenovo

Comments

Via: Cult of Android, Bloomberg

Source: Gartner

Details on the rumored multi-billion Microsoft investment in Dell continue to emerge, with chatter of the expectations the Windows maker would have for its supposed target. Whispers of Microsoft considering up to a $3bn injection to help stabilize Dell as a private company circulated yesterday following CNBC reports, and now the WSJ weighs in with further insider talk of how the deal might work out. Perhaps most important is the criteria that “Windows software [would] power the vast majority of its devices,” though there are concerns that perceived favouritism might push other Windows OEMs to look elsewhere for their software.

That Microsoft might have a Windows bias hardly comes as news, though beyond mandating predominant use of its software, the company would supposedly be a quiet partner. Day-to-day operations would be left to Dell to decide, without Microsoft involvement, under the current deal being proposed.

Microsoft is also apparently hoping to weight the payout in its favor should Dell – even with the extra financial help – collapse under the strain. The preferred security it hopes to hold in Dell would put it ahead of the line of stockholders, should Dell go bust and debts be settled out of what was left over.

The potential deal is already being compared to Microsoft’s partnership with Nokia, which switched to focus its smartphone efforts on Windows Phone back in 2011. Although talk of Microsoft buying out Nokia wholesale proliferated both before and after that partnership was agreed, the two companies have remained distinct, with Microsoft merely sloshing cash into the Finnish firm’s account on a quarterly basis.

Microsoft has also helped foot the bill for some of Nokia’s advertising and promotional work around Windows Phone, a move that led many to wonder whether other smartphone manufacturers using the OS might balk at the apparent favoritism. A similar concern has arisen around this rumored Dell deal, with suggestions that Acer, ASUS, Sony, and other OEMs might react to the proposed investment by looking to Google’s Chrome OS or other platforms.

However, even with its close ties to Nokia, Microsoft doesn’t always turn to Lumia devices when Windows Phone needs promoting. The company surprised many by opting to brand HTC’s 8X and 8S handsets as “Signature Windows Phones” last year, rather than their Lumia counterparts.

Microsoft wants Windows commitment not Dell control tip insiders is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Last week, we reported on a rumor Dell was in talks to become a private company as it was conducting buyout talks with a number of private-equity firms. It looks as though that rumor may become a reality as reports are coming in Microsoft may be in talks to invest in Dell.

According to CNBC sources familiar with the matter, Microsoft is in discussions to invest between $1 billion and $3 billion in mezzanine financing in hopes to make Dell a private company. Private equity firm Silver Lake Partners is reportedly attempting to finalize a bidding group and has opened discussions with potential equity partners.

Dell is currently taking a close look at the potential deal Microsoft has put on the table, and if it goes through, Microsoft will provide capital in the form of mezzanine. A deal is expected to take place by the end of this week.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Amazon In-App Purchasing In PC, Mac And Browser Games, Intel Launches “Budget-Friendly” Processors,

There’s a lot of confusing legal language being thrown around today about Dell continuing its plan to go private, and Microsoft’s involvement. But it’s not actually that complicated. Here’s a relatively simple breakdown of what we know is going on. More »