Hasta La Gadget!

If yesterday was the day Lenovo unveiled its new Android products, today’s the day it turns its attention to Windows 8: in addition to announcing a slew of laptops, the company introduced three IdeaCentre all-in-ones, all slated to go on sale in October when Windows 8 launches. Of these, the flagship is clearly the A520, with its tilting 23-inch screen that can lie nearly flat. Included in that press release, though, you’ll also find details about the B340 / B345, a smaller, more affordable desktop with a less flashy design.

Starting with the A520, it’s the little brother to the A720, which we first saw back at CES. Like the A720, it has a screen that can be tilted between 5 and 90 degrees, except this particular model has a smaller 23-inch display (compared with 27 inches for the A720). That 1080p display is of IPS caliber and supports 10-point multitouch. Under the hood, it can be configured with a Core i7 CPU, up to 8GB of RAM, up to 1TB of HDD storage and an optional Blu-ray player. If you need graphics horsepower, though, you might want to skip ahead to read about those B series models, since the A520 will only be offered with integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics.

Indeed, graphics might be a good place to start when we talk about the B340 and B345, since the GPU is the one thing that really separates them. Though both will be offered with a 1GB AMD Radeon HD7470A card, only the B340 will be available with a 2GB NVIDIA GeForce 615. Otherwise, you’ll find the same key specs on both models: a 21.5-inch (1080p) touchscreen display, with a choice of a Core i7 processor or AMD quad-core APU on the inside. The two are also VESA mount-compatible, and can be configured with optional TV tuners.

The A520 will sell for $999 and up, while the B series will start at $599. Again, both will arrive in October, at which point we should be neck-deep in Windows 8 PCs to review.

Continue reading Lenovo announces IdeaCentre A520, B340 and B345 all-in-ones running Windows 8

Filed under: Desktops

Lenovo announces IdeaCentre A520, B340 and B345 all-in-ones running Windows 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Aug 2012 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve played or at least seen one of those games down at your local arcade, then you’ll immediately recognize and understand just how cool these Power-Up Arcade Light Switch Plates are.

The plate is designed to cover your existing switch-type light switch. So really, all you have to do is uncrew your current blah-looking cover and screw this one on instead. Moving the joystick lets you turn the lights on and off. But the buttons aren’t there for show. Hit one and the ‘Power-Up’ sign lights up. Hit the other button and it emits arcade sound effects.

Pew! Pew!

The Power-Up Arcade Light Switch Plates are available from ThinkGeek for $29.99(USD).

In their most unkempt forms, wood, concrete and steel are sturdy and raw materials. And when you can manage to combine the qualities of those materials with an aesthetic form, the results are often gorgeous. Such is the case with New Duivendrecht’s Barrel Lamp. More »

Not that hearing aids are unsightly, but some people who use them actually find how they look pretty annoying. But it’s better to have them than not be able to hear what people are saying around you, right?

But if you’re looking for a sleeker, sexier alternative, then Flutter might just be the thing for you. It’s a fusion of fashion and robotics, as the garment was designed to allow those who have trouble hearing to “feel” the sounds around them.

There’s actually a complicated framework of wires and microphones under the dress that detect where the emitted sounds are coming from.

The ‘leaflets’, which are the leafy things on the dress, then flutter to give the wearer a sense of where the sound is coming from. So while it might not be a substitute for hearing aids, it’s a pretty enough start.

It’s only for the ladies, though, but maybe designer Halley Profita might have to come up with something for the gents the next time around.

[via Yanko Design]

Since 2003, three students at New York University have jumped to their deaths from the atrium-facing staircases insides the university’s Elmer Holmes Bobst Library. More »